Do you suffer from giftophobia - the fear of giving gifts? The good news is, we don't have to always buy gifts. We can make gifts. What are some sustainable DIY gift options?
DIY Gift Wrapping
I prefer not to use commercial gift wrapping paper. Commercial gift wrapping paper comes with plastic lamination full of microplastic. This microplastic is not biodegradable. It pollutes the environment and the water bodies for years to come. You can make Christmas gift bags and Christmas gift hampers out of bits and bobs in your house. I prefer calico bags to plastic bags.Repurpose calico bags into Christmas gift bags. Use wooden blocks to stamp calico bags. If you do not have wooden blocks, you can use okra, potato, gum nuts or leaves that have interesting cross sections. Alternately, you can use free hand painting or embroidery to decorate plain calico bags. Give your kids or pets a free run with calico bags and troughs of colour. In no time you will have awesome or pawsome calico gift bags with finger or paw prints.
Hand Poured Soy Candles
Repurpose tea light candles. Melt tea light candles in a double boiler on stove or in the microwave in increments of 10 seconds. While the wax is melting, gather some lavender florets and give them a nice rub. Add a few drops of lavender oil (or any other fragrance and corresponding flowers) and crushed lavender florets to the melted wax. Pour the melted wax in an empty votive. Add a wick, stir and rest till the wax solidifies.
Crystalised Orange Slices
Cut cross-sections of an orange. Place the orange slices on lined baking traysPut them in an oven on low heat for a few hours till they dry out. Caramelize the orange slices with caster sugar. These caramelised slices add flavour to gin and Earl Grey tea.
Handmade Soap
Make soap with your favorite fragrance. The process is similar to that of candle making. Set soaps in silicone moulds.
Homemade Blueberry Muffins
Prepare a baking mix with flour and sugar or stevia. Fold in eggs and water
and give it a nice stir. Once the batter is ready, fold in the blueberries
Scoop into a pre-greased muffin tray. Bake in a preheated oven
for about 15-20 minutes or till done. Use a needle to check after 20 minutes to see if the center is done.
DIY Christmas Gift Box or Gift Hamper
Once the handmade goods are ready, assemble the gift hamper. Put the muffins in an organic cotton vintage print bread bag. The bread bag is lined with voile. This tie-up produce bag keeps your muffins fresh for a long time
Create a pot pourri platter with spices like bay leaves, cinnamon, cardamom and cloves.
Assemble the cardboard box. Line with recycled tissue paper
Put the potpourri in a mesh bag. Place the freshly baked muffins, candle, pot pourri bag and orange slices in the lined cardboard box. Tie with twine and finish off with a little bit of Australian greens.
Use hot glue or double sided tape to secure your flora and fauna. Voila! You have got an upmarket, state of the art christmas gift hamper at no extra cost
You may use handmade paper to wrap your gifts.
At Deidaa, we donate our offcuts and shreds to a paper making factory. The factory processed this left over fabric into handmade paper. We use this recycled paper to wrap gifts.
On request, Deidaa offers complimentary gift wrapping with recycled handmade paper.
You can collect interesting handmade paper, brown paper, craft paper, butcher paper from floral bouquets and use them for gift wrapping Furoshiki wrap gifts with fabric or scarf. This fabric or scarf can be used later. It doesn't clutter the landfill.
Furoshiki wrap gifts with fabric or scarves. These fabrics and scarves can be used later. Furoshiki wrapping does not clutter the landfill.
Watch the DIY gift wrapping video on Learn with Samita, Deidaa's YouTube channel. Get top tips on handmade and recycled gift wrapping.
Share your #diygiftwrapping tips with Deidaa. Post comments at https://www.facebook.com/deidaaecogiftsonline, #regram @deidaaecogiftsonline, tag #deidaaecogiftsonline. Subscribe to Learn with Samita, Deidaa's YouTube channel. Sign up for Deidaa's newsletter for access to pre-sales, offers and freebies. Get 10% off on your first purchase.