Today’s question is from Jennie:
I know Christmas is several months off, but I am considering making some or even most of the gifts we give to our extended family this year. I would love to have your readers’ suggestions for gifts that would be inexpensive to make but greatly appreciated by the recipients. Ideas for men would be especially welcome! -Jennie
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What a great question! My extended family enjoys giving handmade gifts for Christmas, whether it’s as simple as a soup-in-a-jar or more time-involved like a homemade clock. Here’s a link to of all the handmade gifts I’ve highlighted over the years from my blog:
http://www.anoregoncottage.com/category/handmade-gifts/
The blog Sew, Mama, Sew http://www.sewmamasew.com/blog2/ has an annual holiday round-up of sewing crafts (and some recipes) the whole month of November. You can peruse prior year’s entires on the website too.
Another good site for crafts of all kinds is One Pretty Thing http://www.oneprettything.com/ . Day after day of tutorials of all kinds!! Seasonal, holidays, printables, food gifts, specific crafts like crochet, kids’ crafts, etc.
I know alot of people do not like “handmade” so i buy things really cheap and put my own creative spin on it. For example, i buy those cheap knit hats that are usually $1 and add handmade flowers for women/girls or freehand or iron on initials for the guys/boys. Always try to personalize all my gifts. This year i have fallen in love with personalizing dollar tree dishes with sharpies.
We too are making vanilla extract. We bought $1 vodka at Total Wine and then vanilla beans off of Amazon. Just put the beans inside the little bottles and peeled off the clear labels. Buying small bottles was not as frugal as the bigger ones, but we didn’t have to buy new bottles to give away. We used instructions for the extract from http://www.lynnskitchenadventures.com . Easy and quick to do. Since we can’t mail the alcohol (our post office said no way, not even as extract), we also made vanilla sugar to mail to far away relatives. Also made a big batch of whole mulling spices to put in clear bags from the craft store. You may also consider buying peppermint leaves ( I second Penzeys as a great source- bought our spices from them) to give as tea, with vanilla sugar is so yummy and festive! Also, Martha Stewart has a great recipe for cranberry pistachio biscotti that is so pretty for Christmas.
peppermint is so easy to grow! You may want to consider planting it. Now is the time to buy the herb plant from your local nursery or find a friend to share with you. I’m in SE Wisconsin, it grows here. I saw a recipe online, homemade peppermint extract (similar to homemade vanilla) but fill the jar 1/2 full of peppermint leaves. As you said leaves for tea 🙂 a friend told me she some times makes peppermint granola. I wonder if you could add it to hot chocolate as I’ve added peppermint essential oil (my does that open up the sinuses/so you can breath better.
Oh, and my kids are making seed packets from our garden. Small, but something that should be used!
I’ve posted several ideas for homemade gifts on my site.
I will tell you though, it doesn’t even have to be homemade. For my brother, I got him a practically new book on shade gardening at the friends of the library sale – it was perfect for him, and I knew that while he had questions he wouldn’t go out to buy something.
I’m hoping to make my great-nieces and nephews knit or crochet hats and mittens (some fingerless/convertible)
I always make homemade caramels for my friends and family (in-laws won’t let in the house unless I have them!)
And the plan is also to make a set of handmade cards (12+ each) for my friends.
I don’t have any ideas for the guys in your family, but this year I’ve already put together all the Holiday gifts for the ladies in the family. I grew a huge 2 acre garden this year and canned everything from ketchup to corn cob jelly and everything inbetween. If it could be canned I did it. I put together a basket of home canned items. I found some very nice wicker baskets that originally held a new baby gift set at one of those everything’s a dollar store. I bought 11 of them, all white and brought them home and spray painted each one to match the kitchen decor of the recipient. Then I went through my stash of old fabric, old clothes, and items I’ve bought on clearance and cut out squares of matching fabric and tied them around the tops of the jars with ribbon. Then I used some labels I got at the same dollar store and labeld each item and filled the basket full and packed a little bits of crepe paper strings and things between the bottles wrapped them up in celophane and blew dry it closed. They’re all ready and waiting. Now, I’ve also got to think of 16 gifts for the guys.
I started my homemade vanilla back in June and will be giving it as gifts this year. I am also making every family a gift basket with popcorn, a Christmas movie (from the $5 bins at Walmart) along with a couple of personal items such as coffee (already purchased from CVS with my ECB’s) and tea. In addition to that I am going to put one of these hand scrubs in each basket. I have already made some for myself and I love it! http://thegainesgang4.blogspot.com/2010/04/garden-hand-scrub.html
I generally make banana bread, jam or apple butter for extended family as their gift. As we’ve gotten older we have stopped most gift giving with the adults. The kids usually will make something creative for each close relative.
Hand knit scarves or other items would be wonderful gifts as well.
