"Homemade Christmas Gift Ideas"

Capes and masks for dress play? If you can't sew, then you can cut with the shears that are zigzagged (I forget what they're called, but they keep the fabric from fraying) and then hot glue down for a seam.

My sister made my boys towels. They love them and fight over them. It's all their own. She took rags that matched the towels and added a hood and little hand pockets at 2 corners. She just used simple, but colorful towels/rags. It was great. You would have to sew this, but you could do it by hand or machine and it would be simple even for someone who doesn't really know how.

Canvas shoes decorated with paint pens.

Signs for their bedroom doors. No parents allowed, JJ's room, Where I throw it IS where it belongs, etc. You could look around for cute sayings. Shaped wood can be found at craft stores in several sections, they have shelves too! All you would have to do is paint. They also have wooden toys that need painting.

Have fun! I go crazy in those stores and never once considered myself imaginative or crafty - but I have learned so much and love it.

Hi H O,

Homemade gifts are so much fun and wow their so many different things to do. Here is something I like to do. Go to my public library most libraries have great craft books and its free get some ideas there, also the craft stores have great ideas on the web too! Make a list of what the kids like and that way you have a idea to work from. I have two boys when they were smaller I use to make stuff for them all the time. I still make things for my nieces and nephews. Home made games are fun to make and you can personalize them too! A lot of older craft books have some really neat ideas.
Here are some websites I have found that have been fun. Good Luck!

http://www.craftsolutions.com/
http://www.bhg.com/family/
http://craftideas.info/index.html
tp://www.thriftyfun.com/
http://www.scanner-magic.com/craft-ideas.html
http://www.stretcher.com/stories/981214b.cfm
http://www.kidsturncentral.com/crafts/jenicraftindex.htm

My favorite site is:

http://www.craftbits.com/

Good Luck and merry Christmas

If you don't sew, crochet or knit, you could do a fleece tie blanket
http://www.allkindsofbabystuff.com/
Joanns and Hancocks have fleece on 50% all the time.

Here's a no knit scarf
http://www.marthastewart.com/good-thing/no-knit-scarf?aut...%

Do you have an herb garden? You could utilize that for gifts...jarred or bunches w/pretty ribbon.

Hot rice bags: sew the ends of kitchen towels together and you have your bag.

Here is a potentially helpful website
http://www.buynothingchristmas.org/alternatives/index.html

HTH
K., mama to
Catherine, 5yrs!
Samuel, almost 2yrs

I thought this was a great idea for a home made gift. They are photo coasters. For some reason the photo won't show up but so I am going to see if I can email it to you. If you don't get it you can try to contact me through this site.

My 12 year old is going to make these for her grandparents.

Photo tile coasters...

This won't work with the shiny porcelin tiles (like you'd use in your bathroom)... besides I like the "artsy" look the rough tiles give better

Size your photo/text and have it printed on regular paper, but from a copy machine... with toner ink. Laser print and inkjet print will not copy to the tiles. Because of this, you'll likely have to do black & white, no colour. Have them printed in mirror image (it will look backwards on paper).

Cut to fit the tile. Apply a layer of Mod Podge to the tile and place the paper face down. Press it down well, smooth out any air bubbles.

If you have a heat gun, that's the best way to dry these out quickly. Otherwise you can leave them to sit for a few days to ensure they dry out completely.

Once dried, use a brush/sponge to wet the paper thoroughly. Gently use your fingers to rub the paper off the tile (it will kind of roll off), adding more water as needed. If the tile is not completely dry, you will peel up portions of the photo too, so be careful.... though having bits of the photo missing due to cracks, etc in the tile just looks artistic, like you did it on purpose

Once all the paper is gone, seal with a few layers of mod podge, and add cork to the bottom.

If you mess up and too much of your photo peels off, you can simply sand the remaining photo off the tile and start over.

Darker colours show little holes in the photo more than lighter colours. The more light-coloured/white areas, the better it will look on the tiles.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ambrosialove/522118984/
The girls would love tutus. My daughter (3yr) wears one around the house all the time and sometimes to the park or store over her jeans. They cost almost nothing to make.
You could make them scrapbooks or storybooks about them with their pictures. Lakeshore learning has blank prebound story books for under $5
For the boys, you could make the 8 yr old boys homemade bug catching kits, or other science experiments, (make your ouw old fashioned camera, light prisums, borax/glue goop, just put the supplies in a shoebox and decorate.
For the little one, you could make a stuffed animal, a book of pictures of people who love him, or edible playdough.
I love this idea. I wish that my family would do this. Have fun.

