Homemade Christmas Gifts

Homemade Christmas gifts help you to take some of the busy bustle out of your holiday.

A homemade gift can be the best kind of gift. I know there are those that scoff, remembering the misshapen clay ash tray given to the non-smoker or the odd lumps of twine and duct tape whose purpose remains a mystery. The fact still remains that a lot of love goes into the creation of a homemade gift, and with a little planning these gifts don't have to find their whole value in the thought.

Forge onward and discover the simple homemade gifts you don't have to be Martha Stewart to create. We even make it simple by providing a unique and easy homemade gift idea for every person on your list! You can consider that our holiday gift to you.

Homemade Christmas Gift for Baby

A buckle and button bow: This is a quick and easy project that babies love! Just one word of caution before the instructions: Babies do love this toy, but they also love to put things in their mouths. To be certain this does not become a choking hazard use very sturdy water resistant thread and choose objects which are large.

Items needed: 1 yard of 3-4 inch thick sturdy ribbon or a strip of fabric sewn and turned to make a 3-4 inch think strip one yard long; large buttons, jingle bells, ribbons and other interesting objects; needle and thread.

Assembly is easy! Just take your strip of ribbon or fabric along with your needle, Thread and pretty objects and sew them to the strip. It works best if all the buttons, ribbons and bells are on the same side. To add more challenge and interest add fringe in short 3 inch pieces along one side. You can sew ribbons on at the mid point only so your child can practice tying and untying bows as they grow. Add a button hole to one end of the fabric strip so they can button and unbutton. Use a grommet to add a few grommets, the holes they make will keep little fingers busy and provide opportunities for peek-a-boo play. Include a few snaps for yet another element of play.

Other easy gift ideas for baby include: Quiet time books or blocks (your hardware store will cut them for you if you don't have the proper tools at home.)


Handmade Fleece Blanket

Directions:

Get 2 different patterns of fleece the same size (small enough for baby).

Cut slits about 2 inches in and 1 inch apart from one another all the way around the edges and then knot each slit to the other piece. It creates a seam with no sewing and they're cute and warm.

Homemade Christmas Gifts for 3-5 Year Olds

Kids love stickers! Take a stroll through your local craft or office supply store and you should find several programs or papers created for the sole purpose of teaching you how to make your own stickers! This is great fun. You can use photos of your child, favorite cartoon or movie characters, scan some of your child's art work into the computer and use it! This gift is easy in all the most important areas: cost, creation and enjoyment.

Other homemade christmas gifts ideas for children: Sock puppets or puzzles (Remember that stroll through the craft store? Some where near the sticker creation stuff you will find the puzzle creation stuff.)


Make a Kids Craft Basket

Fill a plastic crate or box with:

colored paper
crayons
stickers
pipe cleaners
buttons
pom-poms
white glue  or glue stick
safety scissors
wooden shapes
wobbly eyes
kid sized craft apron (recycle one of dads shirts)
sparkles

Farmhand Puppets

Supplies:

Felt
Old glove
Glue

Directions:

Cut 5 felt circles. Place an old glove palm side up.

Glue felt circle to each finger tip. Cut felt pieces to make animals faces.

Glue them to felt circles. Let glue dry. Then put your hand inside glove and make your own puppet play.

Homemade Playdough

Ingredients:

1 c. flour
1/2 c. salt
1 c. water
1 tbsp. oil
2 tsp. cream of tartar
Food coloring by drops

Directions:

Place contents in a pan and stir. Cook over low heat, stirring until a ball forms.

Add food coloring and mix thoroughly until desired color. Cool on foil. Store in covered container. 




Soap Crayons

Supplies:

One ice cube tray
Liquid food color
2 tbsp. hot water for each crayon
1 c. soap flakes
Small bowl
Spoon

Directions:

For each color, put two tablespoons of hot water and one cup of soap flakes into a bowl.

Add as many drops of food color to the mixture as you wish.  Stir the soap mixture until it thickens. This takes time, so be patient!

Press spoonfuls of the first color of soap into the sections of the ice tray.

Mix enough soap in other colors to fill the ice tray, following the above directions again.

Let the soap crayons dry for one or two days. Gently bang the ice tray to loosen the crayons.

Pack them in a box for gift-giving.