DIY Christmas Gift Ideas

[lafoutloud]

I was wondering if any of you might have some great DIY Christmas gift ideas that you would like to share. Each year, my 2 daughters, my sons-in-law and our grandchildren get together and exchange 'homemade' Christmas gifts. One year I went crazy 6 weeks before Christmas and decided that I was going to make each of the children and the grandchildren (5 in total at the time) a queen size quilt for their beds. My grandson had just shot his first deer, so the center square was a fabric transfer picture of him with his deer and the remaining squares were done in camo, browns and olive green. My grand-daughter had just gotten her ears pierced and she was into the Disney Princesses, so her center square was her, showing off her new ears and surrounded with Disney Princesses (Cinderalla, Jasmaine and Sleeping Beauty) with hues of pastel pinks, purples and blue. Then I made my daughter a purse with a black/white photo of her daughter on the outside pocket, along with a tri-fold wallet for my sons-in-law, with pictures of them and their wives and them as a family, even made a check-book cover for Great-PawPaw.

This year my grandson and grand-daughter are old enough that they want money, so I have taught myself how to do origami with money (by watching it on UTube) and I'm making them shirts out of money, then I am giving each of them an inexpensive T-shirt with a Bible verse that I found at the Christian Bookstore and in their card I'm going to write... "Just what EVERY kid wants for Christmas, ANOTHER shirt, RIGHT?... but what would you say to a WHOLE box full of shirts?" The 1st shirt will be wrapped separate, then in another box, I'm going to put tissue paper and tape 'money shirts' to the inside of the box. For my daughters and their husbands, I've learned how to make 'money stars' and I'm going to write on the left side of their card...' Star light, Star bright, first star I see tonight, wish I may and wish I might, wish upon a Star tonight... and everywhere the word 'star' is, I'm going to tape a 'money star'... (I used to say that poem with them every night before they would go to bed and tell them to make a wish) then I'm going to write out a wish for them... then under where I sign mine and my husband's name... I'm going to write... "The stars declare His glory!" (even though I know it's suppose to be "heavens" and I'm going to put 2 more stars there.

Then I went through all of my pictures of the family and I have a program on my Kodak EasyShare that allows me to turn any picture into a coloring book page, so I'm made each one of them (including the Mommy's for their treasure chest) a coloring book with pictures of them and their families, along with Grandma and Grandpa, of course, along with a box of colored pencils.

Lastly, I took the originals of the coloring book pages that I copied and I bought 4x4 white ceramic tiles from Lowe's for about .16 cents each and I've Mod Podge them onto the tiles and them sprayed them with clear seal, added felt on the bottom and now my daughters will have coasters of the kids pictures to show off.

Last year I gave my daughters a DVD with all of their pictures from infancy through their own children and it was set to the music of Martina McBride, "In My Daughter's Eyes"... it was so beautiful, they both cried.

Is there any special Christmas gifts that you've gotten that were special to you and if so, would you mind sharing the ideas? Thanks!

[davidswife]

Last year I made gift baskets for my 3 daughters with homemade bath salts, facial scrub, herbal dream pillows, herbal eye mask compresses, soap and lace drawer sachets. There was a good bit of effort involved but I really enjoyed putting it all together and it was memorable. They loved it!

[lafoutloud]

Davidswife, would you mind sharing the recipe for the beauty products, that would be a WONDERFUL idea and at this point, I'm beginning to run out of things to come up with. I would love to try something along those lines. THANKS!

[Acts5:41]

I'm pretty creative.

I have always made my own gifts. Some ones that were popular, a homemade afghan, a handmade knit cap, handknit handwarmers, etc. Homemade soap and candles were also crowd pleasers.

I think, this year, what my family really wants to know is that I'm taking care of myself.

Oh, I forgot. After I got diagnosed with bipolar disorder; I sent my Dad a box full of empty prescription bottles - "See, I'm taking my medication". He said it was his favorite.

