I promised to show you some ideas for handmade gifts, and I'm going to use for examples things I'v actually made as gifts. Upfront disclaimer: I try to make most of my gifts every holiday season, and I regularly thrift gifts, too. It's a way to avoid spending too much during the holidays, which is always a good thing.
With the first idea the packaging is actually the gift I made. Someone will be opening this Christmas is this pair of Ray Ban sunglasses from a Thred Up fun box with a quilted case I sewed for them. I found the free pattern for the case online here, and it only took an hour. I had on hand all the materials, too, so it cost nothing but my time. You can find an inexpensive fun pair of sunglasses for less than $5 at Wal-Mart, or even cheaper at Dollar Tree.
This linen junk journal I made back in September was a 100% recycled project, as it has a cover made from an old stitch practice piece, a vintage kitchen towel for the lining that I had on hand, and pages I made from pretty papers and cardstock I've saved over the years. It was a gift to myself, but you can make one of these for a family member or friend who likes to journal. Here's a really good blog post from House of Mahalo on how to make many different kinds.
If you're good with words but not particularly crafty, why not set up a blind date with a book as a gift? Here's the one I bought myself from Writer's Block, an independent book store in Winter Garden. It came wrapped in brown paper with a postcard describing the premise, which didn't sound like anything I'd ever read, so I thought, why not? I actually enjoyed my blind date so much I bought another novel by the author. If your recipient isn't a huge reader, try a blind date with a music CD, a movie DVD, or a cookbook.
Stay tuned to the blog for Part Two, when I'll tell you about some of the food gifts I give every year.
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