If you have more time than money—or simply love to give and receive homemade gifts—here are our best ideas that cost less than $10. Who knows? With a chance to stay away from the crowded malls you might just find yourself with extra holiday spirit—and cash, too—to take you into the new year. And wouldn’t that be nice.

Family Cookbook
Gather up your family’s best-loved recipes and create a family cookbook. Then make copies of it for family members on your list. There are many software programs available for entering your recipes that even calculate nutritional information based on the ingredients.

Add illustrations; scan old family photos of the person who is known for making the recipe to include on a particular page. Add a section for birthdays and addresses, too.

For more detailed instructions including Internet resources, see “Holiday Head Start,” Family Cookbook, DPL, July ‘04, page 4.

Picture Cube
This is a perfect gift for just about anyone—grandparents, dad, children, teachers, teens and friends of same. The secret is in your selection of photos. They can be whimsical or memorable.

You’ll need four wooden cubes, 1.5 inches in diameter, decoupage medium like Mod Podge (available at any craft store); and six photographs. Cut the pictures into a 3x3-inch square, and then cut the square into four equal pieces (1.5-inch square each).

Following the instructions on the jar of medium, decoupage one side of each block and stick on the picture. Rotate the cubes and repeat for all six sides. When dry cover all the sides with decoupage medium. This may take some time because you have to wait for surfaces to dry before you can turn them to do the remaining sides.

Spa Set
Give all the stressed-out folks on your gift list the gift of relaxation. Make your own bath products and then assemble them in a nice basket.

Bath Salts. 1 cup Epsom salts, 1 cup sea or rock salt, 20 drops fragrance oil, food coloring. Place all ingredients in a medium bowl and mix with a wooden spoon until fully combined and color is even.

Bath Oil. 1/2 cup almond oil, 1/2 cup castor oil or aloe vera, the oil from 6-8 Vitamin E capsules, 25-30 drops fragrance oil. Mix all ingredients in a bowl with wooden spoon until combined.

Bubble Bath. Mix 3 cups clear, mild dishwashing detergent; the oil from 6-8 Vitamin E capsules, 1/4 cup glycerin,
25-30 drops fragrance oil, food coloring.

Salt Scrub. Mix together Epsom salts and enough almond oil (better) or baby oil (cheaper) to resemble very wet snow. Add aromatherapy oil for fragrance and soap colorant if you desire.

Place your spa products in individual bottles or small jars and decorate with ribbons, labels and or embellishments. Add store-bought items such as a wash cloth, pumice stone, loofah, or whatever you choose.

Stepping Stone
Garden stepping stones are easy to make with a small amount of ready-mix concrete from the home improvement center. No need to buy expensive kits at craft stores, just look for a decorative mold to use. To make a round stone use an old ice cream bucket. Coat with Vaseline before pouring in the ready-mix. When it has set the stone will slip out easily.