Painted Bottles and Glass
Aromatherapy Eye Pillows
Pipe Curtain Rods
Art Books & Frames
Personalized Calendars, Stories, and Freezer Jam
Fancy-Dressed Soaps

by Malin Hansson

Project: Personalized Calendars

Supplies: A calendar (blank or fairly plain, as you can cover up the main pictures); photographs; magazines; markers or gel pens; about a foot of ribbon; glue and scissors. You can also start with a scrapbook and cut out and glue in the boxes from a cheap giveaway calendar.

Time: An hour or so per calendar, depending on how fancy you get.

Cost: $3 - $5 for the calendar; less than $1 each for ribbon and glue.

Project: Stories

Supplies: Your imagination; pens and a blank book.

Time: A few hours and up

Cost: $3 - $10 for the blank book.

Project: Freezer Jam

Supplies: Strawberrries or other fruit; jelly jars with lids and rings (a set of lids and rings comes with almost all jar), which you'll find in the pickle aisle of your supermarket, usually on the top shelf; sugar, lemon juice (fresh is best) and a big saucepan.

Time: Less than an hour.

Cost: 8 to 10 small jars of jelly will set you back about $14--or only $8 if you use your own, saved jars (hoarding finally pays off!). $5 for strawberries; $2 for a 4-pound bag of sugar; $1 for 2 -3 lemons, and $6 for a dozen little jelly jars.

Variation: Substitute diced mangos or whole raspberries for the mashed strawberries (don't mash the mangos or raspberries) for a zingly variation. Or mix an match your fruits for your own signature combination.

Include some freshly baked bread and a tub of butter and bundle it all up in a dishcloth for a Christmas or New Year's Day breakfast.

Pack your freezer jam with a tube of store-bought roll of sugar cookie dough and a recipe card for making yummy jam-filled cookies. (Slice cookie dough, top with a dollop of jam, fold in half, and bake according to package directions.)

A few years ago, I decorated my fridge. As rain fell and thunder bellowed, I used construction paper to cut out butterflies, ladybugs and roly polies. These multi-colored creatures beautifully covered up the hideous whiteness of my Whirlpool. Hours and many polka dots later, a friend stopped by and innocently proclaimed: "Oh, do you have a little niece?" She was, of course, referring to my artwork.

So goes the story of my artistic abilities. Though the rest of me grew to 5-foot 9-inch stature, my imagination still resides among the twirling fairies and rainbow people I so adored as a 7-year-old. I still love to create anything with curly-cues, especially around the holidays. What could possible be better than a homemade, hand-painted ceramic mug, studded with orange blossoms and smiling stars?

Over the years I've accumulated quite a list of favorite gifts--all, I'm happy to report, easily constructed on the cheap. Besides, if your friends can't love and appreciate a hand-painted welcome sign, are they really your friends?

Here we go:

Painted Bottles
One of my absolute favorites, as your motif and color selection varies depending on the personality of the person you're painting for--or really, your own particular mood of the moment. I like to use funny-shaped glass ones--old liquor bottles, particularly Tequila are usually a good bet, as are old Red Stripe beer ones. As for the paint, I recommend purchasing a wide assortment of the cheapest kind you can find at a nearby hardware store. Go wild, be crazy, but most importantly, remember to patiently wait until each coat has dried. Otherwise, you'll end up with something resembling icky brown blobs on glass. Finish with a clear coat for extra gloss.

Personal Calendars
Over the years, I've accumulated four of these. And though the days don't match up any more, I still display them on my bedroom walls. You'll need a blank, basic calendar. Most craft stores sell these, as do bookstores and some office supply stores. For the monthly images, simply glue in photos, draw something adorable, or get out old magazines and construct imaginative collages corresponding to the months. Write in special days with a gold-glittery pen and include a piece of red ribbon so your giftee can easily mount it on the wall. Voila.

Stories
This requires a bit more thought, though the end result is certainly worth it. I gave this to my Dad one year, and he still pulls it out and re-reads some of his favorites. You've got two options here. Either compile a collection of your favorite writings--poems, trains of thought, snippets, dreams, etc. in a lovely book. It works best if you print everything out and then paste it into the book. Decorate with festive pens for extra flair. The other option--and this does require a bit more thought--is to create a story just for that person on your list. Think the Brothers Grimm meet Judy Blume with a hint of Agatha Christie. Highlight inanimate objects, use funny names or let each character speak in thought bubbles only. It's fun. Try it.

Freezer Jam
"Freezer Jam" is unpreserved jam. That means that although you may put it in jelly jars, it is has not been preserved, and therefore needs to stay in your fridge or freezer (better) instead of on the shelf.

Those adorable four-ounce jelly jars are perfect for freezer jam (you'll know the jelly jars from the regular jars by the "quilting" pattern--pressed glass). Instead of the plain lids, they have a fruit print, and usually come with cute printed jelly labels. The Ball fruit jars (shown here) also come in 8-ounce and 12-ounce sizes.

My favorite, and the easiest to make by far, is strawberry. And though every recipe touts the benefits of using pectin (an apple or citrus fruit-derived substance that makes low-pectin fruits jell), I much prefer the all-natural version. It is a bit runnier, but that just makes it all the more deliciously homemade. Use this recipe, adapted from epicurious.com (the original was a true, preserved, jam) or try one of their other jam or jelly recipes. You can half this recipe if you'd like.

Before you start, throughly wash and rinse 8 to 10 four-ounce jelly jars (or 8 half-pint jars). If you have a dishwasher, run them through a hot cycle and keep them on warm; if not, pour boiling water over them in a big pot and keep them there until you're ready.

3 pounds ripe strawberries, rinsed and hulled
4 cups sugar
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
8 four-ounce canning jars with lids

Mash strawberries in non-aluminum sauce pan. Add lemon juice and sugar. Slowly bring to a boil, being careful not to scorch the bottom (mix!), and you're done. Reduce the heat to very low and simmer carefully for about 10 minutes if you want a thicker jam. Pour into cute little jars decorated with fancy art or shiny satin bows. Add a personal note and you're Suzie Homemaker. Don't forget to tell your giftee the jam should be refrigerated or frozen.