The art of gift-giving is not all about your budget. Nobody would deny that they would enjoy finding a new smartphone or the keys to a new car under the tree at Christmas, but it really is the thought that counts. A small home-made gift where you have spent the time thinking about what the recipient might enjoy and then making it for them will always be appreciated, and with the ongoing cost of living crisis crafty presents are a great way to stay within your budget this holiday season.
Here are four home-made gift ideas that you can make for under £30:
Personalised Guess Who!
Guess Who is one of the most popular board games around the world, and whilst the official version is great fun, particularly for youngsters, a personalised version of the game will bring even more laughter with the tiles made up of photo prints of various friends and family members in different outfits. Dressing up for the photos might even be almost as much fun as playing the game itself!
All you need to make a personalised version of the game is a fancy dress box to get into your outfits for the photoshoot, and then once the photographs arrive back form the printers (the smaller the photo prints the better – ideally between 2×2″ and 4×4″), you just need to attach them to pieces of MDF board with some hinges and you have the game ready to go.
Magnetic wooden “polaroid” gift set
Everyone loves putting up there favourite photos on the fridge, and creating wooden polaroid-style frames means that you can cut-down a variety of photo sizes to get the best images for display. You can buy wooden polaroid frames online and to turn them into magnets you just need to purchase some disc magnets and glue them to the back and you are all set to paint and decorate them. Then you just have to choose the best photo prints to tell the best story of your family, friendship, or adventures to tell the story.
Infused olive oils
Foodie gifts are always popular at Christmas time, and infused olive oils are simple to make and make great presents. Some popular combinations include lemon and thyme, chili oil, and herb-infused oil, but you are only limited by your own imagination as to what combination of flavours you want to add.
Whichever flavours you plan to add, make sure you follow the best practices to make the oils safe to consume, and always start with good quality extra virgin olive oil. Then you just need to choose some instagrammable jars or bottles and add your own labels.
Homemade hot sauce
Hot sauce is even easier to create than an infused oil, as the acid in the mixture helps with stopping the spread of any bacteria, with the most difficult obstacle making sure that you don’t make it too hot! Be careful to choose chillies that are the right level of heat – measured in Scovilles – for the person you are making the present for. Some people might like hot sauce made from Ghost Peppers or Carolina Reapers, but most people will be happier with something around the Jalapeño level of heat (4,000 to 8,500 SHU).
You can make hot sauce different colours by using different colours of chili (green, yellow, and red) as well as adding other ingredients. A yellow mango hot sauce always goes down particularly well as a present as people enjoy both the bright yellow colour and the sweet and sour flavour of the mango itself.
