Gifts Made at Home or From Recycled Materials

Note: This post was sponsored by GOLDTOE® in promotion of their “Recycled Lodge Collection” socks. All opinions are my own. All words are my own, with the exception of exact products descriptions, which are unchanged to maintain accuracy. As always, any imagery showing the pups was captured while they interacted in their own natural ways. 

This tiny cottage has not only been our home for nearly nine years— it has also been an unexpected teacher.

Long ago we began to reevaluate how and what we consume, and modified our habits accordingly. We actively consider each and every item (and I mean each and every item) before we introduce it to our small space, and we also put the same amount of thought into each and every item we acquire for gifting purposes. 

Adam and I try to be as certain as possible that the recipient will use and enjoy anything we gift, rather than feel weighed down by yet another object given simply for the sake of giving. However, it can be a bit of a challenge to select presents for folks when you aren’t fully familiar with their lifestyle and preferences.

(For example: What do we give our neighbor 2 doors down with whom we chat daily, but whose home we’ve never been into? And what do we offer the lovely woman at our corner coffee shop who greets West every morning with a genuine smile and loving hug before stepping aside to chat with us at length, but whose tastes we know very little about?) 

To avoid generating waste and excess while also providing something that’s hopefully practical and delightful, we usually come up with some sort of yearly bundle.

This year, we’ve opted for a simple collection of low waste goods, outlined below.

Contents:

• Homemade concord jam made from the grapes off the cottage vine

• Cozy socks made from recycled water bottles 

• A refillable stainless steel water bottle and/or glass household soap container

• Locally made olive oil in a reusable glass bottle

 Packaging:

• A dried or clipped flower/branch 

• A dish towel or multi-use cloth (in lieu of tissue paper or filler)

• An upcycled wine crate or repurposed basket (in lieu of a new box or bag)

HOMEMADE JAM
The jam is far more the handiwork of our neighbors than our own.  (See my full post about that here.) Adam and I have made it before and enjoy the cottage grapes annually, but it’s the hard work of our neighbor, Kevin, that produces the jam we end up giving to friends and family. 

What I love most about this item is that it’s something unique to our home. The grapes are grown here, and the jam is crafted in a tiny space with love and care. It’s then given in an endlessly reusable glass mason jar.

“RECYCLED LODGE COLLECTION” SOCKS
The socks are the newcomers to our bundles this year, because who doesn’t need socks? And GOLDTOE® is now making boot socks knit with Repreve® yarns, which are made from recycled plastic bottles, while still delivering premium quality and comfort. 

Repreve® has recycled over 17 billion bottles, effectively keeping them from landfills and waterways. (Remember— only about 9% of recyclables ACTUALLY end up getting recycled.) Instead of making what's called virgin fiber, making REPREVE® offsets using new petroleum, emitting fewer greenhouse gases and conserving water and energy in the process. 

 GOLDTOE® uses this fiber in their sophisticated yet playfully designed socks, which are durable, moisture wicking, and provide adaptive warming + cooling.

Since GOLDTOE® socks have become our favorites here at home (particularly at this time of year), we feel like they make for sensible and thoughtfully created gifts for almost any recipient.  

REFILLABLE CONTAINERS
A stainless steel bottle and/or a refillable jar for household liquids is another type of gift we enjoy giving. It might seem generic, but when I see just how often the bottles I gave to my friends as part of my book release bundle are used, I realize what a dent an item like that can actually make towards helping individuals and families reduce their single-use plastic waste. 

OLIVE OIL
Food and beverage can make for such excellent clutter-free presents. But when you don’t know the dietary preferences and restrictions of certain recipients, olive oil can jump in as a neutral (though not boring) option. We get ours from a local bakery, and the contents are just as beautiful as they are delicious. 

Here’s to showing love and appreciation to others with the help of thoughtful, greener gifting this holiday season.