Handmade Christmas Gifts

Every time I re-read the Laura Ingalls books, I find myself amazed at how children can be so happy with a pair of mittens and one stick of candy for a Christmas present. But I guess when children didn't get toys and candy every week and from every place (toys in a Happy Meal, anyone?), anything new was a treat and a surprise.

As the economy sours (and it's not done yet, folks), I think we'll all find ways to be happier with what we can get. Gone will be the days of disappointment that we didn't get a new iPod or Wii; we'll be happy with a gift card to Wal-Mart where we can buy groceries or gas, or we'll be happy with a new pair of pajamas or shoes.

Enter this list of homemade presents. I've been carefully digging for gift ideas all over the web, catalogs, and books for a couple of years, keeping my list handy for just such an emergency need. My thanks go out to all of the people who came up with these ideas (and probably more than one person independently), however many moons ago.

Jewel Box

Someone in my medieval re-enacting organization came up with this idea as a kid craft, to keep them busy while parents were re-enacting, and it was so popular a few adults (including me!) did it too.

Buy a plain, wooden box from a craft store (a recipe box is great if you're going to give it to someone that cooks) and some cheap plastic rhinestones--the bigger the better for little hands. Let the kids glue the rhinestones onto the boxes in whatever patterns they like, covering as many sides as they like. It's funny, but even plastic jewels can make for a great-looking jewel box. You can also use large sequins and glue a small jewel in the center.

Something else you can do is buy glitter glue and use that to draw lines and swirls or write names. However, experience has shown that it does not adhere the gems very well, so use regular Elmer's glue for the gems and use the glitter glue just for writing. After the gems are dry, you can also put glitter glue around them as if they were mounted in it.

This is not only a great project for kids to make, but little girls love to get a jeweled box for their jewelry (although plenty of little boys were making them at our re-enactment too).

Decoupage Box

Cut out pictures from magazines (you can also print pictures, but make sure they are printed by a laser printer or copier; ink and bubble jet printers will not work, nor will newspaper). Make sure to get pictures which have a theme that is applicable to the recipient--like fish and boats for someone who fishes. Buy a plain wooden box, as above, and using decoupage glue (or Elmer's glue thinned with water) paste the pictures on the box. You can put as many or as few as you want over it.

Once it is try, trim any edges were the paper overhangs the box, and then either spray it with clear coat, or varnish it for an antique look. If you want, you can fill it with candy.

Whisk

Buy some whisks at a dollar store and let your child push Hershey Kisses in between the wires (you can even get the holiday-wrapped ones). When it's as full as you can get it, tie a card on it that says "We Whisk You A Merry Kissmas". This is a cute gift for teachers or neighbors.

Decorative Cans

Clean a soup or vegetable can and file down any rough spots that may remain on the inside, where the top was removed. Using craft paint, let your kids paint the outside of the can. They can be painted with trees or like a snowman's head for Christmas. You can also paint a background and then hot glue candy canes or peppermints to the outside. Then fill the can with candy or pencils for teacher. If you ever use the large, industrial-size cans of vegetables (or can get some from a school or work cafeteria), you can fill those with larger treats, like cookies or fudge.

Pinecone Birdfeeders

These are something that even small children can make, and are good gifts for older folks, who usually like to look at the birds. They're just the way you remember them from camp: hot glue a ribbon loop as a hanger from the top, coat a pine cone in peanut butter, and then sprinkle birdseed over it. If you want to give this as a gift, put it into a plastic freezer bag before putting it into a gift bag, to keep it from making a big mess.

Someone told me once that it was a custom in some northern European country--Norway or Sweden, or both--to put out bird seed on Christmas day as a charity to the birds. That's a great use for one of these pinecone birdfeeders and the birds can make for fun entertainment all Christmas day.

These are good as hostess gifts, or for that little list of people you tend to buy small gifts for, such as teachers and coworkers. Although a small assortment would also not be a bad gift for a female family member.

Hand-Dipped Candles

This is something that older (10+) children should be able to do; it's a camp craft favorite.

