Handmade Christmas Gifts

Spoiler Alert! If you are on my Christmas gift list, don't read this! You may very well be getting one of these homemade gifts. Ignore this blog. Go click around on Pinterest or something.

To everyone else, I just though I'd share some of gifts that I made for people this year. It's probably not of much help to you this year, since Christmas is just around the corner (it's a sneaky holiday, isn't it?...creeps up on ya) but these gifts are not Christmas specific. They could be used for any gift-giving occasion. And perhaps some of you are like me and are still getting your Christmas gifts together and this might be helpful. 

Maybe my favorite little handmade treat this year are these super fun mini sewing kits in a jar. 

I bought these cute odd shaped mason jars a long time ago for this very purpose. Any mason jar will do, though. I bought small inexpensive ($2 maybe?) sewing kits from Wal-Mart and added a few supplies from my own sewing stash. I used some fabric scraps and batting to make the pincushion lid. 

I think this is a good gift even for people who don't sew much. Everyone needs a few basic sewing supplies for clothing repairs and this kit contains all of the necessities. With a mini sewing kit and a youtube video of how to sew on a button even the most sewing-impaired person would be unstoppable!

A friend of mine who just recently started sewing received a box of fabric scraps for her birthday from her cousin who is a fabulous quilter. She was delighted and has made so many fun projects already from her box of lovely fabric scraps. I thought it was such a thoughtful fun gift! Just passing that idea along...

Please forgive the series of horrid pictures that follow. Some are from my phone and some I'm just too lazy to edit. Life Naps are too short to edit photos.

This is probably my favorite little gift this year. I've been pining over these oh-so-fun hair ties from Anthropologie, but I just couldn't bring myself to fork over the $12 for them. Pinterest to the rescue.

I found a great little tutorial HERE on how to make them yourself. Really it's more of a source list of where to buy double fold elastic, since the only instructions are to cut and tie a knot. For the price of one set of hair ties from Anthro, I bought enough elastic to make about 80 of this DIY version.

I packaged them on stamped shipping tags to make them look a little festive.

These tile coasters are another Pinterest idea. There's a great tutorial HERE  but basically you just buy inexpensive tiles (these were about 3 for $1) glue felt to the back and mod podge scrapbook paper to the front. These are great because they can be easily customized for any person on your list. The two in the middle are for my Nana (note the nana-ish print) whereas the ones in the back and very front are for cousins (a little more modern). Scrapbook paper is so much fun and this is a great way to utilize it for us non-scrapbookers. Scrapbooking scares the ba-geezes out of me. 

This gift isn't really handmade, but is just a few small items collected in a sort of creative way. I made a mani/pedi kit for my little twelve year old cousin. I found a manicure set and some bath salts at Michaels in the $1 bin. To that, I added nail polish and nail polish remover.

I threw it all in a jar with cotton balls as a filler and packaged it up. Easy peasy tweener gift. 

This year I made another batch of my Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix for friends and neighbors. It's always a festive easy gift to make for a lot of people. 

One of the most fun hand made gifts that I made this year was a  FORT KIT!! I was so excited to package it up and send it off to our nieces and nephew in Texas that I completely forgot to take any pictures of it. I found the idea HERE for a list of supplies and then made a bag to keep them all in.

It's basically a few flat sheets (which I attached ties to), rope, clothes pins, suction cup hooks, flash lights, and a few glow sticks. Could anything be more fun, I ask you?

via

Ford and I tried to make this cute little project, but we failed miserably. Little did I know that trying to get a 7 month old to hold their hand out flat is nearly impossible. Can't win 'em all, I guess. 

Any hand made gifts under your tree this year? I'd love to hear about them!

mel

P.S. I've easily eaten 10 Peppermint Joe-Joes while writing this post. God bless you, Trader Joe.