How to Make Your Own Gifts

Guide Note: How to Make Your Own Gifts offers tips, tricks and advice on how to make your own gifts for any occasion.

Table of Contents:

Introduction

When it comes to gift-giving, it really is the thought that counts. A homemade gift is far more meaningful (and cheaper) than yet another Starbucks gift card. Making your own gifts requires a little extra effort in the creativity department, but that's why people love them.

Do-it-yourself gifts may be easier on your pocketbook than their store-bought brethren, but they do require more time to make. You'll need to set aside time to brainstorm an idea, assemble your supplies and actually make the gift.

How much time you set aside depends on the type of gift you're making. A batch of cookies might mean one long, weekend afternoon, but knitting a scarf could take weeks or months depending on how fast your fingers fly with those needles. Whatever you decide to make, be sure to give yourself enough time to make the gift at a leisurely pace. Making something for someone should be a pleasurable, not stress-inducing, experience.

As you brainstorm homemade gift ideas for your friends and family, keep your time and supply budget in mind. Otherwise, let your imagination run wild.

Consider Your Talents: Are you an artist, writer or musician? Your talents are gold. Write a poem, sing a song or paint a picture.
Do Cool Things with Photos: Raid your own or your friend's Flickr page. Print and frame the best shots. Make a cross stitch pattern from them. Create an online scrapbook or comic book.
Give the Gift of Experience: Your gift doesn't have to be a material object. Consider taking someone on a picnic or a hike. Teach your friends a new dance or some martial arts moves.
Get Geeky: If you're technically-inclined, check out MAKE Blog's Open Source Gift Guide and retrofit an old gadget for new gimmickry.
Bake or Knit: You can't go wrong with a lovingly-decorated batch of chocolate chip cookies or crafty classics like knitted scarves and silk-screened t-shirts.

Still having trouble settling on a gift? Here are some DIY gift ideas to get you started:

If you're an artist, draw a picture or make a comic book. (Creative Commons photo by Joel Friesen)

Comic Book
Download a program like Comic Book Creator or Comic Life, and turn your personal photos into a homemade comic book.

Radio Show CD
Download a program which records streaming audio from your computer like Total Recorder Standard Edition or MP3 My MP3, and put radio shows like This American Life, the SModcast or NPR's live concert recordings on CDs for friends.

Recipe Book
Collect your family recipes or your friends' favorite foods into a homemade recipe book. If you're feeling especially industrious, you can bind the book yourself.

Mix CD
Share your love and your music with the classic mix tape. Choose songs they'll love, and spend some time crafting a memorable cover.

Now that you've settled on an idea, you'll need to assemble your supplies and make your gifts. Don't overspend on your gifts' components. Reuse what you can, and buy supplies in bulk. Your time and attention is more important than money.

Lastly, don't worry if what you're making doesn't come out perfectly. The reason your gift will be loved is because you, not Martha Stewart, made it.