How to Make Homemade Gifts

Gift for grandma: A hand-painted picture frame

Keeping up with the the pace of traditional gift-giving can be challenging, particularly for those on tight budgets. However, there is an alternative to hitting the mall. People appreciate the heartfelt, homemade gift where a person has taken the time to hand-make something out of love. Making gifts isn't as hard as people think and can be an easier, cheaper way of honoring that special someone.

Things You'll Need

• Baskets
• Craft supplies
• Cellophane
• Easter grass for baskets
• Ribbon
• Scissors

Instructions

What Kind of Gift Do I Make?

1. Decide what your recipients will want or appreciate--look at their ages, interests, hobbies and likes and dislikes. Examining hobbies or status in life makes a good starting point for gift-giving ideas. Logically, a new mother would appreciate a basket full of bottles, bibs and blankets from the store, while a golfer would love a gift basket with golf balls and tees.

2. Consider where your skills lie. Whether you're good at arts and crafts, cooking, painting or woodworking, your degree of proficiency in those areas will play into the gifts that you produce for people. In my case, I have given artwork ranging from conventional oil and acrylic paintings to specially painted picture frames. Along the same lines, a relative who's good at cooking can put together enticing meals such as a gumbo spiced rice mix in a pretty jar--complete with ribbons--or a delicious cocoa mix.

3. Seek out craft books from the local library, used bookstore or Salvation Army thrift store to generate some gift-giving ideas. There are also many websites that provide you with ideas about specific gifts you can make.

4. Take stock of all items that you have on hand versus items that you have to buy. Be creative--often, the solution is as close as your basement, closet or garage.

5. Determine the time you have to complete your gift--deciding to sew a quilt for your granddaughter's new baby 3 days before Christmas isn't going to work. Plan out the steps that you will take and the time you will invest in any project. Some homemade gifts are complex, such as a detailed acrylic painting or stained glass decoration, and some are simple, such as boxes of cookies or bath items grouped together in a pleasant basket.

Making Your Gift

1. Buy your supplies or gather whatever items that you have handy at home. Oftentimes, you can find items around the home, such as jars, baskets, art projects and old crafting supplies--such as dried flowers or old frames--that you can use for a fun, creative gift.

2. Ready your work area and begin, knowing that some things will take more time. Homemade gift baskets make a great do-it-yourself-type item, using an old Easter basket, with fake grass stuffed inside. From there, it's a simple matter of grouping together bread, candy or fruit wrapped in clear or colored cellophane and then tying it up with a bow. These projects can follow simple themes, such as gourmet, nonrefrigerated food items from an upscale market or baskets stuffed with Christmas goodies.

3. Follow the steps in making whatever gift you have chosen. Watch your craftsmanship in putting your gift together. Your loved ones won't expect perfection, but lack of attention to aesthetics like color, shape or size--or carelessness in packaging, wrapping or presentation--will call attention away from your gift, if not the occasion.

4. Clean your gift and complete the finishing touches; add ribbons and a tag, recipe instructions or other specialized items as needed. Use your imagination; after all, you're providing an alternative to the mall or other type of "big box" outlet store! Then sit back, give your gift and watch the smiles.

Tips & Warnings

• Join a crafting or scrapbooking group to get more gift ideas. I have made wonderful cards through a scrapbooking conference by using rubber stamps and cutouts. I also have given a painted tile of a fish that I made in another crafting class.

• Look in thrift shops for cheap craft supplies or gift ideas. These places usually have lots of baskets, and even fabrics, that you can use to produce ribbons, sewn projects or clothing and costume jewelry that can be offered.

• Allow yourself enough preparation to finish a project on time.

• When creating young children's gifts, keep safety concerns in mind; don't give them anything containing small pieces or anything that can be swallowed.

• When making food gifts, keep food safety and packaging in mind at all times--even wrap cookies tightly, so that air cannot get at them.