Give the gift that keeps giving: DIY seed packets.

I may be slightly obsessed. With seeds. These Russian matroesjka analogues have entered my realm never to leave. Their live giving force seems strong enough to convince anyone that we can change the world, one seed at a time.

Seeds are the gift that keeps giving. When our twins were born, we gave out personalized seed packets as a gift to all of our baby visitors. My kids are turning 5 next spring and still people report me about the offspring of those gifted (annual) seeds. I adore hearing these stories.

We love to send out seeds by post to friends living abroad, and we take these tiny treasures with us when we travel. They are small, light and compact (okay, unless it would be a coconut I guess, which is a seed too) and make the perfect hand-out to friendly and helpful people you meet while travelling. Just make sure to check with local laws and regulations, you don't want to introduce harmless plant species to an area where they don't have any natural enemies and will become invasive.

So how about seeds as a gift for the upcoming holidays? Gifting your self-collected seeds may seem like the perfect low-impact gift, and it is. But at the same time, seeds are gifts with a big impact: on the bees, the butterflies, the local wildlife, the soil . They will heal the soreness in your eyes from seeing things that don't make you happy. They will uplift your soul. Believe me, they will.

Below are some resources for ideas and free printables. Enjoy! Oh, and tell the receivers to store those seeds cool enough, in a dry place, until that special day the will meet the soil. A real treasure should be kept properly.

Frugal Living has these colourful designs that will brighten up anyone's day.

Now this is something cool. Seedy business cards. Love it!

And how cute are these from The LemonDrop Tree?

My vanilla pods come in glass tubes like these. I've been saving them for some project. Celebrate Creativity just helped me find what project that is.

CafeGarden has a bunch of lovely designs: poppies, hollyhocks, butterflies, ants, Alice in Wonderland, you name it!

Wouldn't this Eva Black Design be great for ramsons (wild garlic) bulbs under the Christmas tree? This way, you could give someone free garlic forever. Am I the only one who thinks that sounds horrendously good?

Looking for bright graphics? Take a look at Just Something I Made. Lots of designs to choose from.

Wraps for seed packets from Good Gravy Designs.  I would have never thought of that.

This, folks, is my own favourite way. Origami seed envelopes. I have folded these countless times, and they work. No scissors needed, no glue, and that's great, because most of the time, when I'm gathering seeds, I'm in the field. Maggie Wang tells you how to make them. Or use the step-by-step instructions from Live In Art.

One of my friends brought seed packets similar to this one to the seed swap I hosted. She had sewn them and stamped on the name of the seeds. The effect is fabulous. My own labels shows you how to do this.

And how about putting the seeds IN the actual paper? This sounds like a fun project for birthday cards as well. Gracious rain has a detailed tutorial. So has Happy Hour Projects.

And this is my way to save dandelion seeds. In a glass jar. Because every dandelion seed is a wish, right? You can go out and blow a wish whenever you feel the need to do so. You may think I'm weird (and I am, but harmless), but somehow blowing away dandelion seeds and seeing them fly away gives me comfort when someone dies. Especially when this someone was a dandelion lover like I am.

After all, every seed is  a never ending new beginning.