What are your best ideas for homemade, home-crafted Christmas gifts?

Question

I'm wanting to get started early enough this year to make high quality, personal gifts for the family & friends on my list.

Answer 1

Here are some popular ones I've done in the past:

Premade gift scrapbook (6x6). It's small, quick, and not as expensive. I'll theme it: A year in review, my best friend, ABC's of You, etc...

Jewelry. I make beaded earrings, bracelets, and necklaces. If you don't bead, you could make stretchy bracelets! String on beads onto stretchy cord, knot, add glue to knot, and you're done! Another great way to bead without doing fancy stuff is using memory wire. It maintains shape and is durable!

Homemade sweets. My sisters and I sometimes do a bake-day just before christmas and we'd make fudge, cookies, brownies, and chocolate candies. We'd then wrap them up in treat bags and give in a gift basket.

Marble Magnets. These are cheap and have much utility! Get a clear flat marble and place over a word, sticker, or image on paper and glue with a clear strong glue. When dry, cut out around the marble as close in as possible and use E6000 (or another extra strong glue) to glue a button magnet. I then place these in a decorated box.

Answer 2

Since my family is very practical:

One year I gave out gift baskets. I hunted down sales and clipped coupons for items I knew each one needed or wanted but couldn't normally buy. The result was a nice individualized gift that kept on giving through out the year.

Another year: I crocheted afghans

There were the dinners in a box. I gave those out to close friends the week before Christmas. I made ziti, packed them in microwaveable containers, included bread, bagged salad, bottle of soda. brownies and the necessary paper products so that clean-up was a 5 minute job. The days before the holidays get so hectic that no one has the time to prepare a decent meal. I called this one the gift of time and it was a big hit.

We've made ornaments and dessert bags.

I hope this helps!

Answer 3

I make soap. Many books on the market and many recipes on the internet. Also: make homemade paper, playdough, bath salts, flavored vinegar in self painted bottles. All these recipes can be found on the internet. A coupon book is good for all ages. A lover coupon book (use your imagination) a friend, each coupon for something different throughout the year such as a coupon for a free babysit night. For older folks: Free home cooked meal at their house or a reading session etc. Again get creative. A kid could have a coupon for a movie or a meal at Mickey D's.

Answer 4

I love to give useful gifts for the guys in my family. They don't want cute homemade items, but I love to make things. I use to make sweets, but they didn't last longer than a week. I finally came up with a perfect gift!! I made homemade grill rubs for meat. These can be put in small decorative containers and last a long time. My Dad was tickled to get some for Father's day. You can get some great recipes off the net. Search for "grill rub recipes" I even used up a lot of spices that had been sitting in my pantry for too long.

Answer 5

My friend bought some kitchen towels at walmart and she bought some solid colored material. She made two matching 2ply triangles and sewed them onto dish towels. She then attached a botton and loop at the top so that the dish towels can be buttoned or fastened over an oven handle or fridge handle someplace in the kitchen. I found it the neatest idea since we have used them. One reason is because no one can walk off with the handtowel leaving others with dripping wet hands.

Answer 6

I'm a knitter--I made TONS of scarves and hats the last 2 years--this year I'm making dishrags and muffs.
http://www.knittingknonsense.com/index2.html
http://www.jimsyldesign.com/~dishbout/kpatterns/knitting.html
http://cache.lionbrand.com/patterns/pierrotBeretAndMuff.html?noImages=0

Here are also some fleece patterns for you.
http://www.ehow.com/how_14292_make-polar-fleece.html
http://www.fireprojects.org/patterns.htm

I wish I was on your list. I love receiving hand made gifts!

Answer 7

Aphgans

Answer 8

You could make a scrapbook including all the fun times you've been though in it, a poem, a calender with pictures of you guys and things they like, or you could make them a candle.

Answer 9

Well, you could go to michael's and buy a book on homemaking or crafting. That will give you good ideas.

Answer 10

try paper machets or portraits of them also some material statues of them christmas cards.