“No one has ever become poor by giving” – Anne Frank
Summer has arrived here in Australia, and the days are getting warmer and longer in my sleepy little valley. Each morning I wake to the sound of magpies, fairy wrens and bower birds, happily chirping as the first rays of the sun spill out across the mountains. It’s easy to forget the outside world here sometimes, and, to be honest, I prefer to do so... A handful of friends and I, refer to this town as ‘The Shire’ sometimes, and I certainly feel like a harfoot at heart, wandering barefoot in my garden searching for berries, talking to faeries and following dragonflies along forest trails. But, adopting a slower pace and opting out of the modern world, requires some adjustments, and as the holiday season draws near, I’m reminded that one of those is developing the practice of frugal hedonism.
Simply put, it is the art of spending less, while enjoying everything more. Instead of trading your time and energy for money, ending up stressed and exhausted, with very little time to enjoy life, you can take back those precious hours of your life, and get creative with what you already have, rediscovering the incredible amount of free, and low cost, resources around you.
When we begin to recognise that the myth of ‘more’ is not in the best interest of human biology, we can slowly start to say ‘no’ to the cult of consumerism, and ‘yes’ to the abundance of the natural world, and to the generousity of loving, conscious community. We can slow down, heal our tired, tender bodies, and focus on what we truly need to be happy.
With a global recession looming, it seems many of us are tightening our purse strings even more this Christmas and so, I thought I’d share some ideas for delightful handmade gifts that you can make with materials found around the home, in the garden, or at your local thrift store.
A SWEET PET PORTRAIT – My first handmade gift idea, of course, is for the arty witches out there. Whether you are a painter like me, a photographer, or gifted with another creative talent, I thought to myself, what could be more special than a sweet pet portrait!? Pets are our beautiful, furry family, and our loyal familiars, so, I decided to gift one dear friend a painting of her beloved cat Forest. I will share a photo of Forest with my patrons on Patreon, so you can see how I did capturing his likeness.
SCENTED CHARM BAGS – My second thrifty gift idea is for all the skilled seamstress witches! It’s an easy little sewing project whether by hand, or machine. And you know, even my sewing machine and kit are thrifted! Since it’s high summer, the rose goddess garden I shared with you in the last episode is in full bloom, so we’ll be using the petals to create a heavenly scented charm bag. With a pinch of glamour magick. I’ll need to dry these petals first, but don’t worry, I have some dried ones saved up from last season. Now I only took up sewing again recently, and in true rambling rose style, I totally winged it with this pattern: I made quite a few mistakes, which is no surprise when you don’t even measure first! But I promise to write it up perfectly for my Wild Roses on Patreon, so you don’t have that feeling of ridiculousness when you realise it’s all inside out and upside down.
CHOC MINT TRUFFLES – My third homemade gift idea is for the kitchen witches, using any ingredients you have on hand to make a yummy edible gift. Now, I’ve got peppermint growing every which way in my garden this summer, even underneath my steps - let’s give them a quick sweep on the way to the herb garden shall we? I thought I’d use this voracious peppermint, along with some other ingredients in my pantry, to make choc mint truffles. I’ll pop the truffles in gorgeous tin from – you guessed it – the Op Shop! And i think they’ll make a lovely gift.
MINI FAERIE GARDEN – My fourth frugal gift idea is for the green thumbs, the garden fairies that just have a gift with plants, and it all started with a cutting from this beautiful spotted begonia. So, with an old painted pot that I previously repurposed, I thought I’d make a miniature fairy garden with this begonia cutting. With my own gift wrap and some more thrifted ribbon, in a charming bow, this gift cost next to nothing… and I feel like any garden faerie would adore it!
SUGAR SCRUB BARS – My final thrifty gift idea is for the green witches, the lovers of potions and lotions, and it uses another ingredient that’s growing in abundance this summer. Calendula! This magical flower stimulates collagen production, and will make your skin so youthful and bright. Along with some other ingredients in my home apothecary, we’ll be making some luscious sugar scrub bars for radiant, glowing skin. I think they look like the golden sun itself, don’t you? Beaming away in the garden. Once again, this recipe will be shared in detail with my Wild Roses on Patreon later this week, but they are quick and easy to make, and cost next to nothing.
