AMY DAVIDSON

It is safe to say the highly anticipated festive season can get a little silly and not to mention, hectic! With so much to do and lots of presents to buy, the lack of time or budget can have us reaching for quick and easy plastic stocking fillers, most of which will probably end up in landfill come January.

Here at Cork & Chroma, we’re a champion for sustainability and creativity, so we’ve asked our team for some sustainable, handmade and most of all easy ideas for your Kris Kringle presents this year. On top of doing your part for the planet, there’s an added bonus of redirecting the time you would have spent wandering around a congested shopping centre tirelessly looking for gifts, to being in the comfort of your own home engaging in some mindful creativity.

Here’s two fun, gifting ideas from our team to get you started:

Glitter Reindeer Decorations

Made by Ann Gibb, Head of Operations (with help from her special assistant, Sienna).
Instagram: @theartfulgrimmer

Supplies List:

– Wooden Reindeer Heads, pack of 10 $17.45 from Zart
– Acrylic Paints
– Palette
– Paintbrushes
– Water jar to wash out brushes
– Glitter
– String, yarn or jute cord for hanging
– Optional sticky back diamantes or googly eyes

Method:

1. Lay your wooden reindeers out on a table and paint them with your choice of acrylic paint colour combinations.
2. Add glitter and/or googly eyes when the paint is wet as it acts as a glue.
3. When dry, stick on diamantés, then cut and tie some jute string so they can hang on your Christmas tree.
4. Wrap in recycled paper or old magazines to gift to your lucky friends!

Aromatherapy Coffee Scrub

Made by Chloé Newby, Head of Marketing
Instagram: @chloe_newby

Supplies List:

– Old glass jars with airtight lids.
– ¼ cup coconut oil.
– ½ cup ground organic coffee beans.
– ¼ cup coconut sugar or brown sugar, or xylitol.
– ¼ cup coarse salt.
– ½ tsp vanilla extract (optional).
– 5-10 drops of your favourite essential oil. Chloé used Cedarwood & Geranium.

Method:

1. Soften coconut oil for 10 sec in microwave if needed and combine all ingredients in bowl. Mix well.
2. Spoon into jars and secure lid tightly.
3. Jazz up with a hand drawn sticky label or some jute string wrapped around the top of the jar.
4. Gift this sweet smelling scrub to your friends and family… don’t forget to keep one for yourself!

Check out our Pinterest Board for more gift making ideas and some really inventive eco-friendly ways to wrap your pressies!

You’d be surprised how mediative creating handmade and sustainable presents are. You can either spend some alone time and pop on your favourite tunes to calm the mind or amp up the Christmas carols, get the kids involved and turn it into a family activity. If you’re missing any ingredients, no worries – see what you can rustle up around the house to make do!

We’d love to see your homemade gifts, so be sure to tag us on Instagram or Facebook.

Wishing you a creative, calm and happy holiday season from the team at Cork & Chroma 🎄💫

Want more creativity in your Christmas?

Read: ‘12 Tips for a Creative Christmas‘.