How to Make Fabulous Gifts That People Love !!

The words "make your own gifts" usually conjure up bad pictures in the minds of most people. The horrible hand knitted sweater you got from Aunt Martha, the hideous vase or ceramic ashtray you got from your sister, etc. Traditionally, homemade gifts have usually been pretty awful, and also screamed "cheap gift" at whoever received them.

Well, I am here to tell you that all that has changed. With the advent of technology, and bit of ingenuity, you can make totally awesome gifts for next to nothing that people will love and appreciate more than anything you went out and picked up for $90 at Macy's. Trust me, its true, just read on for the proof.

In order to find the right gift that you can make for someone, you really need to know a bit about them. Their hobbies, interests, job and also it's great if you have been to their house or apartment. This information will give you the basis to decide what kind of gift to make for that person. If they are couch potato, you can make box to hold their remotes. If they are a fan of Metallica, then print off a copy of a famous album or concert photo and frame it for them. The list of things you can make is endless...and people will always appreciate that took the trouble to make something especially for them.

This lens is dedicated to providing fresh and innovative ideas of gifts you can make for any occasion, and for anyone in your life, from toddler to grandma.

Yep, you do need a computer !

In order to make many really cool gifts, you will need a computer and printer. As a canvas is necessary to an artist, so is a computer to make personalized graphic for many cool gifts. The good news is, you can usually use the regular microsoft paint program to make most graphics to print. However, if you want to make really special graphics, like collages of photos, or putting text on graphics (like the vase of flowers above with the word "gift" on it) you will need a program that does that. The good news is, there is a program that will do all you need and it only costs $35. It's also really easy to use. It's called Collage Maker. There are lots of other programs you can use, but this one is the cheapest one I know that will do just about everything you could want to make great gifts.

You will, of course, also need the normal craft supplies for various projects such as scissors, glue, a square, ruler, paint, brushes, etc. You can get this stuff from any craft store or discount store.

The most basic thing you need to make really awesome gifts is planning and time. To get the best result, that is the most fabulous gift for the very least amount of money, you need to plan in advance. Know what gift is going to be needed, weeks or months in advance, so you can investigate the recipients interests and shop around for the cheapest ingredients you will need.

Below are some really great gifts you can make for very little money. I will be adding more as time allows.

A Great Gift for Anyone !

My first choice for a great gift idea that you can easily make or buy, that everyone absolutely loves, is the gift bag. It is easier to make these, if you have a sewing machine, but you can still make them, if you don't. Reusable gift bags are an excellent choice of gift for the elderly...it saves them money on gift wrap and the struggle of trying to tape and handle gifts. They are also a great gift for busy people, they can wrap a gift in a matter of seconds; no more wondering if they have the appropriate paper, tape, bows. I cannot think of a single person that could not benefit from reusable gift bags, even the most hard to buy for person can use these.....and it's a pretty sure bet that even if they have some already, they can always use more. Our family has been exchanging the same give bags back and forth on holidays and birthdays, for a couple years now. We all enjoy the money savings and ease of use.

The absolute cheapest way to make fabric gift bags is from old clothing. You can make some really neat bags from old bluejeans. I have also found uses for sleeves from various garments. My niece had some old prom dresses that she was going to throw away that I rescued, and they yielded several nice size gift bags. She was thrilled to get a gift in a bag from me, using that fabric which held such fun memories.

I also always make it a habit to always check the clearance fabric table in any store I go to, that sells fabric, to pick up new material to make my bags. Many times, the loud, questionably tasteful fabrics that you find on clearance is perfect for making gift bags. Wild large prints, silly cartoon figures, multicolor stripes,etc. If you have the money, check with the store manager about buying the whole bolt, many times they will give you an even bigger discount if you buy it all. Don't turn away from small pieces as well, many times they are deeply discounted, as there is not enough of it to make a piece of clothing, but there is plenty to make a few gift bags. Don't forget to check after each major holiday, as there is always tons of seasonal fabric they are trying to get rid of.....take this oppourtunity to stock up.

