Homemade gifts are made with love, straight from the heart. They are a cost-effective way to share your crafts with others around the holiday season. I’ve compiled a list of the top three trends for homemade gifts that I’ve seen this season, with full instructions on how you can make and gift your own.
3 Easy Inexpensive Homemade Gifts
1. Stovetop Holiday Simmer Pot Potpourri
Dehydrated fruits and seasonings jarred up and paired with a bow make a thoughtful gift that everyone is certain to enjoy.
Just add the contents to a simmering pot of water and enjoy the scent throughout your home. The ingredients included are up to your discretion but consider the colors included and how the scents will blend once heated. During the holiday season, scents of cinnamon, clove, nutmeg and citrus are fan favorites.
Directions:
To dry citrus of your choice (orange, lemon, lime grapefruit), slice into ¼” slices and dry it in a food dehydrator (135°F for 7+ hours) or in your oven (lowest temp it goes, ideally under 200°F for 2+ hours) until completely dry. Once dried, allow the fruit to cool completely to room temperature before jarring.
We use pint-sized canning jars when gifting. You can add as many ingredients as you’d like, but we try to fill the jars completely so they do not look empty.
Add cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, dried cranberries, dried rosemary, bay leaves, thyme or other dried herbs of your choice.
Include spices of choice such as whole allspice, dried ginger, whole star anise, whole cinnamon sticks, whole nutmeg, whole clove, or whole cardamom pods.
Once you’ve jarred your potpourri, add the canning jar lid and tightly screw on the ring. Apply a cute bow or tie on some ribbon and you’ve got a beautiful homemade gift.
Note: When simmered, it’s important to set a timer so that you do not forget to check the water level so that the water doesn’t evaporate and the simmering ingredients burn on the bottom of the pot.
2. Ranch Seasoning Blend in a Jar
Ranch seasoning is delicious and yes, it’s available in the packets at the market, however, those packets sometimes contain ingredients that I try to avoid, or frankly, just aren’t needed. Making this giftable jarred blend makes a thoughtful homemade gift for your fellow ranch lovers.
This recipe is from MyBakingAddiction but it is the very best homemade blend that I’ve found to date.
Yield: One 4-ounce canning jar
Ingredients:
1/3 cup dry buttermilk powder
1 tbsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. onion powder
2 tsp. dried parsley
1.5 tsp. dried dill weed
1 tsp. dried chives
1 tsp. fine sea salt
½ tsp. white granulated sugar
½ tsp. dried tarragon (optional)
¼ tsp. fresh cracked black pepper (to taste)
¼ tsp. ground yellow mustard powder
Mix all ingredients, pour into a small canning jar, add the lid and tightly screw on the ring. Label and add a bow.
This ranch seasoning makes a great dried rub for chicken and seasoning for roasted vegetables. It also makes a delicious dressing for salads/vegetable dip.
To use this dried seasoning for a pourable dressing or dip, mix 2 tablespoons of the dried seasoning with ¾ cup of sour cream, ¾ cup of buttermilk, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise (salt and pepper to taste – optional). Allow the flavors to meld in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving.
3. Sugar Scrub Hand Scrub
Sugar scrub homemade gifts are so simple to make! They make great gifts over the wintertime because we can all use a little extra exfoliation this time of year. You can get really creative with the ingredients so here is the basic recipe for the sugar/oil blend.
Yield: One 8-ounce jelly jar
Ingredients:
½ cup coconut oil
¼ cup white granulated sugar but you could also use brown sugar if you prefer
Optional ingredients:
Organic essential oils of choice (sweet orange is my favorite)
1 tsp. jojoba oil
1 tsp. vitamin E oil
1 tsp. organic olive oil
Directions:
In a bowl, combine coconut oil with the sugar. Use a fork to mash and stir the ingredients together well until it can easily be stirred.
At this point, add in as many drops of essential oils as you’d like, or stir in the additional oil options. Once blended well, transfer to an 8-ounce jelly jar. Wipe the rim with a dampened cloth to remove any spillage, add the canning jar lid and tightly screw on the lid.
Slap on a label and tie on a bow, and you’ve got a great and practical homemade gift to give this season!
Note: This scrub is also an excellent lip and foot exfoliant over those dry winter months.
This article about homemade gifts was written for Hobby Farms magazine. Click here to subscribe.
