Easy Homemade Holiday Gifts for Adults

Making homemade holiday gifts for the special adults in one's life is not only a gift of material worth but also time and talent. Here are three very easy ideas for homemade holiday gifts for adults.

Vanilla Extract

The bakers in the family will appreciate a gift of homemade vanilla extract. The best part is that making it could not be easier. The only necessary materials are vodka, vanilla beans and a glass jar with lid.

First clean and sterilize the jar in boiling water. Next take 6 Grade B (also called "extract beans") vanilla pods and cut them in half lengthwise. Some recommend slicing the beans into smaller pieces to increase the surface area, but that is optional. Put the vanilla beans into the glass jar and add 1 cup (8 ounces) of the vodka of your choice. It isn't necessary to choose a very expensive vodka. One that is 75-80 proof will do. Higher alcohol content will not improve the vanilla extract.

Once all the ingredients are in the jar, seal it with a lid and allow it to sit in a dark place. Shake the jar at least once a day for the first week. The extract can be used as early as 4 weeks after starting the process, but the extraction can continue up to 6 months.

At the end of extraction pour the vanilla extract through a sieve to filter out the vanilla beans. Store the vanilla extract in a decorative glass jar for gift giving. The extract will continue to mature (just like wine) for years to come.
For more information, please visit http://www.vanillareview.com.

Lap Blanket

Fleece blankets have become very popular in recent years. This is because fleece is warm, soft and doesn't fray. It is easy to make blankets from fleece that don't require any sewing skills or equipment.

To make a no-sew fleece lap blanket purchase 2 cuts of fleece. Many lap blankets have one print side and one solid side in a coordinating color. For a small lap blanket 2 yards in each color is sufficient. For a larger blanket it is recommended to go up to 3 yards in each color.

Lay the fleece out flat. To get uniform cuts, it is easiest to lay one layer on top of the other and cut them both at the same time. Cut out a 4 inch by 4 inch square from each corner of the fabric. Then cut a fringe around the remaining outer edge. Fringes should be 1 inch apart and 4 inches deep. When the entire blanket is fringed, simply tie each fringe from the top fabric to the bottom in a double knot.

Recipe Books

This is a great project for making a large quantity of gifts. Everyone in the family has a favorite food or recipe. Combine all of the family favorites into a Recipe Book.

To make ten books, start with ten 4x6 photo albums (available at dollar stores), a pack of 4x6 index cards, recipes, ten duplicate pictures of each person who gave a recipe and a printer or pen. Print the recipes onto the index cards either by hand or with a printer. If using a computer just change the page size to 4x6 in the word processor program. Then put the recipe on one page and the picture of the person who gave the recipe on the next page so that they face each other.