Gifts

Photo by Michael Schwarzenberger, Pixabay.

Photo by Michael Schwarzenberger, Pixabay.

Sometimes a simple gift you make yourself can be the best gift of all. Here are a few ideas to get those creative juices flowing.

It’s hard to go wrong with a gift you make yourself. But many people end up saying goodbye to each holiday season with a closet full of good intentions and half-finished projects. The non-Martha Stewarts among us have learned the hard way that you have to pick realistic projects.

Here are a few suggestions for gifts that are not too late to make:

Fun with Photos

Santa Barbara Scrapbooks (918 Chapala St., 962.5099) offers mini albums that can be put together easily in an evening, said manager Amy Jakubowski. They also offer premade photo calendars that you just plop your photos in, journals to decorate, handmade card kits and shadow boxes, which convert scrapbook pages into wall hangings.

Personalized Stationery

Craft Essentials (187 S. Turnpike Road, 681.3115) has a nice selection of monogrammed initial rubber stamps and blank cards and stationery. Pick your favorite style and stamp up a set of notecards. For an elegant look, you can even emboss the stamped initial with gold powder. Tie the cards together with raffia or ribbon and you’ve got a great gift.

Glogg

Susie Bigelow makes this Swedish liquor in big batches, some to keep and some to give away. In either case, it will keep you warm at night. (Per batch) simmer about four cups water in a large pot for about an hour with a few cut-up oranges, whole cloves and cinnamon sticks. Strain the mixture, then add a quart of port (or cheap red wine) 1/3-cup sugar, and brandy to taste. Heat mixture and pour over almonds and raisins. Serve warm. Bigelow gives it away in pretty jugs (either new or recycled) with the raisin and almond mixture tied to the neck in colorful saran wrap.

“A Personalized Gift

…is the best gift of all,” said Stuart Lewis, owner of 2000 Degrees (1206 State St., 882.1817). At $7 a day for adults and $4 for children, you can deck out everyone on your list with handmade ceramics such as custom drawer pulls, ornaments, mugs, plates, frames, surfboards and just about any animal you can think of. Ceramics take two to three days to fire, Lewis said, so there’s still time. Also new are mosaics, which can be taken home right away and have no studio fee associated with them.

Around the Corner

…at Art Essentials (32 E. Victoria St., 965.5456) is a wealth of craft kits to make your own alarm clocks, salt-and-pepper shakers, ceramic boxes, frames, jewelry and more. Most of these are designed for kids, so they’re easy and fast for all ages to use, said salesman Joseph Truelove.

One of the Only

…things nicer than giving a handmade card is giving someone a bunch of them, that they can be given away for occasions such as birthdays, new babies and thank yous. Michaels Arts & Crafts (183 N. Fairview Ave., 967.7119) offers everything you need to make an assortment of cards to give away, including dozens of pre-made, pre-cut kits.

Cookies Are Another

…”can’t miss” homemade gift that just about anyone will appreciate. And if you run out of time to actually make them, you can always mix up the ingredients in an attractive container and stick a bow on it for ready-made cookie mix. Red and Green M&M cookies look especially festive done this way.

Another Favorite Last-Minute gift is reindeer food for Rudolph & Co.

Mix a cup oatmeal, a cup sugar and red or green sugar crystals with glitter.

You can either put it in baggies, tied with ribbons, or if you use a jar, layer the ingredients, sand art-style, with oatmeal on the top and the bottom. Include the poem: “It’s the night before Christmas and all through the house, everyone has eaten — even the mouse. You give Santa some cookies and a glass of milk, too. Don’t forget the reindeer — please give them some food. Open this bag and sprinkle outside. Hop into bed — Santa’s soon to arrive.”

Gardening Gloves

You can pick up a nice set of canvas gardening gloves at Orchard Supply Hardware (125 N. Fairview Ave. 681.1500) then use acrylic craft paint (available at any art supply or craft store) to stencil on a flowerpot, leaves, flowers, etc. You can also sponge paint the gloves and personalize them with the recipient’s name or something like, “Grandma’s Garden” or “Rosie’s Posies.”

Customized Candles

Personalize inexpensive candles from Pacific Co. (3309-A State St. near Gelson’s Market, 682.9552) with favorite quotes printed on clear mailing labels or rubber stamp images on tissue paper, and then use a heat gun to attach them to the candles. You can even combine these two techniques by attaching pretty printed tissue to the candles with the heat gun, then sticking favorite quotes and sayings over that for a collaged look. Or have children draw pictures on the tissue paper for a one-of-a-kind candle creation.

Originally published in South Coast Beacon on December 16, 2004.