Homemade Presents for the Holiday Season

• When you browse the internet for “homemade holiday gifts” ideas, of course you’ll find instructions for scented bath salts, creatively decorated candy canes, and pre-made cakes in a jar. But, there are tons of other fun, DIY present ideas out there!
• Here are a few of our favorites that you can make right at home this holiday season!
• GINGERBREAD PLAYDOUGH
• 
• For the artsy.
• This is a great arts and crafts project - it’s fun to make, and fun to play with! This seasonal scented playdough is a great by kids, for kids, and includes a few basic ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen!
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup salt
• 2 tsp. cream of tartar
• 1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp. ground cloves
• 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp orange extract (optional)

Just mix the ingredients together. This will result in about 2 cups of playdough.

DOG PAW PRINT ORNAMENT

For the sentimental.

These adorable ornaments, ideal for both the dogs and kids, are a great way to preserve a memory and see how much your little ones have grown, come next year!

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup salt
• 1/2 cup water
• Straw
• A glass or circular cookie cutter
• Rolling pin
• Baking sheet
• Ribbon (for hanging)
• Paint, glitter, ink, markers (optional)

Mix the flour, salt, and water until smooth. Roll the dough until it is about ½” thick and then just cut out the shape you want to use. Press the paw print or hand print into the center of the dough. Then using the straw, poke out a small hole, which you will run the string through.  With the oven at 250°F, bake your ornaments for about 2 hours. Decorate the ornament to your liking!

TEA WREATH

Chances are you’ve got an organization nut on your holiday gift list. Well, this project is a great way to beautify something that is typically buried deep within a drawer - tea!

• 2 pieces of the same size cardboard
• Patterned paper
• 20-30 clothespins
• 20-30 tea bags
• Hot glue gun & hot glue
• Ribbon for hanging

Cut the cardboard into a circle. Decorate this however you like. Hot glue the clothespins around the wreath, decorating these to match. Now all you need are some delicious varieties of tea as decor!

Don’t break the bank trying to make everyone happy this year; DIY crafts are fun, inexpensive and, with thoughtful planning, guaranteed to be very appreciated. If you’re looking for more ideas, check our Pinterest crafting boards !

DIY: Mother's Day Gift Ideas

Think beyond flowers and trips to Sears for yet another household appliance. As any mother would gladly tell you, Mother’s Day is all about the thought - so here are a few easy, fun, unique projects to choose from when considering how to make mother’s day extra special. 

1. Moms are definitely in the category of people who need to have a handle on scheduling. So, consider this handmade, rebanded watch - with this guide we found, there’s not much of a limit to what you can use to keep mom on track! (Photo courtesy diyrefashion.com)

2. Here’s a new one for this blogger; create an original jewelry holder by glueing two antique plates onto either end of an antique candlestick. Elegant and simple! (Photo from Calico Skies.)

3. Mother’s Day is all about honoring the woman who took you from square one to where you are today. With that being said, here’s a great photo-displaying  wall hanging idea. Best part? This one can be updated with new memories year after year! (Thanks to goodwillionaire for the photo.)

4. Create a pillow with a outdated sweater. For a really cool touch - choose one of your own that mom has seen you wear in the past. Making the old new again! (Idea from thewonderforest.com)

5. With the much-awaited arrival of spring, for the mom with the green thumb, consider Tin can planters. This simple concept involves - yep - tin cans of any size coupled with wrapping paper, or anything else you can imagine! (Kudos to apartmenttherapy.com for the thought)

6. CAKES. I mean, it’s cake - never a bad call. It was hard to select from the plethora of amazing-looking spring cakes on the vast landscape of the internet, so here’s a gallery of some particularly lovely ones. (Courtesy of delish.com)

7. No one can ever have too many bags, but instead of picking one out at the store, whip together a design on a simple canvas tote bag. No shortage of ideas here! (Taken from Martha Stewart Living)

8. Moms work hard, and maybe yours likes unwinding with a cup of tea. This easy project demonstrates how to create original Homemade teas with the very same ingredients found in the store-bought varieties. Makes for a pretty thoughtful gift. (Gleaned from mystrebergarten.blogspot.com) 

9. Few things are as jammed with memories as motherhood. Show mom how much she means to you with this helpful guide  and design your own photo album or scrapbook to be filled with selected mementos. Truly an example of a personalized Mother’s Day gem. (Another idea taken from Martha Stewart Living)

10. And finally, this writer’s favorite Mother’s Day DIY find: an Embroidery hoop clock. Not much more to say, except it’s just really, really cool. (brit.co provided this idea)

So, there you have it - a simple list of ideas for Mother’s Day. We’d like to know - are you considering anything on our list? Have an idea of your own to share. Leave us a message - and happy day to all the moms out there!