Get an old pot-something you don't use anymore, or something you picked up for a few cents at a garage sale or thrift store-and put it a larger pot (I've also seen people use deep griddles and crockpots) a quarter to half full of water. You are essentially making a double boiler. Get a block of paraffin or an old candle where there is a lot of wax left but no wick, and cut it into chunks small enough to fit into the inner pot and let it melt. The height of your candles will be dependent on how deep the wax is in the pot, so you may want to do like a friend and use an old aluminum stove-top coffee pot. At the very least, you will want to fill your pot nearly full of wax (leave some room for displacement and boiling).

If you want to color your paraffin, you can add crayons. You can also get really fancy and set up two or more wax pots, each with a different color, and you can make candles that burn and melt in stripes of color. If you want to scent your candles, add scented oil (I have seen one teaspoon suggested for half a pound of wax, but that will depend on the quality of the oil, cheaper oils requiring more to get a good scent).

To make the dipping process quicker, have another pot or bowl-something at least as deep as your wax pot-full of cold tap water. This container will not get coated in wax, so you don't have to have an old, dedicated pot; anything you have will work and be undamaged.

You can get proper wicks from crafting stores, like Hobby Lobby or Michael's, but if you're in a real pinch, anything 100% cotton will work as a wick; crochet thread will work. Take your wick and hang it from a popsicle stick, dowel, or stick from the yard; make sure that it is hanging evenly on either side of your stick.

With your wick in place on your stick, dip it into the wax, careful not to coil the wick up on the bottom of the pot-it needs to go straight in and come straight out. It doesn't take but a second for the wax to adhere to your wick. Remove it and then dip it in your cold water pot to immediately harden it (if you don't have a cold water pot, you will need to hold it in the air for a minute to let it harden naturally before you can dip it in the wax again). Again, it only takes a second in the water to harden the wax. Then dip in the wax pot again, and repeat, repeat, repeat. It takes a LOT of dipping to make a normal-sized taper.

If you are dipping colors, dip two or three times in the same color before switching to a new color. That will ensure that you have a good coating of one color before switching. Of course, you can always dip more times before switching, if you want a thicker stripe.

If you are handy at carving, you can cut shapes into your striped candle and the colors inside will show through; this is how those fancy candles are made in candle shops.

When your candle is as thick as you want it, cut the wick in two (separating the candles) and trim to less than an inch above the tapered end. If you used something other than a pre-made wick, turn your candle upside down and very carefully dip just the wick into the wax once. This will help the wick light.

The bottom of your taper will be very uneven and somewhat pointed. Using a sharp knife, cut the bottom of the candle level.

While dipping is a task easy enough for older children to do, please make sure they have constant adult supervision as hot wax can burn, not to mention getting burned on the heat source.

When you are done with your candle making, pour your remaining wax into some disposable container, such as a glass (never plastic) pickle jar, or into an empty soup can. You can then throw it away when it's hardened. Never pour wax down a drain, unless you want to clog up your pipes forever. You can also make a teacup candle with the remaining wax (see next project).

Accident Tips

If you get hot wax on your skin, immediately place the waxed place in water (running or still). This will harden and cool the wax immediately, allowing you to peel the wax off and will lessen the severity of the burn (this also works for hot glue gun accidents as well). After removing the wax, treat as you would any burn.

If you get wax on your carpet (obviously it would be best to do this project in a kitchen or at least at a project table covered in paper or a cheap table cloth), allow it to harden, then place an old cloth rag over the wax. Set your clothes iron to the highest setting and press it down over the cloth (be careful not to let the hot iron touch your carpet directly, or it might melt the fibers). Rub the iron over the cloth while pressing down. Do this for a minute, then lift your cloth and see how much wax remains on the carpet. Adjust your cloth so that a clean spot is over the remaining wax and press again. Continue until all of the wax is out of the carpet. Throw the rag away.

Teacup Candle

Search garage sales, thrift stores and even antique stores for pretty, but otherwise lonely, random teacups (if it has a matching saucer, so much the better). You can also use humorous or pretty coffee mugs.

