Green Christmas: decking the halls without wrecking the planet

A pupil astatine Shishya successful Adyar who lives successful Besant Nagar, Anu Elizabeth Alexander fashions insubstantial and jute into ornaments and this artistry is manifested successful decorative products she sells done her brand, Folded Flourish.

“I archetypal got funny successful origami erstwhile I was possibly 7 oregon eight,” she recalls. “I recovered a publication and I started trying retired antithetic designs. I truly liked it.” Her fascination matured into a deliberate practice: selecting designs she loved and imagining however they could adorn Christmas trees. “I thought they would look large connected a tree,” she says.

Her speciality is modular origami, a method wherever aggregate folded units coalesce into a single, intricate form. Her festive repertoire includes eight-pointed stars that gleam nether histrion lights, insubstantial wreaths, modular diamonds and Kusudama, a spherical, multi-petalled centrepiece that commands attention. “My favourite portion of the process arrives portion making much analyzable folds and adding details,” she says. “I similar to marque it look a small much analyzable than it already is.” Depending connected the design, instauration tin instrumentality 15 minutes to an hour. “The sheets of insubstantial I usage are seldom the aforesaid size,” she admits. “The biggest situation is making the units instrumentality unneurotic perfectly.” For this Christmas, Anu offers some azygous ornaments priced astatine ₹150, and sets of 4 stars, 4 diamonds, oregon 4 wreaths, each acceptable priced astatine ₹500.

Sustainability is not an add-on, but stamped firmly into the process: each portion is biodegradable, waste-free and unembellished, escaped from glitter oregon beads. “Products should beryllium sustainable and biodegradable truthful that our satellite is not harmed,” she emphasises.

At a caller exhibition, the stars she made sold the fastest, followed by the tiny diamonds. “I would similar radical to cognize astir the process, however it is created, and that it is sustainable,” she says.

Crocheting for the Tree

Infanta Leon from Kotturpuram developed an involvement successful crochet arsenic a teenager. It was a hobbyhorse that evolved into a steed that would assistance her embark connected a travel of identity-shaping originative engagement. She started making Christmas-themed decor 2 years ago, spurred by a tendency to trade safe, eco-friendly toys for children. “With a toddler astatine home, and my elder kid delicate to synthetic materials, I wanted to make items that were gentle, durable and tactile,” she explains. Her earliest creations were tiny amigurumi toys which gradually evolved into ornaments that could adorn Christmas trees with warmth and charm.

Today, Infanta’s repertoire is simply a festive menagerie: Santa Clauses, snowmen, miniature candies, mushrooms, bunny characters, Santa hats and bespoke nativity sets. Each portion is meticulously crafted from cotton-rich yarns sourced from trusted suppliers successful Mumbai and Chennai, supplemented with immoderate filling and harmless embellishments obtained online. Sustainability and information stay astatine the bosom of her practice, ensuring each ornament is child-friendly yet enduring.

Creating a azygous portion is simply a labour of love, often taking 3 to 4 hours. Infanta visualises the design, selects harmonious colour palettes, calculates proportions, and imbues each quality with personality. “The astir challenging portion is bringing retired emotions successful the look of a character,” she says. “Even a flimsy tilt oregon curve tin convey truthful much.” This meticulous attraction is peculiarly evident successful analyzable nativity sets oregon unconventional pieces similar the Grinch, which she precocious introduced arsenic a playful twist connected accepted decor.

Infanta begins accepting orders astir mid-November, cautiously balancing each petition to guarantee each pieces are completed and delivered by December 15, leaving homes adorned and acceptable for the holidays. Orders are mostly word-of-mouth, drawn from friends, neighbours, and section enthusiasts who worth the authenticity of handcrafted work. Prices scope from ₹100 to ₹500.

Yet for Infanta, the joyousness lies successful instauration alternatively than commerce. “I did not commencement this arsenic a business,” she reflects. “It was astir making thing meaningful. Seeing these ornaments bring a grin during the holidays — that is the top reward.”