Handmade Gifts - Help?

**mama.hawkins** · 09-15-2007, 08:17 PM

I'm hoping to make handmade gifts for most of the family this year, and I was hoping you all maybe had some suggestions.

If it helps, here are some general things that people in the family are into:
nature, photography, bears, good smelling bath products, cooking.

Thanks so much for any help!

**sunshine** · 09-15-2007, 10:13 PM

If you do a google search - you can find all sorts of bath and beauty recipes to make -- my dd loves chocolate lip gloss!

For the cook -- potholders, towels with tie toppers, aprons, book with family recipes ( include family pictures and ancedotes - scanned and copied letters are nice too)

For the photographer-- make up some picture frames . .. wood, plastic canvas , etc.

Not too sure on the nature lover one --- some pinecone fire starters if they have a fireplace?

**so68** · 09-16-2007, 10:42 AM

If they're into photography, they probably have lots of photos to show off - check the web for ideas on making your own frames. Years ago I made some of cardboard, and pretty floral material around that (stuffed with cotton), with lace trim around the frame. Got the idea out of a craft book but I'm sure the web would have lots of suggestions. As for the bath products, bath bombs are easy to make - a local soap making place here sells the kits (you can probably get them at any craft store too), easy to make, just dump the powders in a bowl, spritz with witch hazel, add any fruit/flowers/essence, plop in the container the kit supplies, and they are ready immediately. Wrap them up in nice decorated clear wrap tied with ribbon. Fairly cheap to make - the kit costs quite a bit, but you get quite a few bath bombs out of it. As for the nature lover, how about taking their photo in their favourite spot (or asking a relative for a photo), and making the frame for it? How about querying their favourite spot on the web to see what comes up? If something interesting, make up a small decorated binder or photo album of the photos/articles you find on the web.

**pita1213** · 09-16-2007, 08:55 PM

can you bake? you could make up a couple of batches of 2 or 3 different cookies and put them in a tin. i had a friend save me the powdered formula containers from babysitting her nephew. i have some christmas paper that i cut out the little motifs and glued to the outside of the containers. i will cover them with clear contact paper, then fill with cookies and give to my sils.
gift baskets with candy, popcorn, and movie rental gc's are good generic gifts that most ppl will like.

**booboo44** · 09-17-2007, 06:54 PM

well i have made pillow covers i crochet around the pillows ande afgans homemade pillow cases and pot olders and sewed towels to hang on the frige door and picture frames and even have given magazines subscriptions

**pkellyc** · 09-18-2007, 01:22 PM

Does the nature lover hike? If so how about crafting a walking stick? Free from the woods, a little whittling with a little varnish.
How about bird houses or feeders. Lots of instructions out there from super simple to the more complex.

I like this site lots of good ideas that might help you here.
http://organizedchristmas.net/index.php