Last year I posted my DIY Gifts I'll Be Making This Year (And Would Love to Receive) post, and at the end, I shared my new favourite way to wrap gifts in a beautiful yet sustainable way, furoshiki. Even though I still love the look of it, and will continue to use it as much as I possibly can, I still also love the traditional way to wrap, albeit not the ideal to stay zero waste, there is a way to make it more sustainable.
Let's start with the base of it all, the paper. Traditional wrapping paper isn't recyclable, mostly because they are often dyed, laminated and/or contain non-paper additives, like glitter, gold or silver specks, plastics, which cannot be recycled. Also, some wrapping paper is very thin and doesn't contain enough good quality fibres for recycling. Because of this, it's up to us to find new and better ways to wrap our gifts. The internet is filled with beautiful and creative options, such as using old newspaper, re-using old wrapping paper (I'm usually laughed at for keeping every bit of wrapping paper for as many years as possible, but I've grown to ignore the laughs), using old bits of fabric... I usually even go to the extent of saving every bag of flour or sugar I use, or Kraft paper bags from bulk shopping, turn them over so you can't see the branding and use them as a blank canvas to wrap things, from gifts to things I sell online.
Another option is to get actual Brown Kraft Paper - which I'm yet to find at an affordable price in Portugal - and then get creative. My favourite way to do this is to use rubber stamps to create an original print all over the paper (although you should do this before wrapping anything to make sure the ink doesn't bleed into the gift itself). Here are some of my favourite options available on Etsy:
Christmas Jumper Stamp by TheStampPress
Christmas Bauble by LittleStampStore
With a simple search, you'll find thousands of beautiful options, but these are just a few of my favourites. Once you have the wrapping and decorating done and dealt with, it's time for the finishing touches.
Only a year or two ago did I find out that you can't actually recycle duct tape, and I keep thinking of all the pieces I've thrown on the recycling bin over the years and wonder where they are now. To prevent this, you have a few options:
- don't tape your gifts and simply tie them up with Cotton Bakers Twine or any other twine of your choice, maybe even a string of leftover wool/cotton from your knitting projects;
- use paper tape, this Eco-Friendly Packing Tape is one of the many available on Etsy, but if you're in Portugal the best place to get some is Mind The Trash, where you can buy paper tape made from recycled paper, twice the goodness. If you'd like something a bit more festive sometimes, you can go with washi tape, everyone's favourite for the past few years.
With everything going on this year, I think we've all realized the power of our own money, and how our purchases can influence the whole economy, by buying from smaller businesses we're supporting more ethical and sustainable practices, and Etsy is one of the best places to find exactly that.
So I’ve compiled a list of minimal Christmas decor that can pretty much go with whatever your aesthetic is, they're all handmade and each purchase supports a small business instead of big corporations, which is really what we should all do more.
Handmade Ceramic Mushroom by WildHarvestBotanical
Christmas Tree Origami Paper Ornaments by VioletAtelierStore
Cotton & Macramé Christmas Ornaments by 31deMarzo
Handmade Santa Ornament by CasaAbril
Handmade Porcelain Ornaments by CreatingComfortLab
Handmade Stained Glass Mistletoe by mayflymosaics
Hand Painted Ornaments by KemaKuBcn
Ceramic Cow Bell by 10FingersArt
Wooden Bead Garland by PortGardnerCrafts
These are just some of my favourite finds on Etsy, and ones I'd love to purchase over the years, let me know which ones you like best in the comments below. If you'd like to also make your own decorations, you can check last year's post on Zero Plastic Christmas Decorations for some inspiration!
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For this cake you will need:
- 4 eggs
- 3 cups of sugar
- 3 cups of flour
- 1 cup of water
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 2 to 3 teaspoons of cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon of ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
Method:
- Preheat your oven to 175ºC. Line and prep your baking tin, because this cake has some colour I wouldn't flour the tin, instead I greased it with butter and just before adding the batter, I coated the tin with a fine layer of unsweetened cocoa powder.
- In a very clean bowl whip your egg whites until they form soft peaks, make sure to do this right as this is what will make your cake rise.
- In a separate bowl whisk together the egg yolks and sugar, adding the water slowly. When everything is smoother add the flour and spices. At this point, you can taste your batter to make sure you can feel all the spices and add more to taste if needed.
- Carefully add the egg whites to the spice-scented batter and fold it gently, making sure not to whip it or over mix it.
- Place the batter in the prepared tin and let it bake in the oven for around 40 minutes. This will obviously change from oven to oven, but what you're looking for is a soft and fluffy cake on the inside and a fine crispy layer on top. Let it cool for a while in its tin and then move it to a plate to cool completely, decorate it at will although I usually just dust some icing sugar on top to make any mistake look presentable.
If you have a comfort freak in your family or group of friends, this is the gift guide for you. Given not everyone finds comfort in the same things, this is something you must really adapt to whomever you're gifting. This particular gift guide was made thinking of what I would like to receive so I hope it helps, even if only a little bit.
