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Homemade gifts are great for people with more time than money to devote to gift-giving, or for those with a creative streak. Creative gifts remind us of the person who gave them can help strengthen the bonds of friendship and family.

Custom-Painted Coffee Mug

This craft saves more money per gift when done in multiples. Buy a plain ceramic mug at a dollar store or thrift store. At a craft store, buy some ceramic paints and fine-tipped paintbrushes. Any paints you purchase should state on the label that you can finish them in a kitchen oven. Some ceramic paints are even dishwasher-safe. The paints should state that they can be finished in a kitchen oven. Paint each mug with a design that's meaningful to the recipient and oven-dry them.

Soup Mix in a Jar

For a twist on the homemade gift favorite of hot chocolate or cider mix in a jar, make a soup mix with dried beans, dried vegetables, grains, and spices, using one of the many recipes available on the Internet. Store the mix in a recycled spaghetti sauce jar, washed well with hot water and soap (and white vinegar if you need to get any tomato smell out). Use a label or tape a piece of paper on the jar to list the ingredients or to decorate it. If you like, pair the gift with a baguette, block of cheese, soup bowl, or other accoutrements.

Window Herb Garden

There's nothing like growing indoor plants to take some of the gloom out of winter. Window herb gardens make great gifts for kids and adults.

At your local garden store, buy a small terracotta pot with saucer, indoor planting mix, and herb seeds. Basil is one of the best choices, but chives, parsley, and sage will also work well. Again, this gift is easily and cheaply multiplied, since even a small bag of potting soil and one packet of herb seeds is enough for more than one pot. You can paint the pots for each recipient with acrylic paints, or enclose a small set of paints and a paintbrush so they can decorate the pot themselves. Alternatively, use other containers with drainage, such as metal or ceramic pots with a hole in the bottom.

Divide the seed packet into as many parts as you need, making smaller seed packets out of sheets of paper or small envelopes. Write the seed planting and care directions on each envelope. Divide the potting soil into paper or plastic bags, measuring out enough soil to reach the top of the pot, plus a little extra, since potting soil settles when watered.

Wrap the pot, soil, seeds, and optional paint kit in newspaper comics or wrapping paper, or decorate a paper bag and tie it with twine or ribbon.

Resources

Pink Dandy Chatter: Craft Project -- Paint Your Own Mug

Budget101.com: Soup Mixes

Organic Gardening: 10 Best Herbs for Indoors

Photo by Matthew Trow, courtesy of stock.xchng