| Christmas is just around the corner and you are | | | | gift.4. Handmade jewelryYou can make jewelry |
| flat broke. There are so many gifts to give. | | | | for the women in your family using wooden |
| People you really want to pamper, but you don't | | | | beads or even paper clips. Bracelets and necklaces |
| have the money to buy decent gifts for | | | | are the easiest to make as all you have to do is |
| everyone. So what do you do?Well, you can | | | | to string the beads up and tie the loose ends |
| make your own gifts.1. The Pet RockRemember | | | | together. Use a strong elastic cord for the beads |
| the pet rock craze? You can make little pets out | | | | so the bracelet is stretchable and can be put on |
| or rocks easily.Just take a large, smooth pebble. | | | | or taken off easily. As for paper clips, with a pair |
| Stick on a pair of eyes. Glue some felt below. | | | | of tweezers and some cheap plastic beads, you |
| Write a message on the felt and you have a | | | | can make attractive paper clip earrings.5. Are you |
| personalized Christmas gift.2. CookiesAre you | | | | good at crafts like crochet?You can make an |
| good at baking?Well go bake several batches of | | | | adorable bookworm bookmark. Start off with the |
| cookies using your best cookie recipes. Do a | | | | long string part of the bookmark. Just to simple |
| variety of cookies. Then decorate them. Some | | | | chain stich using thick wool thread until you have a |
| with M&Ms some with icing sugar, some with | | | | 15 inch long crochet chain. Then do 3 treble |
| nuts, others with raisins.Put them into little plastic | | | | crochet stitches into each chain stitch for the last |
| bags. A few of each type of cookie in each bag. | | | | 30 chains. It would curl up into a cute curly |
| Tie the bag with a pretty ribbon. Make small, | | | | bookworm. Stick on 2 eyes on the head and |
| pretty cards and write a personal message on | | | | make a tassle at the other end of the chain. Once |
| each of them. Stick the cards to the outside of | | | | you get the hang of it, you could make these |
| that bag of cookies. Each bag of cookies makes a | | | | bookmarks in colorful wool to give away as |
| delightful gift for Christmas.3. Flower giftsDo you | | | | Christmas gifts.Need more gift making ideas? |
| have a garden? Do you live near a place where | | | | Check out for do it yourself gifts you might want |
| wild flowers grow abundantly?If you can pick | | | | to make from Christmas. A great way to give |
| some flowers, you can make pressed flower | | | | personal gifts without spending a bomb.Besides |
| bookmarks. I used to do those as a kid. You | | | | making your Christmas gifts, you can get pretty |
| arrange the flowers on a piece of white blotting | | | | impressive gifts by spending time instead of |
| paper. Put another piece of blotting paper over | | | | money. shows you where you pay for the gift by |
| the flowers and put heavy books over the | | | | participating in surveys, instead of forking out |
| blotting paper to press the flowers for a few | | | | money. If you are worried that your loved ones |
| weeks. Once dried and flattened, these flowers | | | | know that is a free gift, then go for the free gift |
| can be glued onto book marks, photo frames and | | | | card offers. Use the gift cards to buy Christmas |
| anything you might want to give as a decorative | | | | gifts and no one would be any wiser. |