What are good ideas for homemade holiday gifts?

I am pretty broke, but am still going to need to have Christmas/Hannukah gifts for family and friends. I know it's awhile off, but I'm a planner!





What homemade gifts have you given/received and loved, or simply think would be good to give or receive?

What are good ideas for homemade holiday gifts?
Homemade Vouchers - you could give vouchers for everyday tasks that you will then go and do whenever they want them done. i.e. This Voucher entitles you to one Car Wash or one lawn mow etc.





You could also make some homemade mince pies or brandy sauce and give those as gifts as well.





Another alternative and inexpensive gift would be a letter from santa detailing wonderful things that have happened during the year - it would make a great keepsake or an Aussie Bad Santa letter for the adult with everything.
Reply:baked goods, or you could make up some of those little jars with all the ingriedents to make something and tie the recipe onto it with a pretty bow, those are really cute, um....if you are good with a sewing machine you could make homemade sweaters or hats or scarfs, etc. you could make little paintings, or just write them a heartwarming poem and make it into a card or something. i hope these ideas helped out some.
Reply:If your looking for a cheap but meaningful idea while I was in college I put together an album of pictures for my mother of the two of us through the years. A friend of mine did this for her grandparents and they loved it. I would suggest scanning and printing the pictures which can take some time but it is well worth it. If you don't want to do an album you can always find a nice shot an frame it for the people you love.





Another idea would be to make candy or fudge everyone loves sweets and the time you put into the gift is what they will remember.





Last idea would be to plan a day together...sometimes time is the best gift especially if you've been either away at school or just busy with school. Plan a day doing something you all love.
Reply:moonshine
Reply:Each year I give Gingerbread houses as gifts, to buy they are start at $25 for a basic one and upwards but to make they probably cost around $5AU. Recipients love getting them, I get requests each year. Not just houses either, last year my husband made up a gingerbread igloo, cutting the bricks from a slab of gingerbread and building it up over an upturned bowl, using royal icing as glue, turned out great and took less gingerbread than a house. I've even made a dunny (outhouse).





Other baked goods are an option, cookies, brownies or anything that takes your fancy.





Making jewellery can be as cheap or as expensive as you want it. You do need some tools but often they can be picked up inexpensively. Tools needed are pliers - round nose for turning nice round loops are a must, wire cutter and pointed nose pliers. You should be able to get a cheap set - I got mine for $10AU.





I like giving and receiving Christmas decorations. I usually make the ones I give. I've given wreaths, runners, coat hanger trees, tablecloths - list goes on.
Reply:You can buy inexpensive jewelry making kits %26amp; make jewelry or key chains, I do . You could also buy picture frames from the $ store or make a card and decorate them and put a photo of you and your family in it. I've received both from folks and I love them. If you have several people in one family you can make a nice theme basket like 'movie night'. Put in microwave popcorn, fun size candy, instant hot chocolate and a DVD they'd like. Have fun with whatever you do.
Reply:make collages of your favorite pictures. or scrapbooks and photo albums. i bought a plain unfinished wooden serving tray and paited it black and i had a friend of mine take pictures of my brother and me and im put the pictures in the bottom of tray and put apoxy on top so the pictures dont come off or anything...and you have a personalized serving tray. or, it may kindergarden-ish, but take the tops of like jelly jars and cut out your favorite pictures and glue them in the top and decorate the outside and the edge with ribbon and cut two hole in the top (its a little tough but do-able) and string a ribbon or regualr string through the holes and tie it and youve made an ornament for the christmas tree...or you could make chocolate covered pretzels (or something else) and put them in a christmas goody bags and put them in nice decorated boxes which then they are protected and you dont have to wrap them or worry about them spilling. and you could alo save the old jelly jars and the lids and make the mix (only the dry ingredients though!) of yours or their favorite cookies and put it in the jars. put the lid on top and with a nice ribbon tie the recipe to the jar so they can finish their cookies :)...hope they help!!
Reply:homemade Card
Reply:Depending on how old you are and the ages of your friends/family, you could make and bottle your own wine. I think you have enough time to do it now before Christmas. You can make your own labels as well.





Baked goods are always nice. You could also buy nice glass jars with hinged lids at a dollar store and then layer flour, sugar, chocolate chips, oats, etc. Then stick a label on the front that gives the directions and all they need to add is eggs and water. The layers of ingredients look really neat and you can find the directions to these online with a search.





Candles and soaps are easy to make as well. I made candles for gifts a few years ago and got all the materials from Michael's. I've also done homemade Christmas ornaments. Michael's website has lots of great ideas with the directions and materials so you just need to go to a craft store to get the materials.





Good luck! Great idea to start this early because it can take a while to make your own gifts.
Reply:Soap! I say this every time but it's SO cheap to do and everyone loves it. Melt and pour soap at any craft store will run about $12.00. Christmas shaped soap molds are about $3.00 for 12. Fragrance oils are about 3 to 6$ and you can get men's scented, kids scented and women's scented. You could probably make about 5 different scented types and shapes for 10 people (providing you gave them each 4 different soaps in a basket) for about $30.


To make the basket even better come up with an original cookie recipe and put them in little Christmas tins in the basket, too.
Reply:Mini personal scrapbooks

sandals church