Handmade Holidays.

What kind of crafts do you do? Do you sew or embroider or do other needlework? I enjoy making things for others for the holidays, but my family doesn't seem to appreciate hand knitted things very much, so I try not to. However, this year there is a new grandbaby and she will appreciate what I make her, so I will. I have already made her a knitted soft ball and I will make a Christmas stocking and a stuffed doll. My youngest daughter (age 28!) wants me to make her a sock monkey from scratch so I'll give that to her as part of her Christmas. In the past I have made hooded sweaters, throws, socks and things like that. I drew a picture one time (that took forever) and bought a cheap frame for it for my parents. I have to do a lot of creative thinking this year. Knitting or making things by hand will be a lot less expensive, but I don't know if I can get by with it.

As a child I made many handmade gifts, but now I just stick to buying things for people. I do believe handmade gifts are so much more special though. My grandmother recently crocheted every family member an afghan, and I love mine so much. I'll cherish that until I'm older, and then pass it down to my children. Things like that are just priceless. My parents used to bake cookies for people on Christmas when they had no money. I'd go for that too, I love cookies!

I've given jewelry I've made. I've cross stitched on inexpensive shirts or sweatshirts. I've done other crafts for family. One year I made soaps, bath salts, candles and painted containers to put them in as "spa kits" those were big hits!

I'm thinking - If I were in your position, what would I do? What skills do I have to make gifts? For one, i would recycle gifts. There are some things my hubby and I received in the past that do not appeal to us and these are stored in boxes. I have recycled some of them as gifts. Secondly, I think I would make them jars of honey cornflakes cup. I think it is not that expensive if you make them in bulk. But you need a couple of hours to do this. You can make cards easily - cut outs from magazines or scrapbooking materials if your friends have any. I think photo frames would be great gifts too. Nowadays I try not to spend on gifts. At the most, I'd spend $2. Some of these $2 shops have great items as gifts eg, cards, pots and pans, kitchen gadgets, banana holder, banana cutter, just some fun stuff you can get at $2 shops, it's really amazing. Do you have any $2 shops near you? If you don't, maybe I can arrange for some things to be shipped to you. But I think the postal costs more than the items!

I like to make my own gifts when I have enough time to do it. I think it is fun to make them instead of buying them and it is a way to save money, too. This year I have made a papercut for my mother. It is a picture of a dachshund and I made it for her because my parents have a dachshund. I have also made another papercut, that one is a picture of a cat, but I still haven't decided if I am going to use it as a present or not. In past I have made other presents like a calender with photos and drawings and a notebook with inspirational quotes, poems and stories.

I save money on Christmas gifts for all grown ups in my family and for friends. I save jars to recycle all year around and beg my friends and family for some of the ones they throw away. For Christmas I make apricot jam (I have a big tree), apricot li*quor for some of my male friends, tomato chutney (from my own tomatoes) and orange-carrot jam for a couple of my friends who are addicted to it when I make it. I save nice paper and ribbons so I don´t spend in wrappings. Sometimes I place a round piece of bright fabric held with rubber band in the top

Not handmade, but photos are a great gift. You can find small photo albums or frames for a very reasonable price. I then print off some nice photos of family members and fill the albums for them. This is a thoughtful and personal gift most people would be proud to receive.

This year, I am sewing puppets and cloth snack bags. I think I will knit people hats as well. This year isn't a tighter year (because, um, how could things get tighter?) but the problem is that i don't have a lot of time, either.