(a favorite photo from last year's Christmas traditions.)
Day Two: handmade gifts
Oh! My favorite subject! Now, I will just get you started with some inspiration, and you can take it from there.
Let me first say this: I tend to give gits to the people I really like. I know these people would not want me to stress, have cranky feelings, or spend beyond my means in order to impress them. I think they would prefer a token of my love, in the form of something simple and maybe handmade. It need not be perfect, just thoughtful. Whew.
Some of these ideas can be created with supplies you already have around the house. I seem to own every craft supply known to man, so I am pretty well set to make anything. Look through your supplies, see what you have, and go from there. I'm sure you have things on hand to make a few gifts without even leaving the house!
Hey! Martha totally stole my workshop idea! Which I totally stole from Jessica Sprague. :) Or maybe Martha didn't steal it, because it looks like she had a Halloween workshop too. I am just slow. Me and Martha think alike, ha. Anyway, to sign up for her free workshop, go here. She will tell you to buy the 'best quality' this-and-that you can get, I will tell you to use the store brand with a coupon. It all works out, I am sure she has an idea or two. Probably. On with the ideas...
1) Among my favorite gift to give - stationary and notecards. Use all your scrapbooking bits and pieces to create a sweet little stack of cards. Tie them up with a ribbon, and voila! If you are digitally talented, you can create custom stationary and cards on any publishing software. Just add cardstock, print, and again, quick, simple, useful gift! Want to take it a step further, you could sew this gratitude wrap from Soule Mama. Now that would be the best gift!
2). Free printables. This is my very favorite this year. It doesn't get much simpler! Search around online for FREE PRINTABLES. You'll be surprised how much you can come up with. All you'll need is paper and a printer, and you can make tons of gifts.
For example, how about a stack of recipe cards tied up with raffia? (This one is cute. This one is fun.). To spruce it up, add a dishtowel or bamboo mixing spoon. It would be a creative gift for someone that likes to cook, for under $3. I don't hink that's cheap, I think it is is living within your means, and thoughtful, if given to the right person! You could even add a few of your favorite recipes, too.
For a book lover, try Black Apple's free printable bookplates. They are darling! You could add a bookmark, a gift certificate to the used book store, or leave them as is. With a ribbon. (See a pattern here?)
For a scrapbooker - how about finding a few different printables to make unique journaling cards or embellishments. Put it together with a glue stick, and, they will be impressed! (Oh! This is perfect!) I'm sure you can find many more, too.
For someone who is organized... Oh! Perhaps even better for someone who is not! - How about printing them some meal planner templates, like this sweet one at Future Girl. Or to-do lists, or calendars, ...you can find lots of ideas like this. And....tie it up with a ribbon. :)
3). Just plain craftiness - pretty much anything at Martha can fit the bill for this, but I came across a few very inexpensive, but still lovely, not too over the top ideas. Like this bracelet - simple! These hairclips made from a bobby pin and a button for little girls - what, 10 cents? And so darling! Can you macrame? I am a 70's kid - I can macrame quite well, thank you. It's all in the pinning-to-the-board technique. But you could make this adorable little bracelet! I know it is adorable, because two years ago my auntie made me one, and I love it! She used cream cording and a mother of pearl button, so classy! (Oh, but I wouldn't buy any fancy Martha supplies - pin it to the couch or your jeans instead of a foam board, and seal it with clear nail polish. Save your money for chocolate and such.) So, for more ideas like that, search around MarthaStewart.com, and you can even search by craft technique, like crochet or scrapbooking, or beading. Tons of ideas there, weed through for the inexpensive ones.
4.) My friend reminded me of this the other day, and I love it. Men can be hard to find inexpensive gifts for. For men in your family that live close-by, how about a dessert-of-the-month that you make them for six months, or a plate of cookies each month? I think my husband would appreciate hot wings-of-the-month, to be honest. Fancy, no?
Let's call this Part One. I am sure with a little more time, I can come up with plenty more ideas. :) Oh, I can feel you all switching over to the Martha workshop already. I'll add more, I promise!
Do any of these ideas help anyone?
