I could take my stash of Epsom salt and add herbs from my land (or my friend's house) and make a homemade version. She's been complaining of dry, itchy skin, so I will try to search for herbs that are specifically known to sooth that!
This year, I've made(heavily dark rum-infused) fruitcakes, apple pie moonshine, molasses cookies, and plan to raid my pantry for preserves, jams, dried pears, dried tart cherries, and dried cinnamon apple rings, I've made. I'll also make my annual fudge, but less of it, this year. Last year, John made limoncello and several types of mead and I made egg nog, pickles and pickle relish. We also usually share our insanely abundant extra eggs - which almost everyone loves getting.
I love gifting homemade soaps, lotions and herbal remedies, too, though I tend to just gift them, without regard to timing. I've not done seed bombs, but I think those will be getting added to our repertoire, for next year.
The only thing...more expensive than education is ignorance.~Ben Franklin
This year I am making paint by number kits for everyone. I got the idea from this free site: https://pbnify.com/ where you upload an image and it converts it to a paint by number. May have to use one image and then make bigger batches of each of the colors by eye, to divide up into little numbered airtight canisters. We can all paint them and then share the results! Below is just my first go at it, the fun part will be choosing the photo to use for everyone to paint.
Hint, I found by cropping just a section of the paint by number generated makes an easier level painting. If anyone wants to paint this painting of Teepo feel free to grab here (last image on page) https://openyoureyesbedding.com/pages/url
Do any artists / crafters here have a good paper recommendation I can print these on that would take the paint nicely? Just going to use acrylic paints I guess but any suggestions would be great. I think this will be a fun inexpensive gift for most ages.
For those who have the time but not the skills, it's a nice way of making art to gift too.
Original photo
Paint by number
Cropped and painted
Color Pallet
Peasants slept on beds of straw, while Emperors slept on beds of hulls.
www.OpenYourEyesBedding.com
My apple pie moonshine recipe, by private request:
2gal apple cider
1.75ltr everclear
4C brown sugar
15 cinnamon sticks
2T whole allspice
1T whole mace
Bring cider, brown sugar and spices to boil, stirring, occasionally. Cool completely. Stir in everclear. Drop a cinnamon stick, a few allspice seeds, and a piece of dried apple into each bottle or jar, and top off with apple pie moonshine, & seal. Tuck into a cool, dark hidey-spot for at least 2months.
The only thing...more expensive than education is ignorance.~Ben Franklin
I just taught a jewelry class where the participants were making a Christmas gift of a group of stacking rings. This is day 2 where the soldering and stone setting took place.
jewelry-class.jpg
Our inability to change everything should not stop us from changing what we can.
EDIT: Apparently the original website went down, so Nicole went and found it on the wayback machine and tried to remake it with all the same formatting. Here it is:
77+ Homemade gifts – DIY Christmas/Holiday gifts
The best gift is something that is given from the heart. It could be pricey or cheap, if it expresses your thoughtfulness, it will be treasured. Homemade gifts are one of the best ways to express your love and they are, in most cases, cheaper too. I have compiled a list of homemade gifts from around the web and friends/family. If you already have a list of gifts ready for your recipient and started working on homemade gifts half way through the year, great, you have done very well. Use these ideas to find inspirations for what to do for next year. If you have not, there are a lot of ideas that require less time. Browse through this and you might hit the jackpot. I have grouped them by the recipient’s nature. But please browse through all of them as many of the gifts are easily customizable for anyone.
For the decorator Giving a readymade center piece or art piece is a bad idea for a decorator who would like to decorate every inch of their home according to their taste. What you could try is
1. Scented potpourri : If you know the scent they like, you could make this or try to make a generic holiday scented potpourri. Here are some recipes – Potpourri recipes
2. Hurricane lamps : This puts together a basic hurricane lamp. The gift recipient can do minor changes to change the theme. Example : Dollar store version of William Sonoma Hurricane lamp. The recipient can easily change the decor of the hurricane lamp based on season (berries in December, autumn leaves in fall, fresh green leaves for summer, etc.)
3. Decorator gift basket : You can put together some necessary items for the decorator instead of giving a specific item they will be forced to display. Put together a gift basket with safety pins, planner, scissors, rulers and any other items that a decorator might use. You can also add a subscription to a home decoration magazine or the local craft supplies store. Gifts for decorator from Associate content
decorative pillar candles
4. Decorative pillar candles : Create decorative decal pillar candles and matching match boxes. Find the instructions here @ Martha Stewart.
