Outside it is getting colder and inside it is getting more and more cosy. Punch, gingerbread & co. find their way back into our shopping baskets and Last Christmas does surprisingly not sound as annoying as last year. What does that mean? Right, Christmas is just around the corner!
Like every year, this pre-Christmas season is tempting, perhaps even more than usual, to start the online shopping hunt. Nothing against bought presents, but honestly, who is not happy about a homemade little something? With this blog entry full of sustainable DIY gift ideas we want to inspire you to try something new this Christmas. Because hey, if 2020 is not the year for something new, then when is!
From old to new!
We at Bracenet are true upcycling specialists and love to turn old into new. Old ghost nets, which would otherwise continue to cause trouble in our oceans, become bracenets, keychains, mask chains and much more.
As we like to share our love for upcycling with you, this Bracenet gift ideas also include christmassy upcycling ideas that you can easily implement at home.
Homemade instead of bought
Aside from sustainable upcycling ideas, we also put together creative DYI’s and delicious recipe ideas for you. These are perfect as Christmas or Secret Santa gifts, but also just for yourself. Make sure to let your creativity run wild and try yourself out.
All the ingredients and utensils listed below do not have to be bought new. You might want to ask your mum or your best friend if they already have some of the things you need at home. In case you do have to buy ingredients, make sure that they are preferably packed without any plastic.
We look forward to seeing your works of art and delicacies. Use the hashtag #bracenetxmas or tag us on your Instagram pictures. You can also take a look at our Instagram Reels, where we have published a short video for each gift idea!
We wish you a creative and happy pre-Christmas season.
PS: In case you don’t have the time yourself but still want to gift something sustainable with DYI factor, be sure to check out Less Waste Club. Less Waste Club produces powdered liquid body care products that, when combined with water, become a familiar liquid care product again (like shower gel/soap). This way, you not only give away great pampering moments, but also help to save disposable plastic and CO2.
DIY Vegan/Glutenfree Gingerbread
How it works:
- Pour hot water over the apricots and leave to stand for 15 minutes
- Mix all remaining ingredients (except couverture & wafers) in a bowl
- Drain apricots and cut into small pieces
- Add the apricots to the dough and knead well
- If too dry, add a little more applesauce (dough should be sticky rather than dry)
- Preheat oven to 175 degrees and line baking tray with baking paper
- Shape the dough into round portions, press them onto the wafers and form into gingerbread
- Bake in the oven for 12 minutes, then leave to cool completely
- Melt the chocolate coating in a water bath. As soon as the chocolate is liquid, cover the gingerbread with icing and let it harden for about 1 hour
(seen at veganevibes)
What you need:
400 g ground hazelnuts
165 ml maple syrup
50 ml tasteless oil
30 g apple puree
100 g dried apricots
1 pack orange peel
2 tsp. gingerbread spice
1 pinch of salt
8 wafers
100-200 g dark chocolate coating
DIY Zero-Waste Coffee Scrub
How it works:
- Allow the coffee grounds to dry thoroughly
- Then mix with sugar, agave syrup and essential oil
- Pour the finished scrub into a screw-on glass and optionally decorate with a pretty label
What you need:
Small old screw-on glass
6-7 tbsp. coffee grounds
4 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon agave syrup
A few drops of essential oil
Upcycling Ocean Bookmark
How it works:
- Cut the milk carton open at the top, bottom and lengthwise so that it can be opened completely
- Crumple up the bag and carefully remove the foil
- Record and cut out the desired shape of the bookmark
Decorate bookmarks with pens, stickers etc.
