A homemade Christmas is a great idea but it can be tough to think of things to make. Armed with this info, I spent quite a bit of time on blogs I love as well as sites that were new to me to compile the list below. I tried to include projects for all different abilities and skill levels. There is a link for almost every project below. So this isn’t just a list of ideas – it’s armed with the how-to. Even if you don’t find exactly what you were looking for I’m hoping this list of ideas will get your creativity flowing.
Packaging
The packaging can be part of the gift. Try some of these ideas!
A lined, zippered pouch – This is a very easy-to-follow sewing tutorial from Skip To My Lou. I have used this as my ‘wrapping paper’ for quite a few birthday presents too. She has a pleated pouch tutorial too for something even more girly-looking.
Homemade gift bags – There are several different varieties you can make. 2 benefits – 1) You aren’t spending money on something to throw away. 2) You aren’t creating waste.
Soft Sewn Basket - Fill this with whatever your heart desires. Found at Stardust Shoes. Look in the right sidebar of her site for the tutorial.
Gift Tags – Don’t buy them – make them! Here’s a fantastic list of printable ones at Bella Dia.
Storage Cube – from Crazy Mom Quilts. It even has a place for a label.
Ladies
Some nice gifts for her.
Spa Set – including homemade bath salts , a home-sewn eye mask from Sew Mo’, this sugar foot srub from petit elefant, a candle and a soothing music CD (that you burned from your computer!)
Buttercup Bag - from Made by Rae. I made one for summer but this adorable handbag could be customized with winter fabrics too.
Mohair Lace Scarf – found at the purl bee. This is a lovely knitted scarf.
Kitchen Bundle – Sew this oven mitt from Skip To My Lou, grab one of these apron patterns from Tipnut, add a few cookie cutters or a fun recipe and voila!
Bread Bundle – Use SouleMama’s idea and make a linen bread bag, bake a loaf of yummy bread and attach the recipe with ribbon.
Reversible Headband – from Curiositys. This would also be a sweet gift fora young girl.
Scrabble Tile Pendant - from Make and Takes. Toss this on a leather cord – love it.
Checkbook Cover – from Crazy Mom Quilts. Love this!
Flower Pin Cusion – from Tammy’s Times. This is an adorable take on a pin cushion. Get some flower-topped pins to go with it!
Rice Pillow – from Wise Craft. Something cozy for the winter. I made one a little while ago and I can’t imagine how I made it through all the previous winters without it!
Men
It’s tough to think of homemade things for men that aren’t girly. Here are a few things to consider …
Grill Set – I’m sure the grill utensils from last year will need replacing. Make this great Grill Tool Carrier from Curiositys to round out the gift.
Homemade BBQ Sauce – from Martha Stewart.
USB Batman Spotlight – from Instructables. I wasn’t sure whether I should put this under Kids or Men. Seriously – you can create your very own Batman spotlight. I know you’re dying to.
Photo Rubiks Cube – from Away To Me. This could be for a woman too. Inexpensive and personal – love it.
Laptop Sleeve – from Sew Mama Sew. OK, this could be for anyone too …
Golf Gift Basket – this is easily customizable according to the person and your budget.
A Year In The Making – from Fortuosity. This is the most beautiful idea. She took a day timer and filled it with pictures and memories from that year for her husband.
Fleece Blanket – There are plenty of new-sew versions to make too. You can buy fleece in a manly print (like camo) or with a favorite sports team logo.
Homemade Shaving Soap – pair this with some new razors!
Baseball Hat Organizer – with a new hat attached of course!
Homemade Hot Sauce – from All Recipes. Put it in a jar with a custom label and attach a basting brush with a piece of twine or leather cord.
Anyone
These ideas could be for men or women. Some are also good for a gift exchange.
Water Bottle Holder – from Curiositys. If you have someone outdoorsy on your list this is a great idea.
Felt Snowflakes – found at the purl bee. I sewed these last year and gave one to each family on my list. They are very pretty.
Cookies In A Jar – All dry ingredients to make a batch of cookies, layered beautifully in a jar.
Hats – from Head Huggers. Knit, crochet or sew a hat.
Keyboard Ornament – from Geek Ware. A great, original, co-worker gift. Make an ornament using the individual keys from an old computer keyboard.
IPod/Camera Cozy – from Sew Mama Sew. Is this someone’s big gift this year? Sew them something personal to package it in!
Homemade White Board – from Mish Mash. This can be personalized for anyone.
Frame a Wordle – Don’t know what a Wordle is? It’s a very cool word collage – go check it out.
Homemade Spice Box – from Mookie Moo. Consider spice themes for this gift. A good Christmasy one might be Allspice, Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg, Cloves.
Cozy Cocoa – Make a batch of this homemade hot cocoa mix from Food Network, add a bag of marshmallows (or the homemade ones in that recipe) and a couple mugs. You can find mugs at your local dollar store. Decorate them with permanent markers for extra fun!
Chocolate Dipped Pretzels – easy and SOOO yum. These can be packaged beautifully too!
Homemade Muffin Mix – paired with a new muffin tin of course!
