5 Stylish Homemade Gifts

Show your homestead skills with a DIY holiday gift. Feeling lazy? We have store-bought garden gifts too!
flavored extracts

Homemade Flavored Extracts

Pretty old-fashioned apothecary jars make for lovely gift packaging for flavored extracts. Stick-on labels are a great way to enhance your homemade gift, and add a little of your own style.

Photo by: Hortus Ltd./Mark Fonville

Hortus Ltd./Mark Fonville

Get in the spirit of giving and creating this holiday season! Nothing is better than a well-planned holiday gift. It's a gift not only for the receiver, but for the creative maker as well. Set aside a day during this busy time of year to clear the dining table, put on your favorite holiday music, pour a glass of spiked apple cider and craft, bake, build and package your holiday offerings. It's a great way to get into the Christmas spirit, and let loved ones know you really put some love and thought into their gifts this year. Here are some of my favorite homemade gift ideas to try for yourself.

1. Forced Bulbs

Forced Amaryllis and Paperwhite Bulbs are a great way to bring the garden into your gift giving, and remind everyone about spring coming right around the corner. You can grab these bulbs from your local garden center, and hire the kids to help assemble the jars.

2. Flavored Extracts

Everyone uses extracts, and they can be pretty pricey at the grocery store. Making your own homemade extract is easy, inexpensive and a great way to encourage experimentation in the kitchen. Feel free to include some recipe ideas with your gift for an added personal touch.

3. Vegetarian Bean Soup

Want a practical, useful gift for the person who has everything? Vegetarian 5 Bean Soup Mix is a healthy, easy, and cost-effective way to spread some holiday cheer. Just select a few bags of your favorite beans, create a seasoning packet, divide them up and decorate. This is another one that’s good for little helpers as well. The kids will love sorting the dry beans and filling up the jars. 

4. Mulled Wine

Giving a bottle of wine as a gift is a no-fail. Add your own personal touch with a mulled cider seasoning pack and you have a guaranteed hit. This mulled wine kit is easy to assemble, and you can just add the decorative touch of your choice to make it your own. 

5. Cornbread and Cinnamon Honey Butter

Want to give the gift of comfort food? Edibles are always welcome at the holidays, so if baking is your specialty then cinnamon honey butter and cornbread may be the DIY gift for you. Honey cinnamon butter is a sweet, savory treat that is delicious spread across a slice of cornbread. A jar of this cinnamon honey butter paired with a cornbread mix is the perfect, comfort food to give. Wrap it in a cast iron skillet for an extra, down home holiday feel. 

Not feeling especially crafty, or just pressed for time? There are plenty of clever, homestead-y items to buy for the devoted gardener or homesteader on your gift list. Just check out the ideas in our gallery.

10 Gift Ideas From P. Allen Smith

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