Great Ideas for Homemade Christmas Gifts

Everyone is economizing for the holidays. Making gifts is a way to have creative fun and give unique gifts that come from the heart. Here are some ideas for gifts that are economical and not too difficult to make.

Candles

There are lots of fun molds and different ways to make candles. They can be customized with colors and scents. Imagination is the only limit. Be careful of safety dealing with the hot wax. If pouring wax into glass containers or jars, make sure the glass is not too delicate to stand up to the heat.

Molded Soaps

Hand molded soap is another fun and easy project with lots of room for creativity. Melt and pour soap uses similar techniques to candle making. These make wonderful gifts and are a great option for people with sensitive skin. All the ingredients can be controlled and most melt and pour soap bases are made with glycerin, which is gentle.

Hand-knit Scarf and Hat

Ok, a bit stereotypical, but it can still be great. There are so many different types of yarn available. Some have fringe or special textures to them. This gift will not go wrong if you know the person's favorite color. It is easy to teach yourself to knit with a beginner's book. Hats are also easy to make. The best thing is that a scarf and a hat don't need to be specially fit. One tip, though. Sometimes a hat looks like it will be too long and cover the whole face, but it always ends up shorter because it has to stretch a lot. Even if you have never knit before, scarves are the perfect project to learn on. There are many books available with instructions and pictures to teach yourself how to knit. Even better, ask a friend who knows how to teach you.

Hand Bound Book or Album

Make a blank book customized with a few special pages with quotes, poems, photos, or hand stamped decorations. It is easy to make a book. There are places on the Internet to find instructions. A super quick and easy way is to buy a nice blank book and then customize it. Give someone a personalized recipe journal, inspirational journal, travel journal, or baby journal.

http://gort.ucsd.edu/preseduc/bookmkg.htm

http://www.rubberstampsclub.com/tips/book-making.html

Set of Hand Made Note Cards

Use rubber stamps or scrapbooking decorations to make a set of blank notecards for any occasion. It would also be easy to take a set of blank stationary and customize it. Get some illuminated letter stamps for a fancy monogram set. Add a special quote or a bible verse in small print at the bottom of notepaper or on the back of the cards.

Recipe Kit

Take a favorite recipe and put the dry ingredients together in a jar, tin, or decorative box. Include a copy of the full recipe and directions for how to add the rest of the ingredients and cook or bake it. Recipes that are especially well suited to this are: brownies, soups or chilies, cookies, coffee cakes, hot chocolate, spiced cider, dip mixes, spice rubs.

Caramel Popcorn

This is an easy treat to make and can be customized with nuts or other goodies that can be added in after it is cooled. Pack it for giving in a decorative tin or another airtight container to keep it from getting stale.

Allrecipes.com: Caramel Popcorn

My Recipes: Caramel Popcorn