First, I just wanted to say that I am loving all of the responses and have gotten some really great ideas. When my son was born, he had 7 grandmas and 3 grandpas, so we have always made homemade or otherwise inexpensive gifts for them each year. As he’s gotten older, we have lost some of the grandparents, but they have now been replaced by babysitters and teachers, so we still need at least 10 of these items each year.
Some things we have made in the past are calendars with pictures attached for special birthdays/anniversaries/holidays, white votive candles in a nice glass container from the dollar store, surrounded by peppermints (even better if you can find mint scented candles) and attached a tag that said “You’re worth more than a mint to us!”, a whisk filled with Hershey’s hugs and kisses that was wrapped in tissue paper with a tag attached that said “We ‘whisk’ you a Merry Christmas full of hugs & kisses”, and homemade apple cinnamon bread wrapped in holiday themed kitchen towels. We have also bought “The Blind Side” DVD on Amazon the day after Thanksgiving for $3 each and our family’s favorite Christmas book, “The Worst Christmas Pageant Ever”, in bulk for 99 cents each and attached a tag to both stating why it was our favorite and that they hoped they enjoyed it as much as us.
We have also made a “Family Favorites Recipe Book” and passed it out to my in-laws who are often asking for my recipes, and mini (6×6) scrapbooks (with pictures for the grandparents or without for others so they could add their own).
You might consider getting together with a couple of girlfriends and all making the same gift together. You can split costs that way and have a little fun. I know sometimes I find cute craft projects I’d like to do that might require a specialty item (special glue, special papers, etc) that I won’t even use half of for the project, so it would reduce costs to work with a pal.
I am making cake stands this year for the holidays. I have been finding fantastic plates, bowls, candlesticks (for the bases) at Good Will and Yard Sales. I can often find the base and plate for less then $2.00. I buy the glue ( I use E5000) at Michaels or Joanne fabric using a store coupon.
They are so easy to make and you can customize them for the person in mind !
To make them extra special, add some homemade baked goods,candy, a cake …
wrap in clear plastic gift wrap or basket bag from the dollar store with a bow and
homemade tag, Beautiful !!!
I always make some of my Homemade Chai Latte: http://www.mindfullyfrugalmom.com/2011/11/make-it-yourself-monday-chai-latte-mix/
ok so I know this isn’t a “homemade” gift, but thought I’d share nonetheless. I am a couponer, of course, and have a very large stockpile because of it. I give everybody a “practical box”. My mother in law who likes beauty products gets those, my neat freak brother gets cleaning supplies, etc. It’s also a way to clear out the stockpile of things that may not get used otherwise. I also make jewelry so I give some of that, too. And scrapbooks! Grandparents get one each year of our kids year, one year I did a wedding one for somebody who had a wedding that year. Craziest thing I ever made was for a friend who was obsessed with extra gum (really!) I got a ton of the mini packs and hot-glued them into a wreath.
I am making Farkle games, sewing bags for them and found printable instructions online, just look for a tutorial or diy. I ordered dice from ebay for 5 cents each, it takes 8 for each game.
One year I made “Gift-in-a-Jar” for a lot of people on my list. And this goes well beyond, soups: and generally the jar is the most expensive part of the gift. This is the most comprehensive site I found:
http://everythingyourmamamade.com/2008/12/12/354-edible-gift-mixes/
One year I made quilts for everyone (nothing fancy, just block quilts). But instead of buying the fabrics I used freecycle and earthcycle to ask for fabrics, old t-shirts, and old denim clothing to re-purpose into quilts.
For this year I’m going to make “Fort-in-a-Bag” kits for the kids on my list: http://placetobloom.blogspot.com/2010/01/build-fort.html
My Father-in-Law just got a new garage this year and is still moving in and settling in. (I LOVE the website instructables) so I am thinking about making him this shelf: http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-Cardboard-Shelves/
Last year I made hand warmers for all of the men on my side of the family. They all work outside, in the winter, in Vermont. I just made a small tube of felt about three inches high by about six inches wide, filled it with rice and sewed it up. I wrapped it with instructions to microwave for about 15 to 30 seconds (depending on their microwave) then put in their pockets to keep their pockets and hands toasty warm. You can make this on a bigger scale by filling socks with rice (some people will put good smelling things in there too I like to use lavender because of it’s relaxing nature) for people to use on their backs, tummies, or even feet. My mother tells me I made one for her in kindergarten that she still has and uses (I don’t remember, but then again kindergarten was a while ago).
But you are right- I have the hardest time coming up with ideas for the men on our list every year that is the biggest struggle.
I am making little pantry packs for my sisters. I have great recipes for chili packets, taco seasoning, pizza seasoning, etc. I saw on Pinterest someone has used jelly jars. I’ve been saving my jars but havent gotten all the goop off yet in order to decorate them, so i’m still working on that.
http://www.crunchybetty.com is a great site with lots of recipes for beauty products… like face scrub, body “lotion”. One year I made a few of her recipes each specific to several people o
n my list… oily skin person got oily skin appropriate face mask etc. She even had recipe cards you could download in a pack so each person got the recipes I made fo rthem on cardstock an dthen several others they could make on thei rown. I used different containers I had/ found second hand to package according to what I made and then each person got their “treat” tin of beauty (cookie tin) so even the wrapping was easy and cheap.
