Frugal gift-giving for the uncreative and unartistic
Homeliving Helper has a great article up on affordable gifts. This is something I've been thinking about a lot recently. I love giving gifts to people, especially gifts that aren't just something I hurriedly went out and bought. In addition, spending $25 (or even $15) on each birthday and wedding and graduation can very quickly kill our budget. I like to give meaningful gifts - gifts that the receiver will really appreciate and be able to use. However, I am not a very creative person, nor am I a very artsy person. I might be able to come up with a great idea, but actually being able to do it, is another story.
For a long time, I let the fact that I wasn't an artistic person deter me from at least trying. But in recent months, I've made a real concerted effort to push myself to try and develop skills in this area, even if it doesn't come naturally. And I've actually surprised myself. I'll probably never be able to decorate an elaborate cake or sew a wedding dress, but I'm excited that at least I can knit basic patterns and not have to throw them out when I'm done! I never thought I'd be able to do that. One reason I want to develop these skills such as knitting and crocheting is so that I might be able to give special and affordable gifts to our friends and family. And who knows, maybe I'll be good enough to do so soon?
I'd love to hear what you all give for gifts - especially in the way of affordable gifts. Are there any "non-artistic" people like me who have come up with some great (and easy!) homemade/handmade gift ideas for the likes of us to put together? I'd love any ideas and inspiration you can pass along!
posted by Crystal Paine at 1:09 PM
12 Comments:
I've made bread mixes, soup mixes, and cookie/cake mixes as gifts to give before...
Just get a big ol mason jar (I believe it is the quart size I use), some pretty scrap fabric (I like calico), and some scrap ribbon. The latter two can be had very inexpensively from any fabric/notions type store, or Walmart!
I then put all the dry ingredients in the jar in pretty layers, cap it up, put the fabric over the top tied with the ribbon, and almost done! I then type or write out on a little card that is folded in half the recipe, and what wet ingredients would be needed. Not only are the recipes I pick always great recipes, but the jars look so pretty on display too! :)
And I'm definitely not an artsy fartsy creative type AT ALL... :)
The only artsy/crafty thing I can do is cross-stitch, and many around here equate that with a "country" decor, so I usually don't stitch gifts. I can sew, but I'm so slow that I usually never get the gift finished. What I am good at is paying attention. When I visit a friend or relative's home, or we go out together, I try to read between the lines of our conversation or their decorating choices. For example, my sis-in-law LOVES gourmet coffees and great desserts that go well with them. I know when I'm out at discount stores (like Big Lots, Tuesday Morning, Ross or TJ Maxx) if I find special imported cookies or coffees, they would make a great gift for her. Since these things are often expensive in markets, this is perfect for me. I buy things according to my mother's/grandmother's/husband's personal interests as well.
As an aside to my previous comment...any bread mix I give, I send a little packet of yeast along, secured under the calico that is over the lid.
I've also given jams, jellies, preserves, relishes, and a variety of fruit butters this way also...those who don't can are DELIGHTED with them....they're so much better than anything bought from the store! :)
I make luxury socks from recycled sweaters as a gift item. Cruise the mens' sweaters at Goodwill for sweaters that are in yarns such as cashmere or lambswool, but not the nicest looking sweater. Unravel the sweater, et voila beautiful warm yarn for knitting into toasty luxury socks. This works well with all sweaters that are about to hit the rag bag, but as gifts I like fancy yarns.
-Miss Kait
This isn't exactly homemade but it takes a bit of creativity and kids love it and I think adults would also. I buy an inexpensive DVD in the Walmart $5 bin. I keep boxes of microwave popcorn at my house that I get on sale and with coupons so it costs almost nothing. Anyway, I get a small basket and put in the movie, a few packets of the popcorn and I will also buy a few candy bars and a bag of licorice or a box or two of movie candy at the dollar store. For less than ten dollars, it is a ready made "family movie night." You can wrap the basket in cellophane if you want or even just tie some curly ribbons onto the basket and it looks really cute.
I love the Dollar Store for impromptu, inexpensive gifts:
A big fat colorbook and pack of crayons all tied together with a Happy Birthday helium balloon = $3.00
Bath gel and lotion tucked into plastic tote with a pretty washcloth = $4.00
Coffee mug filled with hard candy = $2.00
Journal and set of fancy colored pens = $2.00
Hi,
My best tip is to start browsing early. In March of this year I bought my husband's brother and sister-in-law their Christmas gift of a stunning platter more that 50% off in a theme she adores! For just under $25 I had their entire Christmas done at a time when we had a little extra cash (tax refund!)
