Mackenzie Hurlbert – Copy Editor –
With today’s burden of homework, upcoming finals, and everything in between, it’s hard to find time to go Christmas gift shopping for family and friends. Considering most of us are ‘starving college students,’ buying gifts for everyone special in your life can get a bit expensive. Why not make your friends and family something special instead of buying a generic gift and a Hallmark card? The following do-it-yourself projects are inexpensive and unique ideas, and the supplies needed to make them are pretty cheap. Here’s to a holiday season of funky gifts and fun times!
Homemade Hand Warmers: Using felt, wool, or cashmere material and ceramic pie weights, sow a small, enclosed baggie and fill with the ceramic weights. All the person has to do is microwave the baggie for a couple minutes and then keep it in their pockets. The best thing is that they’re reusable, unlike those hand warmers that come in the plastic package and smell weird. Also, you can use a bunch of funky patterns of felt in order to personalize the hand warmers for those you are giving them to.
The tea cup candle craft.
Secret Hollow Book: These are super easy, fun, and probably something your special someone is not likely to own already. All you have to do is get a hardcover book from Goodwill or a thrift store. Open the book, glue the pages together on one side, and then use an X-Acto knife to hollow out the inside. They can use it as a pen box for their desk, a jewelry box or as a secret place to stow away their treasures.
The Gift of Knowledge: If you’re not a crafty person and have a special talent or skill, why not give the gift of knowledge by sharing this skill with others? If you can play guitar, offer guitar lessons. If you’re good at editing, offer a month of proofreading! If you’re a mechanic or good with cars how about an oil change or lesson on how to change a flat? These are useful skills that can double as meaningful gifts!
Arts and crafts: If you are an artist or photographer, why not give that good friend or loving relative a piece of your work? If you’re a photographer, make a print of one of your best pieces and frame it. If you knit or crochet, knit a quick hat or crochet a bookmark. There’s so much that we can do with our hands when it comes to gifts, and most of the time handmade gifts are appreciated more than those bought at the store.
Teacup candles: These will take more work and use more supplies, but the end result is totally worth it and super cute. Pick up some teacups at Goodwill or a thrift store, but make sure they don’t have any cracks in them. Then go to your local craft store and buy candlewicks, wax that can be melted down, and whatever fragrance you’d like. Using a double boiler, melt the wax and add fragrance. Then while carefully holding the wick in the center of the teacup, pour the wax into the cup. Fill to the top and move on to the next. As the wax cools, it will contract and become a solid candle within the teacup. Pretty cool, huh?
Food: Last but definitely not least, you could always bake or cook something for that certain someone. Cookies, pies, and breads usually last a while, or maybe give them the gift of a night out at your place! Let them pick the meal and have them sit back while you take care of it.
