Top Ten Holiday Gifts for Christmas and How to Make Them Yourself
Here are top ten original gifts you can make for your mother, daughters, female teachers, nieces, best friends, and more:
1. A Purse for a Little Girl
If you have a young daughter that’s just itching to be a grown up, you can surprise her this Christmas with her own purse. Now that may sound like an odd present for a little girl, but it can be the highlight of her day! Just think how a purse that’s designed especially for her will make her feel like an adult!
First, you can actually make the purse if you are handy at knitting or crocheting. Otherwise, you can find a nice, girl-size purse at a local department store.
Then, round up the items that you’re going to put in it. Here are a few suggestions: small, sample lipstick; a small hairbrush or comb; a cute pen and a datebook; a fold up mirror or compact; a apcket of tissues; a change purse with some coins in it; an inexpensive ring or bracelet; an animal-shaped key ring; a toy that will fit in a small purse, like a yoyo or a game; sunglasses; and maybe even a toy cell phone so she can act like Mom!
And, finally, put some candy or gum in it to please the little girl side of her!
Place the contents in the purse, wrap it up, and place it under the tree.
2. A Memorable Gift for a Favorite Female Teacher
Teachers often get the same old gifts of knick knacks, apple-shaped paperweights, and the like. How about making your child’s teacher a gift that she’ll never forget? Your son or daughter can help you make this gift too!
To make a “Teacher’s Memory Jar”, simply find a fancy jar with a lid on it. Next, buy some miniature wrapped candy bars. Carefully remove all of the wrappers. Use plain, white paper or construction paper. Measure and cut pieces of the paper so they are the same size as the original wrappers.
The next step is to have your child decorate the pieces of paper with crayons, markers, or stickers. Just make sure they leave a blank space in the middle of the front. In this space, you or your child will write a nice memory about the teacher. Or, the space can be used to write a compliment about her. Examples include, “Mrs. Smith taught me to read. Thank you!”, “I’ll always remember Mrs. Jones’ rainy day games”- you get the picture.
Finally, wrap each miniature candy bar with a decorated, compliment paper, and glue the ends together so they’ll stay on. Place the lid on the jar, attach a ribbon and maybe a bow, and your homemade gift is ready to give!
3. Sew Up a Teddy Bear or Other Favorite Animal for Her
Stuffed animals are a favorite of little girls, older girls, teenagers, and even- adult women! And, why not? They’re soft to cuddle with and adorable to
display!
If you can use a sewing machine, then you can easily make a gift for a woman whose name appears on your Christmas list. Simply find a pattern at a local fabric shop or on the Internet. What does she like? Teddy bears? Kitties? Dogs? Frogs? Elephants? You’ll need to buy fabric, stuffing, thread, and maybe buttons
for eyes, etc.
Follow the pattern and the instructions and you’ll have a gift in no time! To help make the animal more personal, you can sew a tag on it that reads something like, “Made With Love Especially for (name), By(Your Name)”.
4. Need A Special Gift for the Female Techie in Your Life?
How about a homemade floppy disk holder? It will not only be useful, but it will look great on her desk!
To start this project, you’ll need some old floppy disks, an empty disk box,
some thick balsa wood or cardboard, a hot glue gun, pieces of felt or other fabric, and assorted decorations. Be sure to choose colors and designs that
you know your techie will like!
The next step is to lay the disk box on the balsa wood or cardboard and trace out all four sides including the bottom. Now, cut the traced sides and bottom out. Fit each piece together, one by one, and glue them together to make a box.
Finally, adorn the box with the fabric and the decorations, and you’re done! Oh- don’t forget to use a liquid pen, magic marker, etc., to write their name on the
front of their new floppy disk holder.
5. Don’t Just Give Her a Book, Give Her an Experience
How many women do you know who love to curl up with a good book? There must be a lot of readers in the United States because new book sales reach an estimated thirty billion dollars a year! Of those books, surveys report that a little over half of those books are popular fiction, while ten percent are Religious nonfiction, and another ten percent are related to cooking or crafts.
So, how can you take advantage of this love for reading? Buy your favorite female a book for Christmas! Then, with a little creativity and time, you can turn it into a relaxing experience for her.
To find a favorite book at a low price and save yourself money, be sure to check out auction sites like eBay.com, Yahoo, uBid.com, or Half.com. There are also online stores like Amazon.com that offer new and used books for less than offline bookstore prices.
After you have the book, you’re ready to make the rest of her gift.
Get her a nice, big cup and fill it with her favorite tea bags. Or, stuff it full of envelopes of her favorite hot chocolate mix.
Finally, add a snuggle blanket- you can easily make one yourself by buying some fuzzy fabric. Cut fringes all the way around and tie them into knots.- maybe a small, child size cup for hot chocolate, and you have a special Christmas gift!
Place the book and the cup in the snuggle blanket and tie it all together to make a gift your favorite reader will surely enjoy!
6. Another Great Gift for the Reader on Your List
Most people who love to read buy books. Therefore, they need a place to put their books, and that’s where this gift comes in at. Why not make them a pair of
book ends? It’s easy if you have the materials and the know how.
The first step in this project is to find out if the recipient likes cats or dogs, flowers, frogs, deer, mice, religious items, etc. You can also choose to make book ends that look like stars, hearts, initials, clovers, and more.
The next step is to visit your local craft store. You’ll need to buy a shaped mold and some Plaster of Paris. You’ll also need some craft paint and a brush.
The mold should be at least three or four inches in diameter.
