Happy holidays from Beavers Digest. With winter break just around the corner, we are in the homestretch of fall term meaning the holidays are rapidly approaching. 

The pressure to find gifts for loved ones may be intensifying. Here’s some inexpensive gift ideas from one broke Beaver to the next.

Homemade Crafty Gifts 

• Orange garland: both a gift or a decoration idea. All you need is 1 orange and an oven. Slice the orange and place on a baking sheet. Bake the orange for 4 hours at 200°F. Use the dried orange slices for gift wrapping charms, garlands, or ornaments.
• Homemade jar of good luck quotes: write down some of your favorite feel good quotes or pick-me-up’s on small slips of paper. Fold up the papers and place in a jar. Gift the jar.
• Homemade felt ornaments: grab some fun color felt from the craft store. Either glue or sew together shapes and designs of felt into ornaments. One sheet of felt can produce multiple ornaments so you can make multiples. *Check out The Craft Center at OSU for supplies.*

Cards:

Cards are a perfect go-too when you find yourself in a tough spot. Pull out the construction paper and the crayons and show your heart on your sleeve. Tell your loved ones how much they matter to you in handmade notes or cards. *Check out The Craft Center for supplies.*

A little reminder to a friend or family member that you care and are thinking of them this holiday season. Here’s some inspiration!

Paper Mache:

Pull out those five year old acrylic paints and hot glue guns because it’s time to get a little crafty! Putting time and effort into a handmade gift is a special sentiment and really shows you care. 

Paper mache is the art of crafting out of cardboard, paper, and glue. Turning random stuff you have laying around your house into a personalized and thoughtful structure. Here’s a quick how to in making a personalized paper mache ornament!

Materials needed:

• Paper cut into strips
• Glue
• Water
• Mixing bowl 
• 1 balloon
• 1 Sewing needle or thumbtack 
• Paint
• String or ribbon
• Optional: Pipecleaner, paper, pom poms for decoration

Step 1:

In the bowl, combine glue and water until the glue is thin and watery. 

Step 2:

Blow up the balloon to the desired ornament size. 

Step 3:

Take a strip of paper and soak it in the water-glue mixture (about 30 seconds) then lay it over the balloon. Continue this process until the balloon is covered in about 2 layers of paper strips, leaving only the tie of the balloon exposed. 

Step 4:

Leave the balloon overnight or until the paper is completely dry.

Step 5:

Once dry, you may prick the balloon from the exposed end. 

Step 6:

Paint and decorate the paper mache ball to create whatever you like! Attach a string or ribbon to the top. 

While this is only one example of what you can make with paper mache, the possibilities are largely endless. You could make statues, wall decor, paper bouquets and so much more to really capture your special personality. 

Knitting or crocheted gifts:

For those who know their way around some yarn, there’s so many things you could make with those skills or the winter season. 

To keep warm, a blanket, hat, gloves, or scarfs are always a good option and 100% personalizable.

For less warmth-based ideas, you could also whip up some coasters, book marks, keychains, or a stuffed animal if you have the skills to do so! If not, it’s never too late to learn!

Food gifts 

Who doesn’t love a good holiday treat during a cold winter day. Nothing says “I love you” like whipping up some goodies in the kitchen!

• Holiday cookies: a way to make a huge batch of gifts is holiday cookies. Either invest in each ingredient separately for a basic sugar cookie recipe or get a roll of Pillsbury Sugar Refrigerated Cookie Dough. Either use pre-made stencils or hand cut out stencils of your choice. Bake and customize the decorations on the cookies to your liking. *Bonus: add festive toppings like candy canes, fruity jams, cinnamon, or chocolate.*
• Cranberry mocktail: gather a bag of frozen cranberries, cane sugar and a base soda like Ginger Ale or Sprite. Make a simple syrup of equal parts sugar and water over heat, mixing in your frozen cranberries and waiting til a syrup forms. Let the syrup cool and mix the preferred ratio with your base soda. Bottle up and give away the mocktail’s individually, just give out the fruity syrup, or bring the mocktail to a holiday party. *Bonus: Switch up the syrup flavor. Try hibiscus, apples, or figs.*

There are endless treat recipes online for any events, especially the holidays. Making baked goods is probably the most cost effective way to give things to many people since you can make large batches at a time. Here are some of our personal favorite recipes. 

• Hot Cocoa Cookies by Brandy
• Copycat, Lofthouse Sugar Cookies by Life Made Sweeter
• Gingerbread Cookies by Love and Lemons
• Fudge by John Kanell
• Homemade Buttery Cinnamon Bread by Barbara Curry

Experiences and shopping 

While the idea of a gift basket can be a little overwhelming, don’t stress. There are plenty of ways to put one together without spending a fortune. Here’s a quick guide to building a basket on a budget.

• Pick a theme or direction. What kind of things does your person like, having a theme can make it easier to look for fillers (ex. reading, art, tea, baking).
• Find your base. This could be a basket, large bowl, box, anything that can hold stuff in it. 
• Filling that thang! Keep your person and theme in mind as to look. For example, if you’re making a baking themed basket, look for pans, oven mitts, and other bakeware. A combination of handmade and bought items is always a good choice!
• Make it pretty. Organize all your fillers in the basket, usually the largest item in the back and smaller in the front. 

Even if you aren’t building a whole basket, the thrift scene is full of possibilities for refurbishing, upcycling, and gifting. All it takes is a good eye and a little imagination.

• Homemade gift cards: hand draw a gift card on the back of an index card. Including what they can cash that gift card in for and then wait for them to use it. A great way to spend time with that person and give a gift.
• Books: have a bookworm in your life but worried about getting them a book they won’t like or already have? Go through their Goodreads to find out exactly what book they’re missing on their shelf.
• Plants: these plants can be homegrown or purchased. Simple succulents or cacti often are inexpensive at places like Home Depot or Trader Joe’s. You can also swap the potted plant for a bouquet of their favorite flowers. Check out Trader Joe’s flower stock.
• Sales: take advantage of local sales on well loved products. Goods from local shops will often go on sale during the holiday season. Grab a buy two get one free deal and gift your three items to anyone left on your list.