By Hilary Nelson
Want to really enjoy the holidays this year while saving money and fighting climate change simultaneously? Make your own gifts. I know, I know; you're thinking: Is she crazy? It's hectic enough around the holidays! Who has time to make presents? Well - you do. Start by saying no to the hours spent stringing electricity-guzzling lights from your gutters and chimney and downsize to a front-door wreath lit by solar-powered LEDs. Next, try shutting off the television and closing down the computer for a while.
Unwind instead by working on your homemade presents, smug in the knowledge that you'll be able to skip the traffic and long lines at the local mall. And when you're done with your gifts, there'll be no need for last-minute wrapping paper runs if you use old newspapers, paper bags and recycled ribbon instead (and you'll avoid contributing to the million tons of extra trash the EPA says Americans generate between Thanksgiving and New Year's).
Pick a project you'll enjoy, one that's engrossing but not so challenging you'll wind up frustrated. It could be anything from homemade marshmallows and hot chocolate mix to embroidered handkerchiefs cut from old sheets to clove-studded orange pomanders - the kinds of small, thoughtful gifts that make people smile.
Below you'll find some of my favorite projects, all based on found objects. Why not brew yourself a cup of tea, put on some good music and dive in to one of them? It may be the nicest present you give yourself this holiday season.
Birch Bark Bracelets
Birch bark is an amazing material. Abundant, easy to work with and impervious to rot and weather; it's been a favorite material of craftspeople the world over for thousands of years - in 1927, a 2,500-year-old birch bark butter basket was pulled intact from a bog in Norway.
Most birches aren't long-lived, which means that on a walk in the woods anywhere in New Hampshire chances are you'll spot the distinctive white bark of a rotting paper birch on the forest floor. Most landowners will happily give you permission to bring home some of the bark of dead trees, but never strip the bark from a living tree, which could kill it.
birch bark
hot water, a large pot, small containers
heavy-duty scissors
clothes pins or heavy paper clips
fine sandpaper
sealer, such as Mod Podge, if desired
jewelry clasps, if desired
Birch bark has a distinctive grain caused by the black lenticels running across it. These add to the bark's beauty, but they are also weak points, which you'll need to keep in mind as you work. The bark will have a natural curl with the lenticels running horizontally across it - this is the direction you should use for your bracelet.
You'll notice the bark is layered and can easily be separated into sheets of varying thickness, especially when it's warm and damp. I soak the bark in a pot of hot water until it's flexible and easy to work with. Don't worry if the bark curls up even more (this happens especially if the bark is thick).
Peel the bark apart to get a good, smooth piece to work with. You will need a multi-layered piece, thick enough to stand up to wear and tear but thin enough to be flexible. Cut bracelet shapes from this piece; try to leave a solid piece of bark at the ends, as lenticels on the ends may cause the bracelet to rip. Make the pieces longer than you think you will need them to be so you have plenty to work with later. If the bracelets have become too dry to work with easily, soak them in a small container of hot water until they become flexible again. Form the pieces into rounds with the ends overlapping an inch or two, then use the clothespins or clips to hold them in place. Set aside to dry.
When the bracelets are dry, trim them to their final shape and size. Use fine sandpaper to even out the edges and remove any rough spots if necessary. Paint the bracelets with a sealer such as Mod Podge if desired; allow to dry. The bracelets can be worn as slip-on bangles, or attach jewelry clasps if you like. Ribbon clasps are easy to use - simply crimp the pieces to the ends of the bracelet and then attach tie-strings to them.
Acorn Boxes
Whimsical acorn boxes are loved by both children and adults. It's got to do, I think, with the surprise of finding that something so ordinary holds a secret inside it. For my gardening friends, I fill the acorns with tiny black "mystery" seeds with instructions to sprinkle them over the frozen soil in early spring. Come summer they'll be transformed into glorious pink carnation poppies. For a child, try hiding a tiny animal or doll inside the acorn.
acorns
a serrated knife or small saw
a vegetable peeler or paring knife with a pointed tip
sandpaper or a Dremel tool
small corks
a craft knife
strong glue
paint, sealer, metallic dust, small brushes, etc., if desired
Choose the biggest acorns you can find. If their caps are missing, look for caps to fit them. Remove the acorn cap and set aside. Using the serrated knife or small saw, carefully saw off the very top of the acorn (a small vice may be helpful to hold the acorn, but isn't absolutely necessary).
Scrape out the meat of the acorn using the vegetable peeler or small knife. If the inside of the acorn is very rough and you'd like it to be smooth, Use the Dremel tool or a small piece of sandpaper to sand it. If using the Dremel tool, be careful not to sand the acorn wall too thin.
Find a small cork to fit the open end of the acorn a little loosely (the acorn will shrink as it dries and if the cork is too snug, the acorn will split) and leave it in the acorn to dry over night.
The next day, cut the cork so that about ¼-inch of it slides into the acorn before fitting snugly while leaving ¼-inch of cork sticking out of the acorn.
Pull the cork out of the acorn and use strong glue to attach the inside of the cap to the top of the cork. Set it cork-side down to dry.
When the cork is sturdily attached to the cap, try to fit it in the acorn. You may need to do a little trimming with the craft knife or smoothing with sandpaper to correct the fit. Decorate or seal the acorn if you like.
It's lovely with just the inside painted with glue and then dusted with gold powder.
Stone Cairns
I first made a dozen of so of these little cairns several years ago for one of my Child's Play columns. It's hard to imagine how endearing a pile of rocks can be until you see one of these cairns in person - they are, well, adorable.
Within six months almost every one of those cairns was gone, given away to friends and family who couldn't resist their charms.
I was flabbergasted a few years ago when little cairns started showing up in fancy decorator stores to the tune of $35 or more apiece. This is the Granite State, for lord's sake. We don't need to buy rocks - just open the back door.
Also, cairns are fun to make with all those special rocks your kids have found on a family vacation and decided they couldn't live without before stuffing them in your pockets for you to carry home.
Be warned - building these little guys is addictive, so start with a big pile of stones.
lots of rocks of varying sizes, most with two flat sides for easy stacking
warm water, dishwashing detergent and a scrub brush
epoxy or other very strong, weather-proof glue
toothpicks or old chopsticks and a piece of cardboard for mixing epoxy
newspaper to protect your work surface
Scrub the rocks well to get rid of all loose dirt and then rinse in clean water. Allow to dry before gluing. Working on top of newspaper, stack the rocks in pleasing, stable configurations. When you're satisfied with your cairns, mix up the epoxy on the piece of cardboard using the chopstick or toothpicks to combine the two parts (epoxy can melt some substances, so it's best to avoid plastic). Use a small amount of epoxy between the rocks to glue them together. Let dry before moving.