Tomorrow (Friday) morning I will be sharing inexpensive homemade gift projects kids can make on
San Diego Living, a local morning show. I will be appearing on behalf of a wonderful local site,
San Diego Bargain Mama, for which I write for on occasion. Below are a collection of projects I will be sharing, some of them you may recognize from earlier this week.
You can help your child create a unique handmade gift this holiday season and save money at the same time. With just a few tips and ideas, kids can be a part of the gift giving process from start to finish! Whatever Holiday you celebrate, these simple homemade gift projects
Scroll through the videos for my segment "Holiday Gifts for Kids"
For Teachers:
Personalized Soap or Hand Sanitizer Bottles: Give the gift that gives back! Your child's teacher will appreciate a soap dispenser that has been personalized with stickers from your child. They will also appreciate less germs. Be sure to have "goo gone" or some other solvent to remov the stickers off the soap bottles.
Total Cost: Around $2
Age group: Preschool and up
Parents, Grandparents and more:
Personalized Tile Coasters: Have your child paint a set of 4 tile coasters from your local big box home improvement store, you seal it with a coat of decoupage glue and polyurethane and add felt dots to the bottom to prevent scratch marks to your table and you will have a gift for grandma that she can enjoy every morning with her cup of coffee or every afternoon with a glass of iced tea!
Age Group: Toddler to Preschooler and up
Total Cost: $3 and up
Easy Painted Photo Frame: This simple keepsake craft takes only a few minutes to complete and yet, packs a powerful punch. Makes a great gift for mom, dad, grandma, grandpa and more. I found a frame for $1.00 at Michael's, the kids added some paint, sealed it with decoupage glue and foam stickers and presto! They had a fun homemade photo frame to give to that special someone.
Age Group: Preschool to Early Elementary and up
Total Cost $2.50 and up
Age Group: Preschool and up
Total Cost: Depending on what you have on hand - 25 cents and up!
The Trimmings
Age group: Toddler to Preschooler
Cost: Depending on what you have on hand $1.00 and up
From Martha: Fuse tissue paper cutouts inside two pieces of wax paper to personalize wrapping for holiday baking.
Total Cost: around $3
Age group: Preschooler and up
Total Cost: $1
Age group: Toddler to Preschool and up
Sweet Treats:
Some Tips and Helpful Hints:
- Michael's 40% off coupon (available through the local paper or free via their email newsletter) is a great way to buy craft supplies for less!
- Look for items around the house to use: old glasses, Popsicle sticks, empty yogurt cups, etc.
- Always be prepared with the items you will need before getting kids involved. This includes having an acid free pen to write your child's name on the project and covering your work surface to prevent damage.
- Items to consider having on hand: decoupage glue, school glue, pencil, cookie cutters, craft paint, foam paint brushes, ribbon
- Work in stages when working with small children. Breaking the process down into separate steps over the day will help them not become overwhelmed.
Happy Crafting! As soon as I have a copy of the segment to share, I will!
