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Thursday, January 3, 2013

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!

8 comments:

  1. I love this, so nice and pretty! Love your blog! I would love for you to visit my linky party going on now at http://wallisfarmsdailywalk.blogspot.com/2013/01/blog-post.html

    Have a great day!

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  2. What a great idea! Thank you for sharing!

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  3. That is so cute! What a great idea :-)

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  4. I love your blog!! Visiting from Katherine's Linky Party.

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  5. oh how wonderful.These are lovely thrifty packages. I have been wanting some baking twine for ages.But they don't sell it around here. Sad face. Happy New Year wishes and thank you for sharing at the hop. I hope you will stop by again soon. I posted the new giveaway! xo

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    1. Thanks so much everyone. Easy to do crafts are the best kind of crafts!

      Katherine, I haven't been able to find it locally either, but online there are lots of great sources so you can get every color of the rainbow and a pretty good price:)

      P.S. I've stopped over & entered your giveaway

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  6. Those look fabulous Cheryl, I'd love to get a cute little package like that! Every year making my own bath products is on my do list, maybe this will be the year I finally can check that off the to do list!

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  7. Thank you so much for stopping in and sharing your inspirational craft project with our Crafty Showcase last week! You rock!

    We can't wait for you to stop in and share more of your ideas with us. The Crafty Showcase is open from Friday midnight until Thursday noon! http://bowdabrablog.com/2013/01/12/saturday-showcase-craft-project-linky-15/

    Thanks for the inspiration!
    Susie @Bowdabra

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Getting your comments brightens my day. I'd love if you left one:)