Free, Handmade Christmas Presents from Recycled Materials

My state: REALLY INSPIRED. I just read this story about this young man who actually tried living without money. Inspired, however, I can’t just pack up and live in a caravan, completely without  money (nor do I want to).

 (photo: Benjamin Earwicker) 

 

When I finished my economics degree, I equally came away with the realization that the business community needed improved management objectives: from ‘growth’ to ‘sustainability’. Now, a couple of decades later, I have a family. I am trying to live that ‘sustainability.

But we did something close to ‘living without money’, when we moved here to Italy. For the last half a year, we lived in houses that were only 1/3 of our former home in West Vancouver, and we’ve consumed only a fraction of last year’s budget. And it’s been actually easy and fun. Refreshing and more in line with our values.

How do we do it? We grow lots of vegetables. We cook our food from scratch. We use public transport or walk and buy locally. We make everything possible from recycled materials, and we borrow or rent rather than buy things. In fact, we consciously ‘not buy’ things, keeping things as simple as possible.  I’m inspired to continue this quest for ‘less stuff’, anti-consumerism, and ‘right-sizing’ as opposed to ‘growth forever’.  Lots of our handmade goods are given away…

 

Brings me to the next point….

 

Beautiful Handmade Christmas Gifts & Holiday Decorations – TONS OF FREE PATTERNS HERE

Now here come THE HOLIDAYS, the ultimate money spending season!! Not only on goods, but also on gas! Lots and lots of shopping trips before you get everything you ‘need’…(?) 

 

Well, Black Friday Best Deals here we come: I have made a pledge: this year, I will create at least 2 100% handmade presents for each family member that costs nothing. Aaaand, I will spend no more than $20 on ALL Christmas decorations for our entire home plus tree ornaments for our Christmas. Let’s see where that leads us, besides lots and lots of free holiday craft tutorials for you.

 

As we just moved here, leaving 99% of our old Christmas decorations behind, this pledge means we start from scratch. And it means that we/I really have a lot of craft projects to do. Better ask neighbors and kids to helps us.

Let me start with  already owned/found/recycled materials and let’s make everything from scratch and I think we’re going to stay within that budget. 

Christmas decorations won’t be the hard part; it will be the presents! Christmas presents have to look ‘great’ and can not give of the feel of ‘made from scraps’. Homemade is good, but from scraps is not. So I’d better start early (yes, well and truly before Black Friday), and start with the hardest part: the CHRISTMAS PRESENTS.

 

Making a List and Crossing it Twice

See the lists below of what will be ‘in store’ this Christmas here at FineCraftGuild. Once I’m on my way with the handmade Christmas gifts, I’ll start posting your free Christmas decoration ideas.

I will active the links in the Santa lists when I will made each gift and have completed each associated tutorial. So you can pretty much follow my footsteps, craft by craft.

As well, please note, YOU don’t have to keep to a $0-$20 target budget.  So I’ll suggest some matching online store-bought gift ideas that would nicely match our home-made wares & handmade craft.

 

(* online gifts cost little gas by comparison)

 

Santa’s Lists of Handmade Christmas Gifts

Christmas Gifts, Handmade for HER
Christmas Gifts Handmade for HIM