Dawn posted this week’s Loveliness Fair, Homemade gifts. I didn’t get a post up in time – there’s something new, not. ; )  But thought about it enough recently that I figured late was better than never.

We just finished the Christmas chapter in Little House in the Big Woods. First, it was striking to us that they each recieved one thing. Parents and children alike. But they so loved what they got. Ma got a shelf hand-carved by Pa, which took a place of honor in a sparcely furnished cabin. The girls got mittens and candy, save for Laura who also got a ragdoll. This means Ma didn’t kill herself over Christmas.  It also means that everyone had a proper respect for a gift. If you make one you know the time and effort they take. If you don’t have Walmart and the mall nearby and gifts aren’t an everyday occasion then they are appreciated even more. With all that in mind we are giving less and thinking more. We are also taking care not to toss things into the carts throughout the year but to save those items for special occasions.

The baby’s quilt is the number one handmade project we have going right now.  There are only so many gifts of that intensity that a person can churn out in Nov. But there are lots of smaller, less complicated options that still mean a lot. Here are a few ideas:

Albums from Shutterfly. They start cheap, they aren’t technically handmade but they are personal. And hey, you took those pics yourself right?

Pomanders. My family loves the smell of cinnamon and cloves. Even a smallish child can press cloves into an orange. Use a thimble or else start the holes with a thumbtack or you will hate me later. ; ) .

ornaments.  The net is teeming with ornament directions. I LOVE ornaments so am guessing many others would appreciate one as well. It takes as much time to make a classy one as a tacky one. Choose wisely.

Stationary.  If you have stamp sets or clip art online you can make a nice set for someone. An altered composition book is inexpensive and begs to be used. Dawn has some on her blog. Altered cds are great coasters too. Way nicer than the average coaster <g> If you scrapbook and have bits of patterned paper laying around let the kids make a collage on scratched cds.

Tiny framed pics or verses. You can often pick up small frames at the dollar store or Walmart for a small expense. You can handwrite or type a poem, prayer, or Scripture verse that hold special meaning to you or your recipient. Double frames can hold a verse on side and a child’s pic on the other. Or frame a small person’s handprint for a grandparent.

I have seen a lovely gift of a personalized votive candle. Take a small glass votive holder and monogram it with a classy sticker letter. A Times type sticker font works well. A text box printed from the cpu works as well. Wrap in tissue or tuille and tie with a ribbon.

Bookmarks.  They can be made with verses, stitched with a backstitch (less time than a cross-stitch pattern) over a freehand pattern, made from holy cards, old greeting cards.  You can also have a child blanket stitch around the bookmark. I still have a lovely bookmark made by Jen years ago from pressed flowers. To stitch on paper place the cardstock over a thick towel, take a sharp point like a needle or tack and make your holes along the design. Then its as simple as a child’s lacing card. Or skip it entirely and use scrapbooking stickers. : ) 

In a fast food world I still think a homemade loaf of bread or batch of fudge cannot be beat. We can’t possibly make all the different types of Christmas goodies every year. It is a treat to receive another family’s specialty to add variety to our cookie tray. 

Another food gift is chocolate spoons. Simply pick up the cheap packs of spoons at Walmart (6 for a dollar!) and dip them into melted chocolate. You may wish to add a few drops of peppermint tot he melted chocolate or dip the wet spoons in sprinkles.  They are very nice presented in a holiday mug. (dollar store!)

There you go. Lots of options that neither tax the bankbook nor your time. Send me pics if you try these!