For the chef The possibilities are endless when it comes to food related items.
5. Family Cookbook : Spend sometime with all the relatives of the gift recipient and put together a family cookbook with those secret ingredients and tips/tricks. Hand written would work great and will be treasured too! If you want to make it look really professional you could try Taste Book.
6. Utensil Holder : Who wouldn’t like to be more organized. For a personal touch in the kitchen try a home made utensil holder that will serve the chef well. Utensil Holder tutorial : Keep it simple.
7. Recipe/ingredients from around the world collection : This is a variation of the family cookbook. Instead of the family recipes, you could put together recipes from all over the world and also buy the ingredients for a couple of recipes and pack them together so that they won’t have to go looking for exotic spices.
8. Cookie cutter Kit : Make your own cookie cutters in some fun shapes that are not normally available in the store. Create your own custom cookie cutters. The kids will love your gift.
9. Spice Sampler : Collect different ethnic spices and put them in a set of pretty vintage cans or mason jars. You can check this William Sonoma Spice collection for spice ideas but buy them at a bulk store instead of the pricey WS tubs.
10. Gourmet Salt assortment : Collection of a variety of unique salts. This can also be bought in bulk and put together into different gift baskets. Where to buy Gourmet Salt?
11. Kitchen Apron : Show your love for the chef with a custom made kitchen apron. Lot of ideas for patterns and DIY instructions available on the internet. 50 Free Apron patterns that you can make.
12. Kitchen towel pillow cases : If the chef likes kitchen themed items in the bedroom or living room, make pillow cases out of inexpensive kitchen towels.
For the food connoisseur 13. Coffee Lovers gift basket : Gourmet coffee is a terrific idea for coffee lovers, but these gift baskets from Star Bucks or Dunkin Donuts are expensive. You can make a great gift basket very inexpensively. How to make coffee lovers gift basket
15. Homemade sauces : Make a big batch of your favorite sauces, pack them in nice jars and share with your friends. Recipes for variety of homemade sauces.
16. Homemade Jellies or jams : If you are someone with a green thumb and you just harvested a lot of fruits, can them, make jam and/or jellies. These make a great gift for anyone. 101 Homemade jams, jellies and marmalade recipes.
17. Or combine a lot of homemade holiday goodies and make a treat platter. Any of your special cooking skills will be great.
18. Holiday Drink mixes : Spread cheer with batches of homemade cocktail mixers. Decant them into decorative bottles, available at home stores and add a label with drink recipes and storage instructions. Holiday drink mixes – Martha Stewart
For the Gardener
vintage garden marker
19. Vintage garden markers : I would love to get some of these Convert your old silverware or other tools into vintage garden markers. Spoon Herb Markers
20. Garden stepping stone : Home made garden stepping stones are a great way to personalize a garden. They are easy and fun to make. Make your own garden stepping stone.
21. Garden lover gift basket : If you know your gardener well and know what tools he/she has, then put together a gift basket that has the tools that they don’t have but would love to have. Ideas on what to include.
23. Custom planters : Show your artistic side and create custom planters, it can be anything from small painted boxes for seed starters or sake-box planters. Instructions for sake box planters.
24. Potted Plants : If you are a gardener yourself and have a plant that the gift recipient would like, create a cutting and start the plant. You can include the caring instructions and gift it. You can always decorate the pot for an added personal touch.
For green folks
25. Green starter kit : If you have someone who is thinking about going green, this could be a good gift idea. Fill a reusable tote bad with eco-starter items – Water bottle, CFL bulbs, shower timer, may be some green cleaning solutions (laundry, dish soap), cloth napkins, etc. Some other ideas : The greener perspective gift basket : Treehugger
reusable grocery bag
26. Reusable grocery bag : You can find a lot of vintage fabrics in the thrift stores. With minimal sewing skills you could make wonderful grocery bags. DIY grocery tote bag from a tote bag activist.
For the kids
advent calendar
27. Advent Calendar : You could create a countdown to Christmas advent calendar for kids or for their birthday or for adults make it a family themed advent calendar. Here are some ideas – matchbox advent calendar, envelope advent calendar. Instructions for the matchbox advent available here.
28. Tie dyed t-shirts : These could get messy but the kids will love them. How to tie dye t-shirts.
29. Stuffed animals : Almost every kid loves stuffed animals. A lot of adults love them too. Here is a stuffed pig from Martha Stewart.
