Creating Keepsakes Blog

Weekly Warm-Up: Last-Minute Gifts with a Handmade Touch

December 21, 2009 on 4:00 am | In Holidays, weekly warm up | No Comments | Tags: Brenda Arnall, Brittany Beattie, Creating Keepsakes, Creating Keepsakes magazine, frame, gifts, last-minute gifts, Laura Vegas, page planner, photo collage, weekly warm up, Wendy Smedley, wreath

With only a few days until Christmas, there’s not much time left to finish up your last-minute gifts. Rather than face the crowd of mall shoppers, consider one of these fabulous gift ideas you can create at home (although you may need to run to the photo developer if you don’t have a printer at home). The best part is that each gift offers an element made by hand—a touch that makes every gift a little sweeter.

Page Planners

For a free and fantastic option, check out the incredible 2010 page planner set for download shown below that’s created by Brenda Arnall. Click here as well if you want to bind it with Brenda’s calendar format.

Paper Wreath

Wreathes don’t need to be reserved for just the holidays. This beauty would look fabulous on a door or a wall in your crafty friend’s home. Plus, it’s a great excuse to pull out the stash of paper scraps lying around your home. Thanks to Wendy Smedley for recommending it.

Personalized Photo Collage

And who wouldn’t love a specialized photo collage like this one from Laura Vegas? This gift is perfect for even those hard-to-buy-for-so-I-still-have-no-idea-what-to-get-them recipients on your list. [Cough, cough, dad.] Whether you create one digitally and print it like Laura did (check out the step-by-step instructions on her blog) or you create one with squares punched from photos you’ve already printed, this gift doesn’t have to take as long as you may think it will. It sounds like the perfect gift solution for a loved one who has everything!

If you’ve created a last-minute gift from your scrapbooking supplies, feel free to share a link to your project in the comments section below. I’m sure we could all use the extra inspiration.

—Brittany Beattie, online senior editor