DIY Holiday Gifts
Posted on Tuesday, November 30, 2010 | By 2 |
[caption id="attachment_1078" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Gift tags I made to include on my homemade food gifts this year"]
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What kind of urban homesteader would I be if I wasn't making at least of few of my own holiday gifts? In my family it's always been a tradition for the women to give gifts they made themselves with ultimate care and from the heart.
[caption id="attachment_1075" align="alignright" width="150" caption="One of my favorite gifts from my very talented mother - a hand-painted wine glass"]
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My mom, the penultimate DIY crafter, has gone through homemade phases ranging from wood figurines to crocheted blankets to hand-painted wine glasses. Her sister Kathy, the family archivist, has been known to gift a handmade photo album of last year's Christmas memories - she's recently begun quilting as well. The younger of the sisters, Patti, has a history of framed photos and even key chains with pictures of our booties in them (it's a long story and a family joke that will go down into history). My grandmother is a master quilter and you won't get a hand-made gift from her every year - but when you do, it will be spectacular, representative of many months' work.
I'm probably the least crafty of all the women in my family - I definitely put more focus on food and less on handicrafts (food-crafting? Sure, why not?). But when I do make my own gifts, whether they're food-related or otherwise, it's sometimes an attempt to save money, always an opportunity to give something unique, but mostly it's what I know. It's what people in my family have done for generations. I'd be crazy to not carry on such a beautiful tradition.
[caption id="attachment_1073" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Some gifts I decorated in spent newspaper for the 18 reasons Holiday Gift Fair"]
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I have a couple of holiday gift events coming up (Holiday Gift Fair at 18Reasons on Dec 1 & DIY Food Gift event at Omnivore Books Dec 9) so I've been thinking a lot about what makes a wonderful home-crafted food gift. Unlike quilts and crocheting, this is right up my alley. As I thought about what I'd like to receive as a gift myself, it occurred to me that nearly any edible item made at home from scratch could make a lovely gift. All you need to make it special is festive packaging!
This is a category that publications such as Better Homes and Gardens have made a fortune from - particularly, the almost homemade variety of food. (This is where I admit I was actually gullible enough to pick up the 2010 Special Interest Publication called Food Gifts from BH&G in the grocery line. I was home before I realized I had paid $9.99 for it! I do have to admit the hefty price was nearly worth it as it was filled with cute food ideas. I really enjoyed seeing the beautiful ways they packaged some food classics. You can find some of their ideas on their website ).
Since packaging seems to be king, I decided to make my own gift tags. Nothing gives me more contentment than a sharp pair of scissors and a glue stick anyway. It's incredibly easy and really adorable. I'll show you how I did it.
[caption id="attachment_950" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Scrapbook paper comes in handy for projects like this."]
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What you'll need:
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[caption id="attachment_954" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Trimming 2" strips into 3" lengths"]
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[caption id="attachment_957" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Trim the first corner from one end of the tag"]
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[caption id="attachment_959" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Trim the second corner from the same end of the tag"]
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[caption id="attachment_960" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="This will be the final shape of your tag"]
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[caption id="attachment_1048" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Cut out cute designs to decorate the tag"]
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[caption id="attachment_1049" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Use glue stick to attach the designs"]
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[caption id="attachment_1051" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Add the designs to your tag"]
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[caption id="attachment_1052" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Commercially available stamps can be fun!"]
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[caption id="attachment_1053" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="This tag stamp adds dimension to the gift tags"]
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[caption id="attachment_1054" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Glue decorations on opposite side of the tag"]
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[caption id="attachment_1055" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Include a lighter color to write on"]
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[caption id="attachment_1057" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Now you can write on your tag!"]
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[caption id="attachment_1059" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Don't forget to punch a hole in the top to attach it to your gift"]
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- Scrapbook paper or other decorative paper (two-sided cardstock is ideal for a base)
- Paper cutter or sharp scissors
- Glue (glue stick is ideal)
- Fancy pens (glitter pens or permanent fine-point markers work nicely)
- String or ribbon
- Optional: fancy scrapbook hole-punchers













