Christmas is not the only time of year when it seems we are always searching for the perfect gift – Mother’s Day, Graduation, Father’s Day, and Weddings, Birthdays, or a special Thank You. How is a person to manage buying so many gifts when they are unemployed, living on one income or no wiggle room in the budget? You hate to skip an important event such as graduation or not attend the birthday of a relative because you may not have the money for a gift – right? Here are a few ideas I have used for giving gifts on an extremely tight budget; however, before I get to the ideas I will share with you a few tips on what I feel what makes the best gifts.
 . . . thoughtful. Have you ever received a gift that made you wonder what the giver was thinking when they selected it for you? Take time to think of what you know about the person; what colors do they prefer? Do they like “trinkets” or “cutesy” things? Do they have a hobby? Are they into sports? Make your selection based on what you know of the person and give from the heart. |  Tutorial for this lovely Edible Bouquet found here:http://www.adornitscrapbook.com/Gallery/Index.cfm?pg=project&pjid=169&uid=0&un=0&searchparam=n |
 | . . . handmade. Handmade does not need to be expensive or time consuming. It should tell the recipient you know them and care about who they are. You can find the easy to follow instructions to make this Tootsie-Roll Bouquet here: http://www.blossomedge.com/2012/03/27/blue-hyacinth-candy/ |
| . . . useful. A useful gift is one which you can be assured you will be thought of time and time again. Handmade gifts can be useful and well received; examples are apparel, photo or double pane frames, painted serving dishes, cloth baskets or bowls, coffee mugs and picture coasters reminding the recipient of a special time are sure to be well received. Find instructions for this beautiful double pane frame here: http://www.finecomposition.com/beautiful-art-created-out-of-old-picture-frames/diy-picture-photo-frame-1/ |  |
          | Handmade gifts can be useful and well received; examples are apparel, photo or double pane frames, painted serving dishes, cloth baskets or bowls, coffee mugs and picture coasters reminding the recipient of a special time are sure to be well received. Nine of the Best Gifts are Thoughtful, Handmade & Useful & Under $10.00! With this in mind I have posted below a few resources for gift ideas as you begin your hunt for Mother’s Day, Graduation, Father’s Day or Wedding gift giving with creativity, beauty, usefulness and thoughtfulness in mind (thoughtful of tight budgets too!). Before you dash off to a favorite craft store I would check around your house to see what you have on hand for items needed or supplies. I’ve included a recipe for homemade Mod Podge in case you don’t have the money to purchase a jar of it and I would be nuts if I didn’t remind you of the handmade gift items I have on Etsy and Face Book (wink wink!)! 1. The Gift of Time – It’s free. Make a card or special certificate and write a few lines of how you will give your time to the recipient. Make a special lunch or dinner and share it with your recipient is a good way to start your time with the person. 2. Make a hand decorated picture frame and include their favorite memory/picture. The options are endless with creating custom frames, but here is one from Martha Stewart: http://www.marthastewart.com/275133/handmade-gifts-for-mothers-day/@center/307033/spring-holidays#/270132 3. Make a decorative photo plate (or dish, mug, etc.) to commemorate the special event. A plate or lid from an old tin and a special photo, a little glue and Mod Podge, for less than $10.00 you have a unique and thoughtful gift to give for any occasion. http://www.firefliesandjellybeans.com/2009/12/grandparent-gift-idea-photo-plate.html 4. Give the gift that keeps giving – herb gardens. Though the link says it’s for Mother’s Day, I have used this idea for several occasions including a wedding gift. Hunt around your home for a pretty tin or jar, snip some of your own herbs or purchase seeds for less than $2.00, decorate a little and you will have spent less than $10.00 while giving some love! 5. For the reader a bookmark is essential and thoughtful. Consider photo bookmarks (with a favorite picture of theirs) or try your hand at cross stitching a favorite quote. Bookmarks can be made from paper clips, card stock, fabric and other items you have handy around the house. Check here for the photo bookmark tutorial: http://www.marthastewart.com/272760/photo-bookmark?center=307033&gallery=274269&slide=272760 6. Grads are tough to shop for but consider a gift of memories. For less than $10.00 you can purchase a poster sized frame, collect photos and snippets of brochures of places they (or both of you) have visited, favorite movies, artists, etc. and place them into the frame. This gift idea will be sure to start some lively conversations! http://www.diyinspired.com/travel-collage/ 7. Another gift from memory lane is a “Talking Box”. This is nothing electronic, but more what you feel and remember about the person receiving this and is nearly free to make. For the tutorial, click here: http://go.tipjunkie.com/hm/1149/www.designsponge.com/2011/06/we-like-it-wild-fathers-day-talking-bouquet.html 8. Give a Tree of Life from the Arbor Day Foundation. You can have the tree(s) shipped to the recipient with a special message or have a tree planted in their honor. Again, a gift that gives a lifetime (and gives back to our environment!). Click here for more info from the Arbor Day Foundation: http://www.arborday.org/shopping/gifttrees/gifttrees.cfm 9. Feed me the gift of food. Homemade soup ingredients in a pretty jar or other container (re-purposed is best!), cookies, a special dinner or other favorite food item is always a welcome gift. Of course, remember to include the recipe printed on nice paper or card and attach to the food gift. There are absolutely dozens of sites with packaging ideas to view. A few of my favorites are: http://www.tipjunkie.com/jar-homemade-gifts/ 48 Gifts in a Jar http://lickmyspoon.com/recipes/ultimate-list-of-homemade-food-gifts/ For the Culinary Artist! http://ediblecrafts.craftgossip.com/ They have a great sense of humor when it comes to food gifts! 10. |
| Hold on...we're just about done! I mentioned leaving you with a recipe for home made Mod Podge. Check it out! Hey...before you leave today, why not send me a few of the items you have made as gifts that were less than $10.00 or post them on our Face Book page. I would really like to share them with everyone! My best to you all, Sher |  For the DIY Mod Podge (some will say not to do this), check here. They have a great tutorial on what it should look like in the process. http://doityourselfdivas.blogspot.com/2011/09/diy-mod-podge.html |
RSS Feed