I also like to bake gifts. A friend of ours is a huge cookie fan, so I try to find a nice classic recipe that is not an every day type of recipe.
Also, if you can find nice old china tea cups, clean them up, stuff them with nice teas and a small package of biscuits and wrap it in cellophane that is great too! If it is a dear friend, include a favorite book - if you get the book on sale or at a discount, tea out of your cupboard (I just steal a couple bags from whatever I have that is individually wrapped) and an garage sale find cup you will likely spend less than $10.
Finally, you can often find terra cotta pots very inexpensively, same with bulbs. A wonderful gift is a forced bulb in a pot. Hyacinth is great in winter, tulips or daffodils are great in the late winter or early spring. If you have some appropriate paint kicking around you can paint them, I just prefer a bow as I seem to always have remnants around or be finding it on sale.
Kristy
I do the knitting, candle making, soap making, lotion making, treasure boxes, thing.
I also make pumpkin butter and can it, tie some raffia around it and give it with some nice crackers. That one is a hit. I've even been able to sell it at my husband's work in the past.
I'm gearing up to do all of these starting now for my holiday grand plan.
Crystal,
Even though you claim that you are not a very creative person, that doesn't mean that you can't learn the skills, just as you have proven with your knitting.
I teach several classes on crochet, cake decorating, quilting and such. I hear the 'I'm not creative' comment all the time. Now sure it comes more naturally to some than others, and some can learn a skill and do amazing things with it. But to me things like cake decorating, crochet, knitting, sewing and the like are skills, not always natural talent. It's all in learning how to do it. Kind of like math and English. It comes easier for some then others (and I am one it does not come easy for, but I still need to do it).
Last year my goal for my daughters and I was to learn how to quilt. There are ENDLESS methods of quilting, and it can be quite overwhelming at times. But as I told my girls, we will learn how to do them all and just do the ones we enjoy! :o)
Now for my gift idea:
Crochet dishcloths are a favorite. These are actually better knitted, but seeing as I have not learned that YET, I crochet mine. They are made with Peaches and Cream 100% thread. These make excellent hostess gifts. They are quick to make up and you can make a bunch of them and always have them on hand for a last minute gift.
I also like to make up several extra small jars of jam. You can give a jar of jam and a knitted dishcloth and it WOWS them every time! :o)
Another inexpensive gift is slippers, crocheted or knitted. These are great for new moms or when someone is sick. Actually, I was thinking last night that I was going to make our family friends matching slippers for Christmas!
I am not artsy either, Crystal. I think that is why I like you. : ) I had a lot of homeschool girls around me when I was growing up who all seemed to outshine me in many domestic skills. I felt like such a loser.
However, now that I am married and have no competition and have been practicing baking and fancy cooking and have been doing a really good job, if I say so myself. I would really like to learn to quilt, but am afraid of the mess. Don't have any room to do it right now.
One thing that I love to do for my friends and family is to buy second-hand books from garage sales and sencond-hand book shops. Then I wrap them in brown paper and tie them with coloured ribbon or string. Old postage stamps can be glued on to the paper to give it an air of a well-travelled package from afar!
A thoughtful title carefully wrapped and presented is definitely what counts - not the cost of the items.
I also sometimes make prints of photos of me and my friends/family and choose a nice inexpensive frame and give that as a gift. They tend to be very well-received!
Another idea is to make something that can be used by them as a gift. Such as some homemade wrapping paper & gift cards. Digital photo prints on plain white card are effective - I often make a set of 6 cards and box them up like professionally-made sets sold in the stores. A roll of brown paper printed with your children's hand prints or stamped with shells etc. is also lots of fun to make.
Hmm, that's all I can think of off the top of my head right now. There have been lots of great ideas here Crystal!
Diana (in Australia)
Another possibility - a small donation to your giftees favorite charity, with a nice card for him or her. This could also be done with donations of knitted or crocheted items. Starter projects might include small scarves and afghan units (such as rectangles for Warm Up America). Make the card yourself (either with a card-printing program or totally by hand) for even greater savings.
Anne
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