Then, follow the manufacturer’s instructions on the plaster and mix up enough to just fill the mold. (Don’t mix up too much at once because it will dry before you can use it.) Allow the plaster in the mold to dry thoroughly, then carefully remove the object. Repeat the process to make a second mold.
In the meantime, round up two pieces of wood that measure approximately two inches wide and are five inches long. You’ll also need two pieces of wood that are five inches square. Check your local lumber yard for the wood. Often, they’ll give you scrap wood for free!
Once you have your molded objects made, it’s time to paint them. You’ll also want to paint the wood to match. Again, allow the paint to dry thoroughly before you continue onto the next step.
Finally, screw or nail the wood pieces together- the smaller pieces are the bases of the bookends, and the larger pieces are the upper sides. Then, carefully drill one or two small holes in the molded objects and mount them to the outsides of the upper sides.
7. The Most Unique Windchimes You’ll Ever See
If you’re looking for the perfect gift for Mother’s or Grandma’s kitchen, this is probably it. Make them a Silverware Windchime. To make this gift, you’ll need four pieces of silverware, like a butter knife, fork, teaspoon, serving spoon, etc. If you haven’t got any old silverware on hand, check your local thrift shop. You’ll undoubtedly find the pieces you need there for a reasonable price.
You’ll also need a few feet of fishing line, four inches of stiff wire, a small “S” hanger, three- two inch pieces of decorative chain, a two inch metal washer, and a round decorative piece of metal about three inches in diameter.
Carefully drill small holes in the ends of the silverware. Then, thread six inch pieces of the fishing line into the holes and tie knots at the ends. Drill small holes into the edge of the decorative metal, plus one in the exact center. Thread the other ends of the line into these holes and tie them off.
The next step in this project is to cut a fifteen inch piece of line. Thread it through the center hole in the metal and tie a knot in the end. Drill three small holes in a “V” pattern in the metal washer. Cut three small pieces of the fishing line, about three inches long each. Thread the lines through the holes in the washer. Tie the three ends to the end of the longest line. Make sure that the washer hangs evenly. Also, make sure that it dangles low enough to make contact with the silverware.
The next step is to attach the ends of the decorative chains into the “S” hanger. Bend the stiff wire over to make a hook and attach it to the hanger. Attach the chains to the three holes in the round piece of decorative metal.
And finally, you can paint, add ornamental beads or other pieces, or otherwise decorate the silverware windchimes if you wish.
8. Every Woman Can Use Personalized Stationery!
You may think that no one sits down and hand writes letters on stationery nowadays. According to Edward St. Paige, author of “Writing Letters With Pen & Ink” (Darling & Company), writing letters by hand teaches us how to slow down and enjoy life.
Personalized paper and envelopes not only leaves a lasting impression on the recipient, but it also makes the sender feel special. So, why not give this gift to a special women in your life?
To make this gift, you can either use plain white copier paper, fancy, heavyweight paper, or paper that has a background already printed on it.
Of course, you’ll want to place the person’s name and address, and maybe even their email address, on their stationery. You can choose to add their telephone number too. Traditionally, this information is placed in the center at the top of the page. But, you may choose to place it along the side or at the bottom.
You may also choose to add symbols, lines, and other decoration. If she likes red roses, for example, you may choose to add these to the page.
Use your computer and Microsoft Word (TM) to set up the stationery page. You’ll have to set the margins, font sizes and colors, add the objects, lines, and anything else you choose.
Once you have completed the master page, save it as a template. Then, print off a copy so you can check it. Make any needed changes or corrections.
Finally, print off several pages from the master and wrap them up to give a lucky lady this Christmas.
9. This Gift is for the Birds!
Is someone on your list into “birding”? “Birding” is the contemporary term used to describe the activity of studying birds in their natural settings. According to the National Audubon Society, bird watching ranks as the number one sport in the United States. There are more than fifty million birders in the U.S. alone.
So, the perfect gift for the “birder” would be a handmade birdhouse! All you need to make one is some wood, (again, check your local lumber yard for scrap pieces they’ll probably give you for free), a handful of small nails or brads, a wooden dowel, and a metal hanger. And, some paint if you want to decorate the finished product.
Before you round up the materials, you’ll need a design for the birdhouse. You can check the Internet or your local library for simple plans you can print out. It will be easier to mark the wood if you use paper templates that can be
traced on it.
Then, all you do is cut the pieces of wood out, assemble them together, and your gift is ready to give!
10. Last, But Certainly Not Least…
The tenth top homemade holiday gift idea for Christmas will be cherished for years to come. It’s unlike any other tee shirt you have ever seen. Because, this tee shirt, that you can make and give to a favorite female, is personalized.
All you need for this project is a plain, colored shirt from a local discount store. You can usually find them for about five dollars on sale. You’ll also need some colored fabric pens and some iron on transfers or appliques. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions on the packages and attach the transfers or appliques to the shirt. Then, stretch the tee shirt out- a cardboard insert will help- and use a fabric pen to write a short message to the recipient. For example, you can write, “Merry Christmas, (Her Name), Love, (Your Name).”
Finally, have everyone in your family sign the shirt with their personalized greetings, as well. You can even include her friends if you want to.
To finish making this gift, you can use the pens to add decorations, symbols, and other embellishements to the tee shirt.
Allow the fabric paint to dry thoroughly before you wrap it up for gift giving.
As you can see, making the perfect Christmas gifts for the special women in your life is pretty easy. Just keep their personal interests in mind. And, remember that the most precious gift is giving of yourself.
