Handmade Holiday Gift Ideas

I crocheted over 20 scarves last year for Christmas gifts. I gave myself a repetitive motion injury, but it was worth it to see the astonished looks on the faces of all the women in the family as they opened a gift that was handmade with love in each and every stitch.

It has long been said that a handcrafted gift is truly a gift given from the heart. Are you looking for ideas for handmade gifts? I have listed my favorite handmade gifts to give for the holiday season; complete with links to help you create the perfect gift for everyone on your list.

· If you can crochet or knit you have a treasure trove of handmade gifts literally in your hands. In recent years craft stores have been flooded with a huge new array of fashion yarns in a limitless variety of textures and colors. This provides those who enjoy working with yarn an opportunity to create fabulous looking scarves, ponchos and other items suitable for everyone on their gift list. Free patterns abound on the Internet and can be found with a simple Google search. Two sites that have beautiful patterns are http://www.lionbrand.com and http://www.crochetme.com.

· Scrapbooking is the latest craze in the craft world and can be adapted to make a great gift. Grandparents especially enjoy scrapbooks created with pictures of their favorite young people. Alzheimer's patients also benefit from the mental stimulation a scrapbook full of memories provides. Mini scrapbooks are available in many stores and are the perfect size for gifts. Visit http://www.creativescrapbooking.com/ or http://www.diynetwork.com/ to help get your creative juices flowing.

· While you are at the craft store getting your scrapbooking supplies you might want to pick up the items needed to handcraft gift cards. These make wonderful gifts, especially for the elderly who often don't have the ability to get out and shop for cards. Note cards can be made using rubber-stamping techniques, scrapbooking techniques, or both. They will be appreciated not only by the person they are given to, but also by the person they are sent to. Surf over to http://familycrafts.about.com or http://www.hgtv.com/ for ideas.

· Since many of our holiday celebrations are centered around food, gifts in a jar are the perfect gift for everyone from moms-on-the-go to college students on their own for the first time. You can put a variety of cookie, cake and brownie mixes into jars as well as soup mixes and beans. Help your hostess out by putting mixes for coffee, cocoa or tea in a jar. Don't stop there though! Bath salts, bath bombs, and other sweet smelling concoctions also make great gifts in a jar. Jars can be decorated with labels, fabric or just about anything else your imagination can dream up. You can find terrific recipes at these sites: http://organizedchristmas.com/ and http://www.frugalhomemaker.com/.

· No-sew fleece blankets were also a big hit in our family last Christmas. You may think you aren't crafty enough to hand make gifts, but if you can cut and tie a square knot you can make one of these blankets. All you need is two pieces of fleece from the fabric store and a pair of scissors. Fleece comes in a wide variety of bright colors and patterns that are suitable for boys and girls of every age. This is a great way to keep your family toasty warm while saving on those high winter heating bills. Check out the super easy instructions for constructing a blanket at this site http://www.exploringwomanhood.com/ by searching for "no-sew fleece blanket".

· For the "total package", wrap all of your handmade holiday gifts in handmade wrapping paper. Get a large roll of butcher paper or mailing paper and let the kids get to work. Provide them with stamps and inkpads, crayons and markers and have them design their very own holiday gift-wrap. Snowmen, stars and Christmas trees are all very easy for little ones to draw and they make the perfect finishing touch on your wrapping paper.

A talent for crafting isn't really necessary to make gifts by hand. All you need are some good ideas and a healthy dose of imagination and you can bask in the admiration of family and friends as they open the gifts that came straight from your heart.