Organic Gift Ideas For The Holidays

Updated November 14, 2018

‘Tis the season for DIY holiday gifts, and now’s the moment to plan the critical weeks we need to make our custom creations on time. Homemade gifts can add a spirit of thoughtfulness to festivities, reminding us what is truly at the heart of winter jubilation: letting those we love and care for know how special they are to us. Here are a few organic gift ideas for the holidays to help spark your DIY creativity, inspired by Eminence Organic Skin Care and ingredients grown right here on our Eminence Certified Organic Farm.

Stone Crop In An Eminence Organics Jar

Aren’t these adorable? If your favorite person loves stone crop as much as we do, he or she might just adore having a baby stone crop plant to call their own. This is also a perfect DIY project for using those Eminence Organic Skin Care jars you’ve saved from your favorite products.

Here’s how to grow your own stone crop in an Eminence Organics jar:

Materials Needed:

1 or 2 stone crop leaves
Eminence Organics jar (either an 8 oz or 2 oz jar)
Organic soil
Rocks or gravel
Twine or ribbon

Instructions:

Grab a fallen leaf or carefully pluck a leaf from a stone crop plant. Make sure that the bud is dry and clean—set aside.
Clean out your Eminence Organics jar of any residual product and leave to dry.
Once dried, add rocks or gravel to the bottom of your jar to ensure proper drainage. One layer should do it.
Cover the rocks with soil—making sure that it is loose and aerated. This is important for when the stone crop leaf begins to root.
Around the mouth of the jar, wind some twine or holiday ribbon and tie it into a bow for a rustic touch!
Lay your stone crop leaves on top of the soil—there’s no need to bury the leaves in the soil.
Lightly water the soil near the end of the stone crop leaf bud. Do not overwater—let the soil dry up before watering again.

Share the gift of organic stone crop!

Organic Lavender Pomander Ornament (adapted from The Daily Connoisseur)

We love the lavender grown on the farm and we’re delighted to see how New York Times best-selling author Jennifer L. Scott (a.k.a. The Daily Connoisseur) transforms this sweet-smelling herb for the holiday period. The writer of At Home With Madame Chic crafts a charming lavender pomander ornament, perfect for hanging on the tree. Here are the instructions from her video for more organic gift ideas:

Materials Needed:

Dried organic lavender flowers
Ribbon or twine
3 inch dry foam balls
Quilters T pin
Mod Podge
Glue gun

Instructions:

Brush Mod Podge on to the foam ball in sections
Dip ball into the dried lavender flowers quickly before the Mod Podge dries, rolling and pressing as much lavender into the ball as possible
Tie your ribbon or twine into a loop and, using a quilters T pin, pin it to the foam ball
Tie a little bow and attach it to the base of the loop with a glue gun
Let the ornament dry before hanging

Organic Gift Ideas: Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Here’s a wonderful use for the pumpkin seeds you have just saved from Halloween, and yet another way to repurpose your Eminence Organic jars!

Ingredients:

One medium sized pumpkin
Salt
Olive oil

If you want to jazz up your pumpkin seeds, sprinkle with spices such as smoked paprika, cumin, or chili powder before they go into the oven.

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 400˚
Place the mass of pumpkin seeds in a colander and run under water to rinse and separate the seeds from everything else.
Measure the pumpkin seeds in a cup measure. Place the seeds in a medium saucepan. Add 2 cups of water and 1 tablespoon of salt to the pan for every half cup of pumpkin seeds. Add more salt if you would like your seeds to be saltier. Bring the salted water and pumpkin seeds to a boil. Let simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and drain.
Coat the bottom of a roasting pan or thick baking sheet with olive oil, about a teaspoon or so. Spread the seeds out over the roasting pan in a single layer, and toss them a bit to coat them with the oil on the pan. Bake on the top rack until the seeds begin to brown, 5-20 minutes, depending on the size of the seeds. Small pumpkin seeds may toast in around 5 minutes or so, large pumpkin seeds may take up to 20 minutes. Keep an eye on the pumpkin seeds so they don’t get over toasted. When lightly browned, remove the pan from the oven and let cool on a rack. Let the pumpkin seeds cool all the way down.
Place seeds into your prepared jars. Tie the mouth of the jar with a bit of twine or your favorite ribbon, adding a handwritten note saying, “Roasted with love” or “Roasted just for you.” Save a few for yourself to enjoy as well!

DIY Fairy Dust Candle Holders

Candles can add that touch of magic to any holiday environment. Here’s a delightful (and earth-friendly!) way to re-use glass jars, decorate with biodegradable glitter and bring a special glow to those we love.

Materials Needed:

Glass jar
White glue
White biodegradable glitter
Ribbon
Decorative twine
Small star craft punch
Tealight (can use LED tealight also)

Instructions:

Wrap one layer of ribbon around the jar in a fun pattern.
Cover the outside of the jar and ribbon with a thin layer of white glue, then sprinkle the glitter over the jar until everything below the rim has been completely covered.
Tap off the excess, and leave to dry.
Carefully remove the ribbon, revealing the pattern on the glass.
Wrap a few lengths of decorative twine or more ribbon around the neck of the jar and tie off with a double knot.
To finish, place a tealight or LED tealight inside the jar.

*You can certainly have fun with the outside of the jar! We recommend keeping the lid on the jar while working, to ensure that the inside remains clean and dust-free.