Unique Handmade Gifts that People Really Like

Gifts you make for a friend should be personalized and have special meaning behind them. You can make a gift that holds memories or one that creates new ones. You can make something funny or conjure up a picture of their dream!

Through The Years Pictures with an Antique Flare

You need to get your hands on some photos of your friend that span the years. Obtain as many as you can get from infancy to present date. You need to make copies of these pictures on card stock. A textured paper works well for this project. Singe the edges of these pictures with a match or lighter. You want them to look as if they have been saved from a fire without damage to the image itself. This looks wonderful if you copy them in black and white, but color works well too!

Purchase a piece of plywood, approximately three feet square. You can go smaller or bigger depending upon the amount and size of your copied pictures. The plywood needs to be stained a natural wood color of your choice.

Arrange these burnt edged pictures on the wood (once stain is dry). When you like the arrangement you can use wood glue in small amounts to adhere the pictures to the wood. Arrange them in different directions with some being straight, some slanted to one direction, and some slanted to the direction.

Glue some natural twine, the type that you buy at a garden store to tie up tomatoes or to tie off burlap bags, around the outside edge of the pictures. Keep it in one long strand and use it to make this border.

When the glue is dry take the picture out side and lightly spray the crackle shellac over the pictures and wood. You will need to lay it flat so it doesn't run and leave the marks. Once dry, fasten a picture hanger from your local hardware store on the back.

You now have an antique looking "through the years" picture to present your friend on their birthday. A one of a kind gift for sure.

A Song In The Wind

The gift of a homemade wind chime will bring memories of you with each little breeze. Go to yard sales and pick up the most ornate silverware that you can find. You might have some around the house or you can ask a friend or relative if they have any they do not want. You will need about twenty of these utensils. Using a mixture of all three, forks, knives and spoons makes this wind chime even more interesting. The more of them that don't match, the better.

Take each utensil and drill a hole at the top of their handle, just big enough for fishing line to fit through. If the knife has a thick handle, you can drill the hole at the other end.

Next, string fishing line through these holes. You will need to have the fishing line be all different lengths on each utensil. The lengths can go from one foot to three feet and all in between. Different lengths are needed so when they are hung up, they will hang at all different lengths giving it a cascading look.

You will need a wire ring, small, about the size of a cake plate from your craft shop. They are called wire wreath bases. Tie the fishing line all around this wire ring so the silverware will hang a different lengths and bang into each other when the wind blows.

Secure them with little knots on the wire ring. Cut any excess line off the knots to make a neat appearance. Next you will need to cut three pieces of fishing line of equal length, each about eight inches long. Tie them onto the wire ring at equal spacing.

Bring the three loose pieces together at the top and tie them on to a small metal ring. This metal ring can be a key chain ring or a large washer that you can get at any hardware store. You now have one of a kind wind chimes.

Mosaic Picture Frame And Photo Shop Picture

You can purchase some beautiful colored ceramic pieces, coffee cups, bowls or any dollar find at a tag sale. You will need five ceramic items in coordinating colors.

Start this project by putting the ceramic pieces in an old pillowcase and lightly breaking up the pieces with a hammer. A pillow case won't tare like a plastic bag. You want to do this until the pieces are the size of coins.

Take a plain wooden picture frame and carefully arrange the pieces around the frame. The frame should have a large area of wood to work well for this project. Use a glue gun to glue them down once you like the pattern.

This frame will be used for a picture that you will photo shop of your friend. If you do not know how to use these photo features on a computer ask a friend to help. After obtaining a picture of your friend, copy the image onto the background of your friend's favorite place. It can be a city such as Paris, or a beach, or even in the clouds if they like to fly. Once you have this together, print it out and put it in the frame.

You can even photo shop your friend into a picture with their favorite movie star or sports team. It makes a unique and one of a kind gift.