I have a few people to buy for this year and once again thinking how to do this frugally and sustainability (I get a bit sick when I see mountains of plastic crap in the shops). Any ideas?
Some things I have done in the past:
- Little plant cuttings in jars (got some on the go again this year)
- Op shops and second hand gifts - look for unusual things from the op shop. This works well for some but not unless they are a bit quirky themselves
- Buying a bunch of treats/snacks and doing my own hampers up.
- Baked goods - I always make a big batch of spice cookies and a couple of slices. I am crappy at packing them nicely tho, but I can cook.
I am not great at crafts but I will try anything!
Where do your other skills lie, what do you feel most comfortable doing?
Mason/glass jars are pretty cheap at Kmart or at the op shop if you have a dishwasher to run them through to sterilise them.
You could do those hot chocolate mixes, the ones made as gifts where the different ingredients are layered attractively inside the glass. And tie a reusable ribbon on. You know the ones. https://youtu.be/jf23otl9ztE This is also a thing with biscuit mixes.
Tiny terrariums would be simple but I hear you need a dedicated pan or baking tray to bake the soil or potting mix in (to sterilise it against unwanted nasties growing in the sealed container) and it can make your oven or house stink.
There is the method where you pour boiling water into the soil and cover with tinfoil to retain heat, but while I haven’t done terrariums to test this I don’t think it would be thorough enough for a sealed container.
You could make hot chocolate spoons with disposable wooden spoons and wrap them in cellophane and a ribbon like a lollipop. (Basically you dip spoons in melted chocolate and then a decoration like sprinkles or add mini marshmallows. For bigger serves others fill ice cube trays or muffin pans with chocolate and stand the spoon in it and add marshmallows on top. The idea is you stir hot milk with the chocolate coated spoon and the chocolate melts to flavour it, and releases the marshmallows.)
I haven’t made fudge or coconut ice but that could be a go. You could even make two different flavour batches of fudge and marble them together decoratively, like a peppermint chocolate marble fudge.
I cook, by default. These are some great options I haven’t done before. I’d love to make terrariums but I fear I would be too impatient!