Here’s a continuation of my “Homemade Love” post with some more ideas and things I personally plan to do for those I love and want to watch opening gifts on Christmas morning…
Give new life to old clothes: This shouldn’t be looked at as a bad thing. If anything, this is the time to get creative, show your personal style, save money, and even finally wear clothes that fit you perfectly. I’m not sure about you but I know that the kids and I have some clothes around here that have a stain or a rip but I’ve not yet gotten rid of for whatever reason. If you can’t “repair” it, you could always unstitch and use the fabric for something completely different. Crafters and The Sewing Republic have some really cool projects you might want to look up.
Other ideas could be:
- Turn a sweater into a cardigan.
- Add tulle to a skirt.
- Rhinestone some jeans.
- Add patches and/or glitter to shirts and jeans.
- Make scarfs out of leftover fabric.
- Make a stuffed monkey or teddy bear out of leftover fabric. (I did this last year and added lavender herbs inside for Little One and she loved it.)
- Re-dye a faded shirt.
- Make an oversized shirt fitted or add length to a too short shirt. (Check out Ohmystars Craft for a way to extend sleeves and shirt bottom.)
Make an audio book: Record yourself reading a book and burn it to a CD or even MP3 format for download.
- My son loves when I read stories to him and often struggles with reading. I want him to continue to love stories even alone so my plans are to record for CD & MP3 format in my voice.
- Making a music CD for my niece who’s too young to use an MP3 player. Found a spare portable CD player that I no longer use so I’ll add the CD and new headphones to make it a gift she’ll love. Small kids don’t care if something is “out of date”. LOL
Flavor the hot cocoa mix: For some I plan to crush candy canes and add to instant hot cocoa mix and toss a couple mini marshmallows into a mug. If I’m lucky I can find one at the second hand shop that is in great shape but is just a loner. If all else fails, I can run to the Dollar store and pick up a new one for $1.
Add Essential Oils: If you like me happen to have some essential oils on hand you could add it to fragrance free liquid soaps, shampoos, conditioners, distilled water and make your own natural scented items.
- My daughter LOVES lavender linen spray so I’ll be adding lavender/peppermint to distilled water for her to use. It helps her relax and breathe well in the evenings.
- I have some unscented natural liquid soap that I plan to add some lavender oil to as well. Perfect for the bathroom and kitchen sinks.
Got any other homemade gift ideas? I’m always looking for something.