- Use the hole punch to make a hole at the top and braid a pendant with the wool, we take a piece of old fishing net for the pendant
What you need:
An old milk carton
Pencil
Scissors
Hole punch
Felt-tip pens
Optional: Sticker with sea motif
Thin Wool
DIY Rosemary Oil
How it works:
- Peel garlic cloves and wash rosemary sprigs
- Put the garlic and rosemary together in the bottle and add as much olive oil as necessary so that all the branches and the garlic are covered with oil
- Close bottle well and optionally decorate with a pretty label
What you need:
Glass bottle with cap
Olive oil (organic quality)
A few sprigs of rosemary
2 cloves of garlic
DIY Chai Latte Powder
How it works:
- Mix everything together and your chai latte powder is ready
- Pour into a screw-on jar and optionally decorate with a pretty label
What you need:
Small old screw-on glass
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
4 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons vanilla sugar
5 tsp cinnamon
2 teaspoons cardamom
A pinch of clove, nutmeg and salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 teaspoons pink pepper
DIY Fortune Cookies
How it works:
- Write your fortune cookie quote on the white paper and cut it out
- Place a round bowl upside down on your craft paper, surround it and cut out the circle
- Fold the paper into a half circle and glue the two opposite sides together
- Put your written quote in the opening of the glued pages
- Take the semicircle and push it in with your finger in the middle
- Then pull the two ends of the semicircle together to create the shape of a fortune cookie
- Place an adhesive strip next to the bend and press the two sides together so that your fortune cookie keeps its shape
(seen on lovely diys)
What you need:
Old newspaper
Tape
Small white paper
Round bowl
Scissors
Lavender Bag x Bracenet
How it works:
- Put the lavender flowers in a bag and knot them
- Optional decoration with a pretty label
What you need:
Bracenet bag or bag of your choice
Organic lavender flowers
DIY Punch
How it works:
- Heat apple juice on medium heat
- Add spices and fruit tea
- Allow to steep for a few minutes
- Pour into glasses and your punch is ready to taste!
What you need:
1 litre organic apple juice
2-3 tablespoons fruit tea
some cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla sugar
1 dash of lemon juice
Upcycling Newspaper Christmas Tree
How it works:
-- Take a sheet of newspaper (approx. 10 sheets)
- Staple along an imaginary or drawn line (the line should be at least 4 cm from the edge)
- Fold the stapled paper stack along the staple line and cut out the fir tree
- Unfold individual leaves along the bracket line → Tadaaaa christmas tree!
What you need:
Old newspaper
Scissors
Stapler
DIY Bath Salt
How it works:
- Put sea salt in a bowl and mix with essential oil and food colouring
- Fill into glasses and label and decorate as desired
What you need:
Waste glass
200g sea salt
A few drops of essential oil of your choice
Blue food colouring
Tin Can Upcycling
How it works:
- If not already done: Open, empty and clean your tin
- Draw a short line of glue at the bottom of the can with hot glue and press the natural cord on it
- Apply adhesive alternately piece by piece and press down the natural cord. Work upwards row by row
- Allow to dry briefly and then fill the container with kitchen untensils
What you need:
An old tin can
Can opener
Hot glue gun and hot glue
Natural cord
Scissors
Energy Balls
How it works:
- Put chopped almonds, dates, peanut butter and cinnamon into the blender and mix well
- Take out some of the mixture with a tablespoon and form small balls by hand
- Bread Energy Balls with coconut flakes
- Pour the finished Energy Balls into a screw-on jar and optionally decorate with a pretty label
What you need:
Mixer
Screwed glass
80 g dates
40 g chopped almonds
30 g peanut butter
Cinnamon
Coconut shavings
DIY Envelope
How it works:
- Sketch an even heart and cut it out of your construction paper
- Turn once so that the white side is facing upwards
- Fold in the right and left side of the heart and fold
- Fold the tip of the heart upwards
- Tape up the envelope
What you need:
Craft paper of your choice
Scissors
DIY Christmas Decoration
How it works:
- Preheat oven to 100°C circulating air
- Cut oranges into evenly thick slices and dab well to remove the moisture
- Spread the orange slices on a baking tray lined with baking paper, place in the oven and dry for about 2 hours (turn the orange slices from time to time)
