There is nothing as much fun as receiving a home-made present. A personal message of love is so much more special than getting a store bought present. Even if it is something very small or cheap, it does not matter. It is about the love, time and thought you put into it. You to give you a bit of inspiration about what to give to that special someone I have summed up some of my previous projects which I found really amusing to make and cheered up the people who received the presents.

A Drawn Card with a personal message

Nowadays it is really trendy to have a colouring book. Even as an adult it is commonly accepted to spend some time with a book and your favourite pencils. This also gives you some creative ' me-time' to stop worrying about everything else and just focus on making pretty drawings. There are many pre-designed cards up for sale. With a birthday theme, Christmas style or different kind of animals. I even came across a Harry Potter themed colouring book! You can buy a package of cards and either choose to colour them yourself entirely and only colour them half. This way the receiver can draw the other half of the card creating a mix between your creative skills. Now it really has become an object which both of you can cherish. I like to make my Christmas cards this way. It is so much fun to see how the other half is finished! (Be sure to ask a picture)

Coupon for activities

Depending on your level of creativity you can make your own coupon in paint or Photoshop or choose a pre-designed theme offered by many websites. You can make a coupon for almost anything. For example '5 fun activities to do on a rainy day' or a ticket for '10 free hugs'. The receiver can choose when he or she wants to return the ticket and claim it' s present. You can style the card or coupon book any way you like. I made one for my mother her birthday for a ' professionally' organised tour around Nijmegen.

DIY sweets or backing jars

Making a DIY project for someone else gives you the fun of assembling the present and, if you are lucky, get to experience the end result. If you know someone who is a real sweet tooth it could be fun to assemble a basic cake recipe in a mason jar with a recipe card attached. Or if someone likes to cook more savoury dishes you could prepare a ' make-your-own-curry'. You can either choose to include the recipe card or offer it as a workshop so you can make to present together. This is an example of a jar of 'make your own peanut butter'!

Tea moment with Chocolates

This is a present you can make as small or big as you want. You can either choose to keep it small and present it like a little ' tea moment' with a personalised cup, a few bags of tea and some store bought sweet treats. But you can also be a bit more creative and spend some time making your own tea box with all kinds of tea, a engraved teaspoon and home-made cookies! This is a tea box I made from wood with 8 little boxes and included different styles of fruit teas.

Scented candle or Spa treat

If you want to give someone a moment of relaxation but are broke or think that spending a big amount of money on a spa treat is a bit too much for a birthday you can always make your own! A moment to indulge does not have to include a lot for example a face mask, little massage and a nice warm bath with a (home-made) scented candle and a facial mask. Scrubs and scented candles are very easy to make. For a candle you only need wax, essential oils, a container, candle wicks and a stove. A body scrub is even easier; mix sugar with olive oil and choose an essential oil. It will keep your skin moist, makes you smell wonderful and exfoliate all the death skin cells. 

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