30. Folk rag doll : Make a traditional folk rag doll for little girls – instructions.
31. Photo Snow Globes
For her
silk scarf
32. Silk scarf : A nice silk scarf will be appreciated by any fashionista. Instructions
33. Ornamental Jewel box : You can make a jewelry organizer out of simple cork board or buy a plain jewel box (or make one from the scratch) and decorate it.
34. Spa set : Put together a gift basket of home made soap, bath salt, bath bubbles and some candles to make a spa set.
35. Eye pillows : Create different aromatic eye pillows like this one – DIY lavender eye pillow.
37. Coasters : Based on the interest of the recipient, you can create coaters to make a variety of people very happy. Map coasters for avid traveler, coasters with baby pics for new dad, etc.
38. Tip book : A collection of instructions from the elders in the family will make a great gift for a DIY’er.
For new parents 39. Scrapbooking kit : If they don’t already have one, this is a great gift for new parents to preserve the memories of their precious little one. How to put together a scrapbooking kit
40. ‘No cook’ food baskets : Make batches of items that the new parents can just heat-and-eat or something that takes very little time. With their busy schedules they will love your thoughtfulness. You can make your own recipes or put together the heat-and-eat stuff from Trader Joes or other ethnic stores.
41. New baby gift basket : Any new parent will gladly accept stuff that will make their lives easier. Put together a practical gift basket or a themed gift basket. 3 Easy DIY Baby gift baskets.
42. Gift of time : This is a terrific gift for anyone, not just new parents, but new parents will appreciate it more than anyone else I guess. Give them your time – offer to baby sit or cook or help around the house… whichever task that will give them some time.
43. Diaper bag : If you can sew you can make a diaper bag with a personalized pattern and initials. You could also add compartments that you found useful that are not generally available in the standard diaper bags. Fabric diaper bad pattern.
For book lovers 44. Bookends : You can make bookends either based on a theme or to match their decor. Here are some ideas pebbles book end, bookend using a brick.
bookmarks
45. Bookmarks : These are very simple to make and very inexpensive. Make it funny, sentimental, geeky, crafty, add a message, photo… Here is an example DIY paper bookmark.
46. Journal/Dust Cover : Make your own journal cover and customize it. You can buy a journal to go with this and add your own quotes to it. Journal cover tutorial.
For grandparents 47. Heirloom photo ornaments : Give handcrafted photo ornaments as gifts or make them to decorate your own holiday tree. DIY Photo Ornaments
photo
48. Photo Calendar : Compile the grandkids and sons/daughters photos and make a photo calendar. You can either do the whole calendar at home or upload the photos and use one of the online photo printing services to create yours. Shutterfly wall and desk calendars.
49. Photo books : You can compile all the photos and make professional looking photo books online.
50. Refrigerator magnets : Grandparents can’t get enough of their grandkids, make these photo refrigerator magnets to fill their fridge with cool photos. Fun DIY refrigerator magnets.
52. Make a video : Make a video of you, your spouse and the kids. General everyday life, play time and a few words about the grandparents, they will love it.
53. Silhouette picture : Instead of framing a regular picture create a frame with a silhouette picture, they are nice, different and interesting. How to make Silhouette portraits.
There are numerous gifts-from-photos like mouse pads, mugs, home decor, playing cards that the grandparents would treasure. They are easy and inexpensive to make.
For pets Apparently people give gifts to pets. I don’t have a pet and I have no idea what a pet would like (if I were a [dog name] I would love some treats though). Here are some of the ideas I found online. If you have ideas please comment, I will add it here crediting to you.
56. Pet Collars : These are simple to make and can be created from a different variety of materials – fabric, leather, crochet. Here is a DIY trendy pet collar.
For someone who has it all
tea cup candles
57. Tea cup candles : These are a variation of decorative candle holders. Find a great tea set that the gift recipient would like and make it a candle. Kate’s DIY tea cup candles. These look great.
58. Pin Cushion : This could be an ideal gift for a crafter or someone who sews. For others it could be used as a paper weight or just a squeeze ball. Here are 60+ free patterns for making a pin cushion.
59. Movie Lover pack : Get the unrestricted movie tickets from Costco or any warehouse club or from the theatre itself and add a gift card for snacks. Or try one of these Top ten gift ideas for movie lovers.
60. Personalized towels : Everyone can use more towels. Embroider the towels with a monogram to make it personal. If you don’t sew, that is ok as well. Try this – No Sew personalized towels.
61. Homemade Bath Salt : Fragrant bath salt recipes are easy and inexpensive to make. Here are some homemade bath salt recipes. These are ideal gift-in-a-jar.
