It’s the end of August and we say goodbye to chilly nights and look forward to some more warmth of Spring! How has this month been for you?

Here are some things I have been loving in August.

Love List

♥ Mandala Stencils

So excited about these beauties! The gorgeous Felicity has teamed up with a friend to bring you the brand new Yogini Divine Living Co.

Inspired by their trips to India where each morning they would watch the women decorate their homes, floors and surroundings with beautiful hand painted chalk designs. They learned these designs signify a welcome to guests, the divine spirits and good fortune. Back home in Australia, they have created a new collection of Yogini Mandalas stencils for us.

You can use them for a permanent artwork on your walls, floor, furniture, windows and fabrics using paint (or use spray chalk for a temporary mandala). How amazing would they be for weddings or celebrations? They come in all different sizes to suit your space.

The stencils are totally reusable – just give them a wash and store them in the tube they come with. So fun and easy. I am in love! They would make a gorgeous, unique gift for a special friend.

I am loving the idea of painting them onto a pot planter. You could make loads of these for Christmas gifts or the local school fete.

Until the 20th of October, you can get an exclusive 20% off everything in the store. Just use the code: NAM20 here.

♥ Crafty Course

My amazingly talented friend and natural new age mum, Jasmine is running a crafty e-course! Starting on the 5th of September and running for five weeks, you will learn how to make vintage style home-made gifts perfect for Christmas. You will get access till the end of the year and an e-book, so you can go at your own pace.

♥ Screw Infertility

Another beautiful natural new age mum is Robyn Birkin from Modern Day Missus. She has written a book called Screw Infertility! Lessons from a Fertility Warrior. Surviving infertility, IVF and miscarriage. It’s all about her heartfelt journey through infertility and out the other side. Beautifully raw and real, Robyn shares her story and tips to help navigate infertility.

Get it here.

♥ Wholefood for the homeless

This is one of my favourite charity projects. Amber Magna is a girl with a big heart who has created Feel Good Food Packs. She believes everyone deserves the opportunity to eat food that helps them to thrive.

A typical pack contains items such as a trail mix, fruit and nut bar, jerky, healthy chocolate bar and energy ball and is given to a person experiencing homelessness or disadvantage in Melbourne and surrounds. You can help by donating, volunteering or spreading the word!

Check out the website here.

♥ Lily Lolo

I have a 15 year old daughter and she loves makeup! Being a student with a casual job, the amount she can spend on makeup is limited (she needs fashion too!) It’s so tempting for her to buy the cheap toxic stuff but we try to compromise a little with her borrowing some of mine and me funding some as well.

Then along comes the natural range Lily Lolo for us to try out (with thanks to the gorgeous Kitsa at Emporio Organico) and we are in love. Fabulous quality products, all natural and affordable. There are some little gift packs as well so I know what my go-to for gifts is. The packaging is so trendy too. I think we are onto a winner here!

Check out Lily Lolo here.

♥ The Best Coconut Cream

I often get asked what is the best coconut cream or milk to buy. This is my hot tip – Honest to Goodness. It’s certified organic, has no weird stuff like thickeners added, has only one ingredient – coconut and the can comes with a BPA free lining.

It’s the cream of the coconut creams!

I only ever buy coconut cream by the way, not coconut milk. Coconut milk is simply coconut cream with added water, so save yourself some bucks and get the cream and add your own water. We use it a lot in cooking – it gives a lush flavour to curry, biriyani and laksa while adding in lots of good fats.

If you can’t find it at your health food store, have a look online.

That’s it from me this month. What have you discovered? What are you loving?

16 Awesome Handmade Christmas Gifts

There was a time that handmade gifts were a little naff. Not anymore.

I think because the world is busy and it’s so easy to buy gifts now that homemade gifts are now quite desirable. It shows that someone has taken time to make you something with love. Do you think a lot of people are rejecting consumerism and coming back to what truly counts?

I hope so.

Anyway, check out these awesome gift ideas. Some are super quick and easy and some require a little more time and effort. I would love to hear what you make for Christmas gifts. Give us a link or post a photo to my Facebook page.

♥ Relaxing Bath Salts. This idea is so incredibly easy – you probably already have all the ingredients in your pantry. Recycle some pretty glass jars and you have some beautiful gifts for teachers, neighbours and girlfriends.

♥ Eco-friendly Bon Bons or Christmas Crackers from eco mumma Laura Trotta. These also double as Christmas serviettes! Make up a set for family and friends with quality little gifts inside.

♥ Upcycled bird dish from Morena’s Corner. This is so clever! Source a few bits from the opshop, nik naks from around the house or craft store and assemble. Too easy. Once you have got the idea, all sorts of ordinary objects you have around the house can be made over into something new.

♥ Magnesium Body Butter. It’s really easy and cheap to make your own body butter. The added goodness of magnesium can help with a myriad of health conditions as well. Using different essential oils, you can tailor it to specific purposes such as relaxation or muscle soreness.

♥ Upcycled Scrabble coasters for the word nerd in your life! You could have lots of fun with four letter words! From Incredible Things.

♥ Photo pendants. I am totally in love with this idea. It’s actually pretty simple cutting and glueing – you don’t need to be Martha Stewart! You could make necklaces, bracelets, keyrings or even bookmarks. Find the easy tutorial at Saving with Sarah.

♥ Cute jewellery hangers from the Twinkie Chan blog. Just glue some resin or plastic animals onto some pre-cut boards from the craft shop and paint!

♥ Hanging Outdoor Chair made from pallets from The Instructables website. This looks pretty easy and it’s very cool. Great gift for Dad.

♥ Christmas teabags! Make your own teabags in Christmas shapes from Dear Edna. I would use muslin as an eco-friendly, safe fabric. Make up a blend of chai tea or something a bit Christmasy.

♥ Teepee for the kids to play in! Upcycle some old sheets into this fun play tent for loads of imaginative play for the cherubs. It’s also a nice reading nook when you pile it up with cushions. I want one too!

♥ Rosemary Mint Shaving Cream. A super-easy homemade shaving cream to keep the men in your life chemical free. You could use any essential oils you have handy. Lavender would be awesome to make a lady’s shaving cream!

♥ Upcycled hobby horse. I am loving this hobby horse made from old socks! Check out the awesome tutorial at Light Blue Grey. It takes a little time and effort, but it’s considerably cheaper than buying one. You can also customize the colours to your kid’s favourites!

♥ Book Page Necklace. This is such a sweet idea for the book lover. Choose their favourite book and scan a page. The rest is simple assembly, especially if you use pre-made charms from a craft store. Love it! Check out the tutorial at Happy Hour Projects.

♥ Kindle cover from a book. This project upcycles an old book into a cute kindle cover. No sewing, just cutting, hot glue gun and ironing tape and an hour of your time. Brilliant idea from Come Together Kids.

♥ Dinosaur Plate. A cute idea for kid’s coins or nik naks or even as a serving platter for a party. Upcycle old toys and a melamine plate into something very funky. Full tutorial at Hostess with the Mostess.

♥ Phone charger pocket. One for the teenagers. Recharge your phone in style at any power point. It’s very easy to make if you have a sewing machine or you could just use ironing tape.

I hope you loved these 16 Awesome Handmade Christmas Gifts!!

Want more?

♥ 25 Homemade Real Food Gifts

♥ 10 Cool DIY Christmas Gifts

♥ 10 DIY Christmas Gifts to make with Love

♥ 5 Cool Kid’s Toys to make from Recycled Items