Giving handmade gifts doesn’t have to involve sewing (as in Part I).  There are lots of wonderful gifts I’d be thrilled to receive that come from someone’s heart and not their wallet.  Here are the ideas that come to my mind:

Make A Holiday or Seasonal Wreath

Wreaths are easy to make, even if you have never picked up a craft scissor or glue gun in your life, and can make attractive additions to a front door or hanging over the mantel.    Most, if not all, of the materials can be collected rather than purchased.  A gorgeous wreath can be created in short order with just a collection of pine boughs and some leftover red ribbon!

If you grow herbs, a lovely wreath can be created from plants in your garden, dried earlier in the year.  The most common herbs used are lavender, thyme and laurel.  Be creative!

Knitted or Crocheted Gifts

If you knit or crochet, there are many items that can be created with just one skein of yarn or less.  How about a warm scarf and matching hat, or a cozy for a French Press?  Maybe you know someone who could use a little knitted bag, or some catnip-stuffed toys for their cat.

If you are more experienced, socks or mittens are projects that can be knitted up between now and whichever winter holiday you celebrate.

This is another great way to repurpose old knitted things, as well.  Scour your local thrift store for older knit sweaters that are out of style, unravel them and re-use the yarn for your projects.

Homemade Lotions, Scrubs and Salves

If you have a blender, a stove, and basic kitchen utensils, you can make natural organic beauty products that are both healthier and more luxurious than what can be found in stores.  Find some easy recipes in The Herbal Home Spa: Naturally Refreshing Wraps, Rubs, Lotions, Masks, Oils, and Scrubs (Herbal Body), or create your own combinations - cranberry & orange lip balm, peppermint & comfrey foot lotion, rose & sandalwood body butter, or calendula & lavender salve. The possibilities are endless and, when bottled up in gorgeous glass containers, make great gifts.

(Just be sure to list your ingredients so your recipient can be sure to avoid any potential allergic reactions.)

Canned Preserves, Salsas, Relishes, Chutneys or Marmalades

If you had a bounty of fresh organic produce that you put up this year, share the wealth with friends and family by dressing up a jar or two of your preserves or pickled veggies.  Salsa, relish, chutney or jam - homemade preserves have less sugar and salt than commercially-prepared goods, and taste better by far. 

Sustainable living includes preserving the harvest, and “putting food by” is a way to capture the taste of summer to enjoy when the growing season is over. 

(Remember the ingredient list to avert potential allergic reactions.)

Stuff

Okay, you’ve heard that regifting is tacky - and if done the wrong way, it definitely can be, but you can successfully regift items if you are sure that they will be appreciated.

There are definitely some rules to regifting.

1. Do not give the item as a gift if it’s clearly used.  If it doesn’t look brand new, that’s okay.  I, personally, don’t mind receiving items that the gift giver has used, but there are definitely exceptions.  For example, anything that is broken, damaged or hasn’t been cleaned well should NOT be given as a gift.  If the gift giver is copping out of putting any thought into a real gift by wrapping up something they had lying around in the basement or closet, the receiver of the gift will know it, and bad feelings will ensue. 

2. Another rule of thumb is to not try to pass the item off as new.  If it isn’t new, the receiver of your cast-off will know that, too, and will not only feel that you thought them unworthy of a new gift, but will be insulted that you thought them so simpleminded they wouldn’t notice. 

3.  Don’t give someone a gift they don’t want, no matter how new it looks.  If you bought something on impulse and later decided you didn’t want it, that’s okay.  Just be sure that the person you’re giving it to wants or needs such an item, or you’ll be thought of as both stingy and thoughtless. 

4.  No regifting personal items or things that were handmade for you.  If someone gave you a personal massager, you opened it, used it once and decided it wasn’t to your liking, this gift is now off-limits to pass along.  It matters little that you only used it on your aching shoulder for two minutes, this is one personal item no one wants to receive used.  Same goes for handmade items that were made especially for you.  If your colorblind aunt Mildred knitted you a scarf in your least favorite colors, it’s yours forever.  Save it for when she visits and wear it with a smile.

5. If you regift items regularly, be sure you know who gave you what.  Keep a list if that helps.  Giving a gift to someone who first gave it to you will be more than just awkward.

6. Don’t intentionally give a white elephant gift unless announced beforehand.  No matter how good-natured your recipient, hurt feelings may be the result.

The general rule of thumb here is to put as much thought into the gift you’re giving as you would if you were going to purchase it brand new.  It really is the thought that counts.

Some Ideas

1. If you have a friend who has just developed an avid interest in the mystery genre and you have a bookcase full of mystery books you know you’ll not read again, fill a basket full of ten to fifteen of these books, a box of your friend’s favorite tea, and a pretty China tea cup.

2. Your favorite neice just learned to knit and you’re an experienced knitter?  Fill a basket with several skeins of yarn from your stash, knitting books and magazines you no longer flip through, and several sizes of knitting needles that you no longer use now that you’re a pro.

3. A friend has just started commuting a good distance to work and complains about the wasted hours on the road, and you have a large selection of books on tape or cd you’re unlikely to listen to again.  Just make sure your recipient has either a tape or cd player, and then fill a basket with ten or so of the appropriate format.  Include a pair of (new) earbuds, and a lap warmer.

4. If you know a budding artist or crafter who might like your art or craft supplies that you no longer use, fill a basket with sketchpads, pastels and colored pencils, rubber stamps, and paints.  (Just be sure that they’re unused and the paints still flow.)

The possibilities are endless. 

Have any ideas I didn’t mention?  Please share them in the comments!