Christmas Handmade Gifts

This year my boys are making their grandparents, aunts & uncles polymer clay Christmas Tree ornaments. We bought some Christmas-y cookie cutters and the boys will roll the polymer clay (with a little help from me)choose the designs they want to use, and cut their own pieces. I'll do the baking and when they've baked and cooled, they'll paint the ornaments. I'm also going to let them decoupage pictures of themselves or pictures of them with their cousins onto some of the ornaments and then I'll apply a gloss glaze coating and help them attach a small ribbon or hook. Everything from the shape, color and images used will be their choices and I'll only be helping with the baking, printing pictures and applying the final coat of gloss. Knowing our families, these ornaments will become keepsakes and will be used every holiday season. It will fun to see these ornamnets in about 10 years and look back at how much the family has grown up.

I knit, so that's always the main thing. I've knitted shawls, sweaters, socks, throws and so on. Homemade candy or other goodies seem to go over well. Once I bought thrift store mugs, then filled them with homemade packets of instant soup and instant cocoa. Another time I made up a picture album for my son and included some old pictures that had special meaning for him. It depends on what kind of crafts you do and on the person you're giving to.

When I was a kid, my sisters and I made ornaments for people. We took a piece of felt, folded it over, and cut it into the shape of a skate (with the bottom of the skate on the fold). Then we sewed up the sides and slid a paper clip inside along the fold. It helped that we weren't very good at sewing so there was a gap. We'd make a little pair and then tie them together so that they could hang. We also used beads and made bead stars another year.

I love making things for any occasion...especially christmas....last year I made envelopes out of Christmas paper...they were long enough and wide enough to hold a candy bar....a Hershey's.....then outside I put a poem about how there wasn't enough time to make fudge so the Hershey's was my Christmas fudge. Everyone loved them....they were inexpensive and quick to make!

One year, when I was a kid, I remember making candles for everyone. I dug holes in the ground and poured the wax in (don't forget the wick). When they came out, there was sand around it. I was kind of neat. You could probably put shells in there too. Also made them with those little milk cartons. My girl scout troop made soap for homeless vetrans as a service project. Those were also fun and easy to make. It was the heat and pour kind.

I make handmade gifts like accessories. I have lots of girl cousins, and I give them with what I make., this Christmas, I'll be giving them accessories made of polymer clays, I'll be making stuffs to for a living, I'll be selling them online, I just hope I have enough time before Christmas comes.

I crochet so that's what my family gets. This year I am going to add beaded jewelry. I am thinking of making my girls freshwater pearl necklace and bracelet set. I am thinking instead of scarf this year I am going to crochet capelets. One of my daughter wants me to crochet a black beanie so she is getting that. I am also thinking about slippers. I am also thinking of making handmade Christmas cards to give this year.

When I was a kid I remember making our own christmas ornaments for the tree one year. We bought a lot of clear ornament balls that open in half, stuffed them with our own little things, mine were mini presents, tinsel, tiny figures etc, and then we hot glued them shut and pressed some pretty ribbon around the glue to hide it. But now that I am older I made actual gifts last year. I made nice silver bookmarks, and jewely for my family. it took a long time, but it was worth it. Also I handmade all of the cards. I cut out designs and words on a dark sheet of paper and put a lighter sheet on the inside with the message on it, they all turned out really neat. They weren't POP-UP cards but they were like... CUT-OUTS? I don't know what to call them really....