This is one of the most challenging holidays that I have ever worked through. I literally have driven myself crazy coming up with gift ideas that don't use a ton of stuff you need to run out and buy! Last week I wrote about homemade gifts and many of them use ingredients you probably have on hand already. This week I'm going to try to do the same thing, but this one is a little homemade garden gift!
What I came up with for today is a simple seed packet DIY. This will make a cute gift for a gardener friend. All you'll need is a printer and you can make this using seeds you collected from your own flowering plants this year, or you can pick some seeds up at the local feed store.
I came up with 2 different seed packet designs. One features bees and the other butterflies, because pollinators are so important to our food supply! I will also include a quick bracelet tutorial using charms I ordered at Michaels crafts. They offer curbside pick up, so I didn't even leave my car to get them!
How to make a seed packet
I promise this will be super simple! Go right HERE and download the printable PDF file. In it is 2 different pages, one for bees and one for butterflies. Print the one or both on light cardstock or regular paper. You need to set your size at 'fit to page' since you want the images as large as possible. Preview before printing to make sure the 4 images fill up the page.
Note: In these picture the butterfly one says Save The Butterflies ... which does not make sense unless you only consider the plight of the monarchs ... but I made it using the bee stencil as a template and didn't think to switch it before I went to get it printed at Staples.
My printer decided to quit on me partway through this project so I had to use the services at the print shop! It's less than $1 a sheet if you need to go this route. I fixed the file, and it now says Butterfly Flowers, but I'm avoiding shopping when not necessary, so I haven't been back to get it reprinted yet. BUT it will be correct when you download the file! I promise!
If you use regular paper the envelopes are going to be thinner, but this is a year of use what you have on hand, and regular paper will still work!
Cut out each envelope pattern on the outside lines. Once cut out you will fold the large piece over the back, fold the bottom up and fold the small side piece in. Press the folds down with a heavy object to smooth them out and keep them folded. Glue in place. I used Elmer's glue.
Fill with seeds. Fold down the top flap and write seed type on the dotted line. Glue or tape top shut.
Seeds for butterflies and bees
There are certain flowers that bees and butterflies seem to like more, like coneflowers and zinnias. Bees like blue, purple, white and yellow flowers...especially flat flowers like daisy's. The truth is though, they both like pretty much all flowers...so whatever you have will work!
Fun facts: bees especially love catnip flowers. I can hear the bees buzzing around my catnip plants in summer from 10 feet away! Also, Milkweed is the only thing monarch caterpillars can eat, so it's essential to their survival.
You can get seeds online, at feed stores like Tractor Supply or collect them yourself. I just cut down my Black Eyed Susan's last week and they were packed with seeds! If you haven't dead-headed or pulled out your flowers for the year, they're probably full of seeds right now.
I have a You Tube video series on collecting flower and herb seeds. Your garden flowers should fall into one of these types, so if you're not sure how to collect your own seeds those videos should help!
DIY Save The Bees charm bracelet
I made several different styles of bracelets or 'charm holders' for these. One is just raffia tied around the finished seed packet. Obviously it can't be worn this way, but it's a rustic looking way to attach the charm to the packet.
I used burlap twine to attach one. This can be worn as a bracelet in two ways. You can either just tie the twine around the wrist, or you can make a single sliding knot so the bracelet can open up to get it off and on then be tightened while it's on. Here's also a double sliding knot tutorial if you like that look better.
On another one I simply cut a piece of black elastic cord a little larger than my wrist, strung the charm on it and then tied it.
On the last one I made a friendship style bracelet with embroidery floss. These are super simple to make and you can use multiple colors if you like. Here's a great friendship bracelet tutorial.
These are small packets, but seed packets are never full anyways and there's always plenty of seeds! Fill them as much as you'd like and don't be afraid to mix seeds for a wildflower garden look. Happy crafting!
~LRelated reading: Thinking of buying a holiday plant for a gift? Here is How to chose the right holiday plant for each person on your list.
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