Thoughtful Last Minute Vintage Inspired Gifts to Make and Buy

Christmas is a time for giving but it doesn’t have to break the bank. Often a gift made with love and a little thought is appreciated more than a gift certificate or a generic box from a big store. I know I appreciate them! In fact, I hate gift vouchers and money as gifts. Probably because I put a lot of thought into my own gift-giving. With so many of us embracing our homes and home life again in 2020, what better time is there than now to remember the spirit of Christmases past and embrace the true meaning? You don’t need to be crafty to make any of the vintage-inspired gifts below. And you don’t need a lot of time. These personalised last-minute vintage-inspired gifts can be created the day before you have to give!

Vintage Inspired Gift of a Snowglobe

These handmade snowglobes are not only popular at the moment but so much fun to put together. A snowglobe like this could be kept by the recipient as a Christmas decoration for years to come but could also be taken apart and the elements used separately.

To make a snowglobe like this start with the ornament you want to put inside the jar. Speaking from my experience matching the jar to the size of the ornament is easier than trying to squeeze an ornament into a jar! Somehow your spacial awareness does not appear to work in this instance.

Anyway, after choosing your ornament, source either a vintage mason jar or one you’ve purchased. I used an old jar for mine but new Ball jars look just as pretty if you can’t get a vintage jar. In Australia, Fowlers jars are easy to source online. They come in many sizes.

Fill your jar a third of the way with Epsom salts or white sugar. Desiccated coconut looks good. Finish with a pretty keepsake ornament inside, tie with butcher twine and a sprig of green for a vintage feel.

A Vintage Inspired Bread Board Gift

Vintage breadboards have become pricey if you want an authentic board but for the lover of old homewares like me, this would be the gift of my dreams. As an alternative, you could get a cheaper, new version from Kmart and achieve a similar look. Pick up a board like this, pare it with a linen tea towel and add a freshly baked loaf from your oven or local bakery. You could swap the bread out for local homemade relishes or a wheel of cheese. I’d love that!

Homemade Biscuits in a Vintage Tin

Nothing says people love you more than when they make something with their own hands. Even if the gift is not to your liking, it is truly the thought that’s precious in this situation. Last year, I made raspberry jam drop biscuits for my friends for Christmas and packaged them in a tin with a tea towel. In the lid, I printed out the recipe and glued it into the lid. These cookies are so reminiscent of my childhood and my friends loved the idea. If you’ve never made these yummy biscuits you can find the recipe here.

A Vintage Chamber Pot

Chamber pots became superfluous to our needs around a hundred years ago. You can pick them up for almost nothing. They make great planters because let’s face it, there are not a lot o things you want to use them for. However, if you fill a pot with a few bathroom essentials such as handmade soap, body lotion, or shampoo and tie a festive bow on the old pot instantly becomes part of a personalised bath and bodypack.

Handcrafted Ceramics

In this era of consumerism, where we think more of the ‘having’ rather than the quality, I’ve started to swap out our cheaper homewares for more lasting ones. I love things that have been handmade and support small makers and shop owners, rather than large stores. A gift of handmade ceramics is personal and will last a lifetime because they are well made. Which another reason why I use these plates and cups in the farmhouse kitchen. What homewares lover would not like a set for Christmas?

Rosemary in an Old Pot

This is one of the easiest last minute vintage inspired gifts you can make. Buy a pot of rosemary from the nursery for around $12 and re-pot it into a cute old pot or galvanised bucket. If you have more time up your sleeve personalise the pot with chalk paint to match the colour scheme of the recipients home.

A Vintage Inspired Water Colour

I LOVE this idea. If you are arty, use your skills to paint a watercolour of your friend’s pretty house. If you like this idea but don’t have a painter’s bone in your body you have two options. On your phone, you can download the WATERLOGUE app. It’s as easy as taking a photo, uploading to the app and the app converts your picture into a watercolour print you can have printed at Officeworks or another print shop.

This Etsy shop will paint a custom watercolour for you, using a photo you provide. How awesome would that be?!

Vintage Kitchen Caddy

These vintage kitchen caddies are a wonderful addition to the kitchen. I have mine in the pantry. It holds little bits and bobs we need but you do not use them often like bandaids, glue, scissors, and string. If you can’t source a vintage caddy you could buy a new one with a rustic feel to it. Fill the compartments with themed objects such as garden gloves, seeds, and a trowel or scissors, string and ribbons. A practical and beautiful gift.