Heat your wax and color and/or scent it as in the previous section. Use a single strand of wicking, but tie one end to a glass bead or something else small but weighty and hold the wick so that the weighted end is just resting on the bottom of the cup. Make sure that the wick is in the middle. Then pour the melted wax in slowly, careful to keep the wick straight and in the middle. Wait a minute, after filing the cup, before you let go of the wick. Give it another five minutes to cool, then trim the wick to about 1/4". If your teacup has a matching saucer, use epoxy or hot glue to glue the cup to the saucer.

You can also use glass jelly jars, Mason jars, or short salsa jars to make candles like this, and then paint the jar or decorate it around the throat with pretty ribbon. You can give it without or without the lid, which can also be painted, or you can use simple Elmer's glue to glue fabric down on top of it.

You can also make votive lights by filling large seashells in this same manner.

Decorated Candles

If hot wax isn't your thing, you can also decorate cheap candles, turning them into a nice gift. Again, visit your local Dollar Tree, Dollar General or Big Lots for cheap pillar candles in whatever colors or scents you want.

Also pick up tissue paper; colored and/or printed will work quite well for this project. You can also use thin paper holiday napkins. Using decoupage glue or Elmer's thinned with water, paint (with finger or a brush) glue all over the outside of the candle and then stick the tissue paper onto it. It's okay if it's not perfectly straight; in fact, crinkling it up on purpose can give it a neat texture. You can also tear the paper into small bits, about the size of half-dollars and glue them on individually. Trim up the paper where necessary to make it flush with the candle.

You can also put full-strength Elmer's glue onto the candle in swirls or Christmas patterns (like stars and trees) and then add glitter. Be careful, though, not to do more than 1/4th of the candle at any one time, or you will risk messing up your design. Just do one quarter section, leave it where it will dry, then come back in about an hour and do another section. It would probably be best to do this project on an old towel, so that as you turn your candle over, you're in less danger of crushing or beating off your glittery design on the table.

You can also use hot glue to add cinnamon sticks or silk flowers or potpourri or beads or shells or anything else you can think of to the outside of the candle.

Another suggestion I have read, but have never seen in practice is to take hot wax and VERY CAREFULLY use a hand mixer on LOW speed to whip the wax until it turns into something like marshmallow fluff, and then use a plastic spoon to apply the whipped wax to the outside of a candle to make it look like snow. You can also add white glitter to the fluffed wax to make it glitter like snow.

Besides the inherent danger of sticking a mixer into hot wax and turning it on, you will coat your beaters in wax and it will take several applications of hot water to get it all off. I would suggest only using an old hand mixer picked up from a yard sale or thrift store for this purpose.

Accident Tips

While decorated candles can be burned, more care has to be used with them than with other candles. Of course they should never be left unattended, and as the candle burns lower, outside decorations should be removed so that they are not higher than the wick (otherwise they can catch on fire). If a decorative element does catch on fire, blow it and the candle both out, or douse it with a wet rag.

Candle Holders

Buy cheap terra cotta pots from any store with a garden center and paint or stamp them with craft paint, or decoupage them (as above, with the candles) with sparkling wrapping paper or metallic tissue paper (or even recycled aluminum foil). Place tea lights (usually sold by the dozen at the Dollar Tree) in small pots, or use pillars in larger pots.

Candy Cane Bath Salts

I made these one year for my female in-laws and they were a big hit. I heard from my SIL that her kids had both gotten hold of hers and used it all.

First, you will need a large, clear jar or bottle--I used a clean wine bottle--and something to close it with (cork or lid). Next, you will need either sea salt or Epsom salts. Finally, you will need some peppermint extract and red food coloring, a large funnel, a measuring cup and two mixing bowls.

Divide your salt in half into the two bowls (how much you will need will depend on the size of the recycled bottles you use, but I think I got a couple of wine bottles from one standard bag of Epsom salts). In both bowls, add the peppermint extract until you have a good scent. In just one bowl add a generous amount of red food coloring. Stir it in and add more as necessary until all of the salt in the bowl is red.

