SIMPLE CHRISTMAS

SIMPLE & FUN DIY PROJECTS – GIFTS FOR IDEALISTS, VEGANS, THOSE TIRED BY THE COMMERCIALISATION OF THINGS

OR FRIENDS WHO HAVE EVERYTHING

Brought to you by the creators of BEAUTYCALYPSE.com

&EISWUERFELIMSCHUH.de

BAD CASE OF CHRISTMAS BLUES? CHRISTMAS IS TOO COMMERCIAL? AND YOU’RE NOT CRAFTY?

LET’S TAKE YOUR BLUES AND MAKE L’HEURE BLEU OUT OF IT: A RELAXED AFTERNOON SPENT WITH CHIC DIY PROJECTS – OR SHOPPING GIFTS THAT GIVE BACK.

We hear you, Christmas shouldn’t be all about sales. But Christmas without any presents, anything festive? We don’t want that either. That’s why we – Din and Nath – have put together this wee eBook of our top favourite and most requested DIY gifts.

Enjoy and recreate our selection of foolproof DIY projects (page 3) that are simple and yet wonderful due to the precious ingredients and materials used.

Be inspired by our gift wrapping ideas (page 5) that put a stop to the unrecyclable plastic debris that occurs under Christmas trees every year.

Our sustainable foodie gift picks for green warriors, vegans and health evangelists (page 10) are items we honestly shop and gift – and love to receive! – ourselves.

LET’S CREATE & CELEBRATE!DIN (eiswuerfelimschuh.de) AND

NATH (beautycalypse.com)

FRAGRANT BODY SCRUB

Aromatherapy-inspired, this simple blend of vegetable oil and coarse, pure sea salt can be invigorating

or soothing depending on your choice of essential oils –

a few drops are enough.

BOTANICALTUB TEA

Organic lavender, verbena, elderflowers, linden flowers… What sounds like a herbal detox tea is, in fact, our recipe for elegant

fragrant bath sachets.

MATCHACHOC BARS

Infuse your homemade, white (vegan) couverture chocolates with fine

Matcha tea to give your sweet treats an instant sophistication upgrade.

(Recipe on the blog.)

MATCHAGRANOLA

Good for you, incredibly delicious and… bright green: every morning is

a sunny one with this scrumptious Matcha Granola. (Recipe on the blog.)

CLEVER CUSHION

Boxes are ideal for small, irregular gifts or gift cards. To add suspense and to keep them safe, surround with

a handful of nuts or with fancy pasta – simple, fun, ecological.

“ICY”BAGS

For not too large gifts, biodegradable cellulose food bags are a modern

alternative to coated wrapping paper. Punch custom snowflake confetti to

conceal the gift inside.

GIFT TAGS: WHIMSICAL

Not only the giftee’s name will make a present personal. Here’s a bejewelled silver-and-pearl gift tag

for a fan of dragonflies. (Pearl, ribbon, card, motive punch: craft shop.)

…OR SLEEKAND IN 3D

Holly leaves and berries cut or punched from craft paper are glued to gift boxes using double-sided tape,

then turned into proper gift tags by adding calligraphic letters.

STATEMENTNECKLACE

A vintage costume brooch is transformed into a luxurious necklace with little more than a few matching chains and heavy grosgrain ribbon.

COVETABLECITY TOTE

Just two clever tweaks turn a foolproof tote project into a luxurious city tote!

Use heavy, lush upholstery fabric inside and out, and upcycle a swish belt

into sturdy handles.

CREATE! MATERIALS & STEPS

All DIY projects shown here are fun and easy to make – they’ll disrupt the season’s frenzy in the most delightful way.

And you can customise them all you want!

1 . 2 . 3 .

4 . 5 . 6 .

SUUUUUUPER EASY

1. Add 5 drops of a fine, skincare-grade essential oil to 200 ml of carrier oil (almond, jojoba); blend thoroughly with 100 g coarse sea salt.

2. Blend cashews, almonds, pumpkin seeds, pine nuts, coarse oats to your liking; roast, stirring, in an oil-free pan with xylitol (or erythritol) until they are

covered with white “caramel”. Let cool completely. Blend with Matcha tea.

3. All you need for the statement necklace are a unique-looking costume brooch, heavy grosgrain ribbon, two metal rings and

a dozen different chains. Attach chains to the rings, stitch the rings to the ribbon, pin the brooch: ready!

4. For 5 herbal bath sachets blend dried leaves and buds: 30 g elderberries, 20 g lemon grass, 20 g lavender, 20 g linden flowers, 10 g lemon verbena leaves; add 2 drops lemon verbena essential oil

(all food-grade, organic if possible).

5. Pick long paper tea filters, fill with the herbal blend (4). Carefully fold the filters as shown in fig. 5; hand-stitch using

metallic sewing thread (not wrapping twine which isn’t waterproof).

6. The bag is sewn like a standard tote with one exception: you let your cobbler cut the belt and attach the handles. This DIY is from toshka berlin who sometimes sell a few of

those OOAK totes. Info: i.montag@toshka-berlin.de

FOODIE PRESENTS „FREE FROM“ BEST OF

Please back away from wine & truffles shelves at your local supermarket. Here’s a selection of a few fine, sustainably produced treats that are free from

alcohol and sugar, and range from €4-40 – talking about the thought that counts!

1 . 2 . 3 .

4 . 5 . 6 .

WHERE DO I GET THESE?

OUR LINKS ARE „FREE FROM“, TOO – NO AFFILIATES, ONLY READING, CLICKING, BUYING AND

MAKING SOMEONE HAPPY.

1. Nature’s gift: made from a hollowed gourd, this tea strainer is an OOAK item. Used for tea ceremonies together with a gaiwan

or an oolong pot. Seen at HTS: €13.

2. Portable: bring delicious home-made lunch to the office all while ditching plastic with these sustainably produced,

toxin-free stainless steel lunch boxes, Ecobrotbox Berlin: €37.

3. Pure art: water is good for you. PET bottles? Not in the slightest! Soulbottle glass bottles are free from toxins and quite artsy

(fair production): start at €18.

4. Hot: exotic fair trade pepper varieties scouted and sold by pure pepper berlin will spice up any kitchen (here: Timut Pepper

with all-natural grapefruit-like aroma): start at €8.

5. All green everything: Matcha tea is on everyone’s lips, also quite literally – to pick authentic, high quality tea from Japan, buy from experts.

We love finest organic Matcha from Tee Kontor Kiel: €40.

6. Office Santa approved: lovechock fine chocolate bars are raw, vegan, fair, sustainable, free from gluten or

refined sugar (in wholefood shops).

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MERRY CHRISTMAS!

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