[Musician in His house]

Homemade candy, other goodies, and banana bread are always favorites. Our local Ingles often sells bananas that are ripe or just over-ripe in special paper bags with handles, and on the bags are recipes for banana bread. I use my own tried-and-true recipe, but when they sell these 'bananas in a bag" they're cheaper than just buying a bunch at regular price, and you always get enough for at least two loaves (figuring 3-4 medium-sized ones per loaf). Bananas can also be frozen until you want to use them, so they can be saved. Thawed bananas are often much easier to mush up, too.

[JoyJoyJoy]

Laf, you have beautiful ideas and I am sure your crafts are just as wonderful. I tend to do more simple things. In years past I have made aprons for lady friends and Christmas pillows. This year I am making 'trash bag wreaths'--which are really pretty-- I made a black one with a burgendy bow and a Gamecock nutcracker for my brother. Also, I am all into making gingerbread boys and girls from felt and decorating them. I made one for DD with a little gingerbread boy in a 'wrap'--just like she carries her baby and some with specific college football fabric for sportlovers. It has been so much fun and my grown neices who rarely craft are making them too. My one neice made Christmas tree balls with our initials on it and it is beautiful. One other craft I enjoy is taking a beautiful Christmas bag or box, one with a great scene on it (Santa, nutcrackers, Bethlehem,,,,) and I get a frame that is a little larger. (you can get frames at the $1 store). I center the picture and make a mat from coordinating scrapbook paper. They turn out great.

[lafoutloud]

Oh Ladies, what WONDERFUL ideas!!! I would love to make homemade soaps and candles and things of that nature, but I don't know how yet. And since I love to sew, I love the idea of aprons, my DD wouldn't wear them, the husbands do the cooking, but I wonder how a camo apron would be? He could wear it when he is grilling out. I love the idea of banana nut bread, and homemade cookies and candies, but my oldest DD and oldest grand-daughter or both, gluten intolerant, so I can't make anything with wheat, really limits my choices of cooking for them. (Besides banana nut bread is one of my very favorite things... I always made 1 for them and 2 for me... LOL)

Oh, I forgot. After I got diagnosed with bipolar disorder; I sent my Dad a box full of empty prescription bottles - "See, I'm taking my medication". He said it was his favorite.

I LOVE this! Have a daughter that is also Bipolar and this gift would make my day!!!

Thanks for all the great ideas, looks like I need to get busy being more creative, Christmas will be here before I know it!

[Musician in His house]

Oh Ladies, what WONDERFUL ideas!!! I would love to make homemade soaps and candles and things of that nature, but I don't know how yet. And since I love to sew, I love the idea of aprons, my DD wouldn't wear them, the husbands do the cooking, but I wonder how a camo apron would be? He could wear it when he is grilling out. I love the idea of banana nut bread, and homemade cookies and candies, but my oldest DD and oldest grand-daughter or both, gluten intolerant, so I can't make anything with wheat, really limits my choices of cooking for them. (Besides banana nut bread is one of my very favorite things... I always made 1 for them and 2 for me... LOL)



I LOVE this! Have a daughter that is also Bipolar and this gift would make my day!!!

Thanks for all the great ideas, looks like I need to get busy being more creative, Christmas will be here before I know it!

I love the idea of the camo apron for the guys who love to grill and cook. You could make a few "holsters" for things like tongs, spoons, etc. If you're really crafty, you could even put "Grill Sergeant" or "Cooking Commando" or something like that on it to give it even more humor (if they are popular with your guys, you could even make them to sell). You could use different camo patterns/colors, too.

[golden mean]

One year I gave everyone a home made micro-wavable rice pack thing along with some other homemade items for each one. I tried to find fabric that related to each person, kittens for my cat loving aunt, deer print for my dad...they were a big hit! People of all ages like these especially in the winter, they are great for warming up a chilly bed

[zoewmu]

I found a tutorial online for a wristlet purse. Takes about an hour and a half, a fat quarter of fabric, some interfacing and a zipper. I made one for me and all my friends liked it so I'm gonna make some for them.