Now, put your funnel into your bottle and using your measuring cup, pick up either the red or white salt and pour it into the bottle (depending on the size of your bottle and your measuring cup, you might want to put in two cups of one color). Next, get a cupful of the opposite color and pour it in. Repeat until you have the bottle nearly full. If you have used a jar, you can cap it off with the lid it came with, painting it or covering it with cloth if you want. Or, if you've used a bottle, you can cork it. Personally, I tied a marble into the center of a square piece of fabric and that worked something like a cork.

If you like, you can tie a ribbon or bow around the neck of the bottle or jar.

The red food coloring will leech out when put into bath water--turning it pink--but I did not find that it discolored the tub or my skin. Epsom salts are very good to reduce bruising and minor swelling and aches and pain. They and sea salt are also good for the skin.

Bubble Bath Jelly

This is a cute idea that just about anyone will enjoy, even little boys.

Ingredients:

1 package unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup clear liquid bath soap
Scented oil (any scent you like)
Food coloring (any color you like)
Clear jar w/ lid (Mason jar, pickle jar, etc.)
Optional: Small decorative or fun item, such as a silk flower or Hot Wheels-type car
3/4 cup water

Equipment:

Mixing bowl
Large spoon

Instructions:

Heat the water until it just starts to boil. Put it into a mixing bowl and stir in gelatin; stir until all of the gelatin is dissolved (may take a couple of minutes).

Next, slowly stir in the liquid soap. Do not agitate, as this will make the mixture go sudsy and be ruined; stir gently. Add food coloring and scented oil if you want them at this time (for people with sensitive skin, you can leave both out).

Pour the mixture into your jar. If you want to add some decorative item, stick it into the mixture now.

Refrigerate the jar for about 4 hours to let it set up (it will be like jelly). When it's hard, tie a bow around the throat of the jar and put a label on it to identify it as scented bubble bath. You might also want to pick up a cheap measuring spoon from the Dollar Tree or similar and tie that onto the jar, with instructions on the label to add 1-2 tsp for an average bath.

As with the candy cane bath salts, any food coloring will tint the bath water, but should not stain the tub or skin. But think of how much fun kids will have with pink, purple or blue bath water! And if you put a toy in the center of it, they can look forward to using it until they can get the toy out.

Bath Oils

The use of olive oil on the skin goes back to at least the Romans. Sophia Loren recommends it. Jacqueline Kennedy supposedly used almond oil on her skin daily.

Ingredients:

Olive or almond oil
Essential oil, scent of your choice
Small jar or bottle with lid/cap

Instructions:

Pour oil into recycled jar or bottle. Add a few drops of essential oil, cap, and gently slosh back and forth. Open the jar and check the scent. Add more oil as necessary. You can also add a stick of cinnamon or vanilla beans to the oil and let it set for a week, then strain the oil.

You can mix this into your bath water (careful, it make the tub slick!), or apply it after a bath, just like lotion.

Hand Towels, Napkins, and Bread Cloths

You can buy many sizes of towels with Aida cloth set in them, and you can cross stitch holiday patterns or a family name into them. You can also stitch ribbon, trim or lace to the edges to make nice guest towels.

One year I bought a linen napkin and put it through my embroidery machine, embroidering on it "Hands off David's bread" all around the edges. I put it in a wooden bowl with spaghetti-making ingredients in it and wrapped it up and gave it to my Italian brother-in-law. It was a big hit; everyone loved the napkin. But even if you don't have an embroidery machine, or can't embroider by hand, you can accomplish the same thing with a paint pen.

You can also get linen napkins (I got mine from a grocery store, but I've also seen them at thrift stores) and do some one-stroke painting on them of flowers (Christmas-themed or not). Just make sure you use washable fabric paint, as napkins will have to be laundered. Make or buy some napkin rings and you have a nice gift.

Spice Mixtures

This is something I plan on doing this year and giving to a family member that cooks. While the ingredients are expensive, you can get so many spice mixtures from them that each gift is highly economical. Not to mention you can keep the leftovers for yourself.

