Tuesday 5 November 2013

plan a careful Christmas


logo by Ashlie Blake

A couple of years ago I had this idea of moving away from the consumerism of Christmas and planning something a little more careful. I came up with the Careful Christmas project to help me have a handmade, recycled and reused Christmas, rather than over-spending on stuff that taxes the earth's resources and encourages the exploitation of cheap labour. This year, my dear friend Ashlie of PaintingBliss has relaunched the project to encourage everyone to join in.

handmade gift tags by MissChaelaBoo

Here are the original guidelines I gave myself:

  • homemade gifts, e.g. badges, sewn things, preserves, food
  • handmade gifts, e.g. bought on Etsy, craft fair or similar
  • vintage/second-hand gifts
  • gifts that recycle or upcycle things I already own
  • re-use saved wrapping & ribbons
  • or use up new wrapping bought in previous years
  • I have a lot of cards already, any extras must be handmade
  • decorations: same principles as for gifts


Ashlie is crocheting up a storm making the most gorgeous mittens (all I can say is I hope I make her Christmas list!) and I am planning several infinity scarves, some cuffs, and some cafetière cosies (the latter is a request from my Aunt). I am also making a large batch of my Spiced Apple Chutney (get the recipe here!)

And don't forget that I'm running a little handmade giveaway on the blog - you could win some gifts to get your careful Christmas off to a great start (or just keep them for yourself!)

And I also recommend checking out Ashlie's mixed media art, available in her Etsy shop, as you might just find the perfect and completely unique gift there.


What plans will you be making for a careful Christmas this year? If you're making things and use Instagram or Twitter, please tag them #carefulchristmas so we can see all the lovely creativity!

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