I like to make HOMEMADE apple, pear and peach butter…there are MANY fruit flavors to CHOOSE from…these are ones that I have made and REALLY like. HINT: price match the fruit and look for GREAT fruit sales or if you are able to pick fresh fruit near by? Keep watching posts from all the coupon people; they have ALOT of great ideas for HOMEMADE gifts…GOOD LUCK! Hope you find a GREAT idea or two.
Last year I made ‘thaw & bake’ caramel rolls, frozen pie, baked scones, and par-baked (take-n-bake) homemade bread for my sister who has a small kitchen, but likes baked goods. I also made stylish frozen food bags from a basic bag pattern I got free here: . If you line them with Insul-Bright they work well. This year I plan to make fabric napkin sets for some relatives, for when they have company. I’ll also include instructions on fancy folding techniques for fun.
Sorry the link didn’t work. This is the address: https://sew4home.com/projects/storage-solutions/nature-brights-kitchen-insulated-shopping-tote?format=pdf
While I have failed to keep up with my series through the summer, I’ve already made a few Christmas items and shared them on my blog here: http://skipperclan.com/?s=creative+giving+challenge I get tons of inspiration from Pinterest…the key is making them, not just pinning them 🙂 Best wishes.
It’s never to early! Last year we made coasters for teachers by mod podging pretty papers or napkins onto cheap tile, sealing with spray sealant and adding felt feet. Grandparents got larger tiles handpainted by the kids to use as trivets. For kids — playdough, hair bows, marshmallow shooter kits, art kits – buy stuff on sale for back to school then package up with a piece of vinyl cut as a smock.
This year we are planning on making note cards with flowers we pressed. Also, gorilla glued mason jars on top of candle sticks for “hillbilly” wine glasses. I am also going to make coconut oil/shea butter body lotions.
For edible gifts we try to stay away from treats as it seems like there are SOOO many at holiday time. We’ve done homemade vinegars, bitters, spice mixes, etc.
I just posted an idea for homemade air freshener on my blog. Hope you can use the idea to make frugal Christmas gifts!
http://gabrielsgoodtidings.blogspot.com/2012/09/baking-soda-air-freshners.html
I love all these ideas. I am in the process of making small recipe binders for every female in my family. With all the school supplies sales recently and maybe some on clearance soon, I have been getting white binders and printing recipes I often cook and they love to eat when they come to our house. With coupons from craft stores, I am going to personalize the front of each binder with their names and a kitchen design. As for our close friends with kids, we started a cookie swap party. The adults brought 2 dozen cookies and a box and everyone brought one bag of candy and graham crackers. The kids made their own gingerbread homes, drank cocoa, cookies and played while the friends all got to enjoy an afternoon. We don’t exchange gifts but it’s the tradition the kids and adults remember. They all can’t wait until the next party.
Pinterest is definitely the place to find ideas. One of my favorites is a set of homemade coasters. There are all kinds of tutorials out there for them. Supposedly the tiles are $.16 at Home Depot, you can make your own mod podge, and you can take advantage of all those cheap photo deals between now and Christmas. The best part is, it doesn’t take much more time or money to make multiple sets.
PINTEREST! You’ll be overwhelmed with ideas! They are endless…
You can get recipes off the web for cookies in a jar or other desserts and soups…everything is layered in a canning jar, put a hang tag on the jar regarding the mix and what wet ingredients to use and wrap up. The Dollar Tree website has lots of craft ideas that are inexpensive. You can also make homemade fudge wreaths (look on web for recipes). Crochet long scarfs are nice. Also check michaels.com and hobbylobby.com for project ideas.
My sister in law and I got together and bought groceries on sale for a couple weeks and make a box of freezer meals for my in-laws. We gave them 20 meals and they loved it! We have done it two years in a rwo.
last eyar my sieter made me a three tiered plate. She bought the plates at thrift stores that “looked like me”. She put small silver cordial cups in between the layers I use it for fresh fruit in my kitchen.
My other sister sewed me a kindle case.
I made cookie sheets into magnetic boards with home made magenets made from beach rocks. I spray painted the cookie sheets, and then covered them with scrapbook paper and clear contact paper.
I also make weekly calendars (52 half sheets of paper) with a photgraph and quote on each page and bound the top with hotglue etc.
I made a board game for a friend several years ago for her birthday. (I might also make one this year as a Christmas gift for someone else.) You need a flat, preferably white, piece of cardboard, markers, some sort of game pieces (could be buttons, coins etc.), a box for storage and possibly index cards. The fun part is personalizing the game so it includes inside jokes, familiar people and places etc. You can also give it a theme or setting to match it to the recipient even more (your town, superheroes, cows.. anything) You can come up with an original concept for game play, or base it off a game you know.
