Do you have all your gifts finished, wrapped, and sitting oh so pretty under your tree? If so, congratulations!!!
If not, you’re just like me! And you may need some last minute ideas for those hard to buy for people or you just want a little something special to add to someone’s gift or you have a party this weekend and need a fun gift for the hostess with the mostess. (Do I get an award for my rhyming???)
So here are some ideas for homemade gifts that truly do not take that much time to make and they aren’t expensive! And the recipient will love the thought you put into their gift.
Veggie Garden Stakes
I came up with this idea last week and am SO super excited about it. It is a fantastic gift for the gardener in your life and you could use it for a flower gardener as well. Any gardener would love to receive this, trust me – I know!
I got the stakes at our local ACE Hardware where they only cost $.49 a piece. So this whole set of 10 stakes cost me $5! I recommend using wood and a sharpie but there are plastic veggie label stake sets at the hardware & gardening stores if you prefer that. I just don’t think it looks quite as nice as these, but that’s just me!
Items Needed: Wooden Stakes, A sharpie, and Wikipedia to look up the Latin vegetable name
Helpful Hints: I wrote on the stakes with a charcoal pencil since I didn’t think that would be as permanent should I make a mistake. Then I went over that with a black sharpie. Set aside and let dry for at least 5 minutes before writing on the opposite side. I wrote the common and Latin names on each side. For a more festive gift, you could place these in a nice galvanized or copper watering tin.
Last weekend I had fun at a girlfriends’ house where we (or really they) made homemade gifts, including this recipe and the following one. I was the lucky recipient of a bottle of vinaigrette so I can tell you firsthand how great this tastes! It’s very versatile, I have used it in a veggie salad, pasta salad, and a marinade. And once again, not expensive! All the ingredients are probably in your pantry. So the only cost will be the bottles which can be found at Michael’s for about $.99 a piece. (Don’t you need yet another reason to go to Michael’s this week??? I’ve been three times already!) Click here for the vinaigrette recipe.
Once again, this gift is pretty cost effective. One batch should make at least 2 gifts and besides the pecans and five spice blend you probably have everything on hand already. And you may already have the spice blend in your pantry. If not, you should be able to find at your local grocer without a trip to a specialty store. (See, I know you have no extra time to make it to the specialty store!) Click here for the pecan recipe.
I hope these homemade gift ideas help you in your last minute rush to get it all done. And just remember, if you can’t get it all done…don’t worry. A genuine smile and a warm hug are also fantastic presents to receive.
Enjoy your afternoon! Jessica
PS…thank you Colleen & Lauren for including me on your homemade gift making day just so I could write this post!