Homemade gifts for Christmas?

[alexandra the great]

I have some younger friends that I'm making miniature houses for. I'm using some small boxes from the craft store.
For my other friends, I got tea sampler kits. =D

[Lillias]

I have some younger friends that I'm making miniature houses for. I'm using some small boxes from the craft store.
For my other friends, I got tea sampler kits. =D

Both of those sound lovely!

I'm sewing lining and cutting out interfacing because the main materials haven't made an appearance yet.

[Kikya]

How is everyone doing with their gift-making? I decided to make presents for two adults, in addition to the baby blanket (the blanket doesn't need to be done by Christmas). Sorry no details because this is a public forum, and people know I hang out on hamster forums. Mustn't ruin the surprise too much. Homemade gifts tend to send me over budget; I'm too gung-ho about supplies. I'm still waiting on several important materials, and it's crunchtime for my Etsy shop, so I haven't worked much on the gifts yet. Customer orders take priority since there's shipping time to account for. There's four more guys on the list that I have no ideas for. I'll probably buy *something* for them because I don't want to be stuck finishing presents on Christmas Eve, again. Not sure what though. My niece is making some gifts. She always so grateful when I give her some relevant supplies, but they are mostly scraps from projects gone-by, so Child, please take them away! I just bought more vanilla beans (there was a Black Friday sale). It's too late to make extract for Christmas, so it'll be springtime vanilla and I'll have to ask everyone to bring back their bottles because I'm running out of smaller bottles.

So because your encouragement, I decided to go with some homemade Vanilla Extract! for my MIL and SIL because they are the only ones who cook/bake. I'm soaking them in a mason jar right now. But you mentioned something about little bottles? That might be cute, what kind do you use? I'm also going to make my MIL a scrapbook of all the grandkids. I decided to buy a couple of cross stitch kits, since I haven't done cross stitch since I was a little girl and I am out of practice. I got some adorable patterns from this website: https://www.everythingcrossstitch.com/c ... rl-y4.aspx
They have all kinds of sizes of kits.

So for my sister, I didn't go homemade but I got her a really nice wooden hair brush, which is great for long hair.

[Lillias]

You want bottles that are glass, so you can sterilize them, with lids that seal well. When I made the last batch in 2020, I was scouring shops to find them because they were out of stock. I think the shape I use for gifts is called "Boston Round." Pre-pandemic I could get the amber glass version at the local natural grocery near the section with essential oils (people use them to mix their own perfumes, etc.). At home though, I just sterilize and re-purpose any usable glass bottle that seals well. You'll want a good small funnel if you are filling small bottles.

Wooden hairbrushes are pretty. I plan to get one when my current brush wears out (it's on its way).

[FeedMeSeedsMore]

I generally fall back on an edible gift.

This is the way.

[ShadowCircuit]

That sounds super fun! A while back, I made tiny houses for my niece using little boxes too, and she loved them. For another friend, I actually made a Custom 3D Action Figure—you can create your own 3D figure from a photo—and it was hilarious seeing them recognize themselves in tiny form.

[bella33]

I feel you on materialism. A lot of us have too much casually-acquired stuff, and it's hard to guess or shop for the things others actually need. I don't mind buying gifts, but I want to get them things they will actually use, not more junk to gather dust.

I'm a crafter, so I gift homemade items often (if I think the recipient will like it; I'm not wasting hours of my time for a gift that won't be appreciated). I could use some ideas because I've exhausted mine. I might make a quilt/playmat for a toddler. I've signed up to paint guinea pig ornaments for a local rescue to sell as a fundraiser. My main list though is a blank.

It's late in the game to pick up a new skill set. I would stick with something you already know how to do or something fairly easy, so you don't have the stress of trying to learn a skill and produce a giftable item in less than two months.

A few simple ideas:
Vanilla extract: Split the beans vertically and put them in a bottle. Warm the vodka and pour it over the beans. Shake occasionally until Christmas. Decant into smaller bottles for gifting.
Hot chocolate mix: Measure out appropriate portions of cocoa, sugar, and powdered milk into a jar. Shake and label with instructions. Optional add-ins: mini marshmallows, crushed peppermint sticks (the ones made with sugar, rather than the corn syrup ones), instant coffee powder, red chili powder, mini chocolate chips
Phone pillow stand (sewing): https://hellosewing.com/diy-phone-pillow-stand-holder/
Heat packs (sewing): https://sewcanshe.com/2014-12-16-diy-he ... -and-neck/ Use cotton thread, not polyester.
Coffee cup cozy (crochet): https://www.windingroadcrochet.com/begi ... y-pattern/ This is a beginner pattern. There are fancier options if you want something more challenging.
No-sew fleece blanket: https://decorhint.com/how-to-make-fleec ... hout-ties/

You can also do lots of fun things with melted chocolate and add-ins (nuts, hard pretzels, dried fruits, etc.).

Off topic, but I recommend trying some Latin or Mexican vanilla extract! It is amazing has such a rich flavour that is better than vanilla from the supermarket. You can find it in the international section of Walmart.