Re: bottles for vanilla, flavored vinegars, etc. Don’t buy new bottles, save the bottles you get from bottle dressings, vinegars, oils, flavorings, clean out and reuse for a similar product. (don’t put vanilla in a vinegar bottle, for example, even after cleaning it.)
I make baskets from all the coupon deals I get. I make healthy and beauty baskets for the teen/college kids and even for some of the adults in our family…some items I include are deoderant, shampoo and conditioner, toothpaste…we all know we can get this stuff for free. I even throw in samples from the mail. I also make home baskets make with candles, air freshners, hand towels and such from the dollar store. I find toy coupons and use those for the little ones. I also make food baskets using the coupons and bogo sales. Who doesnt like crackers and cookies? My family and friends always prefer I make them my baskets. They start getting excited about it in August…cause that is when I start them! Hope this help!
If you are a fan of Pinterest and some of your family members are on pinterest as well, look at their pin boards. See what small craft projects or things they pin the most of. Make a project from the inspiration you find there. Is there a recurrent theme of colors or interests that they like. Use this as inspiration to personalize your gift for your family.
I love this idea of loking at someone else’s pin boards to get an idea of what that person would like!
Great idea! I love figuring out a gift that fits someone’s personality!
GREAT tip!
I’m glad that you all found it helpful! Happy crafting!
Homemade flavored vinegars (vinegar is cheap and you may be growing your own herbs to flavor with).
For an elderly person, make single serving frozen dinners. I did this for my mom one year. I wrote out the instructions and wrapped them up, then gave her the box of frozen items when she went home.
For a camper: fire starters made from sawdust or dryer fluff. Look on the internet for instructions.
Soup in a jar mixes. Sunset had some unusual ones years ago that I make every few years as gifts.
Calendar with family picture or picture drawn by kiddos for each month.
For people who like puzzles, make word searches with family names, places they lived, favorite activities. On the internet you can find sites to put in the words to generate a puzzle.
I love to sew and I keep some simple sewing gift always on hand for occasions like a baby shower, or visiting a newborn. For Christmas, I loved making these scarflettes for kids in the family
http://bloomsnbugs.blogspot.com/2012/02/sewing-tutorial-teeny-tiny-scarflette.html
They are perfect for the cold weather, safe for little ones, stay put and you can’t find anything similar in the market ( at least I haven’t). I love to have them for my daughter so I figured other would too.
Disclaimer: The link is from my blog. I don’t see if anybody would have issues with that but just in case.
Of the gifts I have made, homemade jam, homemade candles, vanilla sugar and seasoning kits have been the favorites. I have a bunch of ideas on my blog here: http://angelnavywife.blogspot.com/search/label/homemade%20gifts
I am planning to make this banana bread in a jar for my family. Who doesn’t like banana bread? And it’s cheap enough that I can give everyone a gift.
http://www.intimateweddings.com/blog/banana-bread-in-a-jar-diy-favors/
Food items ALWAYS make great gifts and people love them! For example, homemade hot chocolate mix with a mug, homemade flavored vinegars, homemade flavored oils!
I just posted on this today! Here’s my flowchart for deciding if you should make a gift or just buy it, along with pictures of my hits and misses: http://modernmrsdarcy.com/2012/09/make-it-or-buy-it-a-handy-flowchart-and-visual-guide/
Gifts for men are the hardest! Have you thought about branching out to food gifts? Those go over big in my family 🙂
I loved your graphic on Buy Vs. Make. Very nice article too. Pinned it.
I’ve made homemade cards, envelopes, and gift tags and people love them! It’s inexpensive and you can always find cute paper on sale at craft stores.
My family has also made homemade Christmas ornaments every year and the family/friends love them. It’s a great tradition to start and the possibilities are endless.
2 years ago I made those wheat therapy pack things (the kind you can freeze for ice packs or put in the microwave for a heat pad) for everyone in my extended family. I let my kids pick the fabric for each person so they felt involved and I have gotten so many thank you’s back, still getting them 2 years later! My dad says it is hands down the most loved and used Christmas present he has ever gotten since he uses the heat on his back everyday after work!
I made two of these for my parents for Christmas. They thought it was a strange gift, but they ended up using them–and found tat they weere wonderful! They also used them to warm the foot of the bed in winter, besides using them for back pain.
Check pinterest! There are a million gift ideas on there 🙂 Gifts for men…food! Perhaps something that incorporates their favorite sports team…like a personalized mug?
This year I am probably going to make Notebook Calendar Journals for some people. The people I’m making them for probably don’t have the time to set it up, and I will add birthdays and things like that. In the front, you can put ideas of what they could write, such as funny things the kids say, events that happened that day, anything really. Here is the link:
http://livingsoabundantly.blogspot.com/2011/12/notebook-calendar-journal.html
You could include a cute pen with it and wrap it with ribbon to really make it look elegant. 😉
Sometimes Shutterfly will have a deal on their photo books.Those make great presents for grandparents.
