3 Simple Homemade Gift Ideas
The holiday season can either be filled with good intentions and high spirits, or loads of stress. Often people feel the need to buy presents because they should, not because they truly want to. One thing I dislike about Christmas, and the holidays in general, is the forced gift giving. If you have some good ideas for gifts that you feel will truly benefit the overall health and quality of life for another person, by all means, gift away! But if you are running to the store last minute to buy something for someone that they probably won’t use, please refrain because that haste becomes present in the gift you give. One can feel whether their gift was given with intention and purpose, with love and caring, or with lack-luster and haste. This whole thing started when I had bought a rosemary tree, for the purpose of having a delightful smelling live plant hanging around for the holiday season, and of course, to eventually cook with. Unfortunately, it began dying rather quickly, and I just couldn’t keep it going. Instead of just throwing it out, I decided to use up the dried branches as a smudge stick, which brings me to the first of the three gift ideas. The second was a floral bath I took that completely relaxed me and left my skin detoxed and glowing by the end of it. When I took that bath though I just poured some dried flowers in and went for it. By the end, I was covered in flowers trying to rid myself of them when leaving the tub. Hey, I didn’t mind too much, but thought there must be another way of enjoying this calming aroma without being covered in flowers. To the store for some cheese-cloth I went, and here we are. The third gift idea was sparked because I had roll-on tubes in my closet that I purchased last year. I haven’t gotten around to using them since I end up just using a floral spray instead. Figured I may as well spread my aromatherapy love by combining some of my favorite essential oils into a bottle and hand out to the ladies in my life. I understand some of these things you won’t have on hand. I just hope this inspires you to create gifts this year with your hands, and potentially using this available to you. By hand-making things with your heart, you are not only giving a great gift they will use, but you are giving your gift of creation to those that you love. I promise, they will be able to tell the difference.
Enjoy!
Rosemary Smudge Sticks
What You’ll Need:
- fresh rosemary/slightly dried rosemary sprigs (if it is too dry you won’t be able to wrap it)
- hemp rope
What to Do:
- Take a good sized bundle of fresh rosemary and wrap in hemp rope, starting at one end and going back and forth until you have it most secured together. Try to us as little rope as possible.
- Tie off at the end.
*Don’t have rosemary? Use some spruce tree branches found outside. Juniper, sage, and cedar are also great options. makes 1 bundle
Calming Floral Bath Tea
What You’ll Need:
- 1 heaping spoonful of dried lavender
- 2 heaping spoonful of dried chamomile
- 1 heaping spoonful of dried lemongrass
- cheese cloth
- hemp string
What to Do:
- Combine all or some of the above dried herbs in a bowl and mix.
- Cut out a 7″x7″ of cheese cloth and pour your dried herb mixture to the middle.
- Gather all the corners and tie with some hemp string. Add a bow or extra string to hang in shower if desired. Alternatively, this can just be thrown right into your bath.
*These dried herbs were what I already had in my house. You can do some digging and find what you like best. makes 1 tea bag Roll-On Aromatherapy
What You’ll Need:
- 1 1-oz roll on stick (can be ordered on amazon)
- scant 1-oz jojoba oil (or other carrier oil)
- About 16 drops of your favorite essential oils (we used 8 drops ylang ylang, 8 drops lavender)
What to Do:
- Combine all ingredients in your roll-on container and shake a bit to mix.
**alternatively, you can combine all the same ingredients in a spray bottle, but using a floral water as the base instead of oil. makes 1 roll-on tube
When all else fails, try one of our favorite dessert recipes.
