Handmade gift ideas?

My next HomeMaker column--the monthly craft column I write for the local newspaper--will be about gifts to make for young children--for their birthdays, especially. I've been giving homemade gifts for several months now and they've been pretty well received, but I do acknowledge that not all kids want something you toiled away on in the craft room. Or, they don't know they want it because they're so used to getting brighter, shinier, needier-of-batteries type of things.

Shockingly--to me, anyway--is when parents have expectations of what their children will receive as gifts. A friend recently told me of another mom who complained to her about what her daughter was given by someone at the girl's birthday party. I think the birthday girl was 4 years old or so. The mom complained that the gift "must have cost $2 or something. It was like the woman let her kid pick it out."
Well, duh! Isn't that the point?

Back to the column. I have a few projects I'm going to suggest--things I've made and photographed. But I'd love to gather more ideas so I can offer readers a roundup of suggestions. It doesn't have to be complicated. Some will be sewing projects, like the Angry Chicken bonnet--one of my tried and true standbys. Another of my suggestions, though, is a suitcase full of dress-up clothes purchased at a thrift shop.

OK. Bring 'em on. What's your favorite homemade gift for the kiddies?

(Photo is from MarthaStewart.com of a project I made for my niece, Coco. I forgot to take a picture before I sent it off to her, so y'all can assume my version looked as good as these. Oh, Martha. How you humble me month after month.)

Comments

[Nis]

Mimi, I'm such a dork that if I can get a handmade card out then I am very proud of myself! How about a little handmade book of instructions and photos for some of your favorite projects and the supplies for a few of them? I'm a book fan, so I always seem to gravitate towards Borders to pick out some literary genius like Shel Silverstein! Not exactly the kind of idea you are looking for!

[Megan]

Love it, Nis. That's a great idea. We're book fans, too, so when time is short I usually grab one or two of our favorites. Lately that has been "Leonardo the Terrible Monster" and "Knuffle Bunny Too," both by Mo Willems. A friend gave them to the girls last winter and I love them as much as they do.
Now I'm remembering one Christmas when J and I were pretty broke so we had a very limited budget for each other's gifts. One thing he "bought" me was a tote bag full of books he'd checked out from the library that he thought I'd like. Sure, I had to return them three weeks later, but it was so fun to see what he thought I'd enjoy.

[Tine]

My daugther and I made a drawstring bag and filled it with glassbeads....
I love the pillows in the photo :-)
I've also made regdolls with little quilted sleppingbags, wooden building blocks etc... It's lots of fun, and a great idea :-)

[Gift Ideas]

WOW! Those are really fantastic.

[Klay]

Hi Megan! Ever since I started making baby gifts the one thing I get the most requests for are felt books. You can see photos of them on my flickr page.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/klay/2271980475/in/set-1421124/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/klay/2271979921/in/set-1421124/

I really enjoy making these. Since I do them like anagrams they're not only fun for little ones they're a good keepsake for later years and so easy to make.

[actiommom]

Love the Martha Stewart pillow project. I'm certainly going to try that. But when I'm not feeling crafty, I prefer giving something simple and meaningful - like sending a personalized letter using a service such as that provided by http://www.highprincess.com.