Crafts

• If your knack is crafts, then some quick and simple gifts can be homemade soap or candles. More often than not, the basic materials you need can be purchased in craft stores with improvised, creative pieces being taken from the outdoors, such as flowers, twigs, shells, leaves or interesting stones. These items can be put inside the liquid soap or candle while in the mold before it has a chance to harden.
  
  If you enjoy painting or using rub-on decals, you may want to decorate unfinished picture frames or serving trays. You can also select unfinished wood boxes of various sizes and decorate them to hold trinkets, recipe cards, jewelry, hair accessories or even make-up. Another craft project can be to use up those advertising magnets that sometimes come in the mail. Glue a piece of construction paper over the ad and then use that as your base to add photos, shells, paper cutouts or other small items.
  
  

Sewing, Knitting and Crochet

• When it comes to sewing, there are endless possibilities of things you can make, some of which can be specialized with novelty fabrics to suit the person you are giving the item to. Anything from quilts, aprons, handbags, pillow cases or even slippers can be sewn together for gifts. You can also sew other, more personalized items such as book covers for a reader, place mats for someone who entertains guests frequently or notion holders for other sewing friends.
  
  Knitting and crochet projects for birthday gifts can add a warm touch to your friends by making them a sweater, a wrap, socks, or a blanket or throw. These are great cozy gifts that will have the owners thinking of you anytime they use them or snuggle up during the winter.
  
  

In the Kitchen

• A great gift for a friend, whether he cooks or not, is the gift of food. If you are famous for a dish or dessert, you can make your masterpiece for her as the present and attach a copy of the recipe to the dish or place it in a card. This gives him a sample of the food and the directions to make it for himself.
  
  With a friend who cooks, you can fill a mason jar with the dry ingredients to bean and noodle soups, cookies, brownies, or cake, and attach a recipe card for how to finish preparing the item. Add the ingredients to the jar one at a time, careful not to disturb the jar, and to create a layered look inside the jar which is interesting and pleasing to the eye. When you attach the card, use some decorative ribbon around the top rather than wrapping the jar itself. Punch a hole in the recipe card and slip the ribbon through the card as you make your bow.