- When the orange slices are dry, let them cool completely and pull a thread through with a thick needle
What you need:
3 oranges
Sharp knife
Kitchen paper
Needle and thread
Milk Carton Upcycling
How it works:
- Cut off the top 15 cm of the milk carton
- Wash the milk carton thoroughly
Crumple up the milk carton and turn it until it is nice and soft
- Carefully remove a thin layer of paper all around the seam
- Either leave the base plate as it is or, if possible, remove the thin layer
- Fold the edge of the bag twice
- Decorate as you like with patterns and sayings
What you need:
An old milk carton
Scissors
Pens
DIY Spiced Nut Mixture
How it works:
- Mix the nuts with the spices, oil and maple syrup
- Spread on a baking tray lined with baking paper
- Roast for 10 min at 180 degrees
- Allow nuts to cool, pour into a screw-on jar and optionally decorate with a pretty label
What you need:
Small old screw-on glass
400 g mixed nuts
1 tablespoon agave syrup
20 g coconut oil
1 teaspoon of smoked salt
2 sprigs rosemary
Some oregano and paprika powder
Tin Can Upcycling
How it works:
- If not already done: Open, empty and clean your tin
- Stick double-sided adhesive tape onto the complete surface of the can
- Cut the wrapping paper to size and stick it around the tin
- Labelling and decorating the tin as desired
What you need:
An old tin can
Can opener
Thin handicraft paper or gift wrapping paper
Double-sided adhesive tape
Pens and stickers
Roasted Almonds
How it works:
- Bring sugar, vanilla sugar, cinnamon and water to the boil in a pan
- Add the almonds and continue cooking over medium heat, stirring until there is no more water in the pan
- Immediately place the almonds on a baking tray with baking paper (make sure that the almonds are far enough apart and do not stick together)
- Let the almonds cool down
- Fill the completely cooled almonds into a screw-top glass and optionally decorate with a pretty label
What you need:
An old screw-on glass
200 g almonds
200 g sugar
1 pkg vanilla sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
125 ml water
DIY Zero-Waste Oat Milk
How it works:
- Put water, oatmeal, cashew nuts, salt and dates into the blender and mix for 30 seconds on the highest setting until everything is blended
- Pour the liquid over a bowl into the nut milk sachet and squeeze the nut milk sachet until no more liquid is left
- Fill milk into glass bottles using a funnel (keeps in a cool place for up to 5 days)
- TIP: You can use the leftovers in the nut milk bag for baking or for energy balls
What you need:
High Performance Blender
Nut milk sachet
Bowl
Funnel
1000 ml water
90 g oats
50 g cashew nuts
A pinch of salt
1-2 dates
Glass bottle
DIY Stir Chocolate
How it works:
- Melt the dark chocolate coating in a water bath
- Pour into silicone mould and put spoon in
- Hold the spoon until the chocolate is a little firmer and the spoons no longer fall over
- After the chocolate has cooled down completely, carefully remove it from the silicone mould
What you need:
Dark chocolate coating
Silicone ice cube mould
Bamboo / wooden spoon
Candle Glass Upcycling
How it works:
- Cleaning old candle glass
- Decorate & fill with label etc. as desired
What you need:
Old candle glass
Label
Pens
Washi Tape
Sustainable Gift Wrapping
What you can use for your sustainable gift wrapping:
- Old newspapers
- Jute bags or other bags such as the Bracenet bag
- Cloths or fabric remnants
- Waste glass
DIY Christmas Tree Decoration
How it works:
- Paint mouth, buttons and eyes of the snowman with a black pen
- For the nose use the orange pencil
- Stick the two small branches on the right and left side of your bulb so that they look like the arms of your snowman
- Fix your light bulb with a wire or cord so that you can hang it on your Christmas tree
What you need:
Old light bulb
Black and orange pen
Glue
Cord or wire
2 small branches
Sustainable Gift Idea: Bracenet
If you want to make your loved ones or yourself happy at Christmas, our Bracenet is of course also a great, lasting gift idea. With a bracenet you are not only giving away a beautiful, handmade bracelet made of old fishing nets, but above all you are giving away a very important message: Each worn bracenet means one less piece of ghost netting, which without you would continue to drift in the oceans!
Therefore: SAVE THE SEAS, WEAR A NET! Feel free to visit our online shop and be inspired by our colourful Bracenet selection!
SHOP
