While the holidays may look a little different this year, there are still plenty of opportunities to get into the holiday spirit with sustainable gift giving! Tons of homemade gifts can be made in minutes with common household items you may already have laying around. Below is a list of ideas for eco-friendly, DIY gifts and holiday crafts using recycled materials. They are easy to make, and anyone would be happy to receive them. So, make some hot cocoa, turn on your favorite holiday movie, and let’s get crafting!
We hope you find these ideas helpful, and we'd love to see your DIY sustainable gifts posted on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook! Tag us and we'll spread the holiday spirit by sharing your post.
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❄️2020 Sustainable Gift Ideas ❄️
1.) DIY Sugar Scrub: https://thefamilyfreezer.com/2014/09/11/homemade-mint-sugar-scrub/
This sugar scrub uses only 3 ingredients: sugar, coconut oil, and fresh mint leaves. Any herbs can be used, or a few drops of essential oil can be added instead. I have made this myself and it’s great!
2.) DIY Snowman Using Old Socks: https://awellpurposedwoman.com/how-to-make-a-sock-snowman/
These cute little snowmen can be customized to look however you’d like. If you don’t have polyfil, you can stuff the snowman with extra fabric scraps, other old socks, or scrunched-up paper.
3.) DIY seed paper: https://christines-crafts.com/seed-paper-tutorial/amp/
This seed paper can be made into a holiday card, an ornament, or even a gift tag.
4.) Turn Old Candles into New Candles: https://www.onehundreddollarsamonth.com/how-to-turn-your-old-candles-into-new-ones/
For this project, you can reuse an old jar or tin can to create a new candle with leftover wax. You may need to buy candle wicks, however, which can be found at any craft store or online.
5.) No-Sew Cornhole Bags: https://www.wnct.com/news/make-it-monday-no-sew-cornhole-bags/
You can also reuse an old snack bag in this cornhole bag tutorial!
6.) Tote Bag From Upcycled Jeans: http://blog.brothersews.com/sewing/earth-day-reusable-tote-bag/
Use up some old or thrifted jeans by turning them into a stylish tote bag!
7.) Hanging Lightbulb Flower Vase: https://www.capitolromance.com/2011/07/20/diy-project-incandescent-light-bulb-vases-hanging-flower-holders/
Reuse an old lightbulb to make a creative vase in this tutorial. For the holidays, it could be filled with holly leaves, pine branches, or poinsettia flowers.
8.) Newspaper Gift Bags: https://www.hometalk.com/3401070/recycled-newspaper-gift-bags
Newspaper can be used to wrap almost any gift, and this tutorial shows you how to make a small gift bag out of old newspaper.
9.) Plant-Based Sugar Cookie Recipe: https://itdoesnttastelikechicken.com/perfect-vegan-sugar-cookies/
10.) Plant-Based Pumpkin Pie Recipe: https://itdoesnttastelikechicken.com/easy-vegan-pumpkin-pie/
I have been using this recipe for a few years now, and I highly recommend it. It’s very easy to make and delicious!
More Recycled Gift Ideas:
50 Ways to Upcycle Old Socks and T-Shirts: https://homesteadsurvivalsite.com/ways-upcycle-old-socks-t-shirts/