Category: Simple Gifts

Homemade Chapstick

Posted on by keepinthesunlightblog@gmail.com

I’ve been making this homemade chapstick for years, and I LOVE it!  It’s natural, smooth, easy to make, and affordable.  AND you get to reuse chapstick containers!

There are many, many recipes for homemade chapsticks online if you start searching.  You can easily reuse a chapstick container you’ve already used, or you can buy empty ones.  I’ve purchased them at Natural Grocers in the past, but once you have some, they’re great to reuse.  I usually like to put a label on them with the date I made them, just so I know.  I don’t make too many at once, since it doesn’t have the same preservative chemicals that store-bought ones have.

This recipe makes four tubes, but you can easily double it, halve it, etc.  I also love that you could make these as gifts, especially if you just need something small for a bunch of people.  Or, you could create a gift basket with homemade body scrub, homemade lotion, etc. and include this as part of a bundle of gifts.

I’ve searched and searched the Internet to give a link and credit to this recipe, as I really dislike sharing recipes that aren’t mine.  But the only credit I found when I wrote this down years and years ago was Yahoo.com, which is no help, and I cannot find this anywhere.  I’ll post this modified version here with huge apologies to whoever wrote the original.  But, as I said there are many other recipes out there.

The beeswax takes a bit of patience when it’s melting, and cleanup can be a bit greasy, but it’s really super simple to make these.  I find beeswax at Natural Grocers or local Farmer’s markets, but it seems beeswax is much easier to find than it once was.

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Modified recipe:

Orange Lip Balm

Melt together:

8 tsp. sunflower oil or almond oil

2 tsp. (.3 oz or so) or beeswax

Remove from heat.  Then add:

1 tsp honey

6 drops orange essential oil (or your choice)

Stir well.  Pour while still liquid into 4 chapstick containers

(If you don’t have chapstick container, you can pour into a small container such as an Altoid tin and use as a balm.)

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Hope you enjoy!

Stick Stars

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I love making these simple stars from twigs!  They’re easy and free to make, and they add such a wonderful, comfortable homey-ness to wherever they are hung.

I admire when people make these without the use of a glue gun, and I may get there someday, but for now, my glue gun makes these possible.  My favorite way to use these is hanging many of them from a tree branch on the wall at different lengths (You can see this in the YouTube short below).  These would also make sweet ornaments.  You could try painting them different colors for different celebrations throughout the year.  And I’ve had a lot of fun experimenting with making these stars with other upcycled materials as well.  (You can see my coffee stopper stars briefly in the video!)

Hope you enjoy coming up with your own unique ways to make and enjoy these!

Bubble Wands

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I fell in love with some of the beautiful bubble wands I saw online recently, and I was surprised to find they were so simple to make.  Obviously, support local and independent artists when you can, but if you’re not in a position to or you’re feeling crafty, here’s an idea for making your own.

I love any time I can make gifts of my own.  In a world of overconsumption, excess packaging, and one-click gifts, I think it’s special to be able to give somebody something unique and homemade.  This would also be a great project to do with kids.  Depending on ages, they may need varying levels of help, but they can at least choose beads and thread them.  We have long been fans of making our own bubble solution, mainly for avoiding those plastic bottles.   Try upcycling an old glass jar and making a batch for yourself!  A bottle of solution (or at least a recipe card) would be great to include with a bubble wand you are gifting.

In an attempt to learn how to make the 60-second “shorts” on YouTube, I tried to squeeze this one into a quick video.  Here are some more details:

Materials:

—wire  (Sadly, the wire I used did not list the gauge.  I think I picked it up at a yard sale years ago.  My guess is 20 or 21 gauge, since I do have a 19 gauge wire that is labeled and is too thick for me to do the twisted effect.)
—beads  (Obviously, these need to have holes for threading.  We loved having the excuse to visit our local bead shop. (Look for one in your area-you’d be surprised where these are tucked in!). Some beads were a super snug fit, but I also didn’t want them to be too loose.  You may want to bring along a sample of your wire to check.  Just remember to double it over first if that’s your plan.)
—pliers/wire cutters  (The wire only needs to be cut once.  Mostly I need small jewelry-type pliers to twist and shape the wire.)

Instructions (or, at least how I made mine):

–Measure 10″ of wire and then DOUBLE it over on itself.
–Cut 20″ of wire total.
–Twist the doubled-over wire for its entire length.
–Use small pliers to form a spiral-like loop on the doubled-over end.  This will be the base of the wand.
–Start threading beads!  Thread about 10 beads, depending on preference and the size of the beads.
–Leave enough wire to form the bubble-blowing circle loop at the top.
–Leave a small bit of excess wire and use the pliers to twist it around the base of the loop.
–Squeeze the wire to tuck in any pointy bits.
–Adjust and bend as desired to create the wand shape you’d like.
–Enjoy!

TIP:  Wipe down the wand after use to prolong the life of the wire.

I hope this post can provide some inspiration for making your own bubble wands!

 

Bubble wands make great gifts for any time, but here are some ideas:

–A child’s birthday (especially those old enough to blow bubbles and not consume the bubble solution)
–An adult’s birthday, because adults deserve fun bubble-blowing time too!
–Before a trip to the beach
–An alternative activity on 4th of July
–Wedding favors or to use as a send-off
–In memory of a loved one – bubbles can be a way for everyone (including children) to take some slow breaths and meditate on a loved one who has passed

 

 

Light Switch Plates

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Love this simple idea!  Even though it’s reusing a very small bit of paper, it can be a wonderful visual reminder of the beauty of reusing.  These can also be a unique, homemade gift that’s easy to customize for your recipient.  Whether you’re decorating your own home or gifting this to someone else, I hope you enjoy this project!

Magazine Gift Wrap

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I’m a big fan of finding alternative ways to wrap gifts. Wrapping paper must go through a lot of manufacturing and transportation to get to us, only to be thrown away in a matter of seconds. And even for those who want to recycle their mounds of wrapping paper, the sad news is that many papers contain gold bits or glitter that make them impossible to recycle.

I love using fabric wrap, but if you don’t prefer that option, wrapping gifts can be super simple by reimagining your old magazines!

MAGAZINES!

Step 1: Reduce
(I say magazines here, but I think of these interchangeably with catalogs, at least for the purpose of gift wrap.)

To reduce magazines, consider whether you’re reading them regularly.  Can you share with a friend or family member?  Can you read the magazine at a library?  Can you read it online instead?

To reduce catalogs, consider whether you need a catalog to view the shop items.  Could you look online instead?  Getting on catalog mailing lists seems mysterious sometimes, but canceling a catalog is easy.  There’s (usually) a phone number on the back and the process takes less than two minutes.  Consider canceling your own unwanted catalogs and maybe those that arrive at your place of work as well.  The less printing, pages, and transportation, the better.

Step 2:  Reuse!
Can you donate your magazine to a friend, family member, or local library?  Sometimes even thrift shops will take magazines, especially if there’s a set.

Step 3:  Reimagine!
There are SO many wonderful projects that use old paper pages; I can’t wait to share more!  But, this post is about gift wrap.  And using magazine/catalog pages as gift wrap is so simple.  It’s eco-friendly, affordable, and, best of all, looks super cute and creative.  If your gift is bigger than a page, no problem.  Just tape several pages together.  I love picking out special images for future wrapping and having them on hand.

This gift wrap idea works great with so many other types of paper – catalogs, old coloring pages, newspapers, phone book pages, old maps, pages from damaged books, and more!

Step 4:  Recycle
Just like you would with any of these pages, recycle when done.