These are from a cookbook of mine, called "Saving Dinner the Low-Carb Way" by Leanne Ely. I'm sure you can find many more recipes online for free. Stir all of the listed ingredients together and put them in a plastic baggy or recycled spice bottle with a label on it (you can also look at thrift stores for glass spice jars).

Taco Seasoning

1 cup dried minced onion
1/3 cup chili powder
2-3 tablespoons cumin
4 teaspoons red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon oregano
4 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder

Use wherever pre-packaged taco seasoning is called for; use 2 tablespoons in lieu of a package, or to taste.

Cajun Seasoning

2 teaspoons white pepper
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons black pepper

Flavored Vinegars and Oils

Do you buy flavored oils or vinegar for cooking, or know someone else that does? Why pay large sums of money when you can make them yourself?

Add frozen berries or fresh herbs of your choice to white vinegar for a week at room temperature and in a dark place. Strain the solids out of the vinegar and rebottle (a clear wine or beer bottle will work well). You can experiment using flavored vinegars where recipes call for white or red wine vinegars (or plain, distilled vinegar). You could probably also use them where alcohol is called for in a recipe, although use less because the vinegar will be more sour.

Do the same for olive oil. If you use dried herbs instead of fresh, use less. How much you use of anything depends on how strong you like your vinegar or oil. If, after a week, you taste it and it's not strong enough, add more ingredients and give it another week. Flavored oils are good on bread, potatoes, salads and steamed veggies.

Family Cookbook

Gather favorite recipes of family members (namely the dishes they're famous for). Type them up and print one recipe per page. You might also want to add a picture (old or new) at the bottom of the recipe of the family member who contributed it. Slip the recipes into clear plastic sleeves and put them in a 3-ring binder. You can also add a sheet at the front or back with everyone's phone number, e-mail and address on it, and anything else that's important for you family, such as birthdates and anniversaries (you can exclude year where people are tetchy about their age!).

Depending on how many recipes you have, you may want to pick up some tabbed dividers and divide them into whatever seems best--meat, veggies, breads and grains, sweets, drinks; or breakfast, lunch, supper, dessert, snacks. Personally I like to have all of the chicken recipes together, all of the pork recipes together, etc., because I always seem to start out with a meat, and then need to do something with it. And if there's a certain side dish that works well with a meat dish, make a note at the recipe to serve them together.

This is an excellent present for kids going off to college, the newly married, or someone just setting up house. You can also remove the family-related pictures and stuff and give it to friends or co-workers. And every Christmas following, you can give people additional recipe sheets for recipes that you have tried out and liked, or that someone has recommended, so that everyone gets some new things to try out every year.

Trivets

Buy a 4x4" tile at a hardware store. Apply felt dots (also at the hardware store) to the bottom of the tile, on all four corners, and you have a trivet/spoon rest. Because this is such a cheap and simple gift, you can splurge and buy really pretty tiles. You can also look for ceramic tiles at your local craft store which you can paint (be mindful of what kind of special paint is needed). If you have one of those paint-your-own-pottery shops in town, see if they have tiles that you can paint as well.

Family Calendar

Collect family pictures (old or recent) and select 12. Scan them and place them on a thumb/USB drive (be sure to number them 1-12 in the order in which you wish them to appear on your calendar). Go to a local print shop (cheaper) or Kinko's (more expensive) and have them arrange them into a calendar and print them off.

If money is of prime concern, there is a calendar template in Word that you can use (either put the picture on the page with the calendar, or put them on separate pages, to be at the top of the calendar when it's unfolded to a particular month) and you can print the pages off yourself and either take those to a print shop to have them bound and/or laminated (which makes it easy to write on them with a dry-erase marker), or you can tie the pages together with ribbon or string and make it so that you tear the months off one at a time.