[Heartstrings]

What a wonderful thread! Hi everyone! Thanks for sharing so many awesome ideas! One of my favorite crafty things to give as gifts is a fabric covered plate. It's very simple to make and they turn out actually beautiful. You take a clear glass plate..I usually use a sandwich sized plate and make a pair using the same fabric using different "scenes" from that fabric, or different fabric of the same theme, but dinner plates make up beautifully also. The world is your oyster as far as choosing fabric! My daughter and daughter in law are super easy to make these for. One decorates with fruit & chickens, one uses browns, creams and beiges in her living room, and a jungle motif in her master bedroom, multicolor underwater theme in master bath so finding fabric for them is super easy. Ok, here's how to make them. Pick a theme for your fabric, lay the plate upside down and lay the fabric over it, then cut the fabric close to the size you will need to fit the plate but I always cut a little bit bigger then the plate and then trim it off after the fabric is glued and dry. After cutting the fabric, use a small paint brush and paint Elmer's glue over the entire back of the plate, then place your fabric the way you want it and smooth down with a damp sponge or cloth, smoothing out all the air bubbles. Before gluing I always hold the fabric to the plate and flip it over to make sure I have the pattern of the fabric placed the way I want it to look when finished. When you have it glued and the air bubbles all pushed out, allow it to dry. I usually give this a few hours to be on the safe side. Elmer's as you know dries clear. Then I use a small scissors and trim the rough fabric edge around the plate just behind the lip of the plate. Then I use Gold Leaf, and using my finger I apply a small gold rim around the edge of the plate. I have found that my finger makes a much neater, smoother edge than using a paint brush. Add a plate hanger, and Voila!! You will be surprised at how pretty these turn out. Both my daughter and daughter in law have actually cried when I gave them theirs, they were so special to them. My son in law is a volunteer fireman, and as part of his gift a couple of years ago I found fabric with flames AND a fireman on it, and made him a plate with that theme. He immediately hung it up in his den, by his computer and it is still there He was so proud of it! These are Super Easy, and extremely lovely when finished. All you need to know are color themes, what the decor around the recipient's home is so you can choose your fabric, and off you go! Simple and SO much fun. I have used a dinner sized plate and 2 sandwich sized plates and made a 3 piece set, these come out awesome and are impressive, plus they will one day become heirlooms.

Another thing I enjoy doing for my kids is...since they don't NEED anything I could ever afford to give them, I again use what I know about them...their decor, what they collect, etc. and I spend the entire year shopping at yard sales, Goodwill, auctions, etc. and make each of them a bag FULL of one of a kind special items that they may never have run across or gotten otherwise. They LOVE these gifts and have a ball going through them, and I have soo much fun shopping all year for the 4 of them. They get a big bag full of stuff they totally enjoy, and I have fun at the same time. This is easy for me because of what I know about each of them...for example, my son loves old books, LOVES the 3 Stooges, Laurel & Hardy, and anything about hunting. So for him I gather any and all movies I find for the Stooges and Laurel & Hardy, any movies or books about hunting, and any old books, especially biblically related as those are his favorites. I found one he's going to get in his bag this Christmas called Biblical Scripture Study, copyright is 1840s!! Of course it is very delicate, but he will just go bananas over this as I did when I found it! Easy Peasy and he has a ball with these gifts. My daughter in law is into crafts so I get all craft books or movies I come across, plus anything with a jungle motif for her bedroom, or fish theme (or underwater) for her master bath. Christmas is a very big time for both she and my daughter so I always manage to find some special old ornaments, Christmas table decor, linens, etc. for each of their gifts. My daughter is into chickens, fruit, bird houses, and tins, so finding things for her is pretty easy. She has a certain type of Santa that is her favorite, and I just this past week found her an old octagon shaped Christmas tin with that type of Santa on it, it's lovely, plus I found her a recipe box with chicken decor! Yea!!!!! Now, my son in law doesnt really collect anything special, his thing is firemen, so I gather whatever I come across related to that, and then make his gift FULL of all his favorite snacks...he loves licorice, beef jerky, pickled okra, Fiddle Faddle, and numerous other things so for him it's usually a big bag full of goodies, and he has a ball with that. So, you see how easy, and how fun it is! And definitely Unique!
Well that's some of my ideas I enjoyed sharing, and I really appreciate the great ideas you all have shared also. Thank you! Some truly great ideas in this thread! And...That banana bread has my mind whirling... They All love that...hmmmmmmmm
As far as my grandchildren, they still get gifts and/or money. It will still be a few years yet before I get to start the fun bags for them.

