Great Homemade Christmas Present Ideas

CHOCOLATES
This is a great gift that almost everyone can appreciate. You can purchase candy making chocolate at most craft or hobby stores and sometimes the fillings or mix-ins. There are so many different kinds of chocolates you can make. You can dip cookies and pretzels, you can cover nuts and dried fruits, and you can mix in toffee bits or peanut butter chips. These are just a few ideas. The possibilities are absolutely endless. Be aware of possible food allergies of the recipients.

You'll want to melt the chocolate in a double boiler on low to medium heat. Keep a close eye on it so it doesn't burn. When it's melted you can poor it into molds. Then let the chocolate set up (if you're in a hurry, put it in the refrigerator). The chocolate is ready to come out of the mold when it is shiny. Store the chocolate in single layers on waxed paper. For gift-giving, layer with waxed paper in a decorated tin.

COOKIES
Homemade cookies are also a great gift idea. Again, the possibilities are endless with the number of cookie recipes available. These can also be placed in a decorated tin, a basket or a box. If you use a basket or a box, I would recommend using tissue paper to protect the cookies and the box. Including a copy of the recipe in the present would be fun as well. If making the cookies is impractical, you can always give a homemade cookie mix with a recipe card.

QUILT/KNITTED BLANKET
A quilt or a knitted blanket is always a great gift idea. They can be made as simple or complex as you like. They can also be made in many sizes as well-large enough for a bed or small enough for a throw on the back of the sofa.

PICTURE FRAME
This gift can be fun to make and as expensive or inexpensive as you choose. You can pick up a picture frame from a dollar store, or if you want you can pick one up from a department store. The fun part is how to decorate it. You can paint it, cover it in fabric or faux fur, or glue beads, sequins or rhinestones to it-and these are just a few options. You can make a picture frame that is customized to the recipient.

SCRAPBOOK
This is a fun gift idea that can be used for all ages. My favorite gift scrapbook to make is an ABC book for little ones. You can also make a numbers book, a colors book, or an animals book. What makes this gift so special is using photos of the child and photos of his/her friends and family. In addition to the photos, you can use stickers to embellish the pages.

JEWELRY
Homemade jewelry is another wonderful gift idea. Beads and findings can be purchased at most craft or hobby stores. Again, it's a gift that can be customized for the recipient. It can be simple or fancy and almost any color you can think of. If you decide to make a piece of jewelry as a gift, I recommend finding out if the recipient wears gold or silver jewelry. If you make a gold necklace for someone who always wears silver jewelry, there is a good chance they might never wear it. Unless you know the recipient's neck size, I would not recommend making a tight-fitting necklace for them.

To keep with the homemade theme, wrap your present in homemade wrapping paper or a gift bag made from handmade paper. Attach a card made by you (either by hand or using your computer) to complete the present.