Works-For-Me Wednesday: Homemade Gifts For Kids

There are many blogs with wonderful homemade gift ideas right now. Coming up with homemade gifts that your kids will like might be a little more difficult. I have a couple of ideas that worked for me in the past. They were well-received and enjoyed for quite some time.

The first is a chalkboard place mat with chalk holder:
- Start with a slightly stiff plastic or vinyl place mat. If it's smooth, you will need to sand it slightly. Coat sanded/rough side evenly with spray chalkboard paint - you might need 2 or 3 coats. When it's dry, treat the coated area by rubbing evenly with chalk, then completely erasing.
- For the holder, get a small clay pot and spray outside evenly with 2-3 coats of chalkboard paint. Inside the pot, you can put several pieces of chalk and an eraser or a piece of felt to erase with.

Next is a t-shirt pillow:
- Get a t-shirt (whatever size you prefer). Cut off some of the bottom to make more of a square shape.
- Decorate the t-shirt with fabric paint or markers or stamps to personalize it for the recipient, or even easier - buy a t-shirt with a popular sports team or character - no decorating required! Make sure to wash the t-shirt before sewing up.
- Turn shirt inside out and sew up bottom and sleeves (I actually did this by hand a few years ago as I don't have a sewing machine). Flip t-shirt right side out and stuff completely with fiber fill (available at craft stores). Then carefully sew up the collar.

Here are a couple more ideas that you could put together by finding items in thrift stores:

Young girls tea party set: Find teapots, teacups, cookbooks, tablecloth, napkins, aprons, and hats.

Boys will be boys set: Find masks, swords, shields, toy guns, light sabers, camouflage clothing, walkie talkies, and spy gear.

Another fun idea is to make your own board game.
- Make up a game that's personalized for your family with a homemade board, cards, and game pieces. You could even "borrow" pieces from unused games in your house. The kids would have a blast playing a new game that Mom & Dad made up. Better yet - give them a game you made up and blank supplies for them to create their own and you'll all have 2 new games to play! Here's a link to ideas on creating your own board game.

I hope you find these ideas helpful during this thrifty Christmas season. For more tips and ideas, stop by Works-For-Me-Wednesday at Rocks in My Dryer.