On this site and fairly recent blog, I showed how to make a candle holder for the table.  This same item can be made for birthday parties, a romantic evening, or holiday event.  They are great to make together with young kids, or have older kids do it themselves.  These give such joy and are a wonderful expression of creation.  See the example for the Hanukkah setting to show the process.  You can go simple and inexpensive or add embellishments to create a more ornate, sophisticated, expensive look.

Are you ever in a circumstance when you need to get a gift for someone, quickly? A party you forgot, a birthday, a new friend, a reciprocal present?  If you already enjoy crafts and often feel you want to do a particular project but not necessarily for yourself or an intended recipient, try keeping a large "gift box" in which you place crafts that can be given away for the reasons listed above. Purses and totes are a great collection to keep.  Small toys for kids, scarves for anyone and everyone, pillows, are all gifts that would delight the person who receives the item.
 
Remember though, handcraft is usually appreciated by crafters while non-crafters may enjoy the gift but not appreciate the work. So, if you have put many hours into some projects, my suggestion is to give it to those who appreciate the handwork and purchase store gifts for those who may not have any feeling towards home-made items. Gifts are fun to receive and give, and most people will enjoy a special if it is made by you.

Sometimes crafters may wonder - Why am I doing this?  Not everyone does this to sell their products, nor to give the items as a gift. It is the doing itself that takes the mind through a process ignited initially by an idea, through planning, choosing, acquiring, starting the production process, manufacturing or building the item itself, and finally producing the product with your own hands.  What an amazing feat it really is and how fantastic a brain activity leading to the warm feeling of success.

This is also the reason a crafter gains so much pleasure when someone else compliments the result.  Always remember that  all kids need a lot of these compliments when they finish drawing, building or making items that have taken them thought and time, as these good words build their confidence and encourage creativity in their future.

Nice to sew and give as a gift.  More pictures will show you the square shape.  If you want to make a quick gift for someone, other than the zipper, it's a cinch.  Use crazy, creative colors and make them for all your friends, or to keep in your gift drawer in case you need to give a gift quickly.

Tilda dolls patterns can be purchased through the Tilda website or books of Tilda's materials.  I love the long, skinny look of her spectacular dolls.  This giraffe was fun to make - and the details more accurately achieved by hand sewing of the smaller body parts.
Check out more photos here of this delightful decoration.  Lovely idea for gift for young girl, even teenager.  The regular dolls are not for playing with - their beautiful elegant designs suit an older child or even adult.

It's really fun to make paper-doll clothes.  Cut out a paper doll from an Internet pattern.  Based on the size, you can design clothes to fit the doll.  Remember to add little "blips" on each of the sides of the clothes so that the paper clothes grip on the paper doll.

Now here's the good idea.  Instead of using purchased paper, take a glossy magazine and cut out the shapes of the clothes on attractive paper from within the magazine.  Check out some pictures of paper clothes here.

I sewed 4 of these bags a gift for a 2 1/2 year old little girl.  Different fabrics could result in a product for someone of any age.  Size is adaptable.  I loved making them.  The fabrics (from Joann) are delightful  I added an inner fusible medium weight lining and also lined the bag fully.  See more on the Bags page.

Embellishments can make simple homemade clothes become really special. Bought appliques are quite pricey, especially if clothes are being sewn for utilitarian purposes - not the special outfit for a play-date or outing. 
My suggestion is cutting cute pictures of printed fabric - a design of an animal or other character.   In the picture here, you can see that I have cut out some dog pictures and ironed them onto the pants.  You can decide to sew them down or if you know they will not come off the fabric when washed, fusible web is sufficient.

Babies grow so quickly!  Here's an idea that I used for the design of the original pants, but could be used to add a few inches to the baby pants.  In general, the width of the baby pants are ample for quite a while before the next size is needed, so the first sign that clothes are too small is the pull from the foot (especially if the pants have a complete foot) to the crotch - making it impossible for the baby to wear.  If the item is a onesie, the foot can be cut off and a new open cuff added.  If the pants already have a nice cuff, the inches can be added in the leg and the bottom part with the original cuff, sewn back on.

Here is a great idea to make an original Hanukkiah (candle holder for Hanukkah).  I designed one with stones, another with shells, all set in a glass jar with sand in its base.  Take a look at the range of pictures. 

This idea can be used for birthday candles, or other celebrations.  Change the color of the candles and you can create something with national colors for a country.  Kids can make do this project easily, however, always remember that lighting of candles should only be with adults, and also never left lit when no-one is around. Check under "Decoration" to see details.