Fleece Fringe Scarf – Quick, cute and cozy.
Etched Glass Casserole Dish – from Make It and Love It. This would be a great gift for a couple!
Kiddos
Think outside the big box store with these great homemade ideas.
Molly Monkey - from mmmcrafts. I just LOVE this adorable monkey. The tutorial is free and it is so darn cute.
Bean Bag Chair – from Stardust Shoes. Check in the right sidebar of her site for the tutorial.
Crayon Roll – from Skip To My Lou. These are pretty quick to whip up and SO handy. I made one for my daughter and it has been very useful.
Superhero Cape – from Puking Pastilles. For a boy or a girl!
Toy Car Carrier/Play Mat – from Mama’s A Mess.
Mini I-Spy Quilt – from Make and Takes.
Doll Clothes – It doesn’t take much material to whip these up and they really don’t have to be precise.
Kids Teepee Tent – from Sew Mama Sew. For a boy or a girl. Imagine finding all your presents inside this!
Homemade Crayons – from Blissfully Domestic. Pair these with a fun, new coloring book – or make your own from Chez Beeper Bebe!
Floor Pillow – Choose a kid-friendly print or a fleece to make a cozy spot for your kiddo to read or play games.
Sidewalk Chalk – This is probably a better gift for my southern friends. Chloe wouldn’t be able to use this until May!
Wooden Blocks – Don’t pay the steep price to purchase them. If you have the tools – ya know – a saw, then you can make them yourself. Personalize them with some paint!
Homemade Play Dough – This is such a hit in our house. Buy some seasonal cookie cutters to go along with it!
Why I do what I do ~ The other night, Chloe and I were singing opera in the bathroom, or I should say – our version of opera. Chloe stopped and said, “Mommy you have mud on your teeth.” It was after dinner and I hadn’t brushed my teeth yet so I assumed there was a spice or an herb on my tooth. I opened my mouth and looked in the mirror. I noticed the silver fillings in two of my molars. I explained that the dentist put that there to fix my teeth. She made a weird face at me and sort of brushed me off by saying, “You should clean them.” She was clearly grossed out. Maybe that means I won’t have trouble getting her to brush her teeth!
Have you liked Domestic Cents on Facebook yet?
{ 10 trackbacks }
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
What a great collection of ideas– Thank you!
Some other ideas would be to make your own spice/seasoning mixes for a cook, or simple salt soaks and sugar scrubs as a spa type gift. (And I just have to note, I love the Why I Do What I Do parts of your posts…so adorable!)
Lisa, you beat me to it… I also wanted to say how I enjoy your “Why I Do What I Do” sections… always make me smile as you capture so well the sweetness and comedy of everyday life with little people. Thanks for the list; I have a 9yo insatiable crafter in my house so this will provide more project ideas for her and I.
What a GREAT list!!!
.-= David´s last blog ..shearerd: : “Contentment makes poor men rich; discontentment makes rich men poor.” — Benjamin Franklin via @mytwodollars =-.
Wow, what a great list! Thanks for including me
I am unfortunately not as organized as you…I haven’t really even started to think about christmas gifts yet, but when I finally do, I can refer back to your list! Thanks so much!
.-= Kate´s last blog ..More Upholstery =-.
Nikki, Thanks for the shout-out on my post A Year in the Making. My husband loves the gift and it wasn’t that hard to do. I think I’ll do it again for our 10th Anniversay, to compare how things have changed/stayed the same.
Wonderful list!
.-= Andrea´s last blog ..A day off =-.
Such an inspiring list!! Not just for Christmas, but through the year as well!
.-= Elisa @ blissfulE´s last blog ..never too early… =-.
WOW! I was so surprised to see my blog on your list! Thank you so much for the recognition!
And thanks for creating such an awesome list! Can’t wait to go through all of them to find some fabulous projects!
After reading about you, I thought you just might be a kindred spirit. Then I read this post and I knew it was true! Thank you for doing all this research. I’ve just started visiting some of these sites and am thrilled with what I’m finding. It is my goal to make as many gifts as I can and you have given so many new ideas. I love your blog!
I love the Wordle thing! We did this for my Dad for Father’s Day.
We used the names of all his kids, grandkids, parents, grandparents, and great grandparents. I entered in the names multiple times to get his the largest and then his immediate family then the grandkids and grandparents. We printed out 4 different color schemes/arrangements and put them all in a really nice frame….letting him choose which one he liked the best to put on top. It was cool!
My teens like to do wordles of their favorite songs…ooh! just had a thought for them —Twilight…they love all things twilight so you could input passages and Wordle it…make a one of a kind to frame. Got to write that down before I forget!
I love the dry-cookie-ingredients gift. I think I’ll do that one for Miss D.’s teachers this year. Thanks for all the inspiration!
.-= Country-Fried Mama´s last blog ..Guilt trips: not as much fun as business trips, but at least there’s no packing required =-.
Living in Colorado, I found this site by following a link from Google. Glad I did. Nice topic, and great resource. Keep up the Excellent Work.