Creative Christmas Handy Homemade Gifts for Tremendous Tweens

The season of gift giving will be upon us soon, and with the economy being in a dreadful state, many individuals are contemplating possible homemade gifts for their loved ones. In this article, I will provide three creative homemade gift ideas that would be appropriate to give to the beloved tween or tweens in your life.

1. Beaded Necklace

Materials Needed:

1 package of clear plastic beading cord (I like to use the 1" or 1.5" consistency)

3-4 varieties of beads (these can be semi-precious stones, glass, or whatever substance that you like) - you may want to find out ahead of time what the tween's favorite colors are, and select beads accordingly.

A pair of scissors

Gift box

Ribbon

Instructions:

1. Cut approximately a 16" to 19" piece of beading cord from the cord roll with scissors. Depending on how long that you want to make the necklace, choose a length between 16" to 19" allowing approximately 1" for tying off the necklace.

2. Tie a small knot into the end of the cord.

3. Before placing the beads onto the cord, decide what pattern that you would like to use for the necklace. Be creative and have fun with the design.

4. Once you have strung all of the desired beads onto the cord, tie the two ends of the cords together in a double knot and clip off the excess cord. I usually will test the knot by pulling the two ends to make sure the knot is nice and secure.

5. Place your new necklace creation into a pretty gift box and tie a color coordinated ribbon around the box to secure it.

2. Tasty Snack Mix

Ingredients:

1 13.5 oz. box of Cheerios (original flavor, honey nut, or whatever flavor that your tween recipient would like)

1 16 oz. bag of pretzels (whatever shape that you prefer)

1 16 oz. bag of organic chocolate chips

1 regular size bag of Goldfish crackers

1 lb. of unsalted almonds

1 lb. of dried mango, cut into bite size pieces

1 large decorative tin (like the type in which you find popcorn sold during the holiday season)

Green or red bow

Instructions:

1. Combine all of these ingredients into a large holiday-themed tin.

2. Put the top onto the tin and shake to help thoroughly mix the contents.

3. Place a festive green or red bow on top of the tin for further decoration.

3. Scented Bath Oil

Materials Needed:

1 cup grapeseed or olive oil (I usually prefer to use the grapeseed, because it is a lighter oil)

8-10 drops of the tween's favorite essential oil (my tween daughter loves lavender, and we prefer the Young Living line of oils that are available at www.youngliving.com)

1 chopstick

1 8 oz. airtight glass container (you can often find some lovely ones at Goodwill or Michael's)

Ribbon

You can include a loofah too if you so desire.

Instructions:

1. Pour 1 cup of grapeseed or olive oil into the glass container.

2. Add 8-10 drops of the chosen essential oil to the oil in the container.

3. Mix thoroughly with the chopstick.

4. Place top onto the glass container.

5. You can decorate the container with a ribbon and include a loofah with this bath oil.

6. The oil can be placed onto the loofah or in the hand and applied all over the body.

Enjoy making and giving these homemade gifts to your favorite tween. May you and yours have a very Merry Christmas!