Blogging About Gifts

Surf’s up! This handmade puzzle is somewhat intimidating and hard to handle, but can be manipulated and controlled with the right technique. The object is to remove the heavy ring. The solution requires multi-step sequences with close tolerances. More perseverance than luck is needed. I also got this puzzle for my family’s game room, and people love trying to solve this intimidating puzzle. Many think its almost impossible to solve, however, I have solved it before. This keeps kids and adults entertained for hours!

This is a very unique beetle ring – a vintage 18x13mm watch movement that is mounted to a great big beetle setting.

The solid brass ring band is adjustable. $45 at The Steampunk Trunk

41. Crosstitch A Heart Bookmark: This is an adorable bookmark and would make a wonderful gift for the book lover!

42. Coat Hanger Covers: These are sewn and you could make a set of them to give as a very practical and pretty gift.

43. Cell Phone Case: Sew your own so the options are endless!

44. American Girl Doll Dress: This pattern is for any 18 inch doll and is a drop waist dress. Lots of combinations are possible using this pattern.

45. DishTowel Angel: Really cute and only needs one dish towel, one dish cloth, and one potholder.

46. Make a Personalized Calendar: Free printable templates to make your own calendar for 2007.

47. Gingerbread Gifts: Love the smell of gingerbread! Here are several crafts which feature gingerbread. Patterns for gingerbread people, trees, and other shapes. Make a gingerbread garland too!

48. Beaded Napkin Rings: These are so cute and even though they are a “kid craft” I think anyone would enjoy receiving these as a gift.

49. Holly Jolly Cardinal Wall Hanging: This is a quilt project, and a little bit more advanced. However, it is a beautiful quilt and would make a very nice Christmas gift.

50. Vine Wall Hanging: This project looks to be simple but very nice with a country flair!

31. No Sew Quilt: This is really cute and I like the Christmas theme they have used. You could make this quilt with any theme though.

32. Make a Doll House Out Of Cardboard Box: Step by step directions to make a doll house using a simple cardboard box. Then check out the ideas for making doll house furniture.

33. Make A Kitchen Apron: A perfect gift for those who love to cook!

34. Create a Tie Dye T-Shirt: This looks to be a little bit messy but tie dye crafts are a hit.

35. Make An Advent Calendar: A gift to give as the Christmas season begins.

36. Fabric Ponchos: You could make a few in different colors.

37. Kitchen Towel Pillow Covers: What a great way to quickly and inexpensively make some really cut pillows.

38. Clay Pot Snowmen: These are so adorable and are really easy to make.

39. Homemade Beaded Candles: Look just like those really expensive ones in the store.

40. Make A Vest For Your Dog: This is a resizeable pattern, good for a poodle or lab!

21. Make A Friendship Bracelet: Great for teens or tweens. Get directions for how to make a friendship bracelet.

22. Christmas Pot Holder: Who wouldn’t love this adorable home made pot holder? You could make this in a non seasonal theme as well.

23. Folk Rag Doll: Great to give a little girl or for anyone who enjoys dolls.

24. Make Your Own Butterfly House: This is a great gift idea for some of the older kids. Directions are for making the house and for the food the butterfly needs.

25. Make a Kite: Even if it is not kite flying weather, a kite can be used as a decoration for a kid’s room!

26. Mr. Bean Style Teddy Bear: This is a knitting project and looks a bit harder for this non-knitter. I included it here in case any knitters want to do this. It is adorable!

27. Sock Monkey: These are priceless and they do not look too complicated to make. This is a sewing based craft and you’ll need a pair of men’s extra large white socks.

28. Washcloth Puppets: I love these! Directions are given how to make a cow, bunny, or bear. They are all cute and I would have a difficult time choosing which one to make.

29. Broomstick Skirt: These are really in style now. Would be a great gift to give a teen or for a teen to make.

30. Make a Classic Tote: Who doesn’t need a tote bag. Very versatile.

11. Decorative Dried Herbs In Oil: Make one of those fancy looking bottles!

12. Christmas Gifts From Your Kitchen: Some yummy recipes for delicious treats including Chocolate Billionaires (love the name); Swedish Nuts; Cinnamon Nut Mix; Mocha Walnuts; and Sugared Peanuts.

13. Make Your Own Garden Stepping Stones: We’ve done this for our yard but used the kits you buy at the store. I like this version better.

14. Personalized Towels: These do not require any sewing. You could use this technique to personalize almost any item.

15. Gifts In A Jar: There were just too many to choose from so here is the entire page. Many wonderful and easy gifts to make in a jar.

16. Fleece Blanket: Directions for how to make a no-sew snuggy fleece blanket.

17. Make An Altered Lunch Box: This is one of the newer craft techniques, using scrapbooking tools.

18. Craft Foam Christmas Ornaments: These are perfect to give as a gift or keep some for your own decorating

19. Make Gel Candles: Gel candles are very popular and a great gift idea. Here are the instructions so you can make your own.

20. No sew Sachet: Even the littlest kids can help to make this one.

Homemade gifts are wonderful, for the gift giver and the gift receiver. It makes the gift more personal and it’s easy on the wallet! I searched the web to find some of the best gifts to make. There are some wonderful craft projects in this list and I will be trying a few!

1. Homemade Holiday Ornaments: Lots of easy to do crafts. I especially like the picture ornaments and the baked clay snowman.

2. Create Your Own Heirloom Photo Ornament: This is just lovely, and definite on my list this year to make.

3. Make A Distressed Photo Frame: The distressed look is in, and would be a great gift for someone who enjoys that decor.

4. Make A Christmas Snow Globe: You could use this same technique to create a snow globe of any theme, not just for Christmas.

5. Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix In A Jar: Yum! A wonderful and simple gift to give.

6. Dog Biscuit Recipe: Can’t forget Fido. A great recipe for a yummy dog treat.

7. No Cook Food Gift Ideas: If you are short on time in the kitchen, here are some great gift ideas you can tie, wrap and basically just give.

8. Scented Potpourri: Recipes for Apple Spice, Regency Rose, and Summer Breeze.

9. Bead And Button Teacup: This teacup is for display purposes only, but it is a really cute craft that teens could make for teacher, mom, or grandma.

10. Make A Paper Bag Scrapbook: These scrapbooks are adorable and easy to make. You use paper bags as the album!

One wonderful gift to give another family member is a handmade family recipe book. This is a gift that can be handed down from generation to generation.

You can take all of your favorite family recipes and even some new recipes that you enjoy and just type them up on the computer, add a little clip art and print them out.

You can had them bound at a place suuch as Kinko’s if you want to go that extra mile. You can even include personal references in the recipes, like “we always had this on Sunday nights,” etc.

Great personal gift!

Photo calendars are an excellent choice if you’re looking to give a personalized gift.

You can take digital photo files to Kinko’s, Office Depot, etc and they’ll make a calendar up or you can buy a calendar kit from a scrapbook place & scrap each month with a special picture.

This is one gift that is loved by family members, especially those who you don’t see often.

This is fun and unique gift to give someone!  Put the main ingredients in a jar, attach the recipe to finish it, and decorate with fabric and ribbon.

Jar recipes and cookie in a jar mixes are a popular favorite when it comes to homemade food gifts. Quick, easy, fun and best of all – low cost!