62. Song Collection : Find their favorite band/songs and create a homemade disk with a collection of those. You could also add the lyrics or trivia about the songs/band if the recipient is very much into music.
64. Cell phone/IPod cases : You could make cute cases out of vintage fabric or themed fabric. Examples
65. Quilts : A simple no sew quilt instruction – How to create a tie quilt. You can make a holiday themed or any themed quilt.
66. Homemade beaded candles : Very simple and professional looking. Instructions here.
holiday pot holders
67. Holiday pot holders : Who wouldn’t like a beautiful pot holder? Here are the instructions for making Christmas themed pot holders. Here is a big list of different pot holder patterns from around the web –=https://web.archive.org/web/20111225021517/http://tipnut.com/potholder-patterns/ Tipnut potholder patterns.
68. Make a book about their loved one : If you know someone who lost a loved one, this could be a great gift. Collect photos, journals, notes and letters of that special person and make a custom book, like a scrap book.
69. Make a puzzle : You can make a puzzle from a picture either athome or [ur=https://web.archive.org/web/20111225021517/http://www.shutterfly.com/photo-gifts/puzzlesl]build it online and order[/url].
For frequent travelers 70. Fabric luggage tags : Make a personalized luggage tag for the frequent traveler to easily identify their bags. Fabric luggage tags.
travel pillow
71. Travel pillows : With the airlines nickel and diming travelers for everything, a cute little pillow will be a great gift for the frequent flyer in your list. How to make a pretty travel pillow.
For the busy mom 72. Stress balls : Give the mom a squeezable stress ball that she can relieve her tension with Make your own stress balls.
73. Birthday and Anniversary Calendar : Everyone is busy these days, esp. a mom. Create a personalized calendar with the gift recipient’s loved one’s birthdays and anniversaries marked along with some photos. Make your own birthday and anniversary calendar.
74. Manicure & Pedicure : If you are good at doing these, it will be a welcome gift by the busy mom.
Other ideas include customized jewelry for moms, homemade perfume set and of course your gift of time. Busy moms love anything that saves them time.
76. Books /magazine/comics/workbook bins: Or any type of storage containers using different boxes and creativity. Example : Cereal box storage bins from Urban Nest
77. Craft/Stationary bucket : In lot of school districts, the teachers buy their stationary and teaching supplies. So it could be a great to put together a craft or stationary basket.
Themed gift baskets & gifts in a jar I have included at least one gift basket in each section, but a gift basket can be made for any one, even the hard to please recipients – sports themed, pet themed, food themed, romantic, country themed, movie themed, you can create endless personalized gift baskets.
The same goes with gifts in a jar, you can make a variety of gifts in a jar based on the recipients’ interest – Here are 48 Homemade gift ideas in a jar to jump start your creativity.
General ideas : Any craft/knit work – placemats, sweaters, ponchos, socks, mittens, scarf, wall hangings, etc. and any consumables – baked food, preserves, drinks, etc. could be a great gift for the right recipient.
What an amazing, amazing thread! Thank you so much for this! So many fabulous ideas!
I author and produce my own homemade books, so a lot of friends and family get those for Christmas. I try and tie the theme of the book into who gets wat.
Like my sister in law is a lawyer/counselor, so a novel I wrote about a lady struggling to be a guardian-ad-litem was perfect for her.
So this year I wanted to make plant straws (similar to these) for everyone on my list this Christmas, but I am having a hard time finding the right tubing - something I can bend by hand?
I see most are made of 1/4 " brass tubing and not copper as I think copper shouldn't be used with some plants.
Copper would have been ideal as it's 1.50 per foot and I imagine I'd need 2 feet for each gift + cotton cord + fun looking for the individual vessels / vases in thrift shops.
Any suggestions for the pipe? I would be very grateful as I think this is a unique, inexpensive, (and hopefully easy) gift idea.
Photo via Plantstraws.com
Peasants slept on beds of straw, while Emperors slept on beds of hulls.
www.OpenYourEyesBedding.com
This year I strongly hinted that I would like some homemade hive stands for my bees. It would be an upgrade from the bricks that are presently under the hives and a low-cost item that can be made from pallet wood.
In the past I’ve received homemade birdhouses and yardart, all of which were great.
If I am making homemade gifts they are usually knitted or crocheted items, jam or preserves, homemade soap or other personal care, stained glass window hangers, etc.
Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
My brother and sister-in-law moved in next door to us a little over a year ago (the first meal in their new home was Thanksgiving Dinner); my brother was working on their yard this year, but next year they hope to get a garden going. Since they haven't gardened in Kentucky before (they are from Alaska), I'm making a set of dated index cards with the best times to plant various things (vegetables -- flowers would make the whole project massive). Actually, I'm making sets for both of us. If I can find my printer cable, I'll also print off the whole thing as a chart, but the index cards can actually be filed with the seed packets in an appropriate box --a shoebox-sized container would work. That way, we can look at the card for a particular date and have everything that needs to be planted then filed right behind the card.
Lynne Cim wrote:...as I think copper shouldn't be used with some plants.
I'd be very interested in learning about any plants that copper shouldn't be used with. I've started experimenting with electroculture, which uses copper wire as a sort of antenna from the soil into the air near plantings in the ground or in pots. I haven't seen any contra-indication for use with any particular types of plants so far. thanks!
Lynne Cim wrote:...as I think copper shouldn't be used with some plants.
I'd be very interested in learning about any plants that copper shouldn't be used with. I've started experimenting with electroculture, which uses copper wire as a sort of antenna from the soil into the air near plantings in the ground or in pots. I haven't seen any contra-indication for use with any particular types of plants so far. thanks!
I know copper is bad for aquariums. It can kill aquatic snails and fish. I'm not sure about plants, though. But, if it's killing off soil microrganisms, that might not be the best for the plant...
I could take my stash of Epsom salt and add herbs from my land (or my friend's house) and make a homemade version. She's been complaining of dry, itchy skin, so I will try to search for herbs that are specifically known to sooth that!
I love the blog by a fellow Vermonter called, "Practical Self Reliance." From that site, I've made dandelion wine, elderberry tincture and plantain salve, to name just a few. This past year, I couldn't find enough plantain in my yard to do another batch...maybe because it was so wet? You can't kill the stuff, so I was very disappointed, but let me tell you, there is nothing that works any better than that stuff for healing. The ingredients are simple: plantain, mason jar, olive oil and a little beeswax. If you have a local apiary, they will sell you some at a reasonable rate, but being in permaculture, you might even have bees. I had sores on my arms that had been there for years because I couldn't stop picking at the rough edges. No store bought cream ever worked. This worked in ONE day! They healed up and moisturized my skin like nothing else. There are still some scars there, but even those have faded. I could even use it on my face and not break out from the olive oil. Amazing stuff...maybe for next year? Here's the website for the recipe: https://practicalselfreliance.com/plantain-salve/ She is so clear and thorough. She has a wealth of information on any topic dealing with permaculture, foraging or preserving. She really tests things out and lives an off-grid lifestyle. If you are unfamiliar with this site, it's well -worth a look.
This is the coolest thing ever! I just sent it on to a friend who was bemoaning the fact that she couldn't find this anymore. She had done one a long time ago and really enjoyed it. I sent her the info, so thank you so much for this!
Lynne Cim wrote:This year I am making paint by number kits for everyone. I got the idea from this free site: https://pbnify.com/ where you upload an image and it converts it to a paint by number. May have to use one image and then make bigger batches of each of the colors by eye, to divide up into little numbered airtight canisters. We can all paint them and then share the results! Below is just my first go at it, the fun part will be choosing the photo to use for everyone to paint.
Hint, I found by cropping just a section of the paint by number generated makes an easier level painting. If anyone wants to paint this painting of Teepo feel free to grab here (last image on page) https://openyoureyesbedding.com/pages/url
Do any artists / crafters here have a good paper recommendation I can print these on that would take the paint nicely? Just going to use acrylic paints I guess but any suggestions would be great. I think this will be a fun inexpensive gift for most ages.
For those who have the time but not the skills, it's a nice way of making art to gift too.
I have many hobbies, but one that comes in handy for gift-giving is sewing and quilting. I've done a number of "infinity" scarves and mug rugs. I also make bowl cozies for things that are hot or cold--they are really easy and you know they will be used. Salve and tinctures are another appreciated gift. I used to make simple jumpers for a niece when she was a child. Baby bibs, burp cloths, mobiles, holiday table runners and tree skirts, stockings, and felt or metal ornaments are other things that I've done. Pinterest is a great source of inspiration. I enamel jewelry and sell my stuff professionally, so those are always very appreciated, but I know that that is a limited skill set that requires some specialized equipment. I've dabbled in other jewelry-making techniques--miniature origami, polymer clay and silk screening, resin--but the environmental aspects of the last two just are too much for me.