Firestarters

Pinecones

These are dead easy to make, but are going for a pretty penny in fancy home catalogs. First, collect some pine cones, either from your yard or from a friend's. Next, melt wax (leftover candles are excellent for this and make this a free project) in a double boiler, as instructed in the section on candle-making. Using old tongs, dip the pinecones into the wax once or twice--just enough to give them a good coating, then lay them on wax paper to dry. Do as many as you want, then place them in a basket. I haven't used them before, but I daresay you should use a lighter on the pointed end of the pine cone, and once it's going, it will stay going, thanks to the wax. Then just place it in the middle of your kindling to start your fire.

Lint

I read this tip in a money-saving magazine. And believe it or not, dryer lint lights faster than a paper towel. I use it sometimes when I'm burning paper trash, but I'm sure a clever craftsperson could felt it into interesting shapes and put it in a basket, like the pinecones, to use as a fire starter. Just don't hold it when you light it, because it burns fast! Place it in your wood and then light it.

Candy Wrapper Candy Bowl

Kids have foil candy wrappers from Halloween strewn everywhere? Why trash them? Collect them up and decoupage them (I would use full-strength Elmer's glue when using something as heavy as foil) onto the outside of smooth glass bowl. When dry, spray the outside generously with clear coat to seal the wrappers. Now you have a shimmering, metallic bowl to add more candy to!

Hand wash only.

Doorstops

Needlepoint

These were popular gifts in the late 80's where I grew up, so it's time for them to make a resurgence. You will need a brick, plastic canvas, yarn and tapestry needle.

The process is very simple: cut the plastic canvas into pieces to fit around the brick. Needlepoint them in whatever color, pattern or design suits your fancy, then whip stitch them together around the brick. Voila, a doorstop!

Flowerbox

If you're not a needlepoint enthusiast, or you're in a bit of a hurry, hot glue felt on all of the sides of the brick save one side with holes (obviously you will need a brick that has holes in it). Turn the brick so that the hole side is facing up. Fill the holes with florist foam and stick artificial flowers into them. Then cover the top of the brick either by gluing down pea gravel or decorative glass chips, or using that old florist favorite, Spanish moss.

People Feeder

A cute set-up for a holiday party. Go to your local Tractor Supply or Co-op and pick up a cheap chick or bird feeder (make sure it has fairly large dispensing holes). Instead of filling it with seed, fill it with M&Ms or red hots, or something equally small.

You can also give these as gifts to people who like to watch birds; they can eat all of the candy out of it over the holidays, then fill it with seed and put it out for the birds.

Painted Everything

Search thrift shops or craft stores for glass items, such as plates, bowls, glasses or pitchers, and then, using a one-stroke painting book and paint made specifically for glass, paint flowers and other designs on them. Follow the directions on the paint for drying and for care.

Reader's Wrap

This is one I'm going to be making a few people in my family this year. They're all the rage in catalogs right now (where you can find a picture of them). They're basically a shawl-half the width of a throw-long enough to reach to down around the waist (you'll need about 2 yards). A couple of large patch pockets on either end completes it.

You can make these out of fleece and not have to hem them; all the sewing you would need to do is to put the pockets on. Fleece, however, is rather expensive, even with coupons at places like JoAnn's and Hancock's. In fact, it often prices the same as 100% wool. By accident, though, I lucked out and found a couple of fleece throws at a thrift store. They're not quite long enough, but they're overly wide, so I plan on cutting them and piecing them into shape. I got them for $2 each, whereas the same amount of fleece, even at 40% off, would have cost me $12 for each. So be sure to check you local thrift store for blankets that can be recycled into wraps.

Snuggle Blanket

These are appearing in catalogs as well. There are two types: a lap throw, with a pocket all along the bottom where you tuck you feet in, and a blanket-robe that you wear backwards. Both require more fabric than your typical fleece throw will provide, but a blanket for a bed (full size or larger) should be enough to make either.

The foot-pocket blanket is easy enough; turn up the end of the blanket 1-2 feet (attach extra fabric to the bottom, if necessary) and sew it up on the edges.

The wearable blanket is a bit harder to describe, but it's essentially a blanket with sleeves attached to it. You would need to cut two holes about 6 inches below the top and insert square sleeves (think of how a surgeon's gown looks).

