Six books to inspire DIY gifting
Over the next few weeks, we’ll be compiling a host of gift guides to help you with your Christmas shopping.
Are you trying to reduce your impact on the planet? Do mass-produced and overpackaged gifts fill you with dread? Or maybe you’d quite like to use your gift-giving as an excuse to clear out your overflowing stash of glass jars…
Here are six books that will give you all the inspiration you need to make beautiful handmade gifts for the people in your life.
For gifting home-made, zero-waste basics…
Try… Home by Natural Harry by Harriet Birrell
This beautiful book considers every room of the house (stain remover in the laundry, shower cleaner in the bathroom, dishwashing liquid in the kitchen) and presents alternatives to store-bought cleaning products, as well as a comprehensive chapter on body care that covers everything from toothpaste and shampoo to foaming hand wash. Perfect for putting together a house-warming hamper.
For a DIY gift with a touch of luxury…
Try… A Scented Life by Pat Princi-Jones
Aromatherapy is the practice of using pure essential oils extracted from plants as remedies for emotional, physical and spiritual wellbeing. A Scented Life brings this ancient practice into today’s world. Aromatherapy expert Pat Princi-Jones details what different essential oils can do for you and demonstrates the many ways to mix and apply oils in your daily life. Your gifts will be the sweetest-smelling ones under the tree!
For the pickle-obsessee in your life…
Try… The Noma Guide to Fermentation by Rene Redzepi & David Zilber
With more than 750 full-colour photographs (most of them formatted in a step-by-step how-to style) and with every recipe written in clear, accessible language and meticulously tested, this book takes readers far beyond the typical kimchi and sauerkraut to include koji, shoyus, misos, lacto-ferments, vinegars, garums, and black fruits and vegetables. And – perhaps even more important – it shows how to use these game-changing pantry ingredients in 100 original recipes. If you know someone who loves to get their umami on, this book is what you need.
For gifts that will be adored by sweet-tooths…
Try… Beatrix Bakes by Natalie Paull
Natalie Paull indulges in baking’s sweetest moments with more than 70 recipes inspiring bakers of all kinds to mix and match to make recipes their own - whether it’s a Lemon curd cream crepe cake or Pecan maple cinnamon scrolls. While Paull’s creations are inspired by classics the world over, they are irreverent too, and in Beatrix Bakes she delights in showing readers that - once they get the foundations right - the truest magic will come from a willingness to play. Who wouldn’t love to receive a jar full of delicious cookies? WHO?
For making gifts for an adventurous foodie…
Try… Artisan Kitchen by James Strawbridge
Giving a modern twist to age-old techniques, this book shows how to master 25 preserving and cooking processes, from fermenting to cheese making, from hot smoking to sourdough baking. Discover how to brew perfect sweet-sour kombucha, make a fresh-tasting chutney; dry cure bresaola, create sourdough starter, and plenty more. In this book you’ll find plenty of delicious gift ideas that will inspire experimentation in the kitchen.
If you want to give a low-waste gift but aren’t sure where to start…
Try… Sustainable Giftingby Michelle Mackintosh
Containing ideas for sustainable gifts like potted plants grown from seeds, baked goods, beautiful handmade journals and clever tote bags, this thoughtful guide to gifting also features self-made and recycled packaging ideas from delightful labels, string ties, wrapping paper, cards, origami boxes and reused containers. With projects that are easy to achieve with step-by-step instructions and templates, this book will help you think sustainably and create zero-waste gifts with love.
