All made up

What

Gifts are great! As long as they're appreciated, that is.

Every year, we give millions of unwanted presents that end up unloved and unused. That’s a shame for the giver and receiver, but it’s even worse for the environment.

So here’s an idea. Give homemade gifts this year - you’ll save money as well as natural resources, and that personal touch will make your presents much more lovable.

all-made-up

Benefits

For people

Nothing means quite as much as a homemade gift or card. This is doubly true if it's made out of something you've already given some love to, and that you’re ingeniously reusing.

It saves money too, £2.4bn is spent on unwanted Christmas gifts each year in the UK.

For planet

You can't make something out of nothing. Every time a new product is made, we need to extract fresh resources from the earth – through mining, quarrying or tree felling. New clothes, books, films, electronics, cosmetics -they're all made from something, and something pretty precious.

50k trees are felled each year for wrapping paper in the UK.

Everything we make and use emits greenhouse gases at every stage of its lifecycle - from when we first extract, refine and transport its raw materials, through to processing them into a product, to how we use and dispose of it.

How

Whether you're some kind of creative genius or your craft skills peaked at primary school, the possibilities for home made gifting are endless…

Here are a few ideas to get those creative juices flowing:

We also love this ingenious list of 100 crafty homemade gift ideas, which features everything from wine racks made from old crates to personalised door mats and dog treats.

Kirstie Allsopp’s book Kirstie’s Homemade Home is also a well of ideas and inspiration for all things homemade.

And don't forget the wrapping paper - why not use an old piece of newspaper finished off with a colourful bow, or reuse paper from last year? If you have to use tape, check out this fun paper tape, or tie it up with some biodegradable twine!