Creative Handmade Gift Ideas

This holiday season, ditch the idea of driving to the dreaded mall, and create something special and handmade for your friends and family. You’ll have fun creating these gifts, and the recipients will love opening them. Plus, they all utilize recycled materials!

1. Make a Reusable Bag or Basket

Who doesn’t like having a cute, reusable bag to carry to the store or farmers market? You can make bags out of old t-shirts and decorate them with buttons and more. You can also make baskets by weaving together strips of old newspapers. See Make a Reusable Bag or Basket to learn more.

2. Make Homemade Body Scrub

By using sugar and essential oils, you can whip together delectable body scrubs for a friend who needs some pampering. Store the scrubs in reused glass containers with any labels removed. Check out Tasteful Handmade Gifts for more details.

3. Make a Cutting Board

Do you live out in the country or know someone who does? Check around the property for downed trees– chances are there will be several. Saw off inch-thick pieces of wood from thick sections of limb, chisel off the bark, and get to work sanding and polishing the wood to make a beautiful, unique cutting board for a friend’s kitchen. You can do the same with smaller sized limbs to make coasters! See Homegrown, Homemade Cutting Board for additional tips.

For more inspiration, visit 25 Easy Homemade Gift Ideas. Good luck with your gift-making adventures! And if you have a favorite handmade gift you like to give for the holidays, please leave a comment and share it with everyone.

Photo by Fotolia/Aleksei Potov

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Faith B.

11:44AM PDT on May 11, 2012

thanks for sharing!

send a green star

Jim W.

6:45AM PDT on May 10, 2012

My kids made their mom a creative handmade mess to clean up. She didn't like it though.

Teresa C.

8:03AM PDT on May 9, 2012

The body scrub sounds like a marvelous idea.

Danuta W.

2:22AM PDT on May 8, 2012

Thanks for sharing!

Michele W.

2:10PM PDT on Apr 26, 2012

Thank you

Angela N.

9:24AM PDT on Apr 18, 2012

thanks :)

Suzanne L.

7:27AM PDT on Apr 17, 2012

Thank you. My hubby made some bread/cutting boards for friends one year and they were much appreciated.

Jane W.

10:24AM PDT on Apr 6, 2012

thnx for this and the ideas it generated

Donna H.

8:56AM PST on Feb 15, 2012

Thanks for posting.

Nadia R.

5:36AM PST on Feb 14, 2012

Thanks for the great ideas! Another good gift idea for men is the homemade shaving cream - oil. It is very easy and toxin-free. This is how my husband stopped looking at me with disbelief when I prepare my homemade beauty products.