16 do it your self gifts

1. Almost everyone loves homemade truffles, says Mo. “My husband and I made them last year, and they were a big hit. I had no idea how easy to make they were, and we covered them with different kinds of crushed nuts and such. It was really fun! We then went and bought blank little white boxes and I decorated them with just some wrapping paper (glued) and ribbon. I think all together, we made about 15 boxes of truffles (9 truffles each box) for under $30. And we used good chocolate to boot!” Upside? Yum! Downside? They should be made only a short time before giving, and eaten soon after. If you’ve never made truffles before, try this recipe from Alton Brown.

2. JM has a great suggestion, one that many of you may have already seen: “[My mom] gives some people unbaked, made-from-scratch cookie kits. Basically she gets most of the dry ingredients to her favorite cookie recipes together, along with a mason jar, a note card, and some ‘country’ style ribbons. She then layers all the dry ingredients in the mason jar, screws on the lid and prints the recipe on the notecard in an old-fashiony looking font, and then ties it to the jar with the ribbon. The result is cool looking, because the ingredients are layered in the jar.”

3. Create a secret hollow book. Find a cheap musty old classic at your nearby Goodwill or used bookstore. Glue the pages together, use an X-Acto knife to hollow out the center of the book. Now the recipient can store his treasures!
for more go to http://how2dostuff.blogspot.com/2006/02/how-to-make-secret-hollow-book.html

4. Martha Stewart has a great idea: create a recipe booklet containing a collection of your favorite holiday recipes, and then include it with a small assortment of samples. “Pass your culinary traditions on to your friends.”

5. Live in a cold climate? Give your friends the gift of warmth with a homemade hand warmer. If you know how to make a beanbag, you know how to make a hand warmer. Use wool or cashmere or felt material, but instead of filling the bags with beans, fill them with ceramic pie weights. To use these toasty treasures, simply microwave them for a couple of minutes and then slip them in your pockets.

or allis idea of the day =] make a neck warmer with a cute pair of socks!

6. It’s difficult to go wrong with themed gift baskets. Did you can your own pasta sauce over the summer? Use a colander for a basket, add some garlic bulbs, gourmet noodles, and a wooden spoon — a little taste of Italy. Or consider a breakfast basket. Or a breakfast basket (syrup and pancake mix), a movie basket (popcorn, candy, and a movie rental coupon), or a gardening basket (a trowel, a gardening hat, and some packets of seeds).

7. If you’re artistic, GRS-reader Beck suggests giving memory drawings: “Draw a very simple black-and-white picture of a memory that you have of you and the person (e.g. me and my dad playing NES back in the day). This could be a very simple (think Shel Silverstein) drawing. Frame it and gift. The great thing about this (besides being cheap) is that you can give it multiple times to the same person. They will have a growing collection of ‘memory drawings’ from you.” Beck reports this gift is very well received by family members.

8. Elizabeth has another artistic idea, one that was very popular with readers when she suggested it: “I’m a graphic designer, so this year I’m creating a booklet that Photoshops my 6-year-old nephew onto cheap stock photos of world landmarks, such as the Great Wall, so it looks like he’s traveled the world.” This home-made travel brochure is perfect for adventurous young minds. (Come to think of it, I think one of those would be fun for me — and I’m no longer young…)

9. Give the gift of experience. The Gift Weblog suggests, “There’s nothing like giving someone the gift of experience, it is something they will always remember.” Sample gifts of experience: sky diving, scuba lessons, hot-air balloon rides, cooking school, lunch with a hero, etc.

10. What could be cuter than a stuffed pig? This project from Martha Stewart allows those who are handy with needlework to assemble an adorable, docile pet from felted wool, a pipe cleaner, and some cotton or polyester fill. (Crafty Daisies has instructions for making a felt penguin, and Expert Village has a video series demonstrating how to make stuffed animals.)

11. Build a gingerbread house. Or ten. Give them to the little kids (and the big kids) in your life. Lifehacker diva Gina Trapani has a photoset demonstrating how she put together a gingerbread house from a kit. If you bake, you can certainly build a better house from scratch. Your nieces and nephews will thank you. (And so will your brother-in-law!)

12. In the GRS discussion forums, Brad suggested giving the gift of time or skill. Brad has given music lessons. He has colleagues who have given bike tune-ups and wine advice. What skills do you have? Can you help somebody set up a blog? Plant a garden? Learn to change the oil in their car?

13. Every year, Kris looks forward to the gift from my cousin Nick. He makes her a batch of home-made almond roca. I can’t stand the stuff, but Kris eats it up. She’s in heaven for days afterward! Here’s one recipe.

