12 Days of Christmas Day 8: Handmade Gifts

Welcome to the Eighth Day of the 12 Days of Christmas, Today we are talking about Handmade Gifts.

Every Year for Christmas since my first child was born, I have made a handmade gift for the Grandparents and close family. Most times it's something useful, but it's also a keep sake. I love handmade goods. There is something really special about receiving something handmade. Knowing that the person who made it, put all the time and effort into making something for you. 

The first five years of doing this incorporated only my first born, these past 3 years I have been able to incorporate both boys. Here is a list and some pictures of the items we have made and given as gifts over the past 8 years. 

1. Plaster Hand and foot Cast: These are really great and simple gifts. You can find the plaster cast kits at craft stores and even some dollar stores carry them. My son was not quite a year when I did the casts. I definitely learned a lesson that you need to mix only one at a time, as trying to get a baby to cooperate and let you smush their feet and hands into plaster isn't the easiest task. 

2. Painted Photo Frame with Picture: My my oldest was almost 2 he really enjoyed painting and crafts. I found plain wooden frames at the local Craft supply store and we spent an afternoon painting. I decided to give the frames a base colour of white. Once they were dry we were able to start. I let my son have free rein at painting. He himself got covered in paint, I took a picture of him, and printed off the photo of him covered in paint in the finished frames. 

3. Hand Print Pot Holders: I bought simple Red and Green Pot holders and used fabric paint to stamp my sons hands on them. I wrote Helping Hands and the Year. I have mine hanging in my kitchen all year long, I have also used them so it's not something that just collects dust.

4. Tea Towel: My son had just started JK that year and so he drew a Christmas Tree at school. We scanned the drawing and use iron on transfer paper and transferred the drawing on to Tea Towels. It's a keep sake but also one you can use. 

5. Coasters: Target had just opened in Canada this year and I found these great sets of Coasters in the dollar bins, they were plain black and we did Christmas themed paintings that my son painted using his fingers. I sealed them and everyone got a set. Another useful keepsake. (See the pattern here)

6. Hand Print Pot holders take 2: Now that my second born was here I had to have a set of pot holders with his prints on them too. It's hard to get a little baby's hand print so we did his foot. My oldest did his hand print and I put the year on the pot holders. It's neat to compare my oldest's hand prints.

7: Tea Towel The Remix: Again we made tea towels but this time we used fabric paint and had both the kids use there hands to create a Christmas tree. Something I hang up on the wall during the season, it can be used but I love to display it as art work instead.

8: Salt Dough Ornaments and Photo's: This year for the first year ever I had professional photo's taken of the boy's, my gift to family is a nice framed picture of the boys. To go with that (keeping the hand made going) we made Salt Dough Ornaments. My oldest loves to help in the kitchen so he happily mixed the ingredients and rolled out the dough. We put their thumb prints stamped in green and wrote their names and the date on them before Sealing them. 

I love the idea of handmade gifts, gifts that are truly made with love. I also love how excited the boys get when they give the gifts to our family members and explain that they made them themselves. (well my oldest does this, the little one just babbles and runs around).

What are some of your Favourite Handmade gifts to give or receive?

~Mommy Dearest