Always make sure to make the bags in several sizes and shapes. Traditional square is always good, but so is tubular (like for bottles of wine) and rectangular. (like would hold a shirt box) Try to think of the shape of the gifts under your Christmas tree in the past. I like to make bags shaped to hold CD's, bags shaped to hold video games, and bags shaped to hold paperback books. I find these to be useful to just about everyone, since these are very popular gifts. Of course, you cannot forget really small bags for jewelry. The fabric should be cut in various sizes. Sometimes only two or three bags per yard can be made, if they are large. Bigger bags are expecially good for parents of small children, that usually get bigger toys as gifts. The bags are basically cut and sewed like a pillowcase. Sew a seam up three sides and leave the top open. Turned that edge in slightly and stitch it to finish it off. Then fold it in about 3 inches (or more on bigger bags) and hem it. Put another row of stitching about an inch above that one to create a casing for the ribbon. Then simply slip a piece of ribbon through the casing and tie it shut. These types of bags are cute for Christmas,as once they are stuffed with tissue paper they look like little Santa bags sitting under your tree.

Gift bags are especially nice to use at Christmas time. Besides the fact that you are saving money at a time of year when everyone can really use it by not buying wrapping paper, you are also saving precious time during the holidays....... you don't spend hours wrapping the gifts and you don't need scotch tape or bows. One satin ribbon will last the lifetime of the bag. You will still need gift tags, just punch a hole in them so they can be run through the ribbon. Saving old Christmas cards and cutting them up for gift tags

is a great idea, not only for recycling, but they are usually much prettier than store bought gift tags. Gift bags are also easier and less bulky to store for the other 11 months of the year. Simply fold up the tissue paper (yes, it can be reused) and stuff all the bags in the biggest one, saving you storage space as well as time and money.

Many gift bags are made with a drawstring at the top,but that is not the only way to make them. You can also use a ribbon and just bunch up the bag and tie a bow. This makes for a more festive "ruffled" look at the top. Plus, if you tie a pretty bow, then the gift recipient will not be tempted to try to untie it and peek....as they will know they will never be able to get to bow to look as it did when you tied it the first time. One thing you will need to buy, in order to use a gift bag, is tissue paper. You will need to stuff the bag in order to mask what is inside, in some cases, and it also makes the bags stand up nicer for placement on the birthday or shower table, or under the Christmas tree.

If you don't want to make your gift bags, you can buy reusable gift bags. You can get them in canvas, cloth, mylar and plastic. Just go to Amazon and run a search on reusable gift bags and you will see the wide variety that are available.

All in all, gift bags are an awesome gift to give anyone for any occasion !

~photo courtesy of This and That 4 You, This webstore is no longer in business.

A Guaranteed Winner with Kids 5 to 10

If you have a family, or need to by for a family, that has small kids between 5 and 10, the Dress Up Box is a very inexpensive way to provide a gift they will really love !

First of all, the child's birthday, give them a box. A file box from an office supply store, that has a lid, is a perfect choice. You can decorate the box if you wish, or you can fill the box with paints, crayons, construction paper, etc. and tell the child to decorate it. Make sure to stress to them that the box must be decorated completely before Christmas. By then they will have long forgotten about the "mystery box."

During your travels, all year long, keep your eye out for dress up items. Scarves, necklaces, sunglasses, clip on earrings, hats, tutus, bracelets, purses, capes, all make good items and can be found at dollar stores and discount stores. Hit up your friends for old jewelery and clothing that is out of style. Check out second hand stores, the Salvation Army and garage/estate sales. By just spending a dollar or two a month, you will have a sizable bag of goodies for the child that will delight them for the rest of the year !

Along with clothes and jewelery, you might also look for toy cellphones, compacts, keys, and other items that would foster fun dress up scenarios.

