Low waste, homemade Christmas gifts
Every year I try and think of homemade gifts that I can make and gift to friends and family – it usually ends up being baked goods, but this year I’ve got something different on the go: homemade beeswax wraps for food, and a homemade blend of bath salts. The internet is full of tutorials for making both of these things, and they can be done in various different ways, but here are my notes on them!
- Beeswax wraps for food
I’ve been meaning to have a go at making these myself for ages, and have been stockpiling fat quarters and other random fabric bundles in anticipation. I finally got round to giving it a go last night, and can confirm that it was pretty simple. Here’s what I did;
- Cut material into desired size with pinking shears to minimise freying
- Put a couple of heaped tablespoons of beeswax pellets into a clean tin can, and then put the tin can into a saucepan of boiling water, making a Bain Marie.
- Once the wax is melted, carefully use a paintbrush to paint it on to the non-patterned side of your material and leave it to dry. I did this on some old cardboard so I didn’t ruin any surfaces.
- Once dry, scrunch up your material and check it will hold its shape when put over a tin can or pot! That’s it! Just remember to tell the recipient to only clean the wraps with cold water, or the wax will melt.
2. Homemade Bath Salt Blend
Another super easy homemade gift option which is much more low waste than many bath and beauty products you’ll find on shelves in the run up to Christmas this year. The beauty of this one is that you can customise it so much! All you need is a handful of ingredients which you mix together before popping into glass jars – I’m adding little wooden scoops tied on with twins for a fun (but useful) extra touch. Here’s the blend I’m using for my bath salts:
- Epsom salts
- Himalayan Pink Salt
- Lavender essential oil
- Dried Lavender
In the coming weeks, I’ll be putting together little bundles of bath salts, beeswax wraps, and bars of Tony’s chocolate for my friends and family. They’re only little tokens really, but very eco friendly, and hopefully things that will get used!