Here’s a list of some gifts that were big hits:
*Husband brewed a big batch of honey wine.We used clean recycled bottles and I made a cute label.
*Decorated pillar candle.Got some big cream colored three wick candles on sale. Stamped an image onto plain white tissue paper.Cut carefully around image.Take a heat gun and slightly warm the side of the candle and tack the image onto it.Turn the heat gun on it again and the wax will seep through the tissue paper “disappearing” into the candle.
*Crocheted dishcloths
*For Kids,I’ve made all sorts of kits like a Friendship Bracelet kit(with embroidery floss,instructions,scissors), a Scrapbook kit(with little album,paper,and stickers),a Chef kit(with chef hat, apron, sugar cookie dough,sprinkles),a Gingerbread House kit(with gingerbread house, icing,lots of candy),a Snowman kit(with a hat,scarf,mittens,buttons, charcoal, and a fake carrot for the nose.Also included hot chocolate mix for later).
I am doing personalized scrapbooks to raise money for our adoption. While I can appreciate the Shutterfly picture books, sometimes having a homemade scrapbook (whether you made it or not) feels more personal. If you have a friend who scrapbooks, or you are wanting to try something new, this might be the way to go. You could make a small album for the year with a picture or two from each month and a list of the fun things you did that month to start with, or do a themed album (vacation, wedding, holiday, graduation/school, etc.). It makes scrapbooking seem less overwhelming when you’re focused on one main theme. Scrapbooking in general isn’t necessarily a cheap hobby, but if you make (or have an album made) as a gift, it can be given as a gift to the whole family, as opposed to just one person. Add up the cost of how much you would spend on each person and it probably would come close.
i’m a paper craft junkie and on the look out for new ideas for the holiday season myself!
i recently made altered clipboards to give my son’s teachers, sunday school teachers, daycare workers and to have on hand. it’s a great way to reuse and recycle. clipboards, glue and pretty pens were $1ea at dollar store, varying size. (if i planned ahead i would have been scouring yard sales for the supplies for pennies) i used left over wrapping paper, recycled greeting cards, wallpaper (free outdated sample books from paint store!) curling ribbon. check out pinterest for inspiration, one designer used tea bag wrappers another candy wrappers! http://pinterest.com/shysue/altered-clipboards/.
for low or no cost crafts search web for “upcycle” and “downcycle craft projects”.
I love knitting gifts for people, and it is a really easy hobby to pick up if you have a little patience. I also really enjoy doing sugar scrubs (brown sugar, olive oil, vanilla) because they are so simple, but feel so great on your skin. Along with bath soaks (epsom salt, essential oils, oatmeal, some evaporated milk) you can find this kind of stuff all over on the internet and they are really great. Last year I made them and put them in mason jars and decorated them with cute paper. They were a big hit 🙂
Our extended family gets a family picture and one of each of the children if they want one. Usually, I take the kids’ pictures and a friend does the family one, so the cost isn’t very great, just ordering the prints.
Then they get homemade edible goodies. Last year, I did an assortment of 8 kinds of cookies. I’ve done different flavors of fudge in previous years. It’s really not that hard to do if you have the right recipe, they can easily freeze to enjoy as desired, and very few people make their own. I’ve also done homemade cinnamon rolls or Swedish almond ring.
Our nieces and nephews will also get a small item like a book plus homemade playdough. As they get a bit bigger, we’ll probably do homemade hairbows for the girls, and not sure yet about the boys….
How do you make playdough?
This is the playdough recipe I use. I don’t scent it, however, as I don’t want to encourage little ones to eat it 😉 Plus, I personally have issues with a lot of scents. Gel food coloring also works, and is in fact what I use. I love the vibrant colors and the feel or it, and my kids love helping customize their colors! http://lilirishlass.blogspot.com/2009/12/craft-day-playdough.html
For extended family and friends, consdier giving Rosemary Olive Oil Bread: http://theprudenthomemaker.com/index.php/rosemary-olive-oil-bread We gave that to many people last year, and they STILL tell me how much they loved it (2 people mentioned it to me again last month! I think they’re hinting that they want it again) It costs about .30 a loaf to make. That’s cheaper than cookies, and it takes less time, too.
You can also consider making some indoor herb gardens now for giving away later, from a combination of plants, seeds, and cuttings.
Homemade jam and pickles go over well. I have people request more of the same each year.
We make all homemade gifts for our family as well. I have a list of my favorite homemade gift tutorials that mostly use items that you already have on hand, here: http://theprudenthomemaker.com/index.php/frugal-living/frugal-gifts
I also have some other gift things that you can do for your family that cost next to nothing, and yet mean more than anything, here: http://theprudenthomemakerblog.blogspot.com/search/label/Gifts
This looks like a fabulous recipe!
Homemade vanilla!
