Homemade gifts and cards

**Shell** · 05-29-2004, 09:57 AM

I was just thinking how I have to cut back on gifts and cards. Do any of you make your own cards---even on the computer? Where do you go?

Who makes their own gifts and what do you make? I really think this could help me cut back some of my spending.

**homesteadmamma** · 05-29-2004, 11:48 AM

I make all our own gifts (dh helps of course) and I'm now making our own cards. We have a card program on our computer, but our printer is no longer working and there is no money in the budget for a new one. So I'm hand making them now with quilting material.

As to gifts I make:

~quilts
~quilt wall hangings
~pj's for the grandkids
~dh scrollsaws so he makes wall hangings, clocks, etc.
~gift baskets with homemade jam/jellies. This year I plan on making homemade cookie and soup mixes as well

Shell, with making homemade gifts, you have unlimited amount of things you can make. Probably the most successful of gift giving is the gift basket. There is just such a variety of neat things you can do with a gift basket.

I also watch very closely at yard sales. You can often pick up wonderful "like new" items. My aunt is great at this. She lives in Chilliwak and picks up perfume and soap. She makes the most wonderful gift baskets for friends. She also has them made up for when she has company stay over or come for a visit. I watch for ribbon and lace at yard sales at well and use it to decorate the baskets with.

Can't wait to hear what everyone else has to say.

**duckduckgoose007** · 05-29-2004, 12:43 PM

I make my own cards [have a card program] on the computer.

I am not so sure it is worth it anymore...they have beautiful cards at the $1 store for 50 cents each!

I don't make my gifts.

We used to have a grab bag type thing at Christmas.

We would all make a homemade ornament [just our family]

Maybe we should get back to this idea!

**pita1213** · 05-30-2004, 09:14 PM

i make gifts for certain people that i know will appreciate it. same with cards. my mother gave me a lot of her scrapbooking castoffs so i use those to make cards. for presents, i'll crochet or knit something. i made gift baskets of bath salts and such a couple of years ago. if i had more time in december, i'd bake a lot of gifts as well.
for my bil, i bake his cookies or brownies for christmas and his birthday because my sister doesn't bake for him much and he likes the treat of from scratch baked goods.

**Chea** · 05-30-2004, 09:42 PM

I no longer give cards to kids such as my ds's friends. I just don't think that the average 12 yr old really cares one bit about a b=day card. Am I alone in this thinking??

**ThriftyWife** · 05-30-2004, 10:09 PM

I have cut back on gift-giving drastically. We give to our children and a couple of close friends for birthdays. Pretty much the same at Christmas and I do baked goods for our neighbors. I have quite a stack of cards accumulated, I am always finding (at the thrift store) packages of pretty notecards that are blank inside - they seem to be all-purpose. I began cutting back a couple of years ago, I ducked out of the Christmas frenzy when I saw a friend who was broke stressing out and charging expensive gifts. I think we had our best Christmas ever...

**HOMEDEPOTDIVA** · 05-31-2004, 12:06 AM

I do try to make my own gifts- or atleast buy some on clearance and assemble them into gift baskets. I have a "gift cabinet" that I keep all my "finds" in.
As far as cards- I love to make my own, using rubber stamps. I have also given the homemade cards as gifts. It's really fun to personalize the card to fit the person.
The simpler the better. Just make the gift to fit the person you are giving it to.