Made with Love: 5 Easy Gifts To Make At Home

I’m pretty sure a handmade gift is the one of the nicest things you can give friends and family. The mistake most people make (myself included) is being over ambitious in the choice of project. Spending the hundredth night in trying desperately to finally finish that boring scarf or awkward jumper is enough to send anyone running to the shops. The trick is to pick projects that aren’t too challenging in the first place, so you can take your time getting them just right. I’ve put together a list of my 5 favourite foolproof gift ideas to make your job just a little bit easier.

Image Source: Nessia’s Ring

1. Knitted Baby Blankets

The old ideas are always the best and, as every new mum will tell you, you can never have too many baby blankets! For that reason alone it’s important you choose a wool that is machine washable at high temperatures and super soft. If you’re pressed for time, opt for a chunkier yarn that will knit up faster. The stockinette stitch is a great choice for these little blankets since it’s bumpy on one side and nice and smooth on the other, perfect for baby!

Image Source: Bec Gusler

2. Pot Holders

A twist on the classic quilt and much quicker to whip up, you can make these these useful gifts in colours that match the kitchen your intended recipient. You don’t need much to make a great pot holder, a decent sewing machine, quilt wadding and a collection of colourful fabrics scraps will pretty much do it. Not much of a seamstress? Don’t worry, www.GrandmaLikesToSew.com has some great tips and tricks for beginners as well as a list of online tutorials.

Image Source: Umair Mohsin

5. T-Shirts

OK so this one is more of a homemade update than a homemade gift but it’s a great one for getting the kids involved. A couple of simple white T’s and some fabric paint is all you need to create your masterpieces. You can make some stamps out of potatoes or sponges for a bit of a change, personally I find the kid’s love plastering painted handprints all over it.

Image Source: Abby Lanes

4. Calendars

Another brilliant way to get the kids involved, print out blank calendars (you can get templates online and stick them to sheets of coloured A3 paper. Let the little ones loose with the paint and see what masterpiece they come up with.

For a slightly more grown up look, you could always use a personalised calendar service. Technically it’s a bit of a cheat on the handmade theme but since it's still personal and surprisingly time consuming, I think it still counts as a great homemade gift idea.

Image Source: Chris Isherwood

4. Truffles and Cakes

Saving the best to last, cakes, cookies and truffles are the stalwarts of the homemade gift industry for good reason! Quick and easy to whip up, these treats are guaranteed crowd pleasers and fantastic for filling gift hampers and goody bags. For a gift with wow factor, I would highly recommend Dandelion and Burdock Truffles. These guys are a bit fiddly to make but well worth the extra effort -I have yet to meet anyone who doesn’t love them at first sight!