...are a quick and elegant way to dress the table. For something unusual, mats made of faux or real tropical leaves, lashed bamboo sticks, glitter, pebbles or squares of birch bark create a textural platform for plate and meal. Placemats are a relatively inexpensive...

...placemat, and the delicate Capiz shell mat, a luminous circle. (crateandbarrel.com). San Francisco-based Lian Ng’s PopMat paper placemats are inspired by children’s popup books. Made of recycled paper, Ng’s mats come in packs of 10 and have a spot to write...

...are made of other materials, like silicone and aluminum, but you can improvise by shaping a sheet of aluminum foil or parchment paper into a circle. One of the classic ingredients used in Japanese braised and simmered dishes is soy sauce. Soy sauce is made...

There are tons of suggestions in the links below as this has been covered exhaustively in earlier posts. Yes, some of the suggestions are the 'embrace the tile' variety, but the third one describes tile refinishing. http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/option

...coasters. You will need a plywood sheet of the same size as the placemat. Once you are done with cutting all the squares from bamboo and plywood sheets. Sand the sides of the plywood to make the corners smooth. You can also stain the plywood sheet. Now use...

...This one is super easy- and, allergy free (uses honey instead of peanut butter) 2 chopsticks (I think you could use bamboo skewers as well) Birdseed on a paper plate. 2-3 T should be enough for a birdfeeder- there’s not an exact science to this project 2T...

...and only send them to those who don’t rely on online calendars. Starting a wedding event online for RSVPs can save money and paper but be clear that you’re opting for an online system to save resources. Omit the usual reply envelope and card and instead opt...

...With a newborn, it's difficult to reduce the amount of waste coming from your baby's bum, but you can at least reduce the paper products that you use to clean up those, sometimes explosive, messes. Use cloth diapers made from bamboo, which are 60% more[...]...

...ready dinner 9 inch plates and bowls! These biodegradable plates and bowls are made from bamboo and are not bleached (as typical paper plates are). Ology even has a facial mositurizer. I’ll assume a face wash will be coming soon. Would be sad to have this...

...Bamboo is prepping for the release of its 2014 Cat Calendar, aka the only paper calendar worth buying and subsequently framing at the end of the year. And curently, they're looking for cats. The brand sent around an email this morning announcing their model...