Handmade

The Art of Homemade and DIY Gift Giving in Your Adventure Life

The Art of Homemade and DIY Gift Giving in Your Adventure Life

How is shifting our mindset and priorities back to thoughtful and sustainable gift-giving good for all of us?   
Let's talk about returning to the old ways, starting with gift-giving!

This is one of many posts in a series about DIY adventures!  Sign-up to receive each new blog post delivered conveniently to your inbox when they arrive. #JustThatEasy  

Why DIY?

Homemade gift-giving is a special and personal way to show someone you care.  While it takes a little extra time and effort, the results can be genuinely heartfelt and appreciated.  Plus, it's a great way to save money and reduce waste.  Let's be honest... it's time to normalize quality over commercialism!

One of the best things about giving homemade gifts is the ability to customize them for the recipient. You can tailor the gift to their interests, hobbies, and style.  For example, if your friend loves to cook, you could make them a set of personalized recipe cards or a jar of homemade spice blend.  Message me if you need the most straightforward DIY taco seasoning recipe, and I will hook you up!

Did you know I have a whole series of DIY adventures?  Check those out and see what you might learn how to make yourself.

Remember, homemade and DIY gifts don't have to be complicated or time-consuming!

What do you already spend time doing?

It might seem overwhelming at first when you think about gifts you have given in the past and then how you would make something similar. But try looking at it from the perspective of things you already spend time doing and really enjoy.  

For instance, we had our first raised bed gardens in 2022.  I spent much of the spring and summer planting, growing, and preserving my harvest. This was not only for our family, but I quickly saw just how easily my bumper starts and crops could bless others as well.

My friends and neighbors saw my photos and videos and heard me talking all about what I was learning and doing through the garden and our homesteading. They knew my love and time investment in this activity and would, therefore, have an appreciation for what it took for me to gift them a jar of homemade preserves or canned pickles. Consider including the recipes when you gift something homemade, so if they fall in love, they know how simple it can be to make themselves! 

P.S. If you are in SW Missouri, where I am, come along with us in classes we host to learn about all kinds of things like gardening, canning, homesteading, and more!  Sign-up to get on the list for upcoming events.

Sometimes the simplest gifts are the most meaningful.  A handwritten note or a small piece of art can go a long way in making someone feel loved and appreciated.  

So, how else can you make your homemade gifts unique and special without breaking the bank?

Packaging to Remember

When it comes to packaging your homemade gifts, get creative!  Use recycled materials like cardboard boxes, glass jars, or cloth bags to give your gifts a rustic, handmade feel.  Tie on some natural string and tuck in a small branch or adhere a dried flower.

You can also personalize the packaging with hand-drawn artwork or stamps!  I've used "Homemade With Love" stickers on my essential oil DIY gifts before and think they are simple and cute.
Overall, homemade gift-giving is an excellent way to show someone you care.  It allows you to be creative and thoughtful, and the recipient will surely appreciate your extra effort. 

Another super simple thing that I love to know is in the home of everyone I know is organic wool dryer balls to replace dryer sheets.  These are inexpensive and can be paired with a lovely essential oil for added bonus!  They could be wrapped up so nicely and put together in beautiful bags or small baskets.

Whether a simple gesture or a more elaborate project, a homemade gift is a gift from the heart.


What is our goal?

Remember to treat gift giving as the adventure it is and invest fun, love, and time to make it one of a kind! As unicorns, we are a blessing together; don't forget that (I talk about that more here).

This is the world I am a part of (re)building, and I hope you will join me:


What is the best homemade gift that you have given or received?  Comment and tell me below!

Next stop, more adventures in sustainability!  Get there now.


Information courtesy of Echo Schneider


Meet Echo Schneider, Chief Adventure Officer

 
Overworked, burned out, and with waning loyalty to an industry that had lost its way and was no longer true to itself.  Of course, career burnout was at an all-time high in my sector and amongst the worst in any field.  It wasn’t all even just about work, though my perfectionism often got the best of me there more than other parts of my life.  I look back and see that I was overwhelmed and questioning so many areas of my life.  Was I doing the right things? From diet to products I bought, from how I was involved in the community to time I was spending with family, and from how I was walking out my faith and showing up in a meaningful way to my world. In this craziness is where I found myself.
 
