(handmade) gift guide (for angels)
weekend craft off
Think it’s too late? Think again, my friend. Gather some supplies, sit by the fire (or somewhere equally cozy), put on some music (yes, I made you a crafting playlist) and make some beautiful gifts without engaging in chaotic consumer culture.
I just began my 6+ week semester break and I have many thoughts I want to share with you - but we don’t have time for all of that today. Today we are tackling your gift list. I will say that I am super sorry that The Healer Balm is out of stock for the holidays - I’ve been seeking a new, local organic oil producer (new england sunflower farmer, are you there? it’s me, suntrap.) and I can’t rush the process!! More on that soon…
Back to the gift guide. I was not planning to make one of these but this list came to me fully formed while I was studying for a bio exam and I had no choice but to pause my work, open notes app and record the channeled gift guide vision.
Everyone knows that a list must contain some element of organization. In this case, I have chosen to organize our guide by astrological sign. You don’t need to follow that prompt, but it is the way my brain made sense of organizing this. I won’t elaborate.
BTW, I was inspired by Dyke Domesticity’s “Unshoppable No-Links Lesbian Gift Guide”. Most gift guides I see these days are affiliate link mines, so it was fun to read one from the heart instead of ShopMy links lol. (do you even know how much $$$ wirecutter makes from their links omfg.)
OKay, here it is!!! LMK if you decide to go forth with any of these.
Custom Framed Map
Aries
Think of a place that is important to your gift recipient, find it on caltopo (free version works great for this) and make it cute (i.e. make a relief of the topography, a trail or street map, etc. there are lots of layers on caltopo that you can play with to make it custom.), print it out, and frame it. (Lots of good frames at thrift stores.)
The first image is a map I just pulled up on caltopo of one of my favorite trails when I lived in NY. The second image is from a google search for framed map to give you an idea of your finished project. Evergreen Wreath
Taurus
You can make a beautiful and solid frame out of grapevines or you can get a wire frame at a craft store. Trim a grocery bags worth of spruce/pine/etc tips and use wrapping wire to fix them to the frame, covering the wire as you go. Garnish with velvet ribbons, pine cones, dried flowers, or dried orange slices. I used to teach workshops on this because making wreaths was once part of my job - but for now you can just find a youtube tutorial to guide you through the process.
Wreaths from a wreath making workshop I taught at Weavers Way Coop in Philadelphia in 2017! Plus a bare grapevine wreath base to give you an idea of what that looks like. Whittled Spoon
Gemini
Go for a walk in the woods (with a little saw) and find a piece of fallen wood that you can see yourself michaelangelo-ing a spoon out of. Or see about getting some seasoned wood from a local carpenter. Some special tools needed. Here is a guide. Everyone loves a hand whittled spoon. Shout out to my friend Hannah who put spoon whittling on my radar.
Spoons from the guide I linked. Beaded bracelet/necklace/anklet
Cancer
Think of a color story you want to tell and go to your local bead shop and get glass beads in those colors. Get a few more precious beads that you can work in and highlight. Make a collection to give away. (definitely make one for yourself too!)
The first photo are some bracelets I made this week with special gems & the second is a photos from pinterest - those flowers are actually so easy to make! lots of youtube tutorials out there. Custom Stationary
Leo
You can do this two ways: you can either have a stamp made with your gift recipients name or initials beautifully written and give the stamp with a nice blank notepad. I use this website to manufacture the stamps. OR you can make the custom stationary on canva and have it sent directly to them ready to go. I have done this and it is surprisingly fast, cheap, and chic.
First photo from my canva desktop, I have had this design printed and I like it for passing notes and adding to packages. The second photo is an example of what you can do with a stamp. Recipe zine
Virgo
Make a little zine of recipe you think they would love and organize it in a cute way. Remember their food sensitivities, preferences, etc.
photos sourced from pinterest! Evergreen Garland
Libra
Harvest evergreen tips and make a garland that your libra friend can wrap around their staircase banister, hang along a shelf, wrap around a column, etc. Here is a guide.
I took to pinterest for these images Make a custom journal
Scorpio
You can make this as simple or as complex as you like. You can actually bind the journal if you have that kind of skill. You can also just staple it. Leave most of the space blank but include prompts that you think your friend will appreciate. Here is a list of diy book binding tutorials. I will say, you can absolutely just get a thin stack of printer paper, cut it in half, put it together and staple or tie a bow to keep them together and go from there.
Photos sources from pinterest. Make a little booklet about a shared experience
Sagittarius
One time I went on a 6 week bike tour with a partner. The next gift I gave them after our adventure was a little booklet I made about the whole thing. I used photos from my disposable camera and typed up the text on a typewriter. I cut out everything and pasted it into a booklet I made out of printer paper and then used a scanner at a copy shop to make it all look nice. Just to say you can do it pretty low tech but you could also make it on your computer and print it out.
These are both Suntrap booklets but you get the idea. A Scavenger Hunt
CapricornI made one of these for Hayden’s birthday this year and it was so fun. If you take a little extra time you can have a lot of fun writing poems that guide your loved one from location to location to find their little gifts and the poems that brings them to the next location. For Hayden, along with the clues I gave him: A vintage tee, custom stationary, two different rings that were in different clues, a vintage lab set for propagating cuttings, and something else I can’t remember :) brain too full.
I had no idea what image to put for scavenger hunt so I ran an internet search and came up with these images for you. But please be more creative than this - I want POETRY for your clues, POETRY. Embroider a hat
Aquarius
Does your friend like mushrooms? Birds? Plants? You can find a cute hat at the thrift and embroider it. Most craft stores will have a set available with all the little tools you need to do the embroidery. If you have never embroidered something, I recommend starting with a simple shape/concept such as a leaf. Here is a tutorial.
Photos from the tutorial I linked :) Photo Stamp
Pisces
I have made many stamps for Suntrap branding and packaging. One day, I was just playing around and I uploaded a photo to the stamp maker website I use and to my surprise it mocked up a stamp of the photo. I was floored. I showed a few of friends and one actually ordered a stamp of a family photo. Try it for yourself! Really thoughtful gift for someone.
These are stamps of photos! The photos were taken by Grace Walker for Suntrap. The first photo is Esme taking a tincture and the second is Marina applying Healer Balm.
I hope you found something on this list that resonated <3 Maybe next year I will be settled enough here to offer in person wreath & garland making classes again. Until then, wishing you beautiful holidays ahead and cozy time preparing little treasures.
xo,
Geraldine
P.S. consider leaving a little heart or comment if you have made it this far! It makes me happy and motivated to keep sharing when there is evidence people are reading and even enjoying what I’m putting out there.
brilliant fabulous ideas!!
💖