My daughter and I once made a Doorway Puppet Theater. It was fun. You could make one or more of these for the kids and then give them a few homemade puppets. They can also use their stuffed animals as puppets. Then give them a box of scrap fabrics, socks, button eyes, yarn and fabric glue so they can make their own puppets.
Here are some examples and also the pattern information from Mccalls. If you do not sew, “sewing tape” is very easy to use. Here are some links.

http://www.doorwaytheaters.com/tag/doorway-puppet-theater/
Already made to give you an idea

. It's a McCall's Pattern #4796.

http://www.comfortkraft.com/index.php?cPath=400010_400015...

Go to www.familyfun.com. They have a ton of craft ideas for every age. I love this magazine and website. I always use this site even with my two year old. We have a craft day each week and this is my main source of ideas. Merry Christmas!

I made super hero capes for my 3 nephews--ages 4, 3, and 2...it is easy. I left them in Fort Worth--but can send a picture on Monday--as I am going back this weekend.

Try Hobby Lobby, Garden Ridge or Michaels in the craft section.

definately do the easy tie fleece blankets. they are the best and easiest to make. you can do one to suit every persons personality!

My boys are now 25 and 23, both married, yet still have in their closets a homemade gift that their aunt gave them as preschoolers-- it's a simple metal bucket with a handle that she got at a hardware store. She painted their name on it and glued their picture on it. They both felt their bucket was too special for dirt or seashells. It always had a special place in their room, holding hot wheel cars, odd socks, graduation cards, etc. These probably didn't even take 10 minutes to make, but have held a lifetime of memories. The same aunt personalized a "treasure chest" for my daughter when she was a preschooler and she still uses it today at age 20. This is a trunk with a lock (I've seen them at Target, WalMart, Academy). She just painted her name all over it in different colors. This trunk originally held "dress up" clothes, but now holds her special treasures-- the quilt she and I made together,her beanie babies collection, the cabbage patch doll her grandad bought her, etc. Again, this probably didn't even take 10 minutes to make, but literally holds a lifetime of memories.

why don't you bake them some sugar free brownies or cookies, of course no nuts. Maybe Christmas shaped cookies. I really cannot think of any thing to make for a child that small except maybe a blanket. That's the extent of my ideas, I have 6 grandkids so I know what u r going through. Be blessed and Merry Christmas. L.S.

Have them make a ginger bread house there are kit's our there this would be a big treat and would take time and effort along with the reward being that they could eat it later. After pictures are made to save for when they are older. If you do not want to spend the money on the kit's go on line to get instructions on how to make a cookie house there are bound to be some out there. I make them with the kid's from Church every year and they always look forward each year to do them. They older Kids (mom' and dad's get involved also)

Orientaltradingco.com has great inexpensive crafts for all ages. You can make Xmas card holders, napkin ring holders, ornamments, etc for $5 or less for a doz.crafts.
Plus gift jars for the holidays is also fun and inexpensive. We made cinammon pancake mix for our friends this year and the kids helped out the ingredients in each jar and label them too.

Making gifts for kids, that's more of a challenge.

Fleece fabric is great- cheap, easy, lots of design choices. The tie blankets are a hit, and only take a little time and no sewing. Matching hats and scarfs are easy also, not real needed in Texas though.

I like the Family Fun magazine web site for ideas. They had a fleece hat there, very simple. They also had an idea for soaps with toys inside.

T- shirts you can print yourself with a funny saying for older ones, or pictures of the child or cousins together.

Coupons for a play date later on.

I like the baby books you add pictures to- child proof for the one year old- they say "Who Loves Baby", just add family pictures, it may be cheating.

Put together a craft kit for them to do. A wooden box and paints, or their name in wooden letters for them to paint.

Good luck, sounds like an interesting exchange idea. I would love to know what you and everyone else comes up with.

Hi H O,
there are great craft books and magizines out there try that
good luck L.

I don't have pictures but my grandmother made purses out of old jeans one year. Basically cut them off and sewed the bottom then put a bandana through the loops and put some jewels by the pockets. For the boys I'm not sure. Boys are usually all about planes or cars. Good Luck