NESTLÉ Helping Kids Make Homemade Gifts & Giveaway

By /

I remember being little and wanting to buy my dad something for Christmas.  I had no idea what he wanted and what I could buy him with the little money I had.  When I asked him, his answer surprised me.  He told me that I could make him a gift and that he loved homemade gifts more than anything I could buy him.  Since then, I’ve always had a special place in my heart for homemade gifts.

I love all of the homemade gifts and pictures my boys create for me – whether it’s for a holiday or just because.  If you’re looking for a special homemade gift idea for your little one, start with a card.  Have your child draw a picture or paint his or her hand for a handprint on the card.  Have your child sign (even if it’s just doodling) his or her name on the card.  To make it extra special, have your child “hand-deliver” the card to the recipient.  What are some of your favorite homemade gifts you’ve received or homemade gift ideas you have?

Be sure to check out NESTLÉ Family Holiday Celebrations, a special site where you can find tips, tools, and inspiration for the holidays.  There, you’ll find ideas of Holiday Gifts to Make Together.  Gift ideas include Homemade Candles, Unique “Candy Dish,” Homemade Ornaments, Recipe or Candy Jar, Write a Poem, or Spread Holiday Cheer through donations.

Nestlé Family Holiday Exchange

Southern Plate 24/7 Moms Oh Amanda SuperMom Central The Mommy-Files

GIVEAWAY

1 lucky reader on The Mommy-Files will win a “Famous CARNATION Fudge Kit,” a LIBBY’s Pumpkin Bread Kit, and a $25 gift certificate to Jo-Ann Stores for craft supplies!!!

WIN IT!!! (MANDATORY ENTRY)

– Tell me in a comment a favorite homemade gift you’ve received or an idea (other than mentioned) of a homemade gift idea!

EXTRA ENTRIES:

– Follow The Mommy-Files on Twitter – 1 ENTRY
– Tweet about the giveaway – 1 ENTRY DAILY
– Become a Fan of The Mommy-Files on Facebook – 1 ENTRY
– Become a Fan of NESTLÉ Family on Facebook – 1 ENTRY
– Follow me through Google Connect (new on the right side of the blog) – 1 ENTRY
– Subscribe to my blog – 1 ENTRY
– Add my Mommy-Files button to your blog and include the URL – 1 ENTRY
– Comment on any Non-Giveaway post on The Mommy-Files – 1 ENTRY per post comment (no limit)
– Blog about this giveaway and include the URL – 5 ENTRIES

RULES:

– Contest will close at 11:59 p.m. PST on Monday, December 20th, 2010! Any entries after this time will be deleted!
– Contest open to U.S. residents only.

I was compensated for my participation in the NESTLÉ Family Holiday Exchange and for writing this post.  The giveaway was sponsored by NESTLÉ Family (CARNATION Evaporated Milk, LIBBY’S Pure Pumpkin, TOLL HOUSE Morsels).  All opinions expressed in this post are 100% mine.

406 thoughts on “NESTLÉ Helping Kids Make Homemade Gifts & Giveaway”

  1. Barbara M

    A friend made me a hot pepper Christmas ornament.
    So neat since I’m sometimes called Jalapeno Mama.
    Thank you.
    barbara dot montyj at gmail dot com

    Reply

  9. Pingback: Tweets that mention NESTLÉ Helping Kids Make Homemade Gifts & Giveaway : The Mommy-Files -- Topsy.com

  11. Maureen (Suburban Prep)

    I make saltine toffee to give as gifts and I also make eggnog bread to give as gifts at this time of the year. That is for baked goods I also knit a number of items.

    Reply
  13. Suzanna P

    a plate my Aunt made for me with a picture of my Cat i had to put the cat to sleep due to illness but the plate is still on my wall so i can remember Hamlet my cat

    Reply
  14. katklaw777

    One of the best homemade gifts I ever got was chocolate chip cookies in a jar.
    All I had to do was dump the contents in a bowl add an egg and some milk and mix. They were easy to make and delish, a great time saving gift!

    Reply
  17. sandra

    i once mad handmade christmas ornaments with my sister for another sister. they were made such that you could display photos in them. of course, there are much better premade ones out there now!

    Reply
  19. Margie

    When my daughter was small, she made me a bracelet from fish hook holders (the things that look like safety pins) and beads. I still have it.

