Homemade gifts and crafts

[LoveLoveLovix]

Okay, so with Christmas coming up quickly (okay, and with the fact that I have Secret Sisters gift exchange tomorrow and am at a loss for ideas 😛), I was wondering what sort of homemade gifts you made for people? Do you knit stuff? Make those sweet smelling bags I totally can't remember the names of? String macaroni on thread and pour glitter all over it? :tongue3: Or are you one of those people who (gasp!) exclusively buys things?

I am a jewelry maker mostly, with a huge emphasis on beading and creating charms and pendants. I do it for stress relief mainly, so by the time the holiday season arrives, I'm fairly set. I do make a lot of personalized things though, especially now that I'm working with metals and plastics and it's much more customizable. I occasionally knit, but that's only in times of dire need. 😛

 

[sisterofmercy]

I'm really bad at art so usually it's just some sort of badly cooked baked good instead. I am thinking about maybe making some tealight jar things out of Nutella glasses and then painting them and personalising them.

 

[Chosen Enemy]

I don't make the sweet smelling bags you've mentioned, but I do make regular bags, or other things that are made by sewing, if it's not too much work (that's why bags are a perfect gift. Clothing items would take longer, so I prefer bags).

 

[brinkster130]

I love making homemade gifts! I'm pretty crafty and creative so I have a lot of fun with it. 🙂 Every year I make Christmas cards for all my friends and family that I mail out. I went through a knitting faze a few years ago and made tons of scarves and beanies; but I haven't knit since then.This year I am making these bracelets to give to a few of my girl friends as well. I get tons of DIY ideas/projects from blogs and pinterest.

 

[BananaBuffy]

I'm very bad at making stuff. But I'll make something for you for Christmas if you make something for me 😛 And of course we'll both make something for Zoe and everyone will be happy.

 

[zobothehobo]

I generally suck at making things... so if I make people stuff... it's a letter.

 

[Enemies]

The most I've ever made was my own Christmas Cards a few years ago. I was very chuffed with the results too. I love being craft-y but I just don't get the time anymore. My friend made some gorgeous christmas decs for an assignment in class they were beautiful. I find this website is very good for ideas. Next year it is my mission to learn to knit and knit myself a jumper 🙂

 

[Valjavertjinn]

Next year it is my mission to learn to knit and knit myself a jumper 🙂

I love knitting! I knit my ID lanyard into a really small potholder. 😀 I've knit scarves for holiday gifts before.

 

[white avenger]

One of the Christmas traditions with our family is the fig preserves that my wife makes every year. She makes, literally, hundreds of little half pint jars of the stuff and gives it to family members, the members of our church, the Habitat For Humanity group that she works with, and just about everyone else that we know.

I'm not as industrious as that, but I have made hiking staffs for all of our friends who enjoy the outdoors. Recently, I've been using bamboo, because it's very light, flexible, tremendously strong, and the hollow sections allow me to include little "survival kits" with each one.

 

[This Year's Girl]

I love making handmade gifts! Really shows that you care about the person when you have put all that time and effort in (not that bought gifts can't show that too).

Once I wrote a story that rimed about a friend and gave it to her in a nice little book I've made with pictures. I've also made those kind of friendship books that people (at least in sweden) fill out and is called "my friends" but with own made up questions. In the cases I've made these books I've also allready added a picture where your friends usually glue/draw a picture of themselves, so your friends can choose if they want to be for example a elephant or a cheeseburger. 🙂 I've also made a book for my husband once with the title "40 things I love about you" with 40 things I love about him listed and with pictures of us in.

When my friend turned 25 earlier this year me and my other friend recorded a song for her, where we had changed the words in a old hymn. The friend that I made it with is together with a guy that is a music teacher, so we just recorded it at his work, cost us nothing. Then we made a cover of the CD with a drawn picture of us and her. (The hymn is called "your hands is full of flowers" so we painted her with a boquet of flowers and our faces in two of the flowers 😀).

as less ambitious things I've filled little jars with candy and put labels on them like "superhero candy - eat one and get superstrenght!" and "good luck caramels - one of these will give you good luck all day!" and on a can of mints "enpowermints".

 

[Amethyst]

I enjoy crafty things but they always come out looking a bit naff lol 🙄 I did attempt knitting but unfortunatly, for some reason it never entered my mind that knitting with a hyper cat in the house would be a problem, obviously it was.... lol 🙄 I had to hide my wool when we went to bed but somehow he'd find it and when we got up the next day, the living room floor was kinda 'wooled over' lol Not good lol 😀

 

[PassionBecoming]

Make those sweet smelling bags I totally can't remember the names of?

Do you mean sachets? I don't make those. 🙂

I'm big into scrapbooking, so sometimes I'll make a mini-book for someone. I love to crochet, so if I have time I will make scarves or afghans for people. I also make small blankets for the cats at the animal shelter. I always bring a bunch of stuff there for Christmas. (Blankets, food, treats, toys, etc.)

 

[randiann]

I crochet and I bead. Mostly I bead jewelry but I'm about to embark on a gigantic project beading a cane. I gotta finish Christmas stuff before I can start that though! Here's one of my pieces, it's a beaded cuff bracelet inspired by traditional Choctaw dress design

 

[wickedtiger86]

I make wood burnings for people for Christmas, especially on years when money is tight.

So far I only have one planned and it's one of Buddha for my dad.

Am also thinking of doing one of Spike and Dru for one of my housemates.

 

[randiann]

[MENTION=10582]brinkster130[/MENTION] thank you! That big one is approximately 15-16 hours of work. Here's some others I've made

Bracelets

Earring

 

[Taake]

I will knit things for people - socks, scarves, sweaters, dresses etc... I love knitting so I love making stuff for others. I'll also make like earrings and bracelets etc 🙂

 

[Willow My Love]

I've crocheted pillows, knit scarves, even made some custom coasters once.

My mom's a lot craftier though. She made me a blanket that I adore. It's red and has Swarovski crystals all over the trim, and she made little knitted flowers for the corners. A lot of time went into that blanket. It's awesome. She also hand makes greeting cards for people, and cat toys. She made this little mouse recently that's just adorable.

I have another friend that paints. She made me a painting that I hang in my hallway.

 

[CrazyDru]

I have Absolut Vodka bottles that I change into Buffy-Demons. 🙂

If you want any photo's, you can ask me 🙂

 

[hazzard]

i love to knit! this christmas i'm knitting fingerless mittens, scarves, and coasters for people. i also love to make bracelets and necklaces and things out of coloured thread or beads.

 

[wickedtiger86]

I just started an embroidery project of "The Last Supper" for my in-laws for Christmas.

It's going to take FOREVER but I think it will look pretty awesome when it's done.


I love making presents for people. 😀