by Amy Jo Browne

Created on: December 24, 2008

Handmade gifts speak volumes to those people that you give the too. I have included some hand made gifts that are suitable for any occasion These are gifts that are cheaper than some mass produced gift, and often they are ore loved by the recipient as well.

Handmade gifts 1

A few years ago, Mary Anne, a woman who I had met in an online chat room, had sent all of her female friends these wonderful little signs to hang in our homes. The little sign is homemade, and that hangs with pride on my wall. My little sign reads a wonderful wacky, wonderful woman lives here. If you are crafty, you can make one of these in your own home, to give out as Christmas presents or any other kind of presents for your female friends.

The little sign that hangs on my wall is about 4 inches tall, about 8 inches long, painted white with the green lettering. It has tiny purple flowers all over at, and is hung on a wire hanger. These would be extremely easy to make and to give the special moments to let your friends know how much they mean to you.

Handmade gifts 2

I also had a small oval shaped frame that Nancy made me when we were stationed in Korea, back in 1988 and 1989. This is a small crossed stitch sampler, with a cute little saying about friendship forever blossoming. Purchase the frame and then do the sampler. This is a wonderful little gift for a special friend, and the one Nancy created still hangs on my wall.

Handmade gifts 3

A few years ago, one of my sisters created some little bookmarks. All of them have a special poem on them about sisters being like friends. You could easily do this as well with a friendship quote or if you are poetically inclined create a little poem and make a bookmark for your friend, a sister, or anybody who reads.

Handmade gifts 4

For one Christmas, one of my brothers went to the lumber store and bought a nice sheet of wood. He cut it into links about 11 x 14, and prepared that wood so that the pieces of wood could become cutting boards for the entire family. I'm not sure how he prepared the wood but before he put the final layer on the put the gift tag on there along with the year, and then put another coating on it so it would seal. I still use my cutting board on a daily basis.

Handmade gifts 5

I remember quite vividly how three years ago, was a huge plastic bowl filled with used lower and everything you need is to make a loaf of bread and there was the whisk, a recipe a wooden spoon to stir it was, and all the other essentials and ingredients. The recipe for the bread was ready to be put into the recipe book's mom has created for all of us.

Handmade gifts 6

These recipe books are the binders that one would buy a kid to go to school. Each binder had multiple photograph album pages inside so that you protect the recipes. Every year we get a different recipe for this book, sometimes we get a crock pot meal, main dish, dessert, or side dish recipe, but we all know they have been handmade and hand chosen with love from our mother. Some of these are recipes that she finds and enjoys, but many of them are handed down from generation to generation, on her side of the family. There are several of the recipes that are written in my grandmother and my great-grandmother in their own handwriting.

All it takes is creativity and imagination, and you too can have a handmade gift that will be treasured for years to come. I know when I left at the sign that Marianne created the frame that Nancy made, or use the bookmark, cutting board, or recipe book. They took the time to make me something special for me with their own two hands, and that is something that just cannot be replaced.

Learn more about this author, Amy Jo Browne.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.