Easy homemade gift ideas?

The Mrs.<3

Every year my family does a homemade gift swap. The men mostly do really nice things like shelves, benches, and other nice wooden things. The women tend to do things like quilts, or things involving sewing or knitting. I feel completely lost, I don't know how to sew or knit or build things. I need a simple gift to make that wont make me seem cheap or like I didn't put any effort into it. My family has always put a lot of effort into making really nice gifts for this swap. Any ideas that don't involve much skill but will still be a nice gift?

Answer
Do you cook or can? Homemade jellies and pickles are pretty easy, as are flavored oils and vinegars.
Here are two recipes that are really easy:
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art13940.asp
http://fireinmykitchen.blogspot.com/2007/05/pepper-sherry.html

As for other types of canning, try the recipes in the Ball Blue Book -- they're good, clearly explained and their methods result in safe products.

Which reminds me that I need to put up a couple of dozen pints of dilled green beans.

please suggest me some good gifts which can be given to boy from a girl?

uma r

pls let me know some good ideas then suggesting costly gifts like gold chain

Answer
GIFTS FOR MEN

Here are some gift ideas for those special men in your life!

Buying gifts for men is not nearly as complicated as it is for
women. Follow these rules and you should have no problems.

Rule #1: When in doubt - buy him a cordless drill. It does not
matter if he already has one. I have a friend who owns 17 and he
has yet to complain. As a man, you can never have too many
cordless drills. No one knows why.

Rule #2: If you cannot afford a cordless drill, buy him anything
with the word ratchet or socket in it. Men love saying those two
words. "Hey George, can I borrow your ratchet?" "OK. Bye-the-
way, are you through with my 3/8-inch socket yet?" Again, no one
knows why.

Rule #3: If you are really, really broke, buy him anything for
his car. A 99-cent ice scraper, a small bottle of deicer or
something to hang from his rear view mirror. Men love gifts for
their cars. No one knows why.

Rule #4: Do not buy men socks. Do not buy men ties. And never
buy men bathrobes. I was told that if God had wanted men to wear
bathrobes, he wouldn't have invented Jockey shorts.

Rule #5: You can buy men new remote controls to replace the ones
they have worn out. If you have a lot of money buy your man a
big- screen TV with the little picture in the corner. Watch him
go wild as he flips, and flips, and flips.

Rule #6: Do not buy a man any of those fancy liqueurs. If you
do, it will sit in a cupboard for 23 years. Real men drink
whiskey or beer.

Rule #7: Do not buy any man industrial-sized canisters of after-
shave or deodorant. I'm told they do not stink - they are earthy.

Rule #8: Buy men label makers. Almost as good as cordless
drills. Within a couple of weeks there will be labels absolutely
everywhere. "Socks. Shorts. Cups. Saucers. Door. Lock. Sink."
You get the idea. No one knows why.

Rule #9: Never buy a man anything that says "some assembly
required" on the box. It will ruin his Special Day and he will
always have parts left over.

Rule #10: Good places to shop for men include Northwest Iron
Works, Parr Lumber, Home Depot, John Deere, Valley RV Center, and
Les Schwab Tire. (NAPA Auto Parts and Sears Clearance Centers
are also excellent men's stores. It doesn't matter if he doesn't
know what it is. "From NAPA Auto, eh? Must be something I need.
Hey! Isn't this a starter for a '68 Ford Fairlane? Wow!
Thanks.")

Rule #11: Men enjoy danger. That's why they never cook - but
they will barbecue. Get him a monster barbecue with a 100-pound
propane tank. Tell him the gas line leaks. "Oh the thrill! The
challenge! Who wants a hamburger?"

Rule #12: Tickets to a football game are a smart gift. However,
he will not appreciate tickets to "A Retrospective of 19th
Century Quilts." everyone knows why.

Rule #13: Men love chainsaws. Never, ever, buy a man you love a
chainsaw. If you don't know why - please refer to Rule #8 and
what happens when he gets a label maker.

Rule #14: It's hard to beat a really good wheelbarrow or an
aluminum extension ladder. Never buy a real man a stepladder.
It must be an extension ladder. No one knows why.

Rule #15: Rope. Men love rope. It takes us back to our cowboy
origins, or at least The Boy Scouts. Nothing says love like a
hundred feet of 3/8" manila rope. No one knows why.


http://www.personal-enterprise-self-help-resources.com/self-help-Jokes.html

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bridal shower western gift idea?

Roxy

my best friend is gettin married and i need an idea for bridal shower gift. she is decorating in western...either i can make the gift or buy. i need ideas ASAP

Answer
Welcome brooms are back in style, I'm making one for for friends this Xmas. Someone here was making one dressed as a bride and a groom. Cute. Dress yours up like a cowgirl.
All you do is take a nice broom, slide a styrofoam ball over the handle down to the broom, do a face on the Styrofoam, give it yarn hair and a hat[the hat gets threaded down the broom handle, too. Then drape the upper broom artfully with clothes with a collar. Mine I inherited from my mother was made of felt, the collar and clothes was intricately folded to look like a fancy woman's shirt, and had a picture 1940's hat. You could make a cowboy hat, and a denim or checkered plaid shirt easily. Make the yarn hair into braids for a western look.
The ones I am making one will be all in white with a woman's version of a top hat, the other will be all in satin green with a Xmas corsage. The styrofoam ball will be painted beige, and the facial features done in felt.
Or do a bunny or a teddy bear in western gear for her. Or put teddy in a western bride outfit.