[lafoutloud]

WOW!!! What incredibly talented woman we have here at RR!!! God has definitely blessed us with the creative gene These are some absolutely fabulous ideas, my head is just spinning with all the wonderful things that I can make and do in the coming weeks. I am so thankful that I started this thread in time for me to get working on some of these great gift ideas... I had run out of my own ideas, but ya'll have given me a whole month's worth of new ones to get started on. THANK YOU!!!

I am SOOOO loving this!!

[Windsong]

I often make my own gifts. Afgans, peanut brittle, hot chocolate basket with homemade hot chocolate and chocolate dipped spoons and peppermint sticks for stirring. One year I made my mom a Christmas Carol song book. She loved it so much she kept it out on display all year. it was just a plain fabric beige scrapbook that I glued gold colored paper to each page. then printed out the lyrics to a bunch of christmas carols. crinkled the paper and tea stained it .. when it was dry (I used a blow dryer) I then used a lighter to burn the edges around the words so it looked like old paper. the last page of the book had a poem about mother/daughter and then on the front cover... I glued a large velvet poinsetta flower. I've also etched mirrors for gifts.. so many things you can do.

[lafoutloud]

I often make my own gifts. Afgans, peanut brittle, hot chocolate basket with homemade hot chocolate and chocolate dipped spoons and peppermint sticks for stirring... so many things you can do.

I would LOVE your recipe for the homemade peanut brittle and the hot chocolate and dipped spoons, PLEEEEZZZ

[Mrsppmrxky]

I saw an idea of doing gift baskets/pails. You cater the things in the arrangement to what that person likes. Similar to the fruit arrangements.

One showed for smokers that you put cigars/lighters and things like that, but I was thinking of making one for my daughter that likes to knit. Some yarn as the moss and using knitting needles and crochet hooks to pin small gadgets to that would help with her projects.

For someone that likes movies, you could do a dvd, and snacks in a popcorn bowl.

We are keeping gift giving down to simple things this year. Everyone's finances are stretched to the limit. I like the more meaningful gifts anyway.

[ladylinda]

A few years ago I found some cute unfinished wooden boxes and plain wooden clocks and used some pictures from an artist's small calender to decoupage them and they made really nice keepsakes for cheap...you could put anything meaningful in the boxes. I think the little boxes with latches sold for about a dollar and the calender was about the same at a dollar store...the clock was about $10 but made a nicer looking gift once it was done. You could use photos of family members.

[icebear]

i'd like to make a bunch of these to be Christmas ornaments and give them out Maybe crochet a tiny red hat or make a tiny holly leaf out of felt and red glass beads as berries



i made about a half gallon of homemade vanilla extract ( each of Tahitian and Madagascar), but sourcing the 2oz dropper bottles to give them away in has been a hassle.

[davidswife]

Combine: 1 cup dried camomile; 1 cup regular oatmeal; 1 cup grated soap (may use a beauty bar with added moisturising cream.)......This can be included with reusable cotton bags that you make for cleansing without a messy cleanup. .......In place of the oatmeal you can use herbs like sage, lavender, mint leaves and rose petals to your fancy.

[davidswife]

Combine in a bowl: 1 cup Lemon Verbena leaves; 1 cup dried, finely chopped orange peel orange peel; 1 cup dried lavender........make cheesecloth bags the size and shape you decide. Fill with this mixture. mark gift with instructions... To use: Simmer tea bag in pan on top of stovein quart of water for 10 minutes. Pour resulting tea and the bag into bath and enjoy. Use tea bag to scrub and stimulate skin.

[davidswife]

1/2 cup cocoa butter (melted); 10 capsules vit.e oil; 1 tbsp. melted coconut oil; 10 drops jasmine oil; 10 drops peppermint oil; 5 drops bergomot oil .....whatever oils suits your fancy...but the peppermint is the most important. Combine , let cool, pour into ungreased molds of your choice.......You can also make massage oils : 1 cup sweet almond oil; oil from 6-8 vit E capsules; 20 drops of essential oil of your choice. You can also add dried lavender or rose buds. Pour into pretty bottle and make pretty homemade labels.