What I made as gifts for xmas !

Hey yall … I have been wanting to start this blog since JULY but what better time to start a blog than new years ???!:!:? Yeah exactly so this is the start, welcome welcome. I wanna talk about the gifts I made and gave to my loved ones this Christmas! Maybe spark some # inspo … If you know me I’m all about being a creator over a consumer SO… holidays are really just the perfect excuse to try out those new crafts I’ve been eyeing.

Obviously I had to knit some things…. which ended up being beanies. My cousin is a total earth tone girlie and I tease her that it’s hard to shop for her because she only wears beige and black lol. But this made it an extra fun challenge because I love working with a limited palette. I knit her an oatmeal tweed wool beanie with taupe, tan and cream mohair stripes. I was really stoked on how it came out and want to do more earth tonezzzz. 

I knit my boyfriend a cutie earthy orange & green gradient beanie with my favorite Japanese wool yarn... Noro brand!! sickest color combos.... try it you won't be disappointed. I added some cutie buttons here and there for extra him vibes (not pictured cause I forgot to photograph it after I added the buttons lol).

He loved it and was wearing it everyday so I decided to knit him another one with some different Noro yarn I had... greens and browns... he now wears THIS one everyday lol.

Then of course I had to whip out the beeswax… it wouldn’t be a homestead operation if there wasn’t beeswax … so I made beeswax candles! I love candles but I really despise burning those toxic ass waxes and synthetic fragrances, and the pure beeswax candles are so expensive… so alas we make our own!!!

# bAbe wE cAn mAke thAt at hOme !

I recently experimented with candle making with my friend Sophie, so I had a little taste of how it works… and I have to say it’s so easy and fun!! I was sooo stoked to try these out and I’m really happy with the results.

I scented mine with jasmine, rose and lemongrass essential oils. Healthy for thou nostrils and the air :) I topped them with dried lavender, chamomile flowers, bay leaf, Himalayan salt, and rose petals. It really adds an extra luxurious touch.. if I do say so myself….

I also poured some into some old seashells (full inspo credit to Sophie <3) for my mom and loveeeee how they turned out!! Obviously a little less practical but they make for beautiful coffee table additions or in the bathroom/tub. I poured the rest in old jars and gave to my cousin, mom and boyfriend. They all loved them. Next time I'll add two wicks for a more efficient burn.

Annnnd next…. tallow!! I’ve been wanting to make whipped tallow cream for awhile so I was really excited about this. I experimented with a few different blends, for different purposes- face, hands, whipped butter, and a thicker balm.

For the face cream, I used lighter oils like jojoba and argan and added a little lavender essential oil. For the thicker hand balm, I added a good amount of beeswax. The whipped butter was kind of an in-between density, with avocado oil.

I scented it again with rose and jasmine and I’m stoked on the smell!! It’s heavenly.

I loveeee the whipped butter/cream, it looks like frosting and feels like a dream. My mom said she loves the face cream for her “crows feet” lolol and I love it for when my skin is dry and needs deep moisture. My boyfriend’s been using it too for dry skin.

The balm is more like my beeswax balm, except with tallow too for extra healing vitamins and minerals!! My mom said she felt a big difference after using the balm on her dry hands. I’m excited to keep refining the recipes. # Stay chuned.

Thennnn I had a sudden urge to felt so I made some felted star keychains. My first time needle felting and I really enjoyed the outcome. The process itself is quite tedious and aggressive, as it’s basically piercing wool with sharp needles over and over. But I’m stoked on how they came out and want to do more. I gave a couple to my boyfriend because he's a big keychain guy and now we have matching ones :,) I think these would make a cute necklace too! I hung one on my car mirror too. 

Wait I totally forgot about the hoodie vest I made for my boyfriend … out of … wait for it … PLACEMATS! yes placemats. Some vintage cotton placemats I found at an estate sale, just because I loved the fabric and colors. They are a reversible pink and green woven pattern which I thought would make a cool checkerboard effect when sewn together.

le placemats after sewing together into a square

I free handed it based it off a blanket vest of my own. I ran out of fabric for a hood so I found a cool lemon tapestry table runner from my stash that worked perfectly. Then I added a pocket from the armhole cutouts. For the final touches I cut out a suede star patch from an upholstery sample swatch and sewed it on. Finally I crocheted some mohair string ties with wooden beads. Voila, impressed with how it turned out because it was honestly a shot in the dark lol. 

He loves it, and one of his (stylish) friends said "damn where'd he get that??" lol so I feel validated theenk youuuuu.

Lastly…. As far as wrapping goes... I like to wrap my gifts in cool old fabric with woven straps and lace trim as ribbons. These are some antique feed sacks, dish towels, quilt and embroidered Guatemalan huipil scraps. I added little shells and artifacts on antique safety pins as “tags”. Zero waste and way funkier anyway !! Personalized to each receiver. 

Alas.... I hope this was a fun lookbook and maybe sparked some ideas. Let me know what cha think, leave me a comment !! Thanks for reading yall, love you Xoxoxo 

NEXT TIME ! 

Claire 💖💖💖