I  can only speculate as to why all my articles on making or giving gifts are enjoying a spike in readership. Partly it's because Valentine's Day is coming up. But I think a large part is when people start worrying about the economy, they realize that while they don't want to give up being generous, they do need to be more thrifty in their gift choices.

Part of the trend may be that going green is being pushed by the media big time, and people are re-thinking how they can make new gifts out of repurposed (i.e. used) items. We all want to keep things out of the landfills and be good stewards of all that we've acquired.

So I thought I'd post some new and fun gift making ideas of projects I've been working on and planning and hopefully all you do-it-yourselfers out there will be inspired.

Lately I've started a treasure box of things I want to share. I plan to let new friends pick something out of the box as a keepsake.

 I went through an earring making phase back in the 80's. Lately I've been wanting to relearn how to make earrings with bead weaving using seed beads and bugle beads. You can start making earrings for under $10. And thanks to the internet there are now loads of free patterns and tutorials on line. I am betting you already have some beads stashed away.

The key to successful beadweaving is making sure you get a special beading needle that is thin enough to go through your beads of choice about four times. If your needle and your beads don't play well together you will be miserable. Plan to make 3 or 4 mutant earrings before you get the hang of it. If you tangle them up or miscount you can always cut them apart carefully and reuse all the beads. I usually use number 11 seed beads. Earrings make great gifts providing your recipient wears them. They are lightweight to ship too. A padded envelope is usually sufficient.

Of course if you don't care for the complications of bead weaving, you can still make many designs using wire wrapping or simpler stringing methods.

 Many people are enjoying creating with duct tape, and one of the more popular items seems to be duct tape wallets. Duct tape now comes in many colors, even purple. Take an old wallet and disassemble it carefully to use as a pattern. With a little practice you can make your own fabric from duct tape. Most wallets are basically long rectangles folded into thirds. Experiment until you work out the details. Keep a library card handy to make sure your pockets are the right size.

 Basically a wrist cuff is a long rectangle, and thus lends itself to the easiest knitted or crocheted techniques. As long as you stick to the right lenghth and width, you can use a plethora of pattern stitches. Garter stitch, cabling, popcorn stitch, single crochet, double crochet, or triple crochet will all work.

If you don't like to knit or crochet, you can make them out of fabric and decorate them with trim or buttons. To fasten them, you can go with lacings, hooks and eyes, velcro or ribbon ties.

If you make a longer version you can use it for a headband.

 Adding embroidery to something can turn an inexpensive mundane item into a gift fit for a queen. Most basic embroidery stitches are very straight forward.  Your gift could be a custom sign cross stitched onto Aida cloth, a retro cowboy added to the flare leg of your friend's jeans, or a velvet handbag decorated with ferns and roses embrodered with metallic threads. Unlike beading needles, embroidery needles are wider with easy to thread eyes. If you've never embroidered before, try it on a piece of felt.  Once you get good at it you can monogram hankerchiefs and pillowcases, decorate a handbag, add an elegant touch to a prom gown or wedding dress or freshen up a vintage hat that has seen better days.

While new embroidery supplies are not all that expensive, quite a lot of it shows up at yard sales. Even if you buy a cheap half done kit for $2.00 that you have no use for, buy it for the thread and use the thread for your own designs.

You can embellish basic embroidery with beads, sequins or ribbons. Have fun.

No matter what your skill level, you can find a way to make a gift and you will get better as you go along. Use what you already have on hand if possible. It is always wise to have a budget in mind. It's amazing how fast the total adds up at a craft store even if all the items in your cart are under $5.

Use found or hoarded objects like shells, driftwood, pine needles, cardboard, fabric, wire, ribbon, lace, and buttons to inspire your creativity. Many of us have enough supplies squirreled away to make a year's worth of gifts. And don't be afraid to trade with other crafters. They may have a gross of doll eyes they'll never use or a bagfull of yarn from Aunt Silvia and will be happy to swap you for a stack of old jeans you wore in college. By sharing and trading you can do crafts on the cheap. Waste not want not.

It's all about the love anyway.