We did home canned apple butter and grape jelly last year, they were a huge hit. I plan on making more of it this year too. So easy to do, very cheap and frugal and yet everyone thinks it’s the best labor of love! Win-Win.
I was asking myself the same question and I found myself on pinterest. This is for a red velvet cupcake but I got to thinking that you can make different cupcakes depending on how many people like the other flavors. What I really took away from it was the idea of making them in the mason jars because that makes them easier to ship if you have distant relatives like I do. Hope this helps and I’ll post if I find more ideas.
http://mycakies.blogspot.com/2010/03/diy-cupcake-in-jar.html
I have made foods (coupon for meals, cooked items, meal in a jar, etc), sewn items, etc in the past. This year I might find a new idea off Pinterest. I am always pinning ideas that would make a great present.
We made Christmas tree sachets one year. My bro and I sewed buttons on each one then stitched them up and filled with potpourri. I also love getting the mixes in a jar. Think outside the box for soups and things. I also recommend pinterest!
I gave my brother-in-law a hand-knitted hat and scarf last year. I also gave my dad a set of knit dishcloths, since he does the dishes. I usually give my father-in-law some homemade toffee or cashew brittle. Edible gifts are best for him since he never wants “stuff”. Grandparents also like photo books.
I have always tried to make homemade gifts anything from jams and jellies, sugar scrubs and wreathes made of fabric. Basically anything crafty. :o)
Homemade spiced nuts, nut brittle, peppermint bark, flavored olive oil or liquor (may need to start now to be ready by holidays), rubs/marinates for grilling or cooking
THANK YOU for this topic! I like to make homemade gifts too, but I need some new ideas! I have done homemade bread/cookies but I want to do something other than food.
My roommate and I have decided that our shared group of friends is going to each get a tin of the Pioneer Woman’s cinnamon rolls and a small jar of homemade apple butter. It is just easier for us (and more economical) to make large batches of something consumable. We may also have a small Christmas party at our apartment and encourage consumable gifts, since space is tight (and we would rather just spend time with each other than money anyway!).
I gave out homemade vanilla extract a couple years ago and it was a HUGE hit!!! People have been asking me to make it again for the past two years. I saw a ‘kit’ to make vanilla extract at a store one day with a very unreasonable price tag and I realized I could make my own using fresh vanilla beans, inexpensive vodka, and cute bottles. I ordered the vanilla beans in bulk online for cheaper than I expected. Also ordered cute bottles online (although you could easily use mason jars or any other jar you may want to re-purpose). If this is something you would like to make, start now because it takes at least three months for the vanilla beans to sit and soak to create vanilla extract. Tie with a cute ribbon or raffia and a homemade tag (or use chalkboard paint to make your own label). People will appreciate such a clever, useful, quality gift!
This is a great idea. It would also be fun to do a variety of extracts, mint, vanilla, orange, etc…
Where did you get your bottles from? Mine should be ready the beginning of Dec (6 months). I’ve been looking at Mountain Rose Herbs and SpecialtyBottle.com. Shipping really jacks the price up though.
I bought jars at the craft store and I’m going to fill them with nuts for the guys. Last year we did small flash lights w/batteries and they were well received. A friend of mine made scrafs out of fleece in our home town sports team for the men and a pretty print for the ladies. I gave hand made card sets to the ladies along with handmade gift bags. They were a big hit. It’s great that you’re starting early. I love to enjoy the holidays and have my gifts made ahead of time.
There are so many great ideas already given. For a man you might try a movie and popcorn and maybe a box of candy for a gift, a knitted scarf or even slippers made from recycled wool sweaters so you don’t have to knit them up. Just buy a all wool sweater at the second hand store and full it by washing it them cut out the fabric and sew into a pair of slippers.
I always make plates of cookie and candy for our neighbors. But you could also do cheese balls and homemade crackers. Also jams, jelly, granola are also some great food ideas that others have shared and I have made in the past. For my father in law I always make a trail mix of dried cranberries, peanuts and carob chips (he can’t eat chocolate) Then I vacuum seal it for him. He looks forward to getting it each Christmas. I also make peanut carob cluster for him and I have made mint carob patties too.
I make homemade beef jerky almost every year for all the men on my side of the family. They love it and guard their stashes vigilantly against the women who try to steal some. I use a dehydrator that someone gave me, but I know there are oven recipes available also.
MMM! Beef jerky!
I am making homemade whipped shaving cream for the men and hoping to find some brushes to go along with that, and maybe a manly melt and pour soap.
For women I am making whipped shea butter lotion and some oatmeal/shea butter soap.
The whipped shea butter is SO easy and feels amazing. The soap is really pretty easy too, especially the melt and pour variety and it is something a little special.
I reccomend brambleberry.com as an inexpensive source for supplies, and a reliable source of recipes is linked to their site.
Hi Lauren-
Do you have a source for the whipped shaving cream for men? Was it on the brambleberry site?
Thank you!
