When my children were small, I made it a point to make something by hand for each of them every year for Christmas.

Years later, I would discover that they still had those special handmade gifts.  All the expensive fad toys were broken or forgotten, but those simple gifts survived and had a special place in their hearts.

This year, I decided to give personalized hand made gifts to those closest to me.  There are so many little projects that can be done in a short amount of time.

I find that as I work on them, I am thinking of the person I plan to give the item to, of how they will like the colors or the design and of how happy they will be to know I cared enough to make something special just for them.

The wonderful part of this simple concept is that the giver receives as much as the recipient.  

So, add to your warm and fuzzies this holiday season and make some special gifts for your loved ones.

Dishcloths - not a very nice gift, you say? Actually, hand knitted dishcloths made from cotton yard are wonderful. Lily Sugar 'n Spice cotton yarns has put out a small booklet of very pretty dishcloth patterns that can be made using their wide variety of cotton yarns. But, beyond that, there are literally dozens of blogs out there about - making cotton dishcloths!

You can purchase the cotton yarn very inexpensively at places like Walmart, Michael's, Hobby Lobby. A pair of circular needles in the size called for in the pattern makes it easy to keep your stitches on the needles. You can crank out a dishcloth in a day or two.

You'll get a great reward from working with your hands, which satisfies a natural need to create.

Why cotton dishcloths? They are very safe for china and crystal. They can be washed in your washing machine, so they are far more hygienic than that germ trapping sponge you are now using.

They are GREEN! They are biodegradable, constructed from all natural fibers.

Best of all, you make them and every click of your needle weaves a thought of the person you are making the project for into the piece. They are a gift of love.

If you've done some knitting and aren't afraid of using double pointed needles, these simple little gloves can be knocked out in a weekend.

They're great for southern climes and for folks who want manual dexterity and the warmth of gloves. The gloves are great for driving, handling change, writing - things that regular gloves can make awkward.

And...they're cute!

HOUSEHOLD HINTS

I'm not a writer, you say. I can't string two words together.

Well, there are other ways to make gifts of words. Try this suggestion.

I have collected from our local newspaper a long list of household hints, ranging from how to clean acid from your car's battery, to how to get rid of a hangover, to how to patch cracks in the finish of your favorite dishes.

I took an hour or so to organize them into groups - some were for guys, some were cleaning tips, some were simple medical remedies.

Then, I went to my local office supply store and found pre-printed bordered papers that were appropriate to the groups. Alternately, if you have Microsoft Publisher on your computer, you can create your own border and design, as I did in this photo. This takes a good bit longer than buying the paper pre-printed. If you want to make a LOT of them, use PaperDirect's preprinted paper. They have some great looking patterns.

Using my word processor, I picked a fun, readable type style and created simple lists of six items each, which I then printed on the pre-printed bordered paper. If you want to get fancy and have a color printer you can print your text in color - but since the border is already colored, black ink works well.

Next I went to a discount store and bought inexpensive black frames and framed these hints. Voila! An expensive, useful and attractive gift.

You can also laminate the sheets.  They can then be attached to the refrigerator with a magnet for easy access.

WHY STOP WITH HOUSEHOLD HINTS?

You could create golfing tips, sewing tips, knitting tips - the list is as long as your imagination.

POEMS AND QUOTES

Using the same techniques, you could print famous poems, inspirational quotes or sayings, or even funny cartoons and frame them.

Just be sure to credit the author. Authors need all the credit they can get!

The Internet is loaded with web sites featuring beautiful handmade jewelry. Lots of it is very intricate and the cost of making it is determined by what stones and metal you use and the tools required to create the design.

If you've never made jewelry, you are probably like I was - totally baffled by how it is strung together. Now, the how-to instructions for making earrings or simple necklaces and bracelets are everywhere on the 'net, in places like about.com, on sites that sell beads, such as one of my favorites - Fusion Beads - and on personal blogs and websites.

You can select a few pretty stones and some simple "findings" - the parts on which you string and finish your piece - for a few dollars. Designing something pretty in the colors and style preferred by your loved one is very rewarding. It's so obvious that you were thinking just of that person when you made the gift.

You may soon find yourself addicted to making jewelry!

Bead stores offer classes as a way to attract customers. Not only will you learn a fun and easy craft, you'll make new friends with a similar interest.

Isn't the quality of cameras that are available on the market today amazing, and for so little money?

If you've always wanted to take great photos, it's almost impossible to fail with some of the newer small cameras that are out today. Even cell phone cameras are capable of taking a decent photo.

Why not take a photo that will mean something special to someone you love, have it printed on a high quality paper, matted and framed?

This may turn out to be a more expensive gift than some of the other hand creations I have listed, but it can be one of the most dramatic.

Think about your loved one and what is special to them. Can you snap a photo of the church where they were married? The house where they were born? How about the half-finished restoration of that old car? An upclose image of the center of a flower? Something funny and quirky on the street? A candid moment in the life of their child(ren)?

The topics for a photographic gift are as unlimited as the interests of your loved ones. Each time they look at it, your loved one or friend will think of you and how you were thinking of them.