Nothing says I love you like something made with love from your own two hands. Seriously, I would choose something made by hand over an expensive gift any day.
Why You Should Give Handmade Gifts
On top of being oh so meaningful, it can save you money and be better for the planet to make things by hand. So here is my intensive list of homemade gift ideas for your favorite earthy! (honestly, it’s just a list of homemade things I’d love to receive, so I’m thinking anyone else with similar interests should also be interested in this list too 😉 Happy Gift Creating!
The Gift of Simplicity…
Don’t forget that, especially during the craziness of the Holidays, LESS IS MORE. If you can’t think of the perfect meaningful gift for someone you love, maybe the answer is to not give them anything. At least no things…
Sometimes the greatest gifts you can give aren’t something you buy or even make by hand! Quality time, acts of service, physical touch, words of affirmation… let’s not forget the other love languages! Don’t be afraid to consider gifts that won’t add to the clutter, but can still tell them you care. Memories gifts are AWESOME. So before you go down this long list of more things you can give someone, commit to only gift what you think they would genuinely benefit from and love (hopefully you can find some of those on this list!)
Things to Look for/Hold on to When Making Gifts
Old containers and glass jars (pickle jars, canning jars, baby food jars, glass bottles…)
Keep yours eyes on the thrift store..
Cute fabric from worn out items or thrift store items (old jeans, flannel, cotton, etc. =endless possibilities)
yarn, embroidery floss, fabric, anything that could be made into something new!
DIY NATURAL GIFT IDEAS
Self Care
Beeswax Candles
Essential Oil scented Soy Candles
Homemade Massage Oil
Homemade Soap
(the link above explains your options for soap making and explains the how-to!)
Loose Leaf Herbal Tea Blend
buy a variety of herbs in bulk from a natural grocery store or buy them online from somewhere like mountainroseherbs.com . Have fun combining your own delicious herbal teas and give them away in recycled glass jars! Remember to give a reusable tea bag or tea ball if they don’t already have one!
Essential Oils Recipes
There are so many amazing things you can do with essential oils! While I already mentioned candles and some cleaners, Simply Earth has some amazing, fun, and easy recipes to try. They offer monthly subscription boxes that come with essential oils, recipes, and all the other products you need to make those recipes. I would definitely recommend them! View some of Simply Earth’s awesome recipes here.
Also, you can click here to enter their drawing for a FREE Essential Oils Recipe Box!
Homemade Solid Perfume
Make something out of yarn!
Use Youtube to your advantage and teach yourself some basic knitting or crocheting skills. Things like scarves, hats, and mittens (although they may seem daunting) can actually be quite simple and make great beginner projects. (Check thrift stores for crochet hooks, knitting needles, looms, or yarn. This saves money and reduces waste!)
Carve a Christmas Ornament
Find yourself some wood out in the wild if you can! We recently had a big windstorm and Carter and I lugged some logs home to use for Christmas ornaments and wood slices. Sometimes it can be fun to find unique pieces of wood
For their Kitchen
DIY Beeswax Wraps
Reusable Sandwich Bags
Eco-Friendly Mess Kit
This one might be a little less homemade and involves pairing a few items you have to buy. But it is still super useful and a great idea for someone looking to live more sustainably. Reusable straws, cutlery, food containers, thermos, water bottle, cloth napkin, etc. are great items you can throw together in this kit!
Toxin-free Cleaning Kit
Check out these great recipes for DIY toxin-free home cleaners
All-Natural Non-Toxic Dishwasher Detergent
Cleaners and Soaps made with Castile Soap
For their Home
Hand-painted work of art
Use your artistic skills to create a one-of-a-kind work of art to display in their home. Don’t have the skills to produce the piece you want? Try supporting a small business owner or a budding new artist!
Hand-painted refrigerator magnets
I still remember painting over old magnets with my cousins as a kid. This one is a fun craft to do as a family or something you can get creative doing on your own and gift to others!
Framed Pressed Flowers
These are so easy to make, but so beautiful on the wall!
Recycle something old into something new!
The possibilities are endless here. If you read my blog regularly, you know that one of my favorite ways to source materials is by using recycled items! Look for old containers, jars, fabric, and other items that could be useful for your DIY gifts this season. Here are some of the recent projects I’ve done from recycled fabric!
DIY Corduroy Coasters
Woven Denim Trivet
Hair Scrunchies or Bows
Upcycled Flannel Ideas
Shop Small & Local
If you decide not to make a natural-minded gift yourself, try supporting small business owners and local businesses! Try asking around on social media groups about local business owners in your area or browse items on Etsy.
Want to get more inspiration on natural lifestyle and simple living? Join my email list so you don’t miss out on future posts!
I would love to hear about the gift ideas you have for this year! Please share your ideas or projects in the comments below.
Looking for more ways to make your home more natural? Check out these other posts!
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