Ideas for Hand Made Gifts Please (Not Food)

Some ideas here not sure if that's the kind of thing you're looking for? Look in the "So Far For My Hampers I Have Made" thread for all sorts of ideas!!

Maybe for the older relatives you could monogram some handkerchiefs with their initials? Or cross-stitch or embroider a sampler?

EDIT: Doh! Beaten to it by Earthmother!!

I'm just thinking about what I've made in the past and hopefully it will help you:

For the older relatives:

flavoured gins and vodkas? (put in search and you'll come up with lots of different flavours..and so easy too )

Patchwork glasses cases or simpler versions.

Lap patchwork blanket....or just put two pieces of fabric together with wadding.

Knit a shawl/socks for those nippy nights in front of the tv and add a dvd and a hot chocolate mug set (mug, hot choc, chocolate spoon, marshmallows).

gardening hamper...you could make up an apron and embroider/crosstitch/applique something on the front pocket, then just add gloves and some seeds or more if you wish to spend more.

Herb garden - could you start up a herb garden and decorate some small terrocota pots?

For the teenagers:

Ipod or phone cover?..(look on ebay and people sell fabric ones) so you could make one in whatever fabric you wish.

Bath bombs and salts

A sock monkey (really easy and if you google you will find instructions..if you cant I will try to find mine)..using striped socks (you can get pretty colours or blacks/skulls/ etc) from the pound shop. People sell these on ebay if you want to see a finished one. Just found the instructions I use http://www.web-goddess.org/writing/tutorial/Image0.html I dont use craft stuffing to put in mine but cushion pads from the pound shop.

Wheat bag...can be made in funky fleece or fabric (I have made these in cow print for my daughter)

Jewellery - can be chunky junk jewellery, made from safety pins, buttons and bits and pieces to make earrings or bracelets etc. If you take a look on ebay I'm sure theres different sorts and you can design your own. Or make something similar to what she has already.

Mouse mat - If you're arty (which unfortunately I'm not) you could make a personalised mouse mat.

Applique/decorate a plain t shirt. I have done this for my girls to make an individual top. Depending on what sort of girl she is. My daughters I appliqued fabric hearts/shapes onto the front and then added sequins and beads, but as she is not girly you could adapt and make up one with stripes/spots/. Her name?..band?..photos?..messages?. Fabric paint if you are arty.

A jeans storage for her bedroom. Just buy an old pair of jeans (car boot, jumble or tesco value). Add extra pockets all over the front of the jeans, in various sizes and either in jean fabric or other fabric. Hang by the top of the jeans with a clip coathanger, then wrap jean fabric around the coathanger to finish it off. I have made these with just jeans and added patches to the pockets for fun and also have made girly ones with flowers etc on. These are great for hanging on the back of doors for bits and bobs in her room. I've used adults jeans and also kids jeans for my daughters hair bits.

Cd coasters?..just stick felt or something on the bottom, cover in a couple of coats of varnish. You can use old ones or a new blank and put a photo printed off the internet of his favourtie footballer/band in the middle.

Record bowl... I made one of these for my son to put his car keys and change in. You just buy an old LP or single from a carboot, heat up and mould over an existing bowl/shape. The centre (where it says the band etc is the part that should stay flat.

Record clock... I have bought from a car boot an LP and from a craft shop (guess ebay do them too) the clock mechanics. You can change the centre of the clock to personalise him if you wish. http://search.ebay.co.uk/search/search.dll?from=R40&_trksid=m37&satitle=clock+mechanism

You could theme any of the above to make a cd hamper..putting it in a cd box and add a hmv voucher or cd.

Decorate a mug if you're arty. Woolworths and tescos sell them with the paint. Then add hot choccie, marshmallows, choc spoon etc.



If you have time and someone who would appreciate it..how about finding out about their family tree and having it printed up if you want to spend extra money.

I am doing a family tree hamper for my brother in law...cardboard box wrapped in brown paper and stencilled leaves on and a brown luggage label attached saying family tree. Hes wanted to do it for ages so I've just started him off by speaking to some of his relatives (have this on dvd too) and adding memory books (questions like what was your fav toy, first memory etc)(books only 49p from tescos). I've also started a family album (I bought a traditional style (not sticky or plastic) and have added copied photos from other members of the family (lots of phone calls). To keep the expense down you can photo the photo(if clear) and then have the photos developed on snapfish/truprint etc on one of their offers ..look on the freebie board as there are some on there). I have put websites that help with family trees into a book to help his research. I've also enclosed some cd roms of other photos (to cut down the expense) and bought a book through tesco clubcards for £3.25 of vouchers (worth over £12) on researching the family tree. It took alot of time to get it together but cost about £15 (£9 of that was the album so if you wanted you could just put them all on cd)
If you're neat could you make it up on an A3 piece of paper for a relative (could include photos on it too). Sadly I'm not but am having one printed for my hubbie for christmas (he doesnt know i've been researching his tree).

Some of the ideas on here are fantastic. I love the family tree one and has given me a great idea for a present for my god daughter. She is one shortly and has loads of relatives who will buy her the usual types of gifts. With a bit of research and some simple pictures and stuff this is a lovely idea for an unusual poster. I might even do it for my dad who has been researching his family tree but is yet to write it all up.

Thanks for this. I will show my OH tonight the link from ebay. He is good on all the drawing packages so he might be able to get some ideas. The price from this seller seems very reasonable considering just the cost of the printing of something large a3 and bigger.

How about custom-painted mirrors? I did mirrors for my son & his best pals. Paint on the mirror glass itself. For the boys: PowerRangers helmets; for the girls: princess stuff. Got inexpensive (8"x8" or so) framed mirrors from Ikea and decorated the frames with their names as well. Kids had great fun figuring out just the right distance to be from the mirror to have it look as if they were wearing the helmet / tiara...