Handmade Holiday Gift Ideas

With the tough economical situation this year, money for the holiday gifts is tight, but a popular solution to this dilemma is to make handmade presents. If you aren’t feeling crafty, or have no idea where to begin, you can find some fabulous handmade items for sale on sites like http://www.etsy.com. Etsy offers a variety of handmade gifts that will suite any budget. However, if you do want to try something crafty, here are a few ideas that are easy to make and won’t break the bank.

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HANDMADE CHRISTMAS ORNAMENT:

Ornament Stuffed With Gold Ribbon

Plain glass ornaments can be found at your local craft store. I got a box of 4 for $2. With a little time and a few simple embellishments, you can turn them into beautifully decorated ornaments that will make a perfect gift for a friend. The ornament in the picture above I made by stuffing it with gold ribbon and then I wrote Merry Christmas on it with a metallic god pen.

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HANDMADE GREETING CARD SET:

Variety Set of Handmade Cards

You can get a set of blank cards at almost any craft shop and personalize them with stamps, speciality paper or scrapbook items. I decided to make a set of cards to fit a few different occasions. I made a few happy birthday, get well, thank you, and congratulation cards that I plan to give as a gift set to a few of my family members.

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KIDS CRAFT BOX:

DABBLE Craft Box for Kids

This gift is perfect for a child, or even a novice crafter. Get a shoe box, or a pastry box and put a few uncompleted craft projects in the box. Just make sure you’ve included all the parts for the craft kit. For instance if you’re giving wooden projects to paint, include the brush and the paints. I created a few craft boxes (like the one pictured above) that I sold through Dabble Arts & Crafts. For $15 I have included a wooden frame, ornament, paints, brush, and fun dough.

OTHER CRAFTY IDEAS:

A DATE IN A BOX:

I gave this gift a few times and each time I do it a little bit differently and I try to cater it to the couple I am giving the gift to. It’s pretty simple, get a large shoe box, or a cake/pastry box (you can find a variety of boxes at Micheal’s for $1 or less). Decorate the outside of the box with decorative paper and the couple’s name. Inside the box, you can put all the items they will need for a romantic “date night”. Some ideas are: a bottle of wine, a blockbuster gift card, a bag of popcorn, dessert mix or chocolates, a massager, oils, basically anything that will fit in the box and can be used on a date!

COOKIE INGREDIENTS & RECIPE IN A JAR:

This crafty gift has been around forever, but I just love it because who doesn’t love cookies? You can usually find a set of empty mason jars at your grocery store, fill them with all the dry ingredients you’ll need to make your cookie recipe. Type up the recipe instructions and print it on decorative paper then glue it to the jar. Wrap a ribbon around the jar with a gift tag adn your done!

HAND-PAINTED WINE OR MARTINI GLASS:

I have seen a ton of these at small boutiques from Maryland to California and I decided to try some of my own. It’s an easy way to personalize a gift not just for Christmas, but also for bridal showers, birthday parties and more. I found the cheapest set of glasses at Linens N Things, or Bed Bath & Beyond because you’ll get more for you money. They cost about $12 for 12 glasses. However, you can buy a single glass at places like Home Goods, or Ross.

Once you’ve picked the glass you like, you then need to get special gel pens that will write on glass (at your local craft store of course). Have fun and decorate the glass with the recipient’s name, the event, flowers, etc.. To set the paint, you will usually have to bake the glass for about 10 minutes or so after you decorate it (the instructions on the pens will tell you if you need to do this or not). If you’ve decorated a martini glass, it’s neat to also attach a favorite martini recipe to the glass with a special tag.

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There you have it, a few simple crafty ideas to use for gift giving this holiday season. Hope you enjoy making your handmade gifts and have a happy holiday season!

-Jeni

Dabble Arts & Crafts

http://www.dabblearts.com

In the works for July

I have a few things that I am working on for future posts. Here is a glimpse for what’s to come…

 I am tired of these boring white curtains. They no longer match the decor, so I am working on a way to change them up with some dye and some other techniques. I don’t like sewing, so this could get interesting…

 I am going to transform this ugly designer shoebox into a beatiful designer memory box.

This hideous frame has been sitting in our art room for over 3 years. Yes, really 3 years. My husband keeps saying he is going to frame one of his paintings with it, but I think I am going to turn it into a DABBLE project instead. Clearly the frame needs some work, but instead of putting a painting in it, I think I am going to turn it into a retro style mirror…. we’ll see how it turns out! To be continued…

Crafty Candleholder

I was at the $1 store and found these scouring pads. I was going to use them to distress paper for another project, but realized when I opened them that they were not rough enough. The material was really soft and pliable. I started pulling at it and thought it could work as an interesting cover for something…

I found a plain clear candleholder that I already had and it worked perfectly. I ended up with this really cool candle holder.

 

Here’s how you can do it to!

Supplies:

*Candleholder

*Scouring Pad/Sponge (I used a silver one from the $1 store, but the copper kind will work too)

 *School Glue

*Paint Brush

 

Supplies

 

 

Mix the glue with a little bit of water. Paint the glue all over the vase.

 

Stretch the scouring pad out so that you can get it over the vase. Pull it over the entire vase until you are happy with how it looks. 

 

Stretch the scouring pad.

 

 

Scouring pad stretched around the candle holder.

 

 

Let the glue dry (at least 2 hours). Although it takes awhile to dry, the school glue mixed with water is the best because it will dry relatively clear and not goopy looking. Then, put a candle in it and admire your work!

 

Candle holder complete

This craft cost me $1, because I already had the candleholder, the brush and the glue!

I’d love to know what you think! Leave a comment and let me know if you liked this craft. And, if you try it, send me a picture and let me see how yours turned out!

Butterfly Craft

Here’s another simple craft for kids using items you have around the house.

 

What you’ll need:

*Toilet Paper Roll

*White Construction Paper

*Scissors

*2 Pipe Cleaners

*School Glue

 

Butterfly Craft Supplies

Sketch out butterfly wings on the white paper (as pictured). Leave some space on one side of the paper (enough to cover the toilet paper roll). 

 

Draw Wings onto the Paper

Cut out the wings. This is a great time to let your little one color the wings (it easier to let them color the wings before you attach them to the roll). Allow them to color the strip of paper that will cover the roll too. Then, apply glue to the paper and roll the paper onto the toilet paper roll so that it is completely covered. (as pictured)

 

Cover the Toilet Paper Roll

Glue the wings to one side of the roll. Then glue (or tape) the pipe cleaners inside the tube allowing half of them to stick out as the antennas. 

 

Finished Butterfly

 That’s it! Your Dabble Butterfly is finished. 

 

*NOTE, I actually used this project in my art class for kids 3-7yrs. I let them use water color paper and paint and they had a great time. The finished butterflies were really colorful and had an interesting tie die effect to them.