I have been watching and reading and many people want to go back to making gifts for people instead of the modern way of buying but they arent sure what  to do, so I thought I would share what we have been doing.

My daughter made bookmarks out of

calico. She dies them what ever colour she wanted them then after they had been dried she wrote their names on with fabric paint, two friends got a c.d purse done the same way, and two other people got book covers all decorated from her imagination. The gifts were received well and the adults that got bookcovers were thrilled that their books would no longer get ruined in bags.

 We got some epsom salts picked a fragrance for people then picked a food colour to match the fragrance. We put them in little bottles and shook them to get everything mixed together.

We are currently making tin can candle holders where you pick a design tape it to a tin can and punch holes around the design so that when a candle is lit the light streams out in the shape of the design, and very special boxes that you wrap and tie a poem to. The boxes are not meant to be opened, it's all about the thought.

I found most of these things at www.craftbits.com My daughter and I had a ball making things and her friends have shared in her enjoyment as she put them onto the idea. One of her friends in the oldest of three girls and they have all enjoyed making things for their friends and loved ones and the next step is kick daddy out while they make him a picture frame with surfing things on it such as waves and a surfboard, then kick mummy out while they do her presents

Materials arent that costly and you will probably find that you have a lot of stuff handy so you dont need to buy as much. I have found that Christmas and Birthdays were becoming harder as you had to give people something they wouldnt turn their noses up at, but as I told my daughter "if they cannot accept a gift that comes from the heart and made by the hands of the person giving the gift then they dont deserve to be given another until they change their ways."

Happy Holidays to all.

Adele.