Although the current economic climate has people being more mindful of their money and doing away with unnecessary payables, that doesn’t mean the art of gift-giving should be sacrificed. Some still enjoy the excitement of giving away a present or two to celebrate festive occasions, but you shouldn’t have to break the bank in order to do so. There are endless possibilities that can be achieved by hand-making gifts while still staying within budget. Here is a list of conscious consumer gift ideas that are sentimental and easy to make.
1. Upcycled Leather Wallet
Don’t let old leather material go to waste. Give a new purpose and life to discarded leather items by cutting out usable parts and turning them into accessories. An upcycled leather wallet is a useful gift to give to special people who might be in need of a new one. Making the wallet yourself gives you the power to design one that caters to the needs of whoever you plan on giving it to. If they like being members of multiple clubs that hand out membership cards, you can make one with a good number of card slots. If they are the type of person who prefers to have coins, then putting in a good-sized coin pouch would be the way to go. The best part of making your gift is its personalization potential; a wallet is very personal.
2. Handmade Beeswax Candle Set
Candles sold in stores these days are most likely made from paraffin wax. This material isn´t very eco-friendly since paraffin is derived from petroleum, which is a non-renewable resource. If you know the recipient of the gift to be a candle-lover who enjoys lighting one up to set the ambience every once in a while, making your own pure beeswax candle set is a thrifty way to help them make wiser, eco-friendly choices. Crafting the gift is as simple as hand-pouring beeswax into a recycled mold and adding natural colouring or scents. You can also use natural materials to design them, such as pressed flowers and leaves.
3. Recycled Paper Journal
Paper waste is a significant problem the world faces. Overusing paper products leads to deforestation and landfills; sometimes, these materials aren’t even used to the fullest. Much paper that gets thrown into the trash still has a good amount of space and usability, allowing the potential to turn into something else, a good gift idea. Creating a paper journal using recycled paper gives a new purpose to discards. The journal could be a binder of relatively clean paper that they can fill up with new drawings or words. This is a thoughtful and eco-friendly gift idea for your friends who are writers, artists, and journalers.
4. Hand-stitched Recycled Fabric Quilts
Fast fashion is filling landfills to the brim with clothing waste. Big brands are quick to increase production of clothes at the sight of trends, which leads buyers to consume more than they need. Shoppers no longer value the longevity of clothing items; sometimes, low quality has forced these habits on them. Some clothes may not be suitable for wearing anymore. However, you can use the fabric to turn it into a quilt. You can use sentimental clothes like ones from childhood or from relatives to give the quilt an extra touch of personality. The thought of repurposing fabric and turning it into intentional textile work is a warm and meaningful gift for homebodies.
5. Handmade Jewelry
Sometimes you can’t find jewellery that perfectly encapsulates your friends´ style. Hand Making your own pieces guarantees that they fit their whole aesthetic and ensure reusability with their other outfits. When you know someone so well, you know exactly what they can appreciate and wear. Necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and rings made using recycled or ethically sourced materials are a thrifty and sustainable gift idea for your fashion-forward friends.
6. Organic Beeswax Food Wraps
Plastic containers have a very high turnover, with people purchasing new ones for no good reason at all. Sometimes they lose their lids and toss the container even when it is still in good condition. You can make your own beeswax food wraps to help solve this problem. All there is to it is the infusion of recycled or organic cotton fabric with beeswax and your choice of oils. This is a good alternative to plastic wraps and food containers, and helps solve the container lid disappearance epidemic. When making them for a friend, you can play with different fabrics with various patterns and textures to customize them.
7. Handmade Recipe Books
This gift is great if you already have your own set of recipes you´d be happy to share. Anyone who enjoys making home-cooked meals would highly appreciate a collection of personal recipes. This project recycles your own stock knowledge and scrap material as well. Handwriting it onto recycled paper and binding it together makes for a heartwarming gift. And maybe if they love it so much, you could be expecting a dinner invitation shortly.
8. Reusable Hand-Woven Market Bags
Another crafty gift is a hand woven bag that a friend or family member can bring on grocery runs. Groceries get bagged into plastic bags that eventually end up in sewers and our oceans. It could be crocheted, macrame, or loomed, the choice is yours. Making a handmade reusable bag to store items is an earth-conscious gift idea. It is stylish and practical and the possibilities of where they can use it are endless.
9. Hand-Felted Wool Dryer Balls
They may not know they need this, and you may introduce them to the holy grail. Wool balls are used instead of single-use dryer sheets to reduce drying time. Given how often we do laundry, handcrafting this gift can potentially help reduce their grocery bills. It is best to use 100% natural wool to make it long-lasting and compostable after you´ve gotten enough uses out of it. You can dye it with plant-based pigments and decorate it with needle-felted designs.
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