Christmas Crafts That Make Great Gifts For Friends

Over the years, I have made many personalized Christmas gifts.  Not only are they well-received, they are thoughtful, fun to make, and make great conversation pieces.  Here are some of my favorites: 

Supplies

Mason jar with lid

thin doily

potpourri

one string of mini lights

Directions

Place the doily on the mouth of the jar to see where to put the lights through.  Thread the lights through one of the holes in the doily so that the plug is on one side and the lights are on the other. Plug the lights in so you can see them. Pour a bit of potpourri into the jar, then alternate lights and potpourri until the jar is full and the lights are mostly shining along the glass. Arrange as many times as necessary to get a pleasing arrangement. Put the doily on top, followed by the outer ring of the lid. Do not use the inner circle of the lid.

When the lights are on, they will warm up the potpourri. The lights do not get hot enough to be a fire hazard. This makes a great centerpiece, or a night light for a child's room. With normal use, the potpourri jar will last up to five years. When it's time for a change, just choose another bag of potpourri and redo the jar.

Supplies

Regular-mouth Mason jar

"flowerpot" votive holder

ribbon

assorted glitter, snow, small ornaments, memorabilia

craft glue or hot glue

Directions

Use glue to tack down anything you want to stay in the middle of the jar.  Decorate the inside of the jar with "snow", glitter, etc.  "Hanging" items can be suspended inside the jar by tying one end of a piece of fishline to a ribbon that goes around the edge of the jar, then threading the item on, tying the other end to the ribbon on the other side of the jar mouth.

Be creative, personalize the contents as much as you want.  When you are finished, put a line of hot glue around the top of the jar mouth, then set the "flowerpot" votive holder on top, holding it there until the glue cools.  Add a candle and ribbon, and you've got a great gift! 

Supplies

small wooden alphabet blocks

wood glue

assorted miniature Christmas decorations

Directions

This can be done with hot glue, but wood glue works best. Let the glue set so that the blocks don't come undone when you transport it.

Build a tree from the blocks without gluing them. You can either do a flat tree or a round tree. A flat tree can be built with five blocks on the bottom, then four, then three, then two, then one. A round tree has a full layer of blocks on the bottom, then builds upwards. To personalize the tree, use blocks spelling out the person's name or "Merry Christmas" around the edges. Once your tree is built, take it apart and glue each layer from the bottom up. Let it dry completely.

Decorate the blocks with glued on miniature ornaments: snowmen, trees, gingerbread people, etc. Use your imagination. Put a star or angel on the top block if you wish. You can also include loose ornaments and let the gift recipient choose what to put on it.