Healthcare (watch my fingers make air quotes as I say that word and use the term loosely at best) in the US had long been bought and paid for and was no longer masking their symptom management and disease maintenance focus.  It had lost its focus on health; they could give you a pill or cut you open.  But to nurture your health and foster your body’s God-given ability to heal itself, they no longer knew how to do that.  Or worse, no longer desired to be in the business of prevention and healing.
 
As so many professional people were doing in the modern economy, we, as healthcare professionals, we’re doing more with less.  Mandatory overtime, poor ergonomics, and complete lack of an environment to practice self-care were the norm.  And to make it worse?  Because of our specific industry, we added in a loss of our medical freedoms just to stay and do our jobs.  The days of job security were long gone, and I watched in fear as friends and colleagues in sectors across the board were being laid off just to help top leaders move the stock up for shareholders.  How terrifying that this could be the reward for lifelong dedication and hard work!
 
At home, it didn't feel much better.  I fought to find a non-existent work-life balance and to be present while feeling exhausted (have you ever come home from work to fall asleep on the couch and finally be awoken when your Mom calls? Tell me this isn’t just me!).  I was disappointed in myself seeing my self-care fall away, time with friends and family slipping by, and I wasn’t spending the time I wanted serving with my church family or in my community.  
 
Add to that the confusion and frustration of what should have been simple daily choices.  What foods should I be eating? Is this trendy thing something I should try?  Wait, is the product good or bad, I paid more for it, but I feel like I saw an article on them that there was a recall or they were green-washing.  So frustrating and such a time-suck trying to keep up and have the health and abundance our family deserved!  I felt like at every turn that I was running to keep up and felt like I ultimately just found more of the same lies in the name of profits, and more ways my health was ultimately paying the price, yet again.
 
How could anyone thrive in this culture when even those who were well educated and seeking out something better faced with such daunting challenges?  I know, first-world problems, but I longed to create something more, a legacy for myself and others.  To break generational chains and I knew I wouldn’t be able to do it stuck in this rat-race.
 
Set the stage for that something.  I have, for so much of my life, been interested in learning, growing, and being a student of personal development.  From an investment with top leadership development companies through their programs for years to Law of Attraction to Conscious Language and so many others, I was finding the mentorship and teaching I needed to make the changes I so desperately desired.  
 
There wasn’t an overnight shift or an immediate awareness to change, but I began to find my path slowly and as a result, was investing myself in new ways.  I was raised by a wise and visionary Mother who had shown me what it was to be an entrepreneur.  I always admired that title and was drawn to it in many ways.  As I dabbled in businesses from my youth through college and beyond, I was picking up pieces of freedom and a stage where I could work for myself to create something new.  
 
As the years went on, I kept pushing myself in that path.  I was helping others, and I was welcoming a team of like-minded friends and family to come with me.  This was possible; we were doing it!  It wasn’t easy, we were doing a side-hustle while still being full-time professionals and wives and Mothers, but we were doing it none the less.

I'm so excited to have found a platform to speak truth. To show up for others in "true health" in ways that I didn’t know could exist when I started down this path.  But I know now that we don't have to settle any longer.  Any of us, friends!  It's time to live the great adventure that you were made for.
 
Now it’s time to move beyond business beyond vocation.  Now we are building a blessing.  That has so many meanings, one being the definition of “a herd of unicorns,” in case you didn’t know.  I was given the title of ‘unicorn’ from a dear friend when she came to know me and saw what I was capable of achieving.  And now it’s my turn to see that light in you.  Join me, and together, we can create a community and movement with a vision to change it all.
 
I don't care what your background is.  What education you received growing up in business, finances, or medicine.  Those things don't matter.  We are walking a new path to freedom in all areas of our lives.
 
I'm writing a new future and destiny for myself and my family, and I won't journey alone.  A mentor taught me to carry the confidence that God has called me to rise, but I will not rise alone.
 
I'm reaching out my hand to you (don't worry, I recently used a plant-based hand sanitizer) so that you are not alone; we will do this together!  
 
You are so worthy.  
 
Your family and your dreams are worth it.  
 
Together we can do this, but you must take the first step. ðŸ‘Š

I can't wait to connect with you via text, email, or on social media!

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