Don’t spend money on expensive gifts! Make awesome personalized ones at home, using recycled materials and your creativity!

HOMEMADE ECO GIFT RECIPES

Verbena Lemon Sugar Scrub:

Mix: sugar, lemongrass essential oil, crushed dried verbena leaves, vegetable oil (olive, grape-seed, sunflower) vitamin E oil, lemon juice and lemon peel (if you want to create colorful stripes add a couple of drops of the yellow food coloring to half of the mixture) The amounts of each ingredient will depend on the size of the jar and how intense you want the smell to be.

Cane Sugar Coffee Scrub:

Mix: raw cane sugar, fresh vanilla beans (or organic vanilla extract), vegetable oil (olive, grape-seed, sunflower) vitamin E oil. The coffee part: instead of sugar put brewed coffee grounds. The amounts of each ingredient will depend on the size of the jar.

Lavender Sea Salt Scrub:

Mix: sea salt, essential lavender oil, some dried crushed herbs, vegetable oil (olive, grape-seed, sunflower) vitamin E oil (if you want to create colorful blue and white stripes add a couple of drops of the blue food coloring to half of the mixture) The amounts of each ingredient will depend on the size of the jar and how intense you want the smell to be.

Gluten Free Vegan Chocolate Cookie Jar Mix

What you’ll need:
-1 cup gluten free flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 2 teaspoons ground flax seeds, 1/2 cup roughly chopped pecans, 3/4 cup sugar, 3/4 cup vegan chocolate chips (optional: cinnamon, other nuts, vegan marshmallows)
-A clean empty jar with a lid big enough to hold 3 1/2 cups of stuff (best is an empty spaghetti sauce)
-Some leftover ribbon and fabric (I collect mine all year long from various gifts)

-Labels you can print on, at home or some paper you can roll and attach to the jar to write the instructions on

1)Gather your ingredients. Make a funnel out of paper to get your ingredients in without making a mess. Just roll a sheet of paper into a cone and snip off the bottom.

2)Add the flour first, along with the baking soda, salt and flax. Then add the pecans, and use a spoon to smush them into the sides so that they show through. Add the sugar, then chocolate, then the chocolate chips and so on. Seal jar tightly.

7) Make the card.  The card can say whatever you want, but it should definitely have the cookie title and directions. It should say “Double Chocolate Pecan Gluten Free and Vegan Cookies” “Mix with: 1/3 cup veg oil, 1/4 cup soy milk/almond milk., 1 teaspoon vanilla. Roll into 1 inch balls. Place on parchment lined baking sheets. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 F. ”

PAPER PLATE ANGELES

1. Trace a paper angel shape onto a plate with a fluted edge, and cut out with a utility knife. The two cuts for the wings are different, one made from inside out, the other from outside in. Embellish the edge of the plate with one or two decorative hole punches.

2. With the angel facing you, shape her skirt into a circle; slide the outside cut over the inside one to make wings. Curl some paper around a narrow rod, such as a skewer, and make a name card. Secure it in her hands with a dab from a glue stick.

Thanks Martha Stewart!

Happy Gift Giving!