10 Sustainable, Home-made Gift Ideas
Are you tired of all the consumerism and materialism that surrounds every special occasion and holiday? Would you like to show your nearest and dearest that you care, without breaking the bank or buying more unnecessary clutter for their homes? Here are 10 sustainable, home-made gift ideas for you to try!
1-Pot Plants
If you’re green fingered with a selection of plants, indoors or out, why not take cuttings from your beautiful blooms and pot them on. You’ll have a near endless supply of gifts, all for the cost of a nice pot. And if you’re in the habit of making your own compost, then it will be even cheaper and greener!
Plants are a lovely way to brighten up any space. And indoor plants do a wonderful job of purifying the air. You could include a note with care instructions if the recipient is not a confident gardener. If well looked after, your gift could live on for years and years!
2-Small Knits
If you are into woolly crafts, there are plenty of small projects that you could make for a special someone. Crocheted bookmarks or ear muffs, knitted hats or wrist-warmers; you are limited only by your time and imagination!
A word of caution here: knitting and crocheting are both time-intensive skills, especially if you are using a lighter weight yarn or following an intricate pattern. I would reserve such a gift for someone who is really going to appreciate the time and effort you have invested. I once spent dozens of hours knitting a complex cabled hoodie for a young relative’s birthday. They put it on once, declared it was too itchy and threw it on the floor. I was devastated.
3-Home-made preserves
Do you have an abundance of fruit in your garden over summer and autumn? Why not consider turning some of it into jams or other preserves? Jars of home-made jam, adorned with hand-written labels and a pretty topper or ribbon, make lovely gifts.
You can use them to bulk out a hamper of home-made goodies, or give them as standalone hosting or thank-you gifts.
4-Flowers – fresh or dried
A beautiful bunch of flowers can brighten up anyone’s day. If it’s the right time of year, take a few minutes to pick some fresh blooms, arrange them nicely and tie them with a ribbon.
Or if you are blessed with a garden full of flowers, why not learn a new skill? Pick your flowers in season, dry them and arrange them into bouquets for gifting!
Or you could press you blooms and put them into a frame, or use them to make pretty greetings cards.
5-Home grown produce
Are you growing more than enough produce to feed you family year round? Then how about putting together a little basket of your fresh fruits and veggies next time you need to organise a gift?
With the cost of groceries going up and up, putting fresh, organic produce out of reach for most people, a selection of home-grown goodies is sure to go down a treat!
6-Framed photographs
Have you recently celebrated a wedding or other special occasion? Then you are likely to have an assortment of beautiful pictures of your nearest and dearest, all wearing their glad rags and their biggest smiles!
Take a moment to select your favourite snapshots of those happy memories, pop them in a pretty frame, and you have an incredibly thoughtful gift for someone.
7-Poetry or Prose
Are you something of a wordsmith? Do you fancy penning a few artistic lines? It could be a haiku, or a whole page of rhyming couplets. It could be a sonnet in iambic pentameter, a short story or a hand-written letter.
The written word is so rare these days. In a word of emails, instant messaging and Moonpig greetings cards, taking the time to put pen to paper really says a lot about you and the relationship you have with the recipient.
So, practice your best handwriting, find a nice sheet of paper and make someone’s day.
8-Drawings or paintings
Do you enjoy creating artwork? It could be a comic strip or a beautiful watercolour. Wherever your talents are, try sharing those with a loved one on their birthday, anniversary or other special occasion. I guarantee, they will love the effort you have put in and will proudly display your masterpiece for all to see!
9-Home baking
Home-baked treats are always a cut above shop-bought. Whether it’s a sandwich cake, buns, biscuits or scones, your hand crafted goodies are sure to let your loved one know how much you care!
You can present them in a pretty box or basket, or even just pop them in a Tupperware container. It’s what’s inside that counts, after all!
10-Chocolates
Fancy chocolates can be pretty pricey. But with a little forethought and planning, you can turn a handful of fairly basic ingredients into a box of swanky-looking treats.
One Christmas, we made these truffles to put into baskets of home-made goodies for our family and friends. They went down a storm! You don’t need any special tools, just a little time and effort.
I hope this list of 10 sustainable, home-made gift ideas has inspired you to try your hand at some crafty presents this year. I promise your extra effort will be recognised, it will be better for the environment than buying commercial gifts, and you’ll likely save a pretty penny, too. Win-win-win all round!
And a bonus idea
– number 11. Perhaps the best gift you could give to anyone is your TIME. Plan a little day out. Give a voucher for a massage or foot rub. Surprise someone with a home-made dinner and the pleasure of your company. Making memories is so much more valuable than giving things.
