Gifts and Giving: Homemade Gifts vs Store Bought

Spending my time pursuing some sort of creative endeavor is always my first choice. As a result I have often had a number of things on hand to choose from when it came to gift giving time. That is, when I hadn't specifically crafted something especially for a particular person.

Once upon a time most people would have received a humble homemade item as a gift. Now there's twenty-four hour online shopping to provide us with whatever our materialistic hearts desire. Still, many people still appreciate something unique that makes them feel special and reminds them of the person who gave it to them.

The following article was previously published December 2011.

Homemade vs Store Bought Gifts for Christmas

As the holidays start to draw near, one question that often comes to mind is whether to give homemade or store-bought gifts for Christmas. For the avid crafter this is a no brainer; crafting for the next year’s Christmas gifts often begins shortly after the current year’s passes. For those who see themselves as creatively challenged, the idea of presenting loved ones with a unique gift handcrafted especially for them is both a wistful and daunting proposition.

On the flip side, receiving a homemade gift is highly valued buy some and seen as a cop-out by others. In an age driven largely by materialism and overconsumption, the homemade handicraft or jar of preserves isn’t always seen for the thoughtful gift it really is. That, however, is the recipient’s loss and not the giver’s. Contrary to popular belief, homemade gifts are not always less costly than store-bought ones. A hand-knit cashmere scarf takes several hours to craft and the yarn can cost as much as an expensive store-bought gift.

Choosing whether to give a homemade or store-bought Christmas gift is really up to the giver. Homemade gifts require time, talent, tools, and planning. If none of those are readily available, and planning ahead isn’t your strong point, stick to the store-bought items and start visiting the clearance rack the day after this Christmas to plan for the next one.

A homemade gift doesn’t have to be one that takes days or even hours to complete. Sure it would be nice to give your sweetie a hand knit scarf for Christmas, or make your expecting bff a crocheted baby blanket, but unless you do that sort of thing regularly, you may be getting yourself in for more than you bargained for. If crafting isn’t your strong suit, or if time is tight, keep things simple; you can still give unique, personalized gifts that would make Martha proud.

Some of the simplest homemade gifts you can make can be created from things you most likely already have around the house. Baked goods, flavored oils, stationery, potpourri, massage oils, bath salt, ornaments, and a plethora of hand embellished items are easy to put together in a manner of minutes.

At Christmas time (or any other gift giving occasion) it’s supposed to be the thought that counts. Whether a gift is homemade or store-bought, the one thing that is certain is that the gift should always be received with gratitude.

Crafty Gifting: Gift Wrapping Alternatives Found in the Kitchen

It's gift giving time again! When you've put a lot of time and effort into choosing just the right item, and it's time to truss it up and present it to the intended recipient, you don't want to just stick it in a generic gift bag or some ordinary box with a generic bow from a bag. However, there are those times when we just don't have the time to make up pretty packages, or worse, we get home and realize the gift item doesn't fit in a standard box or, there's not enough left of that pretty large-roll paper, or we forgot the tape, or the ribbon or...

So, what's a savvy gift giver to do? Improvise with items on hand from the kitchen, of course! With so many "things" in our lives, there is often an excess of "stuff" around waiting to be used as it is, including reusable items from coffee mugs and egg baskets to tea towels and dinner napkins.

Originally published on Helium in April of 2011.

Gift Wrapping Alternatives from Kitchen Supplies

Whether you are in a pinch for something with which to wrap a gift, looking to be more eco-friendly, or just want to present your gift packages in a unique and creative way, there a number of items in the kitchen that make great gift wrapping alternatives. From cloth options to interesting containers, the kitchen offers a multitude of options beyond the usual printed paper gift wrap.

Paper options

Waxed paper, freezer paper, lunch sacks and paper grocery bags are all good kitchen alternatives for wrapping gifts. With the exception of the waxed paper, each can be custom decorated to make a unique one of a kind gift wrap. Use markers with a ruler to create straight lines or even plaid designs; trace stencils to create pictures or repeating wallpaper style patterns on the papers or bags. Alternatively, you can also use rubber stamps to create a pattern, or get super creative and make your own stamps from carrots or potatoes.

In addition to being used to create custom gift wrap, paper options from the kitchen are also great options for making cards and envelopes, gift tags, flowers, origami and other decorations to use for embellishing presents. Strips of paper can also be cut and used as ribbon in place of cloth ribbon.

Cloth options

Dish towels, tea towels, and cloth napkins are gift wrapping alternatives from the kitchen that are also reusable. Kitchen linens can be wrapped around a gift and bound with kitchen twine for an attractive, eco-friendly presentation that serves a dual purpose since the gift recipient will be able to use the wrapping as well as the gift.

Plastic options

Colored plastic wrap, food storage bags with or without printed decorations, and white kitchen trash bags can also be used as gift wrap. These are especially attractive alternatives when combined with the paper or cloth options for gift wrap from the kitchen.

Containers, baskets and tins

Almost everyone has an abundance of spare storage containers, empty tins, or even baskets on hand that can be used as a gift wrapping alternatives. These are especially useful for wrapping food gift items. The best part about using one of these items to gift wrap something is that they are reusable. They can be used on their own or in combination of one of the other alternative kitchen options listed above to dress things up a bit.

Gift wrapping alternatives from the kitchen are both practical and economic. Reusable items are not only eco-friendly, they make attractive presentations the gift recipients will appreciate as much as the received gift itself.