what is your cheapest gift idea?

**favesis37** · 10-31-2005, 08:48 AM

even if they are homemade they cost something. what is your cheapest gift idea that you will be giving this year? mine is the stationary sets i got clearanced for .25 at shopko. they only had 3 but i have 3 neices that will get them! any one else?

**pkellyc** · 10-31-2005, 12:18 PM

My sister in law gave me a mop type angel one year for Christmas that she bought at a craft fair. I always liked that angel and I decided to make my own to give as a little extra. Well I went to the fabric store and bought some crochet string to make them with. I didn't like the way it worked, the angels were just too thin looking. I started digging around my house and found this big spool of houehold string that I have had for years. I made one and it worked out perfectly. A little on the rustic side but I like it better than the original. Marbles are used to form the head and I have some that have been rolling around for years. A trip to my crafting tub has netted me embellishments. A trip to the dollar store bought me wire edged ribbon that I can make 2 or 3 sets of wings out of.

So depending on the size I make them it's costing me .25 for smaller ones and .50 for larger angels. I think this could be the cheapest gift I have ever given.

**favesis37** · 10-31-2005, 12:26 PM

they sound real cute, can you post a picture of one?

**sunshine** · 10-31-2005, 02:17 PM

I'm giving various mixes (single servings) in decorated spoons.

I buy my ingredients in bulk, buy the spoons at The Factory Card outlet, and the decorations vary. . ... . most I got at yard sales, or from freecycle.

Each one is costing me from .10- .50 to make.

**tnmimzie** · 10-31-2005, 02:31 PM

Last Christmas I was really stumped on what to give my friend since I really didn't want to spend any money. Then, as I was flipping through a magazine I saw an ad for a company that sold boxes with bits of vintage ribbon, buttons, papers and other flea market findings. The boxes were based off a single color (in this case red). It looked gorgeous, but was pretty expensive.

I started digging through my craft supplies, and created a similar box out of project leftovers. It had several types of burgundy ribbon, old buttons, dried flowers and orange peels, small pieces of scrapbook and mulberry paper, and all sorts of other odds and ends. It turned out great, and didn't cost a dime.

**hollyhill** · 10-31-2005, 03:15 PM

I made Dried Hydrangea Wreaths one year. I hot glued the hydrangeas onto homemade grapevine wreaths. I used rafia for ribbons. I got the rafia for $1 for a bagof it. My only cost was for glue sticks (for Hot Gun) and the little bit for rafia.

**staceyy** · 10-31-2005, 03:30 PM

Set of 4 ($1.00 each) Martha Stewart placemats from Kmart with 4 mugs and napkins.

**staceyy** · 10-31-2005, 03:45 PM

I thought of a few other gifts I am getting that are inexpensive: 5 pair of underwear from Victoria's Secret for $25, a set of nail polishes and decorative socks I found at a shop that sells nothing but socks (3 for $15).

**Sara Noel** · 10-31-2005, 04:00 PM

my candy wreath from last yr was pretty inexpensive. Just hard candies on a wire hanger with some ribbon. I added a dollar store gingerbread guy to it.

**favesis37** · 10-31-2005, 04:06 PM

every one has great ideas, i love the candy wreath and the vintage box. what neat ideas.

**pita1213** · 10-31-2005, 04:26 PM

handprint ornaments of the kids' handprints. i used scarpbooking paper my mom gave to me eons ago and traced their hands on it. the only thing they cost me were some scrapbooking sticky dots, and i'm not even sure if i bought them or if my mom did. i used one color of paper for one side and a second color for the backside, so i needed to gue them together and used the dots for that. the stickers i used to embleish them were from last year's christmas gift from my mom.
the ribbon i'll use to make hangers for them were from my aunt. she sent a bag of curling ribbon to me one fall.

if i ever get the handprint wreath together, the only thing that they will cost me is whatever i use to form the circle to glue them on. construction paper was leftover from years back when my mom brought the kids a hugh box of construction paper she found when cleaning her craft room.

**favesis37** · 10-31-2005, 04:27 PM

i love that idea!

**pita1213** · 10-31-2005, 04:36 PM

i've done handprint magnets before too. the only thing i had to go buy were the magnets and i think i just bought a roll of the magnet tape.
trace the kid's hand then tracr out of paper. then cover with contact paper and attach the magnet.
label with the child's name and the year before putting ont eh contact paper. i still have these on my fridge. grandparents really like these.

**Scattymum** · 11-01-2005, 03:54 AM

the cheapest things I've made this year are notebooks. I buy a blank hard covered notebook for 0.49 Euro and then cover and decorate, I also add the name of the person I'm giving it too on the front

the paper its covered with and the paper embellishments are made from bits of paper I have in my craft box