When it comes to Christmas gifts, are you at first reminded of gaudy coloured Christmas decorations, plastic table cloths and flashing reindeer earrings? Maybe it’s time to try something new this year!
Now don’t get me wrong… I love the gaudy red and green tinsel for nostalgia’s sake at Christmas time and honestly find beauty in a plastic Christmas tree that is severely over decorated from the excitement and help of little hands!
However, the old sayings are true. ‘Less is more’, ‘quality over quantity’, and I’d like to share a few tips with you if you’d like to try a cleaner and simpler gifting style this year that really embraces a natural elegance. Here’s a few gift ideas that are cost effective, elegantly simple and that can be done for everyone:
2. Succulents
These are super cost effective and very ‘in’ at the moment. You can buy them fairly cheaply at your local nursery or you can propagate them yourself if you have a friend who is willing to give you a few leaves off their plant. I recently gave this a go and it turns out you don’t have to have a green thumb for it to work:
1 – Pull off the leaves from the succulent you want to grow nice and close to the stem of the plant. You are better to have a bit of stem on the end of the leaf than to not have the whole leaf.
2 – Next, place them on top of some well-draining soil and allow the ends of the leaves to scab over and dry for a few days.
3 – After a few days you can start spraying the soil lightly with water, I used an empty spray bottle. But don’t overwater.
4 – In a few weeks new plants will start growing on the sides of the leaves, you can help them along by covering their roots up with a bit of soil. Don’t be disappointed if all of them don’t work out, they don’t always take.
5 – When your new little plants are established you can pot them up! For an even more cost effective and earth conscious option you can save some old jars and fill them with potting mix. For a finishing touch, tie a bit of twine around the neck of the jar.
6 -The great thing about these is they hardly need any water so they are happy to sit and look great without much care at all.
2. Edible garden in a jar
This is great idea was recently gifted to me by a friend at Rhema, and although the pre-text for this is that you need a blooming garden of herbs, it is too good an idea not to share! It’s cost effective, simply lovely and perfect for the foodie in your life:
1 – Simply save an old jar and fill it with whatever is edible in your garden.
2 – This one has, mint, rosemary, chives, parsley, kaffir lime leaves and is even finished off with natural raffia string from dried garlic!
3 – Don’t worry if you aren’t a fantastic arranger, the wild look of this little garden in a jar is simply beautiful and will not only look great on a kitchen bench but taste great in the next meal as well! It’s beautiful, natural and tasty! What a great gift idea!
– Written by Ashley Carr, Announcer of The Long Lunch