Hot Packs

I made these a few years ago and they're pretty easy. Cut a rectangle of soft cloth (I used flannel scraps; this is a great use for old pajamas) long enough to go around you neck, and about 6 inches wide. Fold the rectangle in half, long ways, then sew up the two short edges (not the top). I also sewed my neck wrap in two more places, dividing it into three channels (the top is still open).

Next, take white rice (or buckwheat hulls, but they're more expensive and you're not likely to find them anyplace other than an organic-type grocer) and add some essential oil to it (a few drops), and mix it in (add more oil if it doesn't smell as strong as you would like). I used jasmine, but lavender and lilac are also very good scents to use. Carefully pour (a funnel may help) the rice into each of the channels until it is mostly full.

Now comes the tricky bit. Fold over the top of your wrap twice, so that there is no raw edge, pin it well, and slowly, carefully, run it under your machine.

Now you have a neck wrap that can be chilled in the freezer for hot days (people with migraines will also benefit from putting them over their foreheads or eyes, or you can use it on a bruise), or heated in the microwave for cold days (depending on the amount of rice, heating times will vary; put it in for 20 seconds and then check the temperature, heating in 10-20 second increments as necessary).

You can also do small squares (no need to add channels) as hand warmers; just heat and slip them in a pocket. Unlike the commercial kind, these can be reused, and they won't be so hot they burn, meaning you can send your small children off with these in their coat pockets.

If you're not much of a crafter, but still don't have much to spend, try a gift basket (or, if you feel like a homemade gift is not enough, add it to one of these gift basket ideas).

Pre-Teen and Teen Girls

Face cleanser
Perfume
Make-up and brushes
Shampoo and/or conditioner
Lotion
Earrings or small jewelry
Nail polish
Tweezers, fingernail clippers, Emory board
Headband or hair clips

All of these items can be picked up at a Dollar Tree or Dollar General for $1 each. You can use a purse as the gift basket.

Teen Boys

Deodorant
Shaving cream and disposable razors
Cologne or aftershave
Face cleanser/acme treatment
Batteries
Cell phone or iPod case
Wallet

You can use a small backpack or canvas book bag as the gift basket.

High School Graduate/College Student

Post-It notes
Pens
Pencils (I always preferred mechanical)
3-ring binders or spiral-bound notebooks
Book of stamps (get the Forever ones because it might take them a while to use them all)
Fun or pretty stationary
Phone card
Index cards (you can never have enough of these in college)
Binder clips, various sizes
Mini stapler with staples
Different colors of highlighters
Restaurant, fast food, or movie theater gift cards
Roll of quarters

Use a laundry basket or bag, footlocker, plastic storage box or milk crate as the gift basket (you can never have enough places to store stuff).

Movies In

Video/DVD, or gift certificate to Blockbuster or free month of Netflix
Box of microwave popcorn
2-liter or 12-pack of cola
Big boxes of candy

You can usually pick up two DVDs at a used book and movie store for the price of one new one. You can get big boxes of candy, just like in the movie theater, at the Dollar Tree for $1 a box.

Golfer

Golf balls
Tees
Ball marker
Towel
Personalized hat or T-shirt (see the link to Café Press)
Water bottle
Energy or granola bar
Book on golfing

You can use a canvas tote bag as the basket.

Pampering Basket

Bubble bath, bath salts or bath oil
Scented soap
Scented lotion
Loufa face scrubber
Sponge, pretty wash cloth, or pouf
Small candles or tea lights
CD of nature sounds, new age relaxation music, or piano solos

Beach Basket

Sunscreen
Chapstick
Sunglasses
Baseball cap or straw hat
Cheap romance or murder-mystery book
Disposable camera (even better if it's one of the ones you can use underwater)
Beach ball
Candy
Large towel

Use a sandcastle bucket or foam cooler as the gift basket. This basket also works for people who boat.

Wine Lovers

Bottle of wine
Wine opener
Wine glasses (you can get cheap ones at the Dollar Tree)
Wine glass markers (nothing more than a charm hanging from a circular wire earring)
Cheese
Crackers
Sausage
Cheese slicer or knife