Sure, it’s easier to just go out and spend on fancy labels this Christmas – but there’s another high of making something with your own two hands.
I’ve been happy to note that it isn’t just me. Call it copious amounts of romcom watching or greater sensitivity to gift-giving, but more and more of us appreciate the time and effort that goes into personalising a gift.
So I decided to get a bit creative and try a few of these. Here are some of my favourite gift ideas:
Homemade Mint Sugar Scrub
This is one good lookin’ box of scrub and will be a total winner for those who want smooth, soft skin (er, we mean everyone!)
For this you need: coconut oil (organic is better), white sugar, peppermint extract and food colour. Take ½ cup of coconut oil and melt it. Add 1 ½ cups of granulated sugar while the oil is hot. Wait for a few minutes and add 1 tablespoon peppermint extract and 1 drop of green food colouring. Mix till you get the right consistency (feel free to add more sugar if it’s too watery).
Now that your awesome scrub is ready, you can buy small sized mason jars and decorate with red and white twines to add that extra twang of Christmas!
White Chocolate Holiday Popcorn
This one is a GREAT way to get your dose of healthy snacking (popcorn is, after all, what you pass off as guilt-free eats!). Also? It is Christmas, so feel free to add your happy-hormones-inducing white chocolate.
For this you need: popcorn, pretzels, white chocolate and some M&M’s (gems would do too!).Take ¼ cup of popcorn kernels and cook them as per the instructions written on the pack (make sure you get the measurements right). Now heat about 12 ounces of white chocolate in the microwave. Once melted, stir the popcorn mixture and pretzels into the chocolate. You can do this in a huge bowl or large baking sheet. Avoid vigorous stirring or you’ll end up breaking the popcorn and pretzels. Add the red and green M&Ms while the chocolate is still warm.
You can pack these in airtight containers and gift them to your set of foodie friends!
Light These Candles Up!
A lot of us take the lighting of our house seriously! For us candle addicts, here are two DIY’s you must try:
The first is called Snow in a jar.
For this you need: a Mason jar, white candles and Epsom salts. Layer the Mason jar with lots of Epsom salts to give it the winter effect and then simply place the candle firmly on top. If you use candles that are already in a glass holder, the wax doesn’t spill on the salts and are easily replaceable!
Another DIY is to take a vanilla scented candle in a glass holder and glue on fresh cinnamon sticks with a glue gun. You can even use a string of jute around the candle to add that holiday gift effect to it! Both of these add a fresh aroma to the rooms and make great gifts for colleagues.
Christmas Cards
You’ll back me on this one – for families, there’s nothing more important than sharing the festive spirit with your friends. I suggest getting dressed in red (reindeer ears and Santa hats intact!). Now pop that DSLR on a tripod and take a series of candid pictures with family. Go online and use layouts available on Pagemodo.com, Fotor.com or BeFunky.com. You can customise these for postcards, Facebook, Instagram and more.
What are your favourite festive DIY ideas? Share with us on Twitter @manavisiddhanti @thequint
(Manavi Siddhanti is a beauty and lifestyle blogger and runs a blog, beforbeauty.com. You can contact her on manavi@beforbeauty.com.)
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