Advice on HomeMade Gifts for Family and Friends

Infused cooking oils are great gifts. Easy to make, easy to package and they look nice for decoration, too!

~L.

Hi D.. I am also trying to think of homemade gift ideas that my son can help with, he loves projects! Here are two that we are going to do. A gift bag with hot chocolate mix and my son can decorate the bags and help mix the ingredients. You mix 2 cups of dry milk, 1/2 cup of unsweetened cocoa, and one cup of sugar. Put into a ziploc bag, write the recipe on an index card ( mix 3 TBSP of mixture in boiling water)and put in a paper lunch bag. We are also doing cinnamon scented ornaments. Mix 1/4 cup of cinnamon with 4 TBSP of applesauce for the dough. Have your son cut out shapes with cookie cutters (my son LOVES to do this part). Poke a hole in the top of each cutout with a pencil and let them dry for about a week, then tie a ribbon through the whole. Happy holidays and have fun!

D.,

last year as a gift to my cookie exchange group I made up gift boxes that had homemade shortbread dipped in chocolate and pecans, purchased little tins of six tea bags and bought tea cups and saucers at the local antique shop for only a few dollars. I also included an antique linen napkin and packaged it all up in a gift box with big gold bows. I must admit they looked very nice, almost professionally done. It didn't cost that much to put together. Try making little themed gift baskets with a home baked food item and include tea, coffee or wine, small books, linens, decorative dish towels, kitchen gadgets and mixes. Many of these items you may have laying around the house or can be purchased very inexpensively, the idea is coming up with a theme and creative packaging. I've seen cookies put on sticks like lollipops and put into a flower pot as edible flowers. Check out Martha Steward on-line for a lot of really good ideas.

S.

My friend at work just showed me the most recent Martha Stewart special addiiotn magazine for the holidays. It had all kinds of great ideas from wreaths, ornaments, cd's, soap etc and of course cookies. I would look for that for inspiration and maybe more important specific directions. Good luck!

I just got an idea to make photo albums. Take old or new binders (we happen to have a bunch of extras from my hubby's work for me to use). Using a glue gun, cover with cotton batting and fabric. Then you can glue extras on the outside and get as creative as you want. You can buy photo pages to insert.

You sound like such a great mom! Here is something that I have done with my kids and they turned out really cute! You can make Santa's face with your son's handprint. You'll need a 5"x7" piece of pink paper, red and white paint, a cotton ball, glue, a hole punch, scissors and a paper clip. Paint your son's hand as follows: thumb and palm (red), fingers (white). Press his hand firmly on pink paper and let it dry. Be sure to turn his hand so that his fingers are toward the bottom of the paper. In the center, use a marker to draw Santa's face (or even use googly eyes). Add the cotton ball for trim on the hat, a mustache, and a small ball of cotton for his hat's pom pom. Punch a hold on the top of Santa's hat so he can be used as a tree ornament and use a paper clip to hang it. I put a cute holiday poem on the back.
Another thing that I've done is buy those plain ornaments and had my kids paint them (even at an early age) or you can buy those stained-glass ornament kits, too. Happy crafting!

I have made sock snowmen similar to these.
http://www.snowtheme.ecsd.net/rice%20snowmen.htm
They are simple no sew projects. You will need a white tube sock, thread, a small piece of twine , hot glue, buttons, black paint, rice, cotton batting, small cardboard circle.

Take tube sock, put cardboard circle in the bottom so the finished product will stand upright.

Add 1/2 cup uncooked rice or small beans (to weight it down)

Stuff it tightly leaving 2-3 inches at the top.

Wrap thread around belly and neck to make creases enough to show the bottom middle and head.

Fold extra fabric down to make a hat. And tie top with twine and cut to fray top (like a pom pom)

YOu can hot glue on buttons on the belly and for eyes too or you can dab black paint for eyes.

Add a scrap piece of fabric for the scarf. I didn't make arms on mine and it was just as cute.

You can google sock snowmen to steal some ideas!

There you have a cute winter decoration! Made with love, for real cheap and it is fun too! Get creative! Make a lady, or little baby ones too!

Go to this site they have tons of ideas
http://familyfun.go.com/arts-and-crafts/season/specialfea...

go to a pottery painting place, and paint something together. we have been doing that since my daughter was 2, and it is very fun and not too expensive.

Christmas ornaments get some foam balls and wire with beads and decorate the ball. You could do jewelry! or if your real religious could make your own rosary's. Go to micheals or joans theres tons of different ideas you can make picture frames paint your own dishes and plates have the kids get involved. Its fun!!!

I found a website out there for bath salts, bath bombs, bubble baths etc.

Check out: http://www.pioneerthinking.com/nhb_vanillahoneybath.html

Last year I made about 15lbs of hard candy and everyone got a jar or bag of candy. The recipes are very simple and it's just time consuming waiting for cooling. I put them on the porch last year till it started snowing so they cooled a lot faster. Just watch if you make a lot of it, it can make a sticky mess with just tiny peices on the counters and floors as you break it up.

hey D.! I'm actually trying to start a little make your own bath and body products party thing. I haven't done it yet but if you have some friends that might be interested in the same thing - we can get together and I can teach you how to make lip balm, lotion, salt scrub, baby powder, perfume, disinfectant spray, baby bottom salve, body powder, facial scrub and the list goes on. You'll all get trial sizes of everything we make along with good information about where to get certain ingredients, lots of recipes, and everything I use is all natural. Anyway, if you are interested let me know. You can email me at ____@____.com.

Last year I made hot chocolate mix and put it in ball jars for friends. It was very inexpensive and you can use fun ribbon or twine to tie a gift tag and instructions on. This year I'm painting wood ornaments and putting a picture of my son in them. We found quite a variety at Hobby Lobby, so you don't have to give the same one to everyone. Both would be something your son could help with.

Do you read Family Fun Magazine? They also have a website. I love the craft ideas they have. Loads of simple and creative seasonal activities that you can engage your child in with you.

I make up small fruit baskets for all of my neighbors for the holidays and they just love them. Wal-Mart sells baskets in all different sizes and they are pretty inexpensive. You can also get the cellophane wrap for the baskets there or sometimes you can find it at the dollar store.

T.

At our church VBS this year all the kids made their own jar of soup. We had bowls with noodles, beans, lentils, etc... and a spice pack and they just used scoops and a funnel to put it in the jars. You can print the recipe up on a 3x5 card and attach to the jar with some ribbon. You can find those recipe books for jars at most craft places, I've even seen them at Meijer! Your son would enjoy the sccoping and pouring!

R. L.

HI D.
I look at etsy.com for inspiration a lot. I'm now trying my hand at wool felting, I wouldn't let my 5yo try it. But you could do wet wool sculptures like flowers and make them into pins or hair clips, scarves, toys. You can also find direction for using old wool sweaters.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-oCpRUPPJo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJIo0dkqdC0&NR=1
Happy crafting, A. H