If you're not too keen on braving the throngs of people at the tiangges or the department store to shop for the perfect gift, do - it - yourself gifts are the way to go. Aside from being outlets for your creativity, DIY gifts mean you can give your friends unique presents made especially for them. Personalized gifts don't need to be too labor-intensive or expensive. Try these three affordable and practical ideas to create a gift that you can proudly call a labor of love. A promise Create coupons that promise your friend a favor you can do for her at a later time. Think about errands you are willing to do for your friend or tasks you think she may need help with in the future. Here are a few examples of what you can put in your coupon:
I will lend you my services for a full day as your personal shopper - I will cook your favorite dinner including dessert
- I will go on a date with you to a restaurant of your choice at least once every quarter
- I will make a cool scrapbook of your favorite photographs
- I will do your laundry at least once a week
When you’re ready with your list, make your own coupons using art paper or your computer's word processor. Another option is to print it like a loyalty card where you can put check marks every time you fulfill a promise. You can even put a date of validity or an expiration date for when your friend can avail of the coupon.
Bundle creativity and thoughtfulness into one and turn those blank cards into promise coupons your friend will love.
: Make sure that you intend to fulfill all the promises you write on the coupons. You should never use the excuse that "promises are made to be broken" when the time comes for you to fulfill them. That’s just lame and rude.
A wish Got a friend who wants to be a published author? Grant his wish and be his publisher. If your friend has written some short stories, essays or poems, gather them to make a book. You can re-type the pieces or scan them and decorate the pages for a more personalized look. Put the pages in a special folder or have them bound in soft or hard cover. Attach a hand-written letter to express your appreciation of her skills and ask other friends and family members to scribble their messages too.
Reminder: Make sure that your friend will feel appreciated seeing his work published instead of freaking out. If he’s okay with it, print other copies for family and friends so they can appreciate his work. If you’re not too sure he will like all the publicity, then just print one copy that he can keep for himself.
If you're feeling generous, publish multiple copies of your friend's work and distribute it to other friends and family members.
If you've got a bookworm for a friend, get her a copy of her favorite book or a hard to find title she’s been hankering for. You can search and legally download free public domain ebooks online. Just copy and paste them into Word, Publisher, or Adobe Pagemaker then jazz up the layout before printing. Don’t know where to start searching? Try these sites instead of shopping at bookstores:
Reminder: If your friend has an eReader, an iPad or a Kindle, then go the convenient route and just download a bunch of titles in the right format then upload them to her device.
A creation Your talents are gifts in themselves and it is just right that you use them to give joy to the people you love. So think about your skills and see how you can use it to put a smile on your loved one’s faces this Christmas. Got a friend who can’t get enough of music but is too busy to download tunes himself? If you have a knack for online research and the resources for downloading stuff online then do it for him instead. Ask him his top favorites, search for them online and compile them into a CD. For a more personal touch, record a personal message as an intro to the album. If you’ve got the skills and the time, you can even make a music video of his favorite tune. You can shoot an actual video or just use your old pictures for a more memorable gift. You can even broadcast it on YouTube for the whole
barkada to see.
Got skills? Use your talents to create the perfect gifts.
Got PowerPoint skills? Do an AVP presentation. It might sound like office work and boring but with the right materials and motivation, you can be creative with this tool. You can use photos, add music or a video clip, and your own words to make a story about your friendship. A gift of great memories is always appreciated and, if the rest of the
barkada is interested, it can be easily shared too. Do you have a penchant for writing? Write a short story with your friend as the heroine or jot down a few lines of poetry with her as the muse. Great at drawing? Sketch a picture that your friend can relate to. Think encouraging thoughts and draw her enjoying her dream vacation or dream job. You can even draw a story book on your favorite moments together. If you can paint, then a portrait is definitely in order. If you're a Photoshop whiz, borrow your friend's favorite portrait and make a magazine cover that can be framed. Use more pictures for a magazine spread or do a photo book. For something more useful, make a customized calendar with her favorite picture as cover.
Gifts from the heart These are just some of the things you can do to create a gift for your special ones this Christmas. They're creative, inexpensive and practical since you will use the talents or materials you already have. All you need to do is spend some time conceptualizing ideas for your gifts and making them. Whatever the occasion, the best gift is always the one that comes from your heart.
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