The dress up box is wonderful for firing up children's imaginations and it is a great way to recycle old clothing and jewelery. One of the best things about it is the whole gift can be recycled. When the child outgrows playing dress up, the clothing can be washed and the jewelery cleaned and sanatized and the whole kit and kaboodle given to another child, who will love it just as much. This might be the only re-gift that is really liked !

~photo courtesy of This and That 4 You. This webstore is no longer in business.

For Children Than Love To Color and Draw

The Creative Box is a variation on the Dress Up Box, but instead of filling the child's box with dress up stuff, fill it with all different kind of paper, magic markers, crayons, glitter pens, color pencils and paints. This gift will delight kids that love to draw, color and paint. Construction paper, paints, crayons, coloring books and all kinds of pens and pencils are available at most dollar stores, so you can outfit this box for very little money.

A variation on the Creative Box is the Little Artist's Box. For this you will need a smaller container, like a document box. I usually don't decorate this box, as the little artist will usually want to do that themselves. In the box, you should include a full body apron (usually available at Walmart), plastic placemat, water cup, paints, brushes and an artists pad of paper. (the biggest one that will fit in the box) This box will be a bit more expensive to furnish, because of the ingredients, but if you keep an eye out for deals, you can still do it for much less than buying the latest toy. The best part is that the child will be enjoying this gift long after that expensive toy is forgotten in the closet.

~photo courtesy of This and That 4 You. This webstore is no longer in business.

A Gift Anyone Can Use

Recipes in a jar is not a new concept, but just because its not new, does not mean it isn't an awesome, inexpensive gift that people really love. The original recipes that people usually made, were cookies, but the idea has expanded into many, many other things.

Below is a book of 100 recipes you can make as jar gifts. Dozens of different recipes for all kinds of foods people will love.

How to make a jar gift:

Use a wide mouth funnel to add all the ingredients to a one quart jar, layering in the different colored ingredients. Make sure the jar is tightly packed to prevent contents from moving around.

Cut a circle of fabric to decorate the jar lid, fasten with a rubber band. Cover the rubber band with raffia or ribbon, attach a gift tag, which includes the cooking instructions, at the same time.

~photo courtesy of This and That 4 You. This webstore is no longer in business.

Dress Up Anyone's Refrigerator !

Refrigerator Frames are simple to make, and are usually appreciated by just about anyone, especially those that like to keep everything neat and tidy.

The first thing you will need is picture frames. Smaller ones, like 3 x 5 or 4 x 6 usually work best for photographs. Inexpensive frames can be found at dollar stores, and at discount stores like KMart and Walmart. Once you find some frames you like, you have to remove the stand on the back so they will lay flat against the refrigerator. Once that is done, you will need some magnetic stripping. This comes in a roll and is available at any craft store. The stripping is easily cut with scissors, and you simply cut three one inch pieces and peel off the backing and stick them on the back of the frame in the top center, and in the middle of each side. This is more than enough to hold it up, provided that your frame is not heavy. Make sure the strips are not making it impossible to take the back off and insert a picture. Once you have all this done, simply insert the photos that you want to give and you are done. To save on expensive reprints, invest in a scanner/copier/printer (easily found for $100 or less) for your computer and you can make as many copies of photos as you want, for pennies.

To showcase a child's artwork on your refrigerator, you may want to go with a larger frame, like 8 x 10. In this case, you should make sure the frame is light, like plastic or light wood, and you should put 6 one inch pieces of magnetic stripping on the frame, to make sure it stays on the door securely. In our family, we had one large picture frame on the fridge, and every Sunday we would vote for whose artwork was displayed in the big frame for the week. It was fun and it promoted drawing and painting by the kids, who all wanted the honor of being "Artist of the Week."

Refrigerator Frames are very inexpensive and easy to make, and they really do make awesome gifts for almost anyone. Try it and see !

~photo courtesy of This and That 4 You. This webstore is no longer in business.

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