WHEN it comes to gifts, it is most often the thought that counts, and there is nothing more thoughtful than a handmade gift.
Handmade gifts can be creative, sentimental, useful or just about anything you can think of.
Here are some great ideas for DIY items:
■ A mix CD
Just like the old-fashioned mix tape, a mix CD is great for people who love music.
Create the playlist based on songs they love, songs you'll think they love, favourite movies, TV shows or books, travel destinations or sentimental memories.
All you need is a writeable CD-ROM, iTunes or another music download service, a playlist of songs and a computer.
Create the playlist, then burn or copy the songs to the disk.
— Kayla Osborne
■ Scrabble tile name art
Who doesn't have fond memories of playing Scrabble while growing up?
It's that sense of warmth and love I wanted to emulate when making a gift for a dear friend I met through mothers' group a few years ago.
So I decided to use Scrabble tiles to make wall art using the names of the four of us from the group who have remained close.
I bought Scrabble tiles from eBay ($17 for a set of 100). I then had to work out the design of the intersecting names.
I used super glue to stick the tiles together because the hot glue gun just didn't cut it.
Scrapbook paper made a great background for the art and I attached the tiles using sticky dots.
Last, I framed the piece in a shadow box bought fairly cheaply at Big W.
— Alicia Sylvester
■ Spa in a jar
Social media site Pinterest provided the inspiration for this gift, which is both personal and practical.
I bought a 22-centimetre-high jar from Roni's Home Depot for a bargain price and filled it with pampering and beauty products I knew my friend would like. The key is to find as many mini items as possible.
The Body Shop proved a good source of mini body wash, nail polish, foot scrubs and hand cream that fitted perfectly in the jar.
A trip to Priceline Pharmacy for some relaxation masks and nail files made the gift complete.
I designed "Spa in a jar" stickers at www.vistaprint.com.au. Label templates are available online if you want to print them out and attach them to the jar with decoupage glue.
— Alicia Sylvester
