As the Christmas season approaches, I've tried to think up ways to package gifts in an eco-friendly, handmade, stylish, long-lasting and reusable manner. WOW, that's a lot to ask of one package, isn't it? Well, I've come up with a couple of ideas I'd like to share, which I quite like - and I'd love to hear your reactions.
I made some large fabric flowers, loosely inspired by a photo in my French magazine. I used contrasting scraps for the petals, and oak galls for the centers. I put quite a bit of work into them, but it was fun work, and I didn't need to buy any materials. (I didn't use a pattern, but there are many patterns for fabric flowers - here's a good list.) Fabric flowers are gifts in themselves, that can later be used in countless ways (as an accessory, for instance).
And then, remembering the Christmas Elf that I made a few years ago, which keeps us company during the holidays each year, I made some little wooden elves. They're made with small branches I pruned off some ash and hazelnut trees in the nearby woods (no harm done to the trees). Whenever possible, I like to include in my crafting some of the things we find in our natural surroundings, like these pieces of wood or the oak galls in the flowers. The elves were ridiculously easy to make: all you need is a vice, a saw, sandpaper, and paint! Once the little elves have done their jobs of accompanying gifts to their recipient, they'll become Christmas ornaments.
A wooden elf or fabric flower, tied over a plain recycled-paper box or recycled-paper gift-wrapping, turns eco-packaging into something special, I find.
In fact, why wrap gifts at all when you can dress up your presents with flowers or elves?
You can also find some ready-made fabric flowers and wooden elves in my shop.