14. One Christmas when I was a poor college student, I leafed through children’s books at the library, looking for pages and pictures that reminded me of various friends. I photocopied these pages, colored them by hand, and then framed them with construction paper. I added a little note to each friend on the back of her piece. I spent maybe $10 total for all my gifts, though it took hours of my time. That was perfect: In college, I had plenty of time, but very little money, and making these things felt like an act of love. But giving somebody a CD I bought from Amazon? Not so much.

15. At AskMetafilter, LadyBonita suggests making personalized calendars: “You can buy calendar blanks or use a template from a program; add pictures of things or people meaningful to the recipient; add in important dates (birthdays and anniversaries of family & friends); and maybe a special note or quote every once in a while. For parents/students you can add in the school schedule; for homeowners you can add in a home maintenance schedule; etc. for sports fans, astrology followers, on & on. To make them extra special I sometimes add little treats - a couple dollars taped to a summer date for an ice-cream treat; a coupon for free babysitting on a weekend; video & popcorn night, etc.”

16. Here’s another great idea from Martha Stewart: create one of several dime-store games. My grandparents had several of these modest toys when I was a boy, and they could keep me entertained for hours. The Martha Stewart site has instructions for creating six different games, toys, and puzzles.

fun gifts for under $5!!!

1. http://www.designergifts.com/gifts-under-5.html

2. http://www.changingthepresent.org/gifts/specialty/five_dollar_gifts

3. http://www.fashionjewelryforeveryone.com/SortedPriceUnder5LowHigh1.html

4. http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5801751

5. http://indiefixx.com/2008/11/10/handmade-holiday-2008-recession-guide-gifts-under-5/

some budgeting helpers

http://www.betterbudgeting.com/homemadegifts.htm

or

Holiday Gift List - Printable Worksheet

Holiday Spending - Printable Worksheet

a amazin website

http://www.rethinkingchristmas.com/

These cookie mixes in mason jars will be a big hit with everyone!

Follow the steps below to make your own Cookies in a Jar. Gather the basic supplies, pick a recipe and fill your jar and then use my suggestions or your own ideas to embellish your jars.

These cookie mixes complete with recipe gift tag were loved by everyone on our gift giving list! Be creative when you make your jars, and add your own finishing touches!
Gathering Supplies

* Quart Size Canning Jars with Lids
* Scrap Fabric
* Ribbon
* Glue
* Paper
* Recipe and Required Ingredients (below)

Filling the Jar

1. Thoroughly wash and dry the jars and lids.
2. Pick a recipe from below and gather your ingredients.
3. Using the instructions and tips from the recipe you choose and fill the jar!

* Chocolate Cookies
* Decorative Brownies
* Deluxe Candy Cookies
* Hot Homemade Cookies
* M & M Cookies
* Oatmeal Plus Cookies

Decorating the Jar

1. Fabric: Cut a circle out of the fabric that is 6 - 8 inches across. (I traced around the top of a bowl!) Place the round section of the jar's lid on the jar and center the fabric on that. Screw the other section of the lid in place to hold the fabric. Fluff out the fabric where it comes out from under the lid.


2. Recipe: Print out your choice of the printable recipe card/gift tag that goes with the recipe you chose. Trim closely around the recipe and graphic. Put a small piece of scotch tape on the upper right-hand section of the 'Printable Gift Tag' recipe (right behind the top edge of the graphic). This is to give it a little extra strength. Use a hole puncher and make a small hole in the taped corner.


3. Ribbon: Cut an approximate 3 foot piece of ribbon. I actually used 2 pieces of ribbon with colors that matched the fabric. Thread the ribbon through the hole in the 'Printable Gift Tag' recipe. Wrap the ribbon around the metal of the jar lid and tie it into a bow. Secure in place with a small dab of glue behind the bow and in the back.

Source - http://familycrafts.about.com/cs/giftsinajar/a/122099a.htm

How to Make a Scrapbooking Gift Basket

This is a great gift for scrapbookers.

Include the basics of what they'll need to create a family memory book - an album, papers and embellishments, markers, a glue stick.

Include a disposable camera for each child in the family in the basket so that their memories in the making can be captured through their eyes.

You can even include a few photos of the family that you already have to help them get started.

i got this idea from learnhowtomakeit.com

How to Make a Movie-Lovers Gift Basket

Movie Popcorn Photo

Fill a basket with classic movie theater snacks, like Junior Mints and Raisinettes.

Include family-friendly DVDs.

You can also include movie passes to your favorite movie theater with a printout of the movies currently playing. If your gift recipient is excited about a certain movie, then circle that one in the listing in red!

Or how about a movie poster?

Don't forget the microwaveable popcorn.

i got this idea from learnhowtomakeit.com