How to Make Handmade Gifts
To make handmade gifts, try making small terrariums by filling glass bowls with soil and planting succulents in them. Or, you can choose a delicious baked good, like bread or cookies, and layer all of the ingredients in jars to give out to friends and family. Alternatively, you can get some decorative teacups, place a wick in each one, and fill them with melted wax to make cute teacup candles.
Create a pair of paperclip earrings. To make this fast, simple, and inexpensive gift, you will need: embroidery floss, earring clips, paper clips, and a clear, quick drying glue like Fabri-Tac. You should be able to find all of these supplies at your local craft store. Unfold the paper clips so they create even, triangle shapes. Slide the earring clips onto the triangle paper clips and secure the two ends of the triangles together. Secure the ends with clear tape to ensure they stay together. Knot one end of the embroidery floss to one corner of the paper clip. Glue it in place with the Fabri-Tac. Run a dab of glue along the entire base of the paper clip to keep the floss in place. Continue to wrap the floss around the paper clip, creating an even layer of colorful floss. Once you have wrapped the entire paper clip or made your desired design, finish the earrings by trimming off any excess floss and gluing the last strand of floss in place. Make a plant terrarium. This is a good homemade gift to make with friends, as supplies like soil and gravel are cheaper in bulk. You will need a bag of tiny charcoal, a bag of clean soil, a bag of gravel, a small glass or plastic bowl (look for this at your local craft store), a variety of succulents, moss, and any other small decorative rocks or sticks (found at your local nursery or plant store), a small scoop, a set of chopsticks or pencils, and a spray bottle with water. Make a work area by covering a table or the floor with newspapers. Put a layer of gravel in your container. Then, sprinkle a some charcoal bits on top of the gravel. The charcoal will absorb the earthy smell. Add a layer of soil on top of the gravel and charcoal. Make sure it is an inch or two deep, or deep enough to support the succulents. Give the bowl a light spray with the water bottle, and clean the sides of the bowl. This will make sure the soil is moist enough to hold the plants. Then, pat down the soil with your hand. You could also adjust the soil so it is diagonal in the bowl. This will showcase the plants better. Use a chopstick or a pencil to dig a hole in the soil that's just big enough to insert the plants. Trim the stem of the succulents and plant the remaining stem. For greenery that has deep roots, trim the roots and leave some of them so they can grow back into the soil. Add sheet moss to fill in the holes around the plants. The moss is preserved so it won't grow, but it will maintain its color and add a nice decorative detail to the terrarium. Finish the terrarium by adding in any small decorative items like stones or sticks. You can also add tiny toy animals or birds. Get creative and personalize your terrarium. Build a “bread in a jar”. To make this heart warming homemade gift, you'll need a clean milk bottle or a 1-quart mason jar. You can also customize the ingredients to make any variety of bread. For this example, we'll be focusing on Chocolate Chip Oatmeal bread. You'll need: 2 cups all purpose flour, 1 cup rolled oats, ½ cup granulated sugar, ½ cup brown sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ cup chopped walnuts, and ½ cup chocolate chips. Pour the flour into your bottle or jar. Tap the sides of the bottle so the layer is even and flat. Then, slowly add in the oats, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon into the bottle one at a time. Tap between each layer so they are nicely distributed in the bottle. Add in the walnuts and chocolate chips as the last two layers in the bottle. Cut a small piece of paper and write down the recipe, as well as the wet ingredients to add to the bottle of dry ingredients (1 ½ cups buttermilk, 2 large eggs, and ¼ cup melted butter). Make sure you also add a note about baking the bread in a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan at 350 degrees Fahrenheit in the oven for about 50 minutes. Feel free to also draw or doodle on the paper as a finishing touch and then stick the paper to the bottle of dry ingredients with tape. Make cookies or other baked goods. This could be the person's favorite recipe for shortbread cookies or a new recipe for dark chocolate brownies that you think the person will like. Look for recipes that involve only a few, easy to find ingredients and don't involve a lot of bake time to keep your gift within budget. Create a photo collage. This is a great way to make a very personal, one of a kind gift for someone. Use a program like Photoshop or collage software to build a collage on your computer or get really hands on and collage photo copied or scanned photos on a piece of poster board. To make the collage even more impressive looking, get it framed professionally or purchase a frame from a craft store and frame it yourself. Make a set of printed coasters. You can customize this homemade gift by using printed paper or photographs to make a set of unique tile coasters. For a set of 4, you will need four 4” x 4” pieces of paper (or printed photographs of choice). Head to your local hardware store and pick up: four 4.25” x 4.25” plain white tiles, Mod Podge Gloss, Rustoleum Crystal Clear Enamel, a 3” foam brush, and a pack of ⅜” self adhesive felt pads. Use the foam brush to apply a light layer of Mod Podge Gloss to the tiles. Place your piece of patterned paper or photograph in the center of the titles and run your finger over the sides of the paper to remove any air bubbles. Allow the titles to dry for 15 minutes. Apply three coats of Mod Podge Gloss over the top of the paper on each title. Allow for 15 minutes of drying time between each coat. An hour after you have applied the third coat of Mod Podge Gloss, spray each title with the Rustoleum Crystal Clear Enamel spray in a well ventilated area, preferably outside. Apply two or more light coats in a steady back and forth motion, slightly overlapping each coat. Wait 30 minutes for the titles to dry. Finish the titles by adding the felt pads to the four corners of each title. Make a teacup candle. This is a great way to turn pretty, decorative teacups into a practical, homemade gift. Look for teacups at thrift stores or second hand stores. You will need