By Kim Heinz
Whether it’s to cut down costs or to enjoy being creative, making your own Christmas gifts is a satisfying approach to the festive season. After all, it only takes a second to hand over your hard-earned cash in one store or another, but nothing says ‘I love you’ more than a present that you have lovingly made and spent hours over. Here are some ideas and inspirations on how to make your own Christmas presents.
Make your own gift sets
Gift sets in shops make ideal presents but you can easily group together small purchases and package them into your own set, which is less pricey and ideal for those who are less confident about constructing things.
Picture Frames
They are very easy to make. You can buy wooden, non-painted ones from DIY stores or bookshops. The best paint to use is acrylic paint since it dries really fast and is very thick and bright. Use your imagination while painting. You can create a picture that has meaning for the recipient. Write a personal message or make a background for the things you can stick onto the frame, such as glitter and stars, while the paint is still wet. Decorate with hearts or small wooden animals.
Use the talents you possess
If you have a hobby like sewing, knitting, cooking or photography and are known for a particular skill, it will definitely be appreciated if you give something you have made.
Into baking?
Why not impress granny with your baking skills and make some crunchy Christmas cookies, wrapped up in nice gift paper and carefully decorated with ribbons or stickers.
Calendars
For the coming year calendars are a good idea. Usually there are calendars to buy from book shops with a free space for photos, collages, paintings, poems, bright quotations, colourful leaves collected in autumn, and so on.
Christmas Hamper
A few choice food items, in an inexpensive hamper from a kitchen reject shop (like Spoils in the UK) would be a perfect gift for everyone. You don’t even need to use a basket; you could just cover a box in wrapping paper, and maybe dress up the gifts with ribbons cut from co-ordinated wrap.
Blogs are brilliant for inspiration. For more ideas, try DesignSpongeOnline.com or MakeItAndMendIt.com
Grace Henley 
Josh Smith 
Ella Rebbitt