HOW-TO
Gift Giving
With Christmas and Birthdays flowing recently I have been working through the teaching of my children that Happiness doesn’t result from what we get, but from what we give -Ben Carson.
And I think I may have just cracked it with Miss 6 to which she wrote, Dear Santa, Christmas is not about the gifts. It is about family and friends and a wonderful meal together.
Bang – the pulling of the heartstrings. I was so proud of her, and of me as her mother that the learning had been reached. It is a wonderful space to know that what I have been preaching has come so naturally to her in the letter she wrote to the jolly man to which captivates nearly every child.
I am encouraging those around me to shop small and local – being mindful that while we can buy online, and ‘get a bargain’, is it all worth it in the end. Are we better to be supporting someone in our community who has possibly faced huge revenue loss over the covid pandemic – remember, shopping with small local businesses will help your / our community thrive and help those shop owners then bring cheer to their family and friends.
We regularly set out to make Christmas and birthday gifts; baking, leaf fairies, letters of love, painted rocks. Potted plants. Here are a few ideas that you can give that won’t cost a bomb.
Kitchen Kindness – I didn’t spend hours baking all kinds of goodies with my mother, or grandmother, so am loving that I have rekindled this space with my girls. For birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas we spend time brewing relishes, poaching fruit, baking cookies, fudge, ‘forgotten-fruit muffins *Thanks Phillipa What’s for Smoko and salt-dough decorations.
Salt Dough
Salt Dough is a wonderful product that is used to create crafts, sculptures, and ornaments. It is a simple recipe and can be easily made at home using 3 basic ingredients and then placed in the oven to dry out. You will need – 1 cup salt 2 cups of flour ¾ cup of water.
In a large bowl mix salt and flour together.
Gradually stir in water. Mix well until it forms a doughy consistency.
Turn the dough onto the bench and knead with your hands until smooth and combined.
Make your creations using salt dough.
Place the salt dough creations into the oven at 180C. The amount of time needed to bake depends on the size and thickness of the salt dough creations.
Once it has been dried out and hardened, it can be painted
Gift your talent
Write a story or a song, give a haircut, paint a picture, whittle a toy; whatever your hobby or talent is, I am sure your loved ones would appreciate receiving something that is so personal and highlights one of the things that makes you amazing and special.
Bath salts in 5 minutes
Not too hard to put together – All you do is mix the Epsom salt, herbs, and essential oils very well in a super large bowl. Next, you choose your packaging, whether it’s glass tubes, mason jars, or anything sustainably sourced and re-usable. Pour the mixture into the containers and voila! You have herbal bath salts for gifting xx
If you can’t find the ingredients – hit me up and I can supply them for you!
3 cups Epsom Salt
1 cup Himalayan Pink Salt
½ cup Baking Soda
½ cup Dried Rose Petals
½ cup Dried Lavender Flowers
½ cup Dried Calendula
½ cup Dried Basil
10 drops Lavender Essential Oil
10 drops Cardamom Essential Oil
10 drops Rosemary Essential Oil
4 tablespoons Olive Oil
With that my lovelies, I best get off and make some more gifts as I have less than one week to finalise the Christmas gifts list – and without too much stress, it could be a batch of my new Cauliflower, Beetroot and Pineapple relish that many receive ? Blog up next year about relishes, preserving and using up old vegetables and fruits if that floats your boat see you then!
