I have been making candles all day today. We also make cards. We have made, in the past, hand towels. Actually, we buy the hand towels at the dollar store or get three for a couple dollars at Big Lots. I add tatted lace. Sometimes I make the lace to look like flowers and other times I just run a ribbon of tatted lace as a border. They are pretty, cheap, and usable. If you do not tat, you can buy ribbon or lace at the dollar store to use instead. We also buy small jewelry boxes at Michael's. You can buy them anywhere from $1.00 to a few dollars. We burn the persons name on it with a flower. Then we tint the wood with diluted paint. It makes the burned wood pop.
Lots of great ideas already mentioned, some that I've done and some new ideas I might have to use! My "Movie Night" theme baskets are always a big hit; I've used it several times. I love it because it can be as simple and thus less expensive as you want, or you can add more items and spend a little more money. I've picked up cute plastic bins at the dollar store that actually don't look cheap at all and sometimes I catch real baskets half off at Hobby Lobby to use. I've also used the big ceramic bowls with "popcorn" written on the side or I've used a plastic tub shaped like a big movie popcorn bowl. If I know a good movie for the recipient, I'll go ahead and purchase a movie; otherwise I'll get gift cards to a movie rental place (and this year I saw that Redbox is doing vouchers that you can purchase online to give as gift -- I so wish they would've had that in earlier years!). Then I fill the basket with boxes of candy (like the ones you get at the movie theatre, but you can find them for $1 at Walmart), bags of microwave popcorn. I've also added packets of hot cocoa mix or bottles of their favorite soda. I've found individual plastic shaped popcorn "bags" for $1 on the Target dollar rack that I've used, especially if the family has kids. To add more "filler" or make the gift bigger, you can add a cozy blanket, fuzzy socks, cute mugs for the cocoa -- anything you can think of to make a movie night more fun and special. I've done this for as cheap as $10 per basket before and it still looked like a very nice gift.
Wow, Kelly! I wish you had mentioned that earlier! I think it would be a great family idea for Carl's brother and his sister! That way I could just give each family one, and I wouldn't have to figure out something for each kid seperately. I know my family would love something like that!
I know! I just saw this thread yesterday for the first time. It's really a lot of fun putting together. Here's a shot of one of the $10 baskets I did a couple years ago (I apologize for the Sonic cup... it doesn't go with the gift. haha): Actually I take back the $10 comment... I think these may have been $12-$15; no more than $15 though. There's a $5 movie rental card in there, so I know the items other than that have to have added up to at least $8 or $10. The basket is one of my dollar store finds. You can see how easy it is to add more goodies and increase the value if needed/wanted.
Kelly, I was at Target today, and they had little plastic POPCORN "bags" for $1. I thought about you!!! I REALLY want to do this next year for my BIL's family!!!
Try putting a few pieces of Espresso Chocolate Chip Shortbread in a large coffee mug and wrap it in cellophane, this could be a great home made gift idea to gift your loved ones. Other things that you can think of homemade gifts can be Ginger crackles, Fudje, cookies etc.
I know it's only July, but I'm already on the lookout for cheap baskets, sacks, random things, to put into gift baskets or to make homemade gifts with. I love the feeling of giving something someone will appriciate rather than store bought junk. So, yes, it's is selfish on my part because I love to give. Last Easter I themed the kids baskets according to what they like, oldest boy ended up with an apron, bowl, spoon, cookie cutters, cookie mix, and a little recipe book with room for him to write his own. Middle boy got seeds, gardening set, water can, sun hat, gloves, and a mason jar for his iced tea like his papaw. Our daughter got every Lisa Frank sparkly craft set we could find. all baskets cost about $15 a piece and I made the baskets out of dyed, dried, corn stalk leaves. I love the idea of food mixes in jars but I would hate to give something that looks very pretty and tastes pretty awful! Any tried and true recipes? I've written down several over the years but none really have a "MMMMMM" quality to em. Love the idea of the movie basket! How do you make your candles Emma's#1fan ? I LOVE LOVE this idea for my well to do sister in law who has everything.
Well, since we're talking about making jam/jelly on another thread.... I'll probably give each family a set of three...apple butter, mixed berry jam, and maybe peach butter. I'll need to find some baskets, though!
My son had to do a lot of writing in 4th grade. I saved all his writings, picked out the most interesting ones and had him sit down and illustrate them. We put a book together of his writings and illustrations to give to his grandmother for Christmas. She was a teacher for 30 years and really appreciated the work he put into it.
I'm going to start making more of the home made candy boquests........ you can costomize them for anyone you are giving them too..... I'm making one for my DH for his birthday with beef jerky and his favorite candy.
are you kidding me........ yes....... basically all you need is a base of some kind like a basket or fun pail (check the dollar store)..... a bit of styrofoam (or a pool noodle cut down to fit basket or bucket) and bamboo skewers plus the items you are making the boquet with and a little filler like curling ribbon or even wrapping paper (think of a real boquet of flowers and the baby breaths in-between the flowers--- and use your celeophane wrap, ribbon or what ever to tuck in for extra glimmer)........ but really you would take your hir bows and clip them to the bamboo skewers (pointy part of skewer goes into the styrofoam) if the costume jewlery is on a small backing use a cool melt glue gun to glue the skewer to the back of the card the jewlery is on or use ribbon to tie it on.
