Gift-giving is an art. The most important lesson is that homemade gifts are always better than store-bought, especially if you put time and effort into creating a truly valuable item. Don’t just slap these together. Take the time to make these gifts nice, and they will be gifts to be remembered for a long time.
Plant
A plant can seem boring, but add some special touches and it suddenly becomes really special. Being with nature is a great way to relax and cope with stress. Connecting to something of the earth is calming and refreshing. Include a well-written note saying so with this gift. Propagate your favorite plant from your home by taking a cutting of it. Do some research to pick the right plants and techniques. For a special touch, decorate a plain plant pot to go with their home decor.
Stationery & Envelopes
Make personalized stationery either from your computer or one at a time by hand. This could be an excellent project for kids. Include the envelopes and “Forever Stamps” on the envelopes for an extra special touch. Include the return address labels to really personalize this gift.
The Year You Were Born Book
Do some research to find the significant events from the person’s birth year. Type it all up, print it out, and have it bound at a copy store. Include the price of common items like gas, milk, and houses. This is a fun and creative gift that costs a lot of money at the store but can be easily made at home.
Personalized Crossword Puzzle
Download free software online to create personalized crossword puzzles. Save them, print them, and bind them. Get as creative as possible – from clues about relative or friends, to personal interests (like knitting, movies, books, etc) to truly test the individual’s knowledge. Make the choice of whether or not to include the answers (available to print as well with most software)
Dining and Takeout Book
Using a three-ring binder (one with the plastic slot in front so you can add a decorated cover), create tabbed sections for dining and takeout – as well as printed pages with fill-in spots for: place, location, pricing, and reviews. Fill some pages out to get the person started. This is a gift that will be around for a while. It’s much better than flipping through the yellow pages when trying to decide where to go to eat.
Coin Jar
Paint a fun jar (can be found at craft stores) and write the person’s hobby on the front with the word “money” after (shopping money, movie money, drinking money) as a fun coin jar.
Recipe Album
Buy a single-photo album that is spiral bound, can be flipped open, and can stand on its own (displaying the “picture”). These little albums make the best recipe books. Perfect for the 4x6 index cards, cooks can prop them up for easy access. The album pages are easy to wipe off and keep clean. Include favorite family recipes to start this recipe book.
Calendar with Everyone’s Birthdays and Anniversaries
Choose a homemade calendar or one from the store. Write in everyone’s birthday and anniversaries on the correct date. This may require some extra work in calling people to make sure the dates are accurate. Be sure to make a calendar for yourself as this is a great repeat gift year to year.
Cinnamon Toothpicks
For the toothpick lover, create homemade cinnamon toothpicks. Soak 500 the tips of toothpicks in a jar of 2 ounces of cinnamon bark oil. Close the jar and the oil will make its way up the toothpick overnight. Remove toothpicks and let them dry on a non-absorbent surface. The longer the person chews, the hotter it gets.
Gift-giving should be fun. Make it a great experience by giving something truly personal and unique.
For more gift ideas, check out:
Creative Gifts for Your Loved Ones
