by Susan Hibberd

Created on: September 06, 2008   Last Updated: December 20, 2008

People really do appreciate the thought that goes into a handmade present. When you make gifts yourself you can tailor the gift to the person you are making it for. You can choose a theme that suits them, a color they love, and add any personal touches. Each Christmas gift is unique, even if you repeat a design for someone else, being hand-made it will come out differently.

Also, your friend know that you have put thought and effort into making the gift, which makes it extra-special to them. They know that you didn't just pick it randomly off a shelf, but that you spent a lot of time designing and making it.

And most importantly of all, the quality is often higher in a hand-made gift than in a bought item. As a crafter you can spend the time and effort to make everything perfect and add extra details that might be left out in mass-produced items.

Some of the best ideas I have come across are:

KNITTED ITEMS

If you are an experienced knitter, then this will come as second nature to you! Choose a design that really matches the personality of the recipient. Places like Readicut provide a service for making your own design into a knitting pattern, or you could do this yourself with a sheet of graph paper.

Even if you aren't so handy with the needles, scarves are really easy to make, or you could make some little Christmas decorations with oddments of wool- small mistakes will add to the charm.

Little girls always appreciate clothes for their dollies, and gloves are often lost, so always welcome. Bed jackets are another good idea.

SEWING

If you are a seamstress, you can make aprons and cushion covers for people. I wouldn't suggest clothing as this is often very personal.

You could make something for the animals in your friend's life.

If you do cross-stitch, a tiny card is a lovely gift, although a large sampler could be seen as too much, except for someone very special.

MOSAICS MIRROR FRAME

See my helium article for ideas on an easy mosaic-ed mirror frame. The same techniques can be used to make a mosaic picture frame.

FOOD

Always a good gift, even for those people who have everything! It always gets eaten, and then they need some more!

Try seasonal goodies like chocolate truffles, gingerbread biscuits and candied fruits. Or opt for something that will last longer than the festive season, like jams, pickles and chutneys. Spiced wine mix and vinegar recipes are all good presents. Decorate the jar or box with Christmas paper. Beautifully decorated cakes are another great idea.

CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS

It's always nice to have handmade decorations, but people can't always make them. Look in the many magazines that come out at this time of year and make a set of decorations that your friends can keep from year to year.

BATH SALTS

Bath salts are a lot easier to make than you think. See my Helium article for details.

SOAP

Melt n Pour soap making is very easy, and you can get some fantastic results with very little experience. Check out the Helium articles by me and many other people for details.

CANDLES

You can decorate candles in a number of ways. Find out how your friend has decorated her bedroom or living room before deciding on candles as a present. Decorate with gold leaf, cinnamon sticks and berries for a holiday feel, or raffia and leaves for a natural look. Use lace, rosebuds and tiny beads for a romantic bedroom look.

WOODEN

If you can make wooden items, then there is a variety of things that can be made as gifts, from bird tables, to bowls, and bakc again.

Hand-crafted items make lovely gifts because of the thought and the effort which go into making them. Make this Christmas special for your friends and family by making them something really special!

Learn more about this author, Susan Hibberd.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.