In the first instalment of our four part holiday gift-giving series, Hailee Adams encourages readers to put their creative skills to use and create some amazing eco-friendly gifts and Christmas decorations based on household items and treasures found in our natural environment.
For many of us Christmas is a time for family to gather, to share in a delicious home cooked meal, and exchange gifts. But in our busy lives, all too often the gifts are purchased in a mad rush the day before and without good insight as to what our friends or family members would really like. The result: money wasted and gifts that find their new homes in the bottom of a drawer or stuffed in a cupboard.
If you’d like to break free from the usual gift-giving cycle this year, read on for homemade gifts and decoration ideas that are both simple and inexpensive to make.
DIY Christmas decorations
Don’t have a Christmas tree? Stack your books in the shape of a pyramid to create an unusual and special tree!
Re-use boxes (toothpaste boxes, soap boxes, jewellery boxes, shoe boxes etc) by wrapping them in decorative paper to place under and around the Christmas tree as a display.
The Better Homes and Gardens website and magazine are full of good tips on DIY projects using recycled materials: https://au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/better-homes-gardens/DIY Christmas Gifts
Before throwing out unwanted tins, jars, magazines, clothes etc have a think about how they can be used this Christmas. If you are looking for inspiration on how you can best utilise these items, a Google search using the following phrases will likely provide the ideas you need: How to make Christmas decorations using household materials or DIY Christmas decorations
Re-use for extra value
Check out your local second hand shops – not only could you find the perfect gift, you will also be aiding in recycling and helping a good cause.
Sometimes second hand homewares and furniture only need a little rub, a little paint, and a screw here and there to make them new again. Second hand stores often stock amazing pieces that just need a little love and attention – and what a perfect gift this would make! Check out the following websites for companies/charities/cooperatives that stock second hand furniture and homewares and even offer classes on how fix up old furniture to make it new again:
The Bower – http://bower.org.au/
Reverse Garbage Coop – http://reversegarbage.org.au/
Three of my DIY projects to inspire you
1. The Dream Catcher
To bring this beauty to life, all that is required is a quick trip to your local craft shop to purchase the wooden hoop and some craft glue and the rest can be created using bits of ribbon, wool, buttons, beads, material from old sheets, clothes and whatever else you can think of that the majority of us would have laying around the house.
For a quick tutorial on how to make a dream catcher I highly recommend the YouTube clip that can be viewed by following the link below:
Dreamcatchers make perfect gifts for children, teenagers and adults and are a lot of fun to make!
2. The Twig
This spectacular twig that hangs about my dining room table was sourced from a bushy area bordering my local beach. There is no real secret to finding the perfect twig other than ensuring that it has naturally detached from the tree where it once belonged and that it will be strong enough to support the weight of whatever you wish to suspend from it.
You can see from the picture that I have chosen to hang some transparent glass balls which have formed part of my collection of Christmas decorations for years, and some recycled jars containing tea light candles which look fabulous when lit up.
3. The Afterlife of Jars
WARNING! Do not discard kitchen jars when their possible uses in the afterlife are endless!
Jars containing edible items can be turned into lollie jars, tea light candle holders (pebbles collected from the local park and placed in the bottom of these jars give them added effect), funky cocktail glasses, dishes to serve Christmas desserts, and any other crazy thing you can think of!
What about you?
What are you ideas for homemade gifts and decorations using found objects or re-using household “waste”? Let us know in the comments.
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