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.

Soap Molds from Homemade Items

Three years ago I created an article for Helium on making soap at home from glycerin cubes that you melt and pour into a purchased mold. These simple soaps can customized by adding coloring and scents of your choice. One of the other ways to make melt and pour soaps is to create them in your own homemade molds.

Interestingly enough, my article on homemade molds for soaps was published in May of 2010, a little over a year before the one on the basics of melt and pour soap. Of course I can't remember now if I suggested the title or if Helium posted it, but nonetheless, here it is:

Five Homemade Soap Molds

Making homemade soap can be a lot of fun especially when using melt and pour glycerin.  You simply break apart a few cubes, heat according to instruction and carefully pour the liquid into a waiting mold.  Just about any thing from a sea shell to a baking pan can serve as a homemade mold for your own custom soaps.

Some household items will be easier than others to turn into molds based on their flexibility.  Ice trays with fun party shapes would make great homemade molds for fashioning small sized custom guest soaps and there are a variety of shapes available on the market for doing so.  For more variety in appearance add soap colorant or powders.

Small food storage containers can easily serve as home made soap molds particularly those that are somewhat flexible or have sides that could be squeezed slightly to help in gently removing the soap after it has completely cooled and hardened.  Dried herbs in whole or ground form make a nice addition (and can add color, fragrance or both) to these simple soaps.

Baking pans such as muffin tins and tiny loaf pans are handy as use for homemade molds for individual round or rectangular shaped soaps.  Larger loaf pans could also be used to make a soap log that could then be cut into individual sized bars if making large quantities of soap.

Empty milk and juice cartons can be washed and used as makeshift homemade soap molds as well.  Cut the carton a few inches from the bottom to make a simple square mold when using smaller cartons.  Larger cartons will make much larger bricks of soap that will need to be sliced after cooling.  The waxy paper can be easily peeled away and discarded after use.

In a pinch disposable plastic or waxed paper cups (not Styrofoam) could be used as homemade soap molds.  In reality, pretty much any removable form that could be used to make candles could also be used to mold soaps as long as it is somewhat flexible.  (Do not use plastic cups for making candles however.)

Melt and pour soaps will start to harden on the top first making it somewhat hard to tell if they have completely solidified.  Be sure to let them cool completely and give them a little extra time to cure before attempting to remove them from their molds.