Homemade & upcycled gifts for everyone on your list

I personally love a homemade gift. Even if it’s something small; I know the person has put thought and effort into the gift.  Homemade and upcycled gifts are better for the environment and the wallet. Here are some ideas below that I have personally made for gifts in the past. The majority of the gifts are easy to make. Even if you’re a last minute shopper, you can probably make these gifts in under an hour. 

For The Self Care Lover: Shower Steamers

What you’ll need:

1C Baking Soda 

1/2C Citric Acid 

1/3C Arrowroot Powder (or cornstarch)

1/8C Kaolin Clay 

50 Drops of Essential Oil

Some type of mold tray (silicone, mini cupcake, ice cube or egg carton) 

Dried herbs (optional)

1.   Mix baking soda, citric acid, arrowroot, clay, and oil together. (l added a little matcha green tea powder for coloring as well).
2.   Spritz the mixture (while mixing) with a little water until you get a damp sand texture. (If you hear it fizzing, you added too much water. You can fix it by adding more arrowroot until you hear the fizzing stop.)
3.   If using dried herbs put that in your mold first. Then pack the mixture into your mold tightly.
4.   Allow to dry for 1-2 days. The mixture will become very hard.
5.   Pop out of mold and package into an airtight container.

For The HomeBody: StoveTop Potpourri

Add festive dried herbs like bay leaves, cinnamon and dried oranges to an upcycled jar.  Include some directions on how to use and your home will be smelling like Christmas in no time!

For The Foodie: Homemade Food Gift Basket

Consider making a fresh sourdough loaf, crackers, veggie broth, or gifting any homegrown goodies from the garden.  Here are my go to recipes for the sourdough loaf and crackers.

For The Hostess: Wine Cork Glass Charm

This is a fun and easy upcycled gift that is fun to make and practical to use!  Check out this past blog post on how to make them.

For The Athlete: Rice Heating Pad 

If you’re inclined to sewing then this project will be easy to make.  While I don’t have a direct tutorial for it, I’ll still give you the basics.  I sewed a small pouch with a zipper so this could be a multipurpose item. Next I sewed a slightly smaller pouch to fit inside the zippered pouch; which included the uncooked, dry rice inside.  I also added about 10-15 drops of essential oil mixed into the rice.  I’ll present the gift with the rice pouch inside the zipper pouch.  Giving instructions that the outer pouch can be washed if needed, or be used to store whatever you want. (it’s not necessary to use the zipper pouch with the rice pouch, but can be if wanted)  The rice pouch can be heated in the microwave (or oven) for a heat compress or placed in the freezer if you want a cold compress. 

For The Health Enthusiast: Honey Cough Drops 

I recently made a few batches of these if you follow my Instagram and they turned out amazing!  This was the recipe I followed by Tasty Ever After and highly recommend giving them a try.

For The Gardener: Upcycled Hose Wreath

A fun and whimsy decor piece any gardener would love!  Made from a hose that no longer works.  Check out the tutorial here from a past blog post.

For The Hard To Buy For: A Gift Experience

Consider gifting an experience, like going out to see the holiday lights special, or taking a hike in the mountains you always wanted to visit. 

If you’re not into making things, then I wold suggest checking out the thrift store before buying new.  From clothings, knick-knacks, furniture, and even holiday relate items – you can probly find it at the thrift!

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