candle wax flakes or paraffin wax, several wood kabob skewers, scotch tape, sharp scissors, candle dye or food dye (optional), a double boiler or bowl and access to a stove. Lay two skewers side by side on the top of the cup. Slide the wax wick into the center of the cup, so it sits between the two skewers. Then clamp shut the opposite ends of the skewers by taping them together. This will help the wicks stay straight as you pour in the wax. Repeat this step until all the teacups have a supported wick. Fill a shallow pan or double boiler with water and place it over medium to high heat on the stove. Place a bowl into the water and pour in your wax flakes. Because the wax is broken up into flakes, it will melt faster and more evenly than a solid block of paraffin wax. As the water and bowl heats up and your wax flakes start to melt, add in any candle scent or a small amount of color (via food dye or candle dye) to the wax. Use a skewer to stir the flakes and mix in the color. Once the wax has melted completely, use oven mitts to lift the bowl out of the water and carefully pour the wax into your teacups. Try to avoid getting wax on the skewers laying on the top of the cups. Fill the teacups up until about a quarter of an inch of the cup is still showing. Immediately wash your bowl to stop the wax from drying on the bowl. Wait at least three to four hours for the wax to dry completely and then remove the skewers and trim your wicks as desired. Once the wax is dry, it will look cloudy, smooth and hard to the touch. Make a bath tea scrub. Tea is a great antioxidant for your skin, especially when it is used as part of a bath scrub. To make a green tea scrub, you'll need three ingredients: granulated sugar, green tea, and grapeseed oil. You can find grapeseed oil online or at your local health food store. Substitute olive oil for grapeseed oil if you're looking for a cheaper, easier to find alternative. In a large bowl, add 1 cup of granulated sugar. Add ⅛ cup of your chosen natural oil. Mix the oil and the sugar together with a spoon or with your (clean) hands. Brew and cool ¼ cup green tea. Then, add the tea a little at a time to the oil and sugar mixture. Stir well and check the texture of the scrub. Ideally, you want it to resemble applesauce. Adjust the texture by adding more green tea or sugar, depending on your preference. Pour the scrub into a mason jar or jar with a tight fitting lid. If you want to add a bit more scent and texture to the scrub, cut open a bag of green tea leaves and mix it into the scrub. Spruce up the presentation of the scrub by adding a label or ribbon around the jar. Create an ombre tiered necklace. You'll be working with wire to create this homemade gift, so make sure you have good needle nose pliers and a wire cutter. You'll also need a roll of chain (gold, silver, or bronze, depending on what you'd prefer), three different colored spandex strips, gold jewelry loops, a gold clasp, scissors, and tape. Cut the first length of chain to size. This will be the piece that will go around your neck so make it around 24 inches long. Prep the spandex strips. Cut them about a half inch wide and keep them very long. Stretch them so they turn into round thin pieces of string. Use a piece of tape to create a needle at one end of the spandex, kind of like the end of a shoelace. Tie one end of the spandex onto the chain, as far down as you want the color to start. Thread the spandex through the chain to make the first tier of the necklace, about 11 inches centered at the bottom of the necklace. Cut the next length of chain 1-2 inches shorter than the first chain. Thread the spandex through with the same process. Cut another length of chain 1-2 inches shorter than the second chain and thread the spandex through. Repeat the process so you have three lines of the first color. Cut the chain shorter and shorter and thread them through with the second color and the third color. You should now have: three lines of the first color, two lines of the second color, and one line of the third color. Use the gold jewelry loops to attach each level to the level above it. Use the needle nose pliers to fasten them. Finish the necklace by attaching a clasp. Make a bleach painted t-shirt. Bleach is a simple and inexpensive way to play around with fabric dying and create a personal gift for someone. Keep in mind bleach is toxic so keep it out of reach of children and wear protective clothing and gloves when handling it to avoid contact with your skin. You'll need fabric safe household bleach, a synthetic bristle paint brush, a glass or ceramic bowl, a dark colored cotton blend top, a towel or rag, white chalk, and a piece of cardboard. Place the piece of cardboard inside the shirt to create a flat workspace. Use elastics or clips to attach the cardboard to the shirt so it doesn't move around. Sketch out a phrase or design on the shirt with the chalk. Think about using a personal phrase or a unique design ideal for a gift. Prepare a bowl of undiluted bleach. Dip your brush into the bowl and drag it on the edge of the bowl to eliminate any drips. Use steady strokes to trace the outline of your phrase or design. The fabric will soak in the bleach quickly so work efficiently to complete your design. Once you're finished, step back and look at the design. Fill in any uneven or missed spots with small dabs of bleach on your brush. Use the towel to clean off the brush. Let the shirt dry outside in the sun for several hours to let the bleach process and lighten the shirt. Hand wash the shirt and hang it to dry before gifting it. Make canvas art with duct tape. Look for a sturdy canvas that will fit the desired space. Canvas can be pricy, but keep in mind duct tape costs almost nothing, so this homemade gift shouldn't break the bank. You can also use washi tape to make canvas art. Washi tape comes in a variety of colors and textures, so play around with patterns and designs to make a unique work of art. Paint the canvas a solid neutral shade or a brighter shade, depending on your preference. Add on strips of duct tape, criss crossing as you go, or create a geometric shape. You can paint the resulting triangles or shapes a darker hue to create contrast. 
Create a pair of paperclip earrings. Make a plant terrarium. Build a “bread in a jar”. Make cookies or other baked goods. Create a photo collage. Make a set of printed coasters. Make a teacup candle. Make a bath tea scrub. Create an ombre tiered necklace. Make a bleach painted t-shirt. Make canvas art with duct tape. 