Homemade Gift Ideas: Clay, Cards, Cookies, Candies

Homemade gifts, big and small help show you care with a personal touch. Every year I try to make something for family and close friends, like a DVD of a reunion, something hand-sewn for the kitchen. Small clay ornaments, like the ones above, can be a gift in itself, or a decoration on the top of a gift. I made these to my kids as a way to help build enough ornaments for when they move out.

Consumables are always popular with teachers and friends who already have everything they need. Sugar cookies are a winner for locals, but they don't ship well. This year I made candied pecans for my family. For every 3 cups of shelled pecans, you'll need one egg white whipped with a drizzle of water, to coat the pecans before stirring in a mixture of 3 cups of sugar, with about a teaspoon of cinnamon and some salt. Bake at 250 for an hour on a large baking sheet, stirring every 15 minutes.

My most popular gift this Christmas was note cards of people's houses It was a trick to get pictures of far flung houses to use as source material. I had to text teenage niece, or brother-in-laws for help on this project for houses outside my town. My sweet husband scanned my pen and ink drawings, added a family name below in Illustrator, and then had them printed at Staples. I'm always looking for new ideas for gifts that might show love for the following year.

'Tis the Season to Make Artwork

Ceramic Ornaments

Texture is so important for blind students, which is why I loved giving them this pendant assignment. We used shoe soles, thread spools, combs, and whatever we could find to stamp slabs of clay, which were then cut out with small cups. The colors changed drastically when they dried, and then were fired.

We used acrylic to paint the ornaments. A dry brush with contrasting color helps the texture show.
Then we added ribbons or embroidery floss and tags. Each student took one home and we made about 70 extra to stuff faculty and staff boxes.

God's Eye

When I was a kid I thought popsicle stick and yarn ornaments were just a Christmas craft, and didn't realize the spiritual significance these had in Native American traditions. The Pueblos of New Mexico and the Huichol and Tepehuan of Mexico held these objects as a way to be recognized or a way for the gods to be able to watch over the weaver. They were also thought of as portals for the gods to pass through to get from one world to the other. I have a few students who have disabilities which make it difficult to even draw a line without help, but they were able to do this project independantly.

Tooling Foil

Heavy metal foil and a handful of tooling…uh…tools, kept my students busy for weeks. I wrote some of their names backwards and then flipped it over so they could experience the letters in tactile print rather than braille. Then they'd decorate those. Some pictures were Christmas themed and others weren't. Some were colored with Sharpies and others weren't. I used hot glue to attach the foil to the frames for these. I taught about the Bronze Age and Iron Age and we discussed types of metal and things that are made from metal.  You can try this at home with disposable pie tins and a wooden dowel that has been sharpened with a pencil sharpener.

 Set Design

Insulation foam scraps from a recent home improvement project were transformed into ornaments to decorate the stage for our school's Christmas concert. I bought a green rope and thin wire to create a string of lights. Everything hung with fishing line. Students researched ornament designs, painted the lights, poured glitter, and beamed with pride when it all came together on stage.  

Merry Christmas to all, and to all, happy creating!