Handmade Christmas Gifts

This year, I am making most of the Christmas Gifts that I will be giving friends and family.  The harsh economic times has made it a necessity.  However, I have come up with some really special gift ideas that I will be proud to give.  For those of you who are like me and must give handmade gifts from the heart this Christmas, I am happy to share some of my gift ideas along with the recipes, templates and instructions.

The first gift set I am making contains Homemade Oatmeal Soap, Homemade Almond Oatmeal Scrub and Homemade Bath Bombs.  I will be including some sort of loofah or bath scrubby.  The Almond Oatmeal Scrub can be put in either a small canning jar or a cosmetic jar which can be found on ebay.

To make the Oatmeal Soap you will need one large bar of Dove soap, 3 or 4 Tablespoons of ground up Oatmeal, and 4 or 5 tablespoons of water.  The Oatmeal should be ground up enough to break up most of the individual flakes, but not reduced to a flour.  You will want to leave your Oatmeal some substance.  Grate the Dove bar into small slivers, add a couple of tablespoons of water and microwave on high for 2-3 minutes.  Be careful not to let the soap bubble over the bowl.  Stir the soap once or twice while heating.  Once the soap has dissolved, remove from microwave and stir.  Add the Oatmeal gradually until you are happy with the consistency and the proportion of oatmeal to soap.  Pour into a mold and let cool.

For the Almond Oatmeal Scrub you will need 1/4 cup of Oatmeal, 1/4 cup of almonds, 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of Chamomile flower tea.  Add all of the ingredients together in a food processor or blender and process until mixture resembles a fine mealy textured powder.  Funnel into small glass jars.  Add the following instructions for use:  Place 1-2 teaspoons of Almond Oatmeal Scrub in your hand.  Add enough water to form a paste.  Dab onto face with fingers and gently scrub with a soft, circular motion, avoiding the eyes.  Rinse well with water and fresh washcloth.

For the Fizzy Bath Bombs:

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Another gift set I am making consists of Hot Cocoa Mix, a couple of mugs and Chocolate Covered Spoons.  The Hot Cocoa Mix is made from 5 cups of powdered milk, 2 cups powdered coffee creamer, 1 1/2 cups sifted cocoa powder (you can use dutch cocoa for a richer, darker mix), 3 cups powdered sugar, 1/3 cup granulated sugar and mini marshmallows.  Use a wire whisk to mix the dry ingredients together.  Make sure to mix it well.  Stir in the marshmallows and divide the mix into canning jars or other containers for gift giving.  Attach the following instructions:  To use, fill mug 1/3 full of Cocoa Mix and stir in hot water. 

For the Chocolate Covered Spoons you will need heavy, plastic spoons and 6 ounces of dark dipping chocolate and 6 ounces of white dipping chocolate.  Line 2 cookie sheets with waxed paper.  Put the white and dark chocoate in seperate bowls and melt each in the microwave at half power for 1 minute.  Stir well.  If not completely melted, microwave and stir at 15 second intervals until smooth and completely melted.  Dip a spoon into one of the bowls, covering both sides completely.  Place spoon on cookie sheet with handle resting on the edge.  Make some spoons covered with white chocolate and some covered with dark chocolate.  For an extra special touch, drizzle a small amount of the contrasting chocolate over each spoon or you can sprinkle a little colored sugar on the spoons.  Refrigerate the spoons until the chocolate is completely hardened.  Wrap each in cellophane and tie with a ribbon. 

For family, I am also including a Rice Buddy Hot/Cold Pack that is super easy to make.   You will need cotton, fleece or other suitable fabric, sewing thread, sewing machine, one cup measure, scissors, 3 cups of rice (not instant) and a funnel.  Trace around a hot water bottle leaving a 1/4 inch seam allowance.  If you do not have one, the link for the template can be found below.  Fold fabric right sides together and place the template along the fold line.  Pin the fabric pieces right sides together.  Starting at one side of the neck, sew around the fabric to the other side of the neck, using 1/4 inch seam.  Leave the top open.  Turn right side out.  Top stitch a straight line down the center of the pattern from nub on the bottom to base of the neck. 

Using a funnel, put approximately 1/3 to 1/2 cup of rice into each side.  Top stitch a straight line across the pattern trapping the rice into 2 segments approximately 1/3 of the way from bottom of pattern.  Repeat this step 2 more times ending with a short sewing line across the neck of hot water bottle pattern.  Turn in a 1/4 inch hem on neck and sew close to the edge to close your Hot Water Bottle Rice Pack.  Include the following instructions:  Rice Buddy Hot/Cold Pack – Microwave for 1 – 3 minutes until hot and use as you would a hot water bottle.  Great for easing aches and pains.  For cold pack, store in the freezer until ready to use.

The other Handmade Gifts I am making are from the “Gifts In A Jar” e-book.  There are many, wonderful handmade gift ideas for all occasions included in the e-book.  It is well worth the money.  For adorable 3D gift box and packaging templates for Christmas and other occasions that are easy to make, it is well worth buying the “DIY Gift Package” e-book.  You will be amazed at the cute templates that are in the e-book.  Your friends and family will love receiving their gifts in a unique 3D gift box.

** Hot Water Bottle Templates (Templates are in PDF format):  Top Half - Bottom Half

See larger image Simply Handmade: 365 Easy Gifts & Decorations You Can Make (Crafts) (Hardcover) By (author) Meredith Press List Price: $29.95 USD New From: $7.54 In Stock Used from: $0.07 In Stock

Product Review

Open this idea-packed volume completely at random and you’ll come up with a great project every time. Besides great holiday-related crafts–lots of marvelous Christmas decorations, some fun Halloween items, lovely Valentine’s Day keepsakes, Easter goodies–there are loads of wonderful objects for year-round use (frames, vases, lampshades, napkin rings, candleholders, table settings, and so much more). Everything is very easy to make, from simple step-by-step projects that require a modicum of time and materials to quickly made pieces that need only a very few supplies and even less time, to instant crafts that you can throw together out of almost nothing in almost no time. (Try this glittering centerpiece, for instance: fill lots of mismatched glasses and goblets with water, add sprinkles of confetti, and float a candle in each.) Even if you’ve never crafted before, you can handle nearly any project in the book, but each one is so appealing that experienced crafters with fairly sophisticated tastes will also find much to enjoy here. –Amy Handy