How To Make Handmade Gifts Look Amazing On The Cheap

I know the holiday season is over, but I wanted to share how I made some fabulous gift sets with minimal effort (and cost).  With more holidays on the horizon (and some serious clearance deals on Christmas stuff right now), I thought this would be handy for anyone who wants to make a marvelous handmade gift, anytime of the year, despite limited time & cash.

My main tip for success is gathering useful supplies as you randomly find them.  I didn't even know what I was going to make when I found these, but the trick is to grab things that are versatile, so you won't corner yourself with ideas or end up with stuff you can't use.

The Gear:
- The baker's boxes & tissue paper were from the dollar section at Target.  This is a great spot to get boxes, baskets & bags for any occasion and SO cheap.
- The giant spool of baker's twine was from a deal site when they offered free shipping and a huge discount at Thanksgiving. $4.95 for 450 yds.
- The baking cups were a find at Ikea - 200 for $1.99.

With these basic items you could go in a lot of directions - cupcakes, candies, handmade jewelry, small toys - just about anything crafty.  And because they aren't too holiday-themed, you can use them throughout the year.  I borrowed some plastic snowflake soap molds from my mom and mixed up some melt & pour soap and a few lip balms (making these is beyond easy - I'll be sharing some how-to's for them soon).  I placed a soap in each baking cup and nestled everything into some tissue:

I made some last minute gift tags with my Cuttlebug and tied everything up with the twine. From start to finish making 5 completed boxes took about an hour.  Seriously.  With each completed box costing less than $5.  And there are enough supplies left over to save for next Christmas or use them for some upcoming Valentine's Day ideas.  Handmade+Thrifty+Easy= WIN.

I'm also sharing this with my FAVE LINK PARTIES.

Click HERE to check them out!