Christmas Gift Ideas

I really want to give handmade gifts to family and friends this year. I don't have a big budget but I want to be able to give something special. I have a bunch of scrapbook and general craft supplies and I'm just looking for gift ideas. Any suggestions on gifts I could make?

I make a 8x8 calendar for my Grandmother in law every year and she LOVES it. Especially since she lives in FL half the year.

You need to look through this thread in the Tips and Techniques forum...pages and pages of ideas!
http://www.scrapbook.com/forums/showtopic.php?tid/13858...

I made coasters for MIL and my mom. Kaisercraft has circle and rectangle ones for $8 and you can use scraps to make them. The most expensive thing about them for me was te $20 sealer I got at Micheals.

I believe BoBunny has some plain white chipboard ornaments, but I'm not sure if thats the brand or not. I got the idea from the latest Archivers (if you have one near you) newsletter.

I also made DH a framed "layout", also using scraps and a cheap $5 frame from Target. Its in my gallery if you want to peek. Basic Grey also has a cute premade calender kit...all you have to do is follow the instructions. I made one for my Moms birthday and it helps if you have the pictures already, but I wanted to take one specially for her every month so she can add it to the calender. I just rearranged some of the embellishments so they wouldnt interfere with the placement of the photo.

I'm also making a Christmas mini album for a friend, using a kit from MM that I got a couple years ago and was going to toss.

check my gallery for altered paint cans

Thank you ladies for all the great ideas! Last Christmas I bought I calendar kit at Joannes' but it didn't have any numbers in it and I found it too fusterating to hand stamp all the dates.

I would have never thought of the coaster or the altered paint cans. Thanks again for the ideas.

what about paper bag albums. they are super easy to make and cute. the ones i make hold up to 20 pics!

I bought a mini loaf pan and made a nut bread. I scrapbooked a two page spread for a family event and gave everyone a set. I made hot chocolate mix, made a tag and gave everyone a jar. What about a jar mix of soup, brownies, or cookie mix.
See if you can find the magazine Crafts n things at your local library,

oh yeah, snowman soup. go to dollar tree/general and get snowmen mugs. then search snowman soup online, it's a cute idea for hot cocoa. you use a cocoa mix, marshmallows, candy cane, and i can't remember if their is anything else. but, it would be cheap and cute!

I like the idea of the jar cookie gifts that sounds really cute

In the superstore search "giftmaking" I was amazed how many cool kits and neat ideas came up. It seems like a lot of stuff is on sell too. I just stumbled onto it while I was looking for a mini album but definatly check it out.

• scrapbookingteacher Said:

I just saw some adorable christmas mini loaf pans at "M's" for $1 each. I was thinking about making mini loafs of bread for family & friends too.

i have some paint cans in my gallery

I know I'm going to feel really stupid when I hear the replies, but I wonder something about the altered paint cans.

They look pretty and all, but aren't the insides full of dried paint?

I'm ready to feel stupid now.

I think you can ask for new empty paint cans at a store

Don't feel stupid!! I wondered the same thing when I first saw them. You can get them really cheap at Home Depot. I made them one year and filled them with candied pecans. They were a huge hit!! You can either get the gallon or they sell them in the quart size.

Here is a link to my blog here with the recipe for the pecans.

http://www.scrapbook.com/blogs/88915/view/9842 9.html

• fiddlestix Said:

lol, FOR EVERY PERSON who feels stupid asking, there are five who are glad you asked

you can buy clear plastic paint cans at M's and J's too just so you know,,,,,,

now for my stoopid moment, lol,,,,,

I am trying to figure out how to get the HANDLES off the dang things so I can decorate the outside!!!!

Does anyone know how to DO that???? LOL

I wasn't able to get the handles off the large ones I made either. I just cut a little slit there to allow it to go on each side then glued it down. Hope that helps!

they are fun easy i have posted some my gallery
cans are new no piant lol

Did someone say paint cans? I have altered so many paint cans I could do them in my sleep. You can get then new at just about any hardware/home improvement store.... They run any where from .99 to 4.99 "depending on where you buy them".

Here are some votives I bought at wally world and spent $6 for the set. These were for Halloween but I am currently working on a couple for Christmas.
http://> TrishaLouise" title=" Halloween votives By TrishaLouise"Link

*Here are some .99 paint cans I did for Christmas
http://> TrishaLouise" title=" Altered container swap #2 By TrishaLouise"Link

how about filling jars with cookie making ingredients - you could put the recipe on a cute crafty xmas card and decorate the jars?? My son's boy scout troops did this several times at Xmas.

how about using mason jars and putting cookie ingredients in them? You can put recipe on cute Xmas crafty cards and decorate the jars. My son's boy scout troop did this at Xmas several times and people love it!!