Homemade Christmas Present Ideas



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Here are some great Homemade Christmas Present ideas that you can make for your family, friends, co-workers, neigbors, etc. All of these Homemade Christmas Gift Ideas are easy enough for anyone to make. My instructions are simple. The pictures (that I'm getting up soon...I know) will help, too! I hope you enjoy these Homemade Christmas Ideas!

Beaded Cross
Heating Pad
Snowman Cans
Hot Chocolate in a Jar
Spicy Nuts
Cookie Jar
Check out my Christmas Gift Basket Ideas Page!

Beaded Cross

These crosses are beautiful to hang on the wall or as a Christmas ornament. Let me tell you now, the more colors you use, the more variety and type of beads, the prettier your cross will be. Sometimes I make them geared towards someones specific taste. For example, if the recipient likes animal print, I will add some zebra or leopard print beads. I also incorporate lots of inexpensive plastic beads that are faceted, inexpensive gold and silver, and some pony beads. Believe it or not, the more variety the better. These are one of my favorite Homemade Christmas Present Ideas!

Materials: 24 gauge wire, wire coat hanger, plyers, beads

Use plyers to stretch coat hanger into the shape of a cross, don't cut anything except for the hook at the top of the coat hanger. Crosses look better if they are a shorter length on the top and sides, longer on the bottom portion. Set aside.

Cut three strands of the 24 gauge wire about 3 yards long each. Start stringing beads, no certain order, except integrate large and small (a few small at a time). The first bead needs to be put on and then pull the long end of the wire back through it so that it is secure and doesn't fall off. String beads until about 6 inches from end, then pull wire back through to secure like you did for the first bead. Set aside until you finish all 3 strands. When finished with all 3 strands, twist and wrap tightly around the coat hanger wire shaped like a cross. secure at top by wrapping the extra 24 gauge wire tightly around coat hanger wire. Make a loop with a 9 inch piece of 24 gauge wire strung with beads. Attach to the top of the cross. Beautiful!

Heating Pad

My sister makes these heating pads for family and friends at Christmas. I have used mine more than once on sore muscles, or just to keep warm. They are super easy to make and are a very inexpensive Homemade Christmas Present Ideas. I hope you like this!

1 pretty christmas hand towel, large bag of rice. If you don't have a sewing machine, you will have to sew these by hand, so you may need a needle and thread.

Fold the hand towel long ways and stitch up the side, bottom and part of the top, leaving a little hole to pour the rice. Make sure you are sewing on the back side so that when you pull it inside out, it's on the right side. Fill with rice. Finish stitching up all of the way. Put a cute little card with it that gives directions for use. Directions: Put in microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute to heat. Enjoy!

Snowman Cans

Save those vegetable cans!!!!! They will make great gifts after we finish with them. Sorry, I know Snowman Cans doesn't really sound like a very good name. I didn't know what else to name them. But, these are the cutest little things and have many uses. I just love these for my Homemade Christmas Present Ideas. I like to put baked goods or any other present in them. Heck, they can be a present by themselves. You can put a votive candle in them (for smaller cans like fruit, tuna or vege cans). The large vegetable cans, and I mean the really large ones I have used at Christmas parties to decorate the table or to hold napkins and utensils. They can be used as a decoration anywhere in your house. They can be wash cloth holders in the bathroom, or the small ones you can make as ornaments. These have many uses...and are so so cute! I will include a picture very soon in the Christmas Gifts to Make section!

By the way, it's easier and less expensive if you just make a bunch at the same time. I hope you enjoy these Christmas Crafts to Make!

Materials: 1 can spray primer, 1 can white spray paint, 1 can spray varnish, beads (left over from the cross) pom poms, Christmas fabric remnants, buttons, etc. acrylic paint, paint brush,wiggly eyes, hot glue gun, ice pick, wire (size depends on can. There are lots of different ways to decorate these.

Spray a bunch of cans with primer..let dry..spray with white paint..let dry..spray with varnish..let dry. (Just read directions on can for the time to dry.)

Now is the fun part. If you are a painter at all, paint a cute face on the can. If not, then hot glue wiggly eyes to the front. They are cuter if you glue them closer together. Use a pom pom ball or orange felt cut in shape as carrot for nose. I love sharpie pens and you can draw on a cute mouth. For the handles: poke a hole at the top of can on both sides of head. (Be Careful!) String beads, buttons, tie on fabric strands, etc to the wire. Push one end of the wire through 1st hole then the other end through second and make a hook so that it stays. Don't put the handles on the ones you make for candles. And as always...please be careful and never leave a candle unattended.

For variation: Santas, reindeer, elves can be made the same way..just use different color paint.

Hot Chocolate in a Jar

This is a cute Homemade Christmas Present Idea. I gave these to all of our neighbors one year. Everybody loved them! I put them in glass jars with cute polka dot ribbon tied around the lid with some jingle bells attached. Add a cute card that gives the directions for the Hot Chocolate and you're good to go!

5 cups powdered milk, 2 cups dairy creamer, 1 1/2 cocoa powder, 3 cups powdered sugar, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, 1 mini chocolate chips.

Mix everything together in a large bowl with a wire whisk. Pour into pint size jars. Put on lid. Tie with cute bow and jingle bells. These are great Christmas Gifts to Make. It makes about 10 jars. On the attached card: Pour mix into coffee cup about 1/3 full...add hot water and stir.

Spicy Nuts

Here is a great recipe that you can make and put in a cute jar tied with a Christmas ribbon and jingle bell. You could also buy a cute Christmas tin or include in a larger gift basket. The possibilities are endless!

3 tablespoons vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, 3/4 teaspoon chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper, 1 1/2 cups dry roasted peanuts, 1 1/2 cups cashews or pecans.

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring well. Add peanuts and cashews, stirring well to coat. Spread mixture evenly in a 13" x 9" x 2" pan.

Bake uncovered at 300 degrees for 20 minutes, stirring after 10 minutes. Let cool completely. Store in an airtight container up to 2 weeks. Yield: 3 cups.

Cookie Jar

This is a cute cookie jar that is really easy to make! It makes a great gift...especially if you fill it with cookies that you make!

All you need to make this cookie jar is a terracotta pot, terracotta pot saucer that fits on the top of the pot, a wooden ball at least 1" bought from a craft store, acrylic paint, varnish, glue gun.

Paint the pot inside and out. Paint the lid inside and out. Paint the ball. Decorate with paint, buttons, etc. The sky is the limit. I painted gingerbread men on my pot. I will post pics very very soon. Hot glue the ball on the bottom of the saucer so that it goes on the cookie jar like a lid...and the ball is the handle of the lid. Spray inside and out with 2-3 coats of varnish (the fast way) or you paint the varnish on.

Check out my other Christmas Recipes!
Homemade Christmas Present Ideas to Great Christmas Ideas