Great Homemade Gifts for Parents

• Open the wrap for a homemade gift.christmas gifts image by Maria Brzostowska from Fotolia.com
  
  Instead of searching for a gift for a holiday, birthday, special occasion or “just because,” create your own to make your present stand out from the pile. Homemade gifts for parents need not be crafted from expensive materials; many require very few supplies that may be found with a quick trip to the craft store or gathered from around your home.
  
  

Baby Prints

• The next time you’re babysitting for new parents, sneak in a few craft supplies to make a great homemade gift. Creating a keepsake baby hand or footprint takes very little time and may be done with a wide variety of tools. If you enjoy working with clay, you can gently press the baby’s hand or foot into the clay, then bake outside in the sun or in an oven (there are kits also available to do this). If you’re more interested in paints, you’ll find baby-safe paints available in every possible color to match the baby’s parents’ home. Roll a little bit of paint on the baby’s arm or foot and press onto a piece of cardboard then place in a frame, a glass coaster or a brand-new baby book.
  
  

Round-the-Clock Ornament

• Although ornaments are often associated with Christmas and decorative trees, non-holiday-themed ornaments may be displayed year-round, especially when they are handmade and customized with a child’s picture. You’ll find ornament supplies such as two-piece clear plastic globes in craft stores; just separate the globe’s pieces and insert the child’s picture. Add little bits of confetti, sprinkles or even clippings from the child’s last haircut if you were lucky enough to be along. Use glitter paint, puffy paint or magazine cut-out letters to spell out the child’s name on the globe. Parents can hang photo ornaments from kitchen-cabinet knobs, around their car’s rearview mirror or from pegs in the garage.
  
  

Family Journal

• While parents may have received baby books as presents, take the idea a step further. Create a journal that is passed to and from each family member; one person writes and then hands it to the next, who adds her thoughts. The book keeps circling so family members can read and share each others' thoughts. Re-purpose an old, unused school notebook for the journal by covering the front and back covers with attractive wrapping paper (use something holiday themed if appropriate) or pieces of printed fabric. Dress up the pages of the journal by stenciling family members’ names, aligning small stickers along the page edges or dabbing dots of glitter glue in the corners.