This post is sponsored by Woolworths
I’m not a huge fan of arbitrary gift-giving, especially at Easter.
However, there are a few people every year whom it feels impolite not to give them a little Easter token. For example, I often send little gifts to clients or my agents. If a friend is having me over for an Easter lunch, I will always take a hostess gift. The difficulty with giving adults gifts at Easter is that it’s hard to find Easter treats that aren’t pink and fluffy and full of little kid things like bright pink marshmallows or sickly sweet caramel, so this year, I’ve come up with a few options for grown-up Easter gift giving. So you don’t have to give your mother-in-law in a pair of bunny ears and a pink plastic basket full of flammable polyester fake chickens when you rock up for Good Friday dinner.
5 DIY Easter Gift Ideas for Grown-Ups
Grown-Up Treat Bag
Little kids love getting a bag of treats at Easter, but in my experience, grown-ups love them, too.
What You Need
* Cellophane bags
* Selection of grown-up treats
What You Do
I have lots of friends who aren’t huge fans of ‘Easter’ chocolate. I personally think chocolate is chocolate, but if you’ve got a fussy friend with delicate tastes, simply whip up a bag of goodies that you know they’ll love. This bag is going to be sent to my dad, so it’s got macro chocolate-covered liquorice, chocolate-covered ginger, fruit and nut buttons, speckled eggs, chocolate macadamias and a few plain solid eggs to make the package a bit festive. I have a friend who’s a fiend for peppermint chocolate, so I gave her a bag full of peppermint Freddo Frogs one year. A thoughtful Easter gift of known favourites will be a much better choice than a generic gold-wrapped bunny.
Tea Light Egg Candles
These make a fantastic hostess gift for Easter celebrations because they can be placed straight on the table as a gorgeous Easter centrepiece. I also love to make gifts from things that I usually throw away – eggshells!
What You Need
* A box
* Tissue paper
* 6 eggshell halves
What You Do
Save up all your egg shells from the week, wash them gently in soapy water and leave them in the sun to dry. Hint: cracking an egg against a thin edge, like on a teacup, will give you a cleaner and more even break down the middle. Grab some tissue paper to line your box and gently nestle the eggs into the paper. Pop a tea light in each eggshell, and you’re done. A very quick, very cheap and very cute little Easter hostess gift.
‘Just-Add-Milk-And-Blend!’ Easter Cocktail Kit
What You Need
* A fancy small glass bottle
* Some fancy chocolate sauce (you can buy some or make your own)
* Small bottle of Bailey’s
What You Do
Decant sauce into a bottle and package up with Bailey’s and easter eggs. Add a little note that says, ‘Just Add Milk and Blend!’. This is a great gift for workmates who are probably hanging out for a stiff drink over their four-day-long week. My mate’s father is a bit of an Easter Grinch, and he hates anything wrapped in coloured foil, so this is also the perfect gift for anyone who happens to have a serious aversion to traditional Easter packaging.
Message-in-an-Egg
I made these one year with my mother when I was little, and I wanted to see if I could recreate them. I’m going to send one to my niece, but I also thought they would make beautiful gifts for friends with allergies who can’t eat regular treats.
What You Need
* Free-range eggs (I usually buy macro eggs, and rather than waste the deliciousness inside, I simply blow the running eggs into a jar to make into a quiche for dinner)
* Thin paper
* Pen
* Metal skewer
What You Do
Gently twist a hole in each end of your egg using the metal skewer. Make sure you come from each side of the egg and not all the way through because the egg cracks more easily if you push through from the inside. Blow the contents of the egg into a jar to keep for cakes, quiches or scrambled eggs. Thoroughly wash the egg and blow out any excess water. Leave to dry in the sun. Write a sweet note or an inspirational quote on a tiny piece of paper, roll it up and slip it inside. Wrap the egg neatly in a little box or bag with instructions to crack the egg open. It’s a very cost-effective and thoughtful gift. I like to put silly movies in mine.
Bath Bomb Easter Pack
Let’s face it, we all want a little bit of chocolate at Easter time but my issue is always the volume of chocolate that I receive every year. I used to be a teacher and it would take me until Christmas to eat all the chocolate that I got for Easter. Sometimes it’s nice to mix up with a decadent little beauty treat.
What You Need
* Cellophane bag and a fancy twist tie
* Bath bomb (I got these carrot ones from Lush)
* Foil-wrapped Easter treats (must be foil-wrapped; otherwise, it will end up tasting like soap!)
What You Do
Neatly wrap whatever goodies you like into a little cellophane bag, making sure to keep the food very well wrapped around bath bombs because they’re very strong-smelling! I’m sending this little bundle off to my niece today, but I think most grown-ups would love an Easter pamper pack instead of a kilo of chocolate eggs.
Don’t forget to check out my Easter recipes – gluten free hot cross buns and leftover hot cross bun cumble!