Making it a December to remember - the simple pleasure of gifting something that has come from your true heart


To keep up the spirit of the season and of the last post, here is another DIY gift you can easily spruce up together in a jiffy, if you find yourself pressed for time. It makes for good stocking fillers, if placed in small vials like these, it adds up on a homemade hamper, it looks pretty and tastes good. I'm all for non perishable edible goods, when it comes to gifting. I like the idea of presenting people with little bits and pieces of the things you like, in the hopes they might enjoy them too. There's a simple pleasure in giving something that comes straight from your heart that one cannot achieve when buying gifts made commercially. It might be selfish, but it is heartfelt!


I especially like the idea - and not just the idea, mind me!! - of making something out of my hands, out of my time, something that has been done with care and tenderness, and love, something that has been quite thought of and that I have strived to infuse with a part of me, however small it is. Be it in the contents, be it aesthetically, I cherish the making of gifts, something that has come out of my head, my imagination, my creation. Something that is truly a gift of me to you. Christmas time is particularly perfect for me to indulge in this kind of activity, on a grander, larger scale, to give vent to my wild musings and imaginings, to put in place the ideas that have been seething for the past months.


Whether it's in the form of the packaging, the lining of the gifts, the delicacy of the scents and flavours, the flasks, the vials, the decorating, or the contents, my mind starts running wild - sometimes way too wild - in late October, early November, when I begin to look around me for inspiration on what to gift at Christmas. Mostly, I start thinking what would I like to eat, what would I like to cook with, what would I like to try, and it ensues from there, usually. Then it's only a question of letting thoughts and ideas collect, simmer inside me, as I put my hubby up to it, and then we can come up with thought of gifts that are made with our hearts.


So this two little flasks are a mirror of things I truly love. One contains a scented sugar, lavender scented sugar, which infuses tisanes with just a hint of perfume that makes it so cozy and warm. I normally do not take my tea sugared, but I like my tisanes with a bit of sweetness, and I find that linden, chamomile, and vervain go very well with lavender sugar. I also like apple tea with a sprinkle of it, and a simple lemon tisane will have its taste elevated by the adding of a small teaspon of this sugar. It is quite easy to make, you need to do a three parts sugar to one part lavender mix and that is it. It's also great to add to cake batters!! The second vial focuses on another of my favourite foods, potatoes, namely roast potatoes. It is a herbed salt that I find goes only too well with baked spuds, as it contains all those flavours I adore on a good roast of root veggies. Mix one small cup of salt with a teaspoon of herbes de provence, a teaspon of fenugreek and a scant teaspoon of chilli flakes, then transfer into flasks, and that is it. Sprinkled over the potatoes as they go into the oven, it is a seasoning to die for, trust me!! And if you don't do this as gifts for your friends and family, consider doing it for yourself, let's say it is my Christmas gift to you, in appreciation of your constant visits to this blog, your much cherished words, all the support you guys have given me over time with this little project of mine! Thank you for being there, it wouldn't be half the fun without you folks!



Comments

  1. adorei!
    ficaram mesmo bonitos e são tão poucas as pessoas que conseguem verdadeiramente apreciar a dedicação e a ternura com que alguns presentes handmade são feitos!
    beijinhos e bom fim de semana

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    1. é verdade, há pessoal q n aprecia mesmo de todo, prefere de longe algo q tenha sido comprado numa loja... são escolhas.

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  2. Tão fofinho... Eu adoro receber presentes feitos manualmente, principalmente no meu aniversário, gosto mm, sinceramente, tenho (felizmente) muita coisa, p isso, estes presentes têm significado a triplipcar

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    Replies
    1. Nem toda a gente é como tu, só te posso dizer isto...

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  3. aposto que adoram receber prendas tuas! homemade tem outro carinho :)

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