A western type blanket. Try the fabric store for material ideas, plush acrylic with a cut and tied border. Or go online for an Native American blanket. Or do a patchwork or applique cowboy quilt.

Whatever you decide to give her wrap it in red bandannas sewn together, and find some natural twine for the ribbon to simulate a lariat. Or line a a basket with them.
Make a unique kitchen place mat and napkin set with bandannas. Even make a tablecloth, napkin rings, or table square [one that is smaller than the table, and turned sideways on the table for decoration]. Make hand rolled flowers out of gingham check or bandannas, for a centerpiece, or the bow on a gift, or for the napkin rings.
Make a teddy bear out of gingham or bandannas.
The tablecloth and napkins would make a really neat picnic basket too. Go to Michael's for a picnic basket, line it yourself, include the tablecloth and napkins, and search around for plastic picnic plates and glasses and silverware in a cowboy theme or matching color. Even kitchen towels or potholders.
Check the patterns at the fabric store for ideas.

A cowboy/chuck wagon/cookout cookbook.
A dutch oven or a cast iron skillet.

Any one have some craft ideas for Cristmas gifts that can be sewed?

Bamarky

need some sewing craft ideas to make as gifts. Something that can be used year-round, for both man and women. Or any good free sites besides HGTV site?

Answer
I used to sew quilt and pillow sets for fun. It takes no time, and they're a gift you can put a lot of yourself in to. Also, I take old band shirts, cut them up, and sew them into more 'modern' styles.

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What are some cute decorative crafts to make with ribbon or fake flowers?

gift ideas for women who quilt image

Girl with

Answer
You can make a candle & separate flame above it by cutting 2 pieces of ribbon & taping or gluing each onto a gift box instead of a bow. Flame has the right side of the tip somewhat straight & the top of the left side is curved to a point, somewhat like a flame. Ribbon is something like 1/2" to 1" wide. Experiment with the height & decide what would look nice.

Also, by searching "ribbon crafts" via Bing Search Engine, I saw ribbon used to make coasters, quilt-like throw pillows, & flowers. One of the best ones used several versions of green tapestry ribbon cut at graduated lengths, to make a flat framed picture of a Christmas tree, Another made an initial out of tapestry ribbon. I suppose that would be all right on a bulletin board, but I wouldn't want it. I just don't like initials used in home furnishings & decorations & jewelry, but to each her own. Also, I wouldn't want ribbons in a moist situation like coasters where they would get wet. Seems like the best ribbon crafts are for pictures on the wall or for decorative throw pillows. I always make throw pillow with a zipper or some sort of opening like snaps so it can be removed from the pillow & cleaned. Using Search Y!Answers for reading previous questions also turns up a few ribbon crafts.

Fake flowers can be taped onto pens. Some businesses or agencies, anyone with a walk-up counter with customers borrowing pens can do this so customers don't accidentally walk away with pens. A cup or pencil/pen holder full of them makes a pretty little arrangement. You might find your own use for such pens. One craft site also demonstrated how to make an attractive fake flower arrangement.

I remember fondly one use of fake flowers when a women's group I belonged to marched in parades for several years to commemorate the 19th Amendment, Women's Right to Vote. We mainly dressed in white, which could be either old-fashioned or contemporary dress, each person deciding for herself, or himself, since we often had 1 or 2 men & a few children who marched with us, too. We also wore the shoulder to waist wide ribbon "Votes for Women" bands. Some carried women's suffrage signs & posters, while others carried "Vote for Women" signs, since the idea was to elect more women to office. White gloves made it easier to carry the big tall signs. We carried long-stemmed fake yellow roses representing the yellow roses carried by the original suffragists. (A few carried real roses, but it was easier to quickly grab the fake ones.) We also bought inexpensive straw sun hats either in white or in natural straw, & we decorated our hats with fake flowers made of fabric as well. My flowers were yellow & came with a pin when I bought them, so I could pin them onto an organza scarf used as a hat band. It might not sound like much telling it, but we were a popular group met by a cheers & awarded a few parade prizes for best costumed group. It wasn't much of a craft, but we did take the time to try to look nice.

Things to use other than decorative paper from the store?

Kerry

hi, i'm making a gift for my grandma, and i'm want to make the box/packaging myself, too. the problem is, i don't have any wrapping paper or pretty, decorative paper and i don't really want to waste the money to go out and buy it. so any ideas on what to substitute the paper for? i already know that i can use newspapers, magazines, and construction paper, but do you have any other creative ideas? thanks! :)

Answer
you can recycle boxes! find a box that is the right size to fit your gift like a cereal box for example. Cover the box with old greeting card fronts! In between the cards, glue ribbon, oh my gosh, it will resemble a quilted blanket, perfect for any woman who appreciates handmade items!

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