Homemade gifts can provide great savings over impersonal store-bought gifts. Creating your own DIY gifts also allows for adding a dash of style that is tailored toward your recipient’s personality. The three creative gift ideas below are inexpensive and have a wow factor. The best part is that the making of these gifts starts on your very own home printer.
Map Stitch
If you’re in search of a unique, romantic gift that brings back memories of yesteryear, commemorate a special town or city such as the town you were married in, the city in which you met or the location of your first home. You’ll need a printed image of a map, your home printer, cardstock, embroidery needle, red embroidery thread, scissors and a photo frame.
Search for a map of your special location online and print it onto your card stock. Cut the cardstock to size to fit the photo frame appropriately. Thread the embroidery thread through the needle; make a small knot at the end to keep the thread from coming apart. Poke a hole through the cardstock with the needle and start your stich in the back to conceal the small knot. Then simply stitch a small heart around a location on the map, this heart will highlight the special location. Once you’re done stitching the heart, simply place the map in the photo frame.
Make a Family Cookbook
Making a family cookbook is an ideal gift for a child that is moving out or a sibling that is getting married. Paying homage to your family’s delectable culinary prowess can be a thoughtful gift for a mother, grandmother or mother-in-law as well. If you’re interested in making a family cookbook you’ll need your home printer, white cardstock, sciscors, a recipe card template and a photo album. Recipe card templates can be found for free at office.microsoft.com. and HP.com, among other websites.
In Microsoft Word, Open Office or in an editable PDF type your recipe into the recipe card template. If the template allows for a photo, download a photo of the recipe from the internet to jazz up your cookbook. Print the recipe cards onto the cardstock and cut them to size. Then simply insert them into the sleeves of the photo album.
DIY Canvas Print
The cost of a custom canvas print starts at $50 and can inch well over $100. Making your own, however, can cost less than $20. You’ll need your home printer, a photo editing program, a piece of standard printing paper, a sheet of white tissue paper, scotch tape, scissors, a paint brush and Mod-Podge. Cut the tissue paper to the size of the printer paper with an extra ¼ inch of overhang on each side. Place the tissue paper on a flat surface and center the printer paper above it. Tape the overhang to the printer paper, and then insert it into the paper cartridge of your home printer.
Using image editing software, adjust the photo you’d like to print to a black and white or sepia setting, as it’ll print in a higher quality than a color photo. Print the photo onto the paper and then cut the tissue paper along the edges of the standard printer paper.
Brush a light layer of Mod-Podge onto the canvas and very carefully adhere your tissue paper; it’s best to work in small sections to avoid wrinkles. Finally trim the excess tissue paper from the edge of the canvas, making sure to form as straight a line as possible.
As you can see, your home printer can be used for far more than simply printing grocery lists and documents. It's a hub of creativity that can help you create breathtaking personalized gifts for your friends and family.
Linda Le Phan is an avid blogger who contributes to a number of blogs on DIY arts & crafts, green design, and digital photo printing.