Handmade Christmas Gifts

Fashion a cute Christmas sock or small sweater into a reusable sleeve for coffee or hot cocoa to go. After washing, cut a 3-inch section from the top of your clothing. Embellish with buttons or felt snowflake cutouts for added winter charm. Slip the sleeve onto your to-go cup or tumbler, roll the ends to hide frays, and start sipping.

Editor's Tip: Plan for next year by shopping after-Christmas sales for seasonal socks.

Personalize a store-bought candle for an inexpensive Christmas gift. Simply wrap cardstock around the candleholder, and embellish it with a die-cut accent and letter. No die-cutting tool? No problem -- use stickers instead.

Editor's Tip: Stock up on candles the next time they're on sale. They're easy to embellish, and they make great Christmas gifts.

A decorated jar turns your favorite Christmas cookie recipe into an instant gift. Print a holiday greeting on strips of paper and wrap them around a recycled peanut butter or mason jar. Adhere punched shapes to the jar using adhesive foam for dimension. Fill the jar with ingredients. Print your recipe on matching cardstock and use a circle cutter to trim the piece so it fits perfectly on the lid.

Editor's Tip: After completing the design, hold everything in place overnight with a rubber band to ensure the adhesive holds.

Homemade sachets make easy, affordable Christmas gifts you can create in bulk. Dress up purchased drawstring muslin bags with a pretty rubber stamp design, then fill with fragrant cedar shavings.

For the person who has everything, why not treat them to a no-inches-added cookie gift. Simply use cute house-shape cookie cutters to cut a display from gingerbread cookie dough. Bake the dough until the edges are lightly browned; let cool completely. Use icing to outline windows, doors, and more to complete the village-scape. Let the cookie harden and package together for a mantel-ready display that lasts the season.

We love this BHG-exclusive kit with seven custom-designed oversize cutters -- a church, three houses, two squares, a rectangle, and a car.

These stuffed stocking gifts double as decorations when you dangle them from bedroom doors (imagine someone's delight seeing them first-thing Christmas day!). Simply loop a length of patterned ribbon through a purchased stocking, and tie the ends of the ribbon into a bow to fashion a pretty hanger. Stuff the stocking with your favorite sweet treats and mini gift-wrapped boxes.

It's easy to transform a simple wreath into a Christmas card display. Wrap a straw wreath with upholstery webbing (available at fabrics stores), using small sewing pins to secure. Tie a bow at the top and loop a length through the back to hang. If the recipient loves vintage collectibles, attach antique Christmas cards to the wreath with binder clips. Or include a small tin of clips with the wreath so the recipient can add their own cards as desired.

Avid readers will love this handy system for personalizing and keeping tabs on their prized books. Purchase printable envelopes and book check-out cards at a school supply story. Print "from the library of" on each envelope. Insert the cards into envelopes and then package several of them into a larger vellum envelope; seal with a sticker.

Embellish a soft blanket to keep the gift recipient warm on chilly days. Start by downloading our free pattern and taking it to a copy shop to be enlarged to the desired size. Trace the flowers onto white felt and the leaves onto green felt. Attach to a blanket-size piece of brown felt using fusible web, topping the flowers with small brown felt dots as the poinsettia centers.

Editor's Tip: Use wool blend felt (a mix of wool and rayon). Synthetic felt costs less, but is not as durable and might pill or stretch over time.

These embellished tea towels are a gem of a stocking stuffer. Just bejewel and be done! Iron a rhinestone transfer for decorating jeans onto a smooth-texture towel, following manufacturer's instructions. This twig design resembles a Christmas tree, but the towel is still versatile enough to use year-round.

For the friend who loves Christmas decorations, make a neighborhood of these holiday houses. Start with a plain papier-mache house ornament (available at crafts stores), remove the hanger, and paint the sides and chimney a desired color. Let the first coat dry and apply another coat if needed; let dry. Paint the chimney top, roof, windows, door, and base white. Once all the paint is dry, glue miniature trims into place, referring to the photo for ideas. To finish, brush glue over the areas you want covered with "snow" and sprinkle with glitter. Let the glue dry and shake off excess glitter.

Glass paperweights decked out for the holidays make practical and gender-neutral gifts -- ideal for coworkers and teachers. The simple project starts with a glass paperweight kit, available at crafts and hobby stores or online. Decorate the paperweight with scrapbooking paper, gift wrap, or an old Christmas card. Thin foam letters glued to the paper send glad tidings.

Create custom stationery for a friend by embellishing an unfinished wooden box and plain-Jane note cards with ribbon and buttons. Attach the ribbon and buttons with double-sided tape or hot glue. Line the inside of the box with brightly colored paper.

Give a friend or family member's desk a little holiday flair with a framed quote. This one is done with a seasonal motif, but you can adapt the project to fit the recipient's passions or interest.

Make this cute Santa Claus pillow as a Christmas gift or a festive accessory for your own holiday decor.

Treat relatives to an easy-to-mail album that recaps the year in photos. Layer and staple small sheets of paper along one edge of cardstock. Fold over the stapled edge twice; flip paper to inside, creating a flap. Crease cardstock; insert opposite edge under flap. Use photo corners to attach photos to paper.

Embellish a ready-made frame with rhinestones. Include a favorite picture to make this gift even more memorable.

Turn ready-made linen napkins into stylish fingertip towels by trimming them with ribbon. Sew the ribbon to one side of the napkin by machine or hand. Stack a trio of the towels on an oblong tray or dish, and tie with a coordinating satin ribbon.

Make plain flour-sack towels worthy of holiday gifting by embroidering seasonal designs.

Every little girl would love this adorable purse made from snowy felt. Make it in an evening for the little one on your list.

This little tin is the ultimate handmade gift for someone who likes to keep things in order. Tabbed index cards are perfect for filing gift lists, receipts, decorating ideas, and more. And its holiday-theme embellishments are a cheery extra.

This pretty-as-a-package pincushion is the perfect gift for a crafty friend. Cover a foam square with fabric (wrap it like a gift) and secure along the edges with fabrics glue. Glue on beads and tie on a ribbon bow.

Send your heartfelt joy to a friend this Christmas season. This beautifully embroidered banner is a handmade gift that is sure to become a keepsake.

This sweet yet practical felt purse is perfect for spare change. Add a few embroidery stitches and give to a favorite friend or little girl.