Christmas is my favourite time to craft! I mean who doesn’t love a homemade gift! I have put together some of my favourite sustainable Christmas decorations and gifts that I have made this year. They are all very easy to do and don’t need many supplies! Don’t worry if making something scares the life out of you…we also have all of these things on our Etsy page so you can buy a green gift for someone you love this Christmas.
Soy Wax Candles
Soy Wax is derived from Soybean and is 100% natural and bio degradable making it the perfect eco gift! You can use any empty jar you have in your kitchen and you can find soy wax and wicks online or from your local craft store. When I first started making candles I actually couldn’t believe how easy it was!
What you need:
– Soy Wax and Wicks
– A Jar
– Essential Oils of your choice
– Optional Decorations
How to :
1. To know how much wax to melt, pour the shavings into your jar and fill it to the top, once melted it will be enough to fill 2/3 of your jar.
2. Place your wax in a metal jug and place hot water into the bottom 1/3 of a pan. Place your pan on a low heat and then put your jug to stand in the water.
3. Stir regularly as you prepare your jar. Stick your wick on the bottom of the jar and centred.
4. Once your wax has melted add the desired essential oil (my favourite Christmas blend is 6 drops of sweet orange and 6 drops of cinnamon) the amount of oil you need depends on the amount of wax you are melting.
5. Stir to blend the oils and then you can pour the wax into your jar. Ensure the wick stays upright and allow to set. You can decorate your jar with dried oranges, cinnamon sticks, eco glitter or whatever you find around the house!
Hand Painted Eco Decorations
This is one of my favourites and you can get the kids involved! I bought a stack of wood slices online but you can also go and find some in the woods! Being wood they are biodegradable but also something you can hang on your tree every year! You can personalise them to make a beautiful gift or you can design your own for your tree.
What you need:
-A pack of wood slices
– Ribbon to hang them
– Paints, pens or even crayons
Dried Orange and Pine Garland
This will make your house smell as sweet as it looks! The best thing is this can be made with things you can find around your house and garden!
What you need:
– Lots of oranges ( I used 4 to make a small garland )
– Jute String
– Pines cones/ dried cranberries/ leaves/ dried aniseed
How to:
– Thinly slice the oranges
– Place in the oven on a rack at 60C for 1 hour. Keep checking on them to make sure they don’t burn.
– If after an hour they are not completely dried out place them on top of the radiator until they become hard.
– Make a knot at one end of the string and slide the oranges onto it.
– Get creative! You can wrap or glue pine cones as well as berries, aniseed and herbs of you choice until you have a garland, or you can create a loop at the end and hang it from your tree!
Handmade Christmas Cards
These are my favourite to not only make but also to receive! There’s so much more thought that goes into a handmade card and that’s why its a fab idea to make your own this Christmas! It doesn’t have to be complicated and you can fid lots of ideas online. If you are not feeling creative check out our hand drawn designs and order yours in time for Christmas.