I found it!
http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/easy-whipped-shaving-soap-recipe/
I make a hard lotion bar and get some of my supplies online at SoapersChoice, for those in the Chicago area they do allow you to pickup your order
I’m going to try making the homemade toothpaste recipe I found at BulkHerbStore
Do you have a recipe for the jerky that you can share? I’d rather go with something tried and true 🙂
I love the ‘no sew’ fleece blankets, they are easy/fast to make and are a big hit with everyone.
I like the no sew blankets too, but my kids don’t like the static electricty that builds up on them!
What I am planning on giving the men in my family is some seeds and a pot so they can grow their own plant.. I have found lots of guys secretly like to garden!
I made one year cookie mix jars with the kids. I always have a ton of mason jars around or they aren’t overly expensive then hit up Sam’s Club for big things of brown sugar, sugar, flour, etc and you layer the ingredients so it looks decorative and then I printed out little tags with the wet ingredient list and baking instructions. I did a bunch of them with the kids that’s why the Sam’s Club run was needed when I did it. Though if you do this there are a lot of different recipes out there some are much more expensive than others to do I generally just do chocolate chip because most people like it and it’s simple. It can be a bit of a task to get everything to fit so I handed my children a turkey baster and they used the bulb to pack things down and had a blast helping.
my budget was very tight last year for christmas so for many family and friends i got mason jars whipped up big batches of taco seasoning mix and extra spicy taco seasoning mix from a recipe I found online, took a picture of my son who was only like 7 months old at the time wearing a plaid shirt with a cowboy hat and made a tag using red rusty color cardstock as the background and the other side with instructions, tied it on with raffia to give it that western look and called it “Bubbas Kick A** Spicy Taco Seasoning” (bubba being my sons nickname) everyone loved it and kept asking for refills through out the year! plus no MSG! yay!
Love it! Great idea!
Love this idea! So cute!
Thats a cute idea. I seen something similar on pinterest but they made seasoning salts. They made an italian and a mexican version. I suppose you could make an italian seasoning too.
Check out Penzeys.com (or go to the shop if you have one nearby). Their herbs, spices an d seasonings are lways freash and very resonable, especially if you buy a bag instead of the herbs/spices in the jar. Most of the time youre getting almost double for about half the price. Waaaay better quality and a better bargain than mccormick or store brand at the market.
What an adorable idea!
While I am not making anybody anything except for treats when we get together for Christmas dinner. I am making themed baskets for everyone in my family from the dollar tree and spending 10 on each person. Spa Gift basket, makeup, sports themed basket, car kit basket, movie basket, book lovers basket and bbq basket. There is 20 people in my family so I think 200 is awesome and you can get lots of goodies there.
Here’s our Christmas Candy Wreath. People just love it and it’s easy to make. The trick is to buy the candy on clearance after Halloween. Tawra
http://www.livingonadime.com/candy-christmas-wreath/
I have a post on this from last year at: http://mrsdrpoe.blogspot.com/2011/09/mrsdrpoe-homemade-holiday.html
PINTREST!!! I recommend pintrest as I have gotten so many wonderful homemade gift ideas off there! They have everything you ever imagine and tons more you would have never thought of with details on how to make it all!
One year I made these pantry soaps and tied them in a stack with a pretty reused ribbon.
http://www.marthastewart.com/280491/pantry-soaps
I also used old candles I melted down and poured in second hand tea cups. They looked so cute!
Our Christmas gifts all have to be something either homemade, support a small local business, a service, or something used. In the past these are some of the things we have given or received: apron, kitchen hand towels and knit dish cloths, birdhouse, gift certificate for garden treats from our garden when in season, gift cert. for plant starts from my garden when in season, smoked salmon from our neighbor, help w/ yard work, knife sharpening ( we have a nice sharpener) I already have bought for almost everyone in my family by hitting up garage sales. It’s amazing the things you can find at garage sales or thrift stores.
Do these soaps lather up?
I gave out homemade healthy granola in cute tins with a little note with its ingredients and some uses (ice cream topper, over yogurt, etc). It was a hit.
You could also put it in small cello bags with a nice ribbon to keep costs down. It is an Ellie Krieger recipe from the food network you can probably just google it.
We give homemade gifts each year. There’s always jam and jellies we’ve made the spring or summer before. My son and daughter have made silhouettes of the grandchildren for grandparents and aunts and uncles. Here’s a tutorial http://www.schneiderpeeps.com/2011/12/silhouettes-tutorial-for-fun-and.html
Last year my husband used a dremel and etched “cookie jar” on some nice jars that I filled with cookie cutters and I attached a shortbread recipe. He made one that said “candy jar” for his dad filled with candy. We’ve made fleece blankets, pj sets for cousins, bookmarks, coasters for drinks, monogrammed cups. Here’s some pictures of them http://www.schneiderpeeps.com/2011/12/reveal-of-handmades.html
Last year for all of my kid’s day care workers and my coworkers I made simmer pots in a jar. Take a mason jar (on sale everywhere right now) and add slices of lemons, limes, and oranges. Add 3 or 4 cinnamon sticks, whole cloves and allspice, and some grated nutmeg. Fill with water, put the lid on, tie on a pretty ribbon, and some instructions (add to small crock pot or stove pot on low for hours of yummy-smelling delight. Add water as needed. The ingredients can be added back to the jar and refrigerated and pulled out again when desired. Add water if necessary. Can be used until the smell wears off….)
