Easy Homemade Gifts the Family Can Make

If you are on a budget this year you can still give a great homemade gift. Try making your own potpourri using dried apple slices, bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, and nutmegs. Go to the dollar store and buy an interesting glass container or use ball canning jars. Tie a bow and add a little greenery at the top of the jar. You can add a small ornament to the jar. Make sure you list the amount and type of ingredients you used on the gift card. To be a little different string the dried apple slices, orange slices, and cinnamon sticks on dental floss and give the fragrant garland in a decorative Christmas tin.

You can do a variation on the potpourri with citrus slices for a little different fragrance. You should dry your citrus slices several weeks before you make your potpourri or garland. Slice lemons, oranges And limes crosswise into about ¼ inch slice Use a baking rack or brown paper bags cut into squares to dry the slices on turning them frequently. Do not use newspaper as the ink will transfer to the slices. The slice should be of a leathery consistency and not totally stiff. You can now use dental floss to alternate slices with candy cinnamon balls. Use a strong long sewing needle to make a whole to string the cinnamon balls. You can also use pliable netting to make small sacks of potpourri to string between the slices.

A nice kitchen decoration any grandmother would appreciate is a dried cranberry heart Use fine gauged wire and a strong craft needle and have the kids string dried cranberries on to the wire. Then help them shape the wire into the shape of a heart. Have each child make a smaller cardboard heart and cover it with red or green construction paper and write their name in decorative letters ( use stencils if you like) . Hang the small cardboard heart from the middle of the dried wire cranberry heart with string or ribbon. If you grandmother plans to keep the cranberry heart hanging for a long time make the cardboard hearts in colors that match her kitchen.

A nice gift for any lady in your life is to make scented bath salts. Use plain Epsom salt and add some essential oils. Floral scents like lavender, rose, and gardenia work well. Make up the bath salts at least two weeks before you give them so that the oil has time to absorb into the salt. Make tags with instructions on adding the salts to running water. You can package the salts in jars or even Christmas glasses from the dollar store. If you use glass from the dollar store take a red rubber band and some Christmas patterned material and make a reusable cover for the Christmas glass.

Handmade gifts are always cherished by our friends and family. They also make great family projects to bring folks together at Christmas time.