Something I've been meaning to do as a gift are some potholders, and eye masks stuffed with lavender. I also have a bunch of canvas bags cut out. I really like a more sturdy shopping bag that can take some weight. These would make great gifts. I want to try metal punched lamps. I'm thinking these would make a lovely present, but maybe not such a good one for last minute!
This year, I have more gifts that I have ever made for Christmas before. I have made spiced nuts (with pumpkin seeds I scooped from the grocery store’s excess pumpkins after Halloween), cookies, tarragon jelly and mint tea (with herbs from my garden), hair bows, a child sized crocheted scarf, a doll (which got me a BB), a rosary, and a pin cushion. I also thrifted an antique teacup and saucer for a friend. I also packed a thick stack of seeds from my garden to give to fellow gardeners. I’d still like to get a few more gifts made before Epiphany- at least some more cookies and another batch of spiced nuts. But even if I manage only a smidge more gift making, it’s been a surprisingly successful year.
I’m making plans now for next years Christmas presents. Eventually, I’d like to have absolutely nothing bought new under the tree.
Barbara Simoes wrote:I have many hobbies, but one that comes in handy for gift-giving is sewing and quilting.
Barbara, you really have a wide range of skills!
I stick mostly to sewing and knitting. In previous years I made a bag with a selection of small sewn items for the extended family to choose from.
Included were a pouch for glasses (spectacles), a little dispenser for tissues which can be attached to the XX (can't find an english name! The mirror flap on the passenger seat in the front of the car which you can put up or down), mug rugs, small pouches to hold your earphones, a really cool pouch to hold female sanitary items, a padded, detachable encasing for the seatbelt to make it more comfortable on the naked skin part in summer and similar.
Apart from that, I sometimes make a seasoned seed mix to go over salads or a herbal tea blend (when I know the recipient likes tea).
I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do. (E.E.Hale)
Anita Martin wrote:...a little dispenser for tissues which can be attached to the XX (can't find an english name! The mirror flap on the passenger seat in the front of the car which you can put up or down)
I really only gift to my husband and children, but at my new workplace my colleagues give each other small gifts, something I was not prepared for last year: I gave up buying presents for adults years ago. Therefore last month I went onto youtube and followed a tutorial on how to sew reuseable cloth gift bags and made four. Into these went some of last year's raspberry and redcurrant wine--in some repurposed Grolsch bottles with new handwritten labels, including instructions to drink with ice My teenage son helped make a batch of gingerbread cookies, which slotted in once I wrapped them up in paper with a pretty ribbon. And finally I slipped in a Christmas card my small daughter had made. A thoroughly hand made gift, and I didn't have to buy anything for it.
Wine? I bet you were the hit of the party! Sounds marvelous. I can't wait until my fruit production is to such a point as I can have an overabundance of wine! Nice share!
G Freden wrote:I really only gift to my husband and children, but at my new workplace my colleagues give each other small gifts, something I was not prepared for last year: I gave up buying presents for adults years ago. Therefore last month I went onto youtube and followed a tutorial on how to sew reuseable cloth gift bags and made four. Into these went some of last year's raspberry and redcurrant wine--in some repurposed Grolsch bottles with new handwritten labels, including instructions to drink with ice My teenage son helped make a batch of gingerbread cookies, which slotted in once I wrapped them up in paper with a pretty ribbon. And finally I slipped in a Christmas card my small daughter had made. A thoroughly hand made gift, and I didn't have to buy anything for it.
One of the best things I ever bought was a plotter (large format printer). Because a lot of people do not have these, I often take my photos and print them out as gifts. While the printer was an expensive one-time purchase, I can make very cheap, but very personal gifts with it.
My plotter can print images up to three feet wide and however long the roll of paper is...300 feet typically. For a normal sized print, that means a three foot by four foot picture. Most times I print 16 x 20 photos because I can buy a frame for it for $7 at Hobby Lobby and really give something personal to someone.
Since I use the plotter to print my softcover and hardcover novels that I write, yesterday I gave the retiring CEO of our company, a copy of one of my books, and he was very touched by the personal gift.
A plotter was one of the best purchases I ever made. It serves me well in my little cottage industry publishing business, or in making homemade gifts for people.
The Humble Soapnut - A Guide to the Laundry Detergent that Grows on Trees ebook by Kathryn Ossing
5
https://openyoureyesbedding.com/pages/url
![[Thumbnail for jewelry-class.jpg]](/t/5876/a/197627/jewelry-class.jpg "Filename: jewelry-class.jpg
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Photo via Plantstraws.com