I received SO many compliments on these and they were so easy and inexpensive.
This is a good idea! Do you have to wait to slice the lemons, oranges, apples right before you gift them or can this be made in advance??
I made them the night before. I’m sure they would be fine for a couple of days in a cool, dark area as long as they are filled with water. A little warning though: inform your giftees not to let them sit out too long since they do contain perishable items and are not sealed against bacteria. I imagine they would rot eventually. (Also, I didn’t use apples, but they might work? I’d try it and see if they turned brown in the jar. Might not be too attractive.)
You’re probably right about the apples turning brown but when I make my own simmer pot at home I always use apples and cinnamon and it smells AMAZING! 🙂
And by the way, the Dollar Tree has packages of cinnamon sticks (maybe 10 in a package) for $1, as well as imitation vanilla extract in large bottles that I always add to my mixture.
Wow, I never thought about looking at the dollar store! Thanks!
We’ve been making these as teacher gifts for the last few years. We started when my son was in a 3 year-old pre-school class. He was proud that he could basically make them himself (with less help as the years went by.)
Teachers often receive homemade edibles. This is homemade and consumable, but you don’t have to worry about food allergies or special diets, and the teachers don’t have to be concerned about whether it’s safe to eat.
Another much appreciated teacher gift is thank you cards — or any blank cards. I always swing by the stationery section when I’m in Target to see if there are any suitable designs on clearance, or you can craft some yourself.
You can dry the lemon and orange peels. They would last longer.
I made these LY for everyone and they loved them!
http://www.mindypiercephotography.com/its-officially-christmas-season/
I made a similar thing for teachers and friends last year- simmering potpourri- http://www.make-it-do.com/celebrate-it/one-gift-three-ways/ .
It’s dry (except for the orange, but it’s whole) so it lasts a while before using.
I’m really excited to read all the comments that come in on this topic! Lately I’ve been buying handmade gifts from adoption fundraisers. I love the unique items that people create and I also love supporting families who are raising money for their adoptions. People have really enjoyed these gifts and are so touched by the adoption stories. Here is one website that you can check out – http://www.youradoptshop.org Only adoptive families can sell on the site and 100% of the money goes directly to the family.
Thanks so much for the link! We are working to adopt a little girl from India & are looking for more ways to raise funds, I will definitely check it out!
Last year I made frozen cookie dough for my boss.
It was such a hit, the holidays are always full of treats, but a month or so later its nice to be able to pull some cookie dough out of the freezer and bake it quickly.
http://mymoneydearest.com/?p=4176
*facepalm* Well duh! I love to have cookie dough on hand in the freezer, but it never occurred to me to give it as a gift!
http://www.craftgawker.com provides an endless supply of inspiration for me!
Here are some ideas that we would like to receive as handmade gifts. 🙂
For the kids: homemade costumes – capes, little princess dresses, fun hats
For me: food is always welcome but keep in mind allergies, would love more pretty napkins
For husband: He is extremely cold natured (opposite of me) so he would love some sort of fleece blanket for the couch, food would also be good, planning to give him a booklet of fun coupons
Last year I gave a girlfriend a small denomination coffee shop gift card and babysat for her. She and her husband got to enjoy it and our kids enjoyed the company.
Just a few ideas!
Google “Martha Stewart gift ideas”. Her website has galleries and tutorials divided in his, hers, baby and kid. That will probably get the ideas flowing!
My husband loves buckeye balls and divinity. I make this as his gift each Christmas- which is the only time I make these treats each year. Also, I have given jars of homemade salsas, pickles and jams/jelly to our fathers which has been enjoyed. Sometimes I include a loaf of homemade bread and a bag of tortilla chips. One year; I made homemade vanilla for the women in our family.
That depends on your talents and whether you want to make individualized items or a whole slew of the same thing.
You could start now on homemade vanilla extract or can items like apple or pumpkin butter.
Oh thank you for reminding me..I wanted to make some gluten free homemade vanilla extract this year.Gotta swing by the liquor store for some potato based vodka.
what brands are potato based? we’re gluten free too and made vanilla last year but paid no mind to the brand/type?!! thanks
I read that any unflavored vodka is gluten-free. I wanted to make my friend (who has Celiac) some homemade vanilla, and so I did some research to see what kinds are gluten free. http://celiac-disease.com/ask-gfq-is-vodka-gluten-free/
Just so you know it is unsafe to can pumpkin butter so I would recommend sticking with apple butter if you are planning on canning your gifts. I made Apple Butter last year and it was delicious!