    Reply
  24. Alicia Webster

    My grandmother, when she was alive, made all her gifts that she gave to us. I have beautiful needlepoint pictures, needlepoint pillows, and beautiful sweaters, afghans, and scarves. I am 41, and she has been gone for 11 years, but I still see constant reminders of her all around my house.

    Reply
  28. Steph

    I make a lot of homemade gifts. I make ornaments, holiday pins, necklaces, and treats. My favorite homemade gifts that I have received were a plaster handprint my daughter made me and the ornaments my son made me.

    Reply
  33. Lori A.

    I love making homemade gifts, especially for teachers! They always seem to really appreciate them. Today I sent some tumbled marble tile coasters & trivets that I hand stamped with my son for his teachers. I also enjoy making handmade monogrammed notecards for the teachers.
    ljatwood at gmail dot com

    Reply
  43. CMC

    When I was student-teaching some years back, I had the children make snowmen out of empty plastic water bottles. I supplied the felt (for the hats, scarves, carrot noses) the googly eyes, and the felt pipe cleaners (for the arms) as well as the white tissue paper to put inside of the bottle to make ’em white. They were adorable! I still have the one I made, too!

    Reply
  48. marci h

    my favorite homemade gift was a christmas tree ornament that my son made in grade school–i still have it and we hang it on the tree every year 🙂

    Reply
  53. shelly

    My great aunt got me and my sister each a barbrie doll one year and she made a bunch of clothes for it. We loved putting all its home made clothes on it. My sister and I exchanged home made gifts for a while I crocheted different items for her and she made me a photo album and another time she made me a painting and another time she made me a quilt.

    Reply
  54. Kristen

    One I heard of that I thought about trying is put all the dry ingredients for some goodie layered in a jar, then tie the recipe to it with a pretty ribbon.

    Reply
  63. Terri

    I love homemade gifts, I received a holiday apron from my best friend since childhood that was the best gift I received, their were fabrics with things on it that meant things just to us, it was great I wear it all the time when I’m cooking.
    tshaw6580@yahoo.com

    Reply
  71. Suzanne K

    When my daughter was younger, we picked (together) something special for who ever she was going to make the gift for (like a fish for her grandfather who liked to fish). I drew a picture of a fish for her, with her input. Then, she got to glue all sorts of beads and glitter onto the picture. We then put the picture into a glass covered shadow box and voila, wonderful, personalized picture gifts!

    Reply
  98. Theresa H

    I love my friend. Every year she makes about a dozen different cookies for her friends and gives them a shirt box full of the cookies. YUMMY!!

    Reply
  103. Cherie Corey

    I absolutely loved this post. I knew some of these, but learned some new ones too. I would like to add a copy of this and link it to my Blog site..

    SO here goes a couple cute crafty items for this time of year.
    Take a piece of brown construction paper and trace your childs foot. Now take another color like red or green and trace y0ur child’s hands. Cut all three of these out. Now the handprints will become reindeer antlers and glue them on the fatter toe part of the foot tracing. This is the head. You can either glue on a pompom nose or construction paper eyes & nose, or just draw them. The are darling decorations that commemorate your childs small size.
    another is take an older glass ornament and remove the top cap off of it and set it aside. Pour some salt and a small amount of water inside and swirl around. This will remove the paint from the inside of the glass ornament leaving a clear one. Now you can add light items like glitter, snowflakes, or I took a small picture, rolledit up, and with stir straws, I was able to tape it onto the little wires that keep the top attatched..
    Merry Christmas.

    Reply
  113. Amanda Davis

    Not only do I treasure homemade gifts above all others, I love making them, too! One of the most well received gifts I made were customized Ex Libris bookplates I made for my bibliophile mom. I found various old book illustrations (most from children’s stories) cropped them to an appropriate size, and added “Ex Libris ______” at the bottom in photoshop. I printed them out on adhesive backed printer paper, cut them all out, and stored them in a cute little box. They looked amazing and she loved them!

    Thanks so much for the chance to win this!

    Reply
  115. ACMommy

    A favorite homemade gift I’ve received was a hand held Fan my daughter made for me “to help keep mommy cool.” 🙂 And also homemade cookie mix!

    Reply
  123. Judith

    Last christmas from my, then, 7yr old granddaughter I got a flat rock that she painted a picture of my dog. I made a stand out of wax and it is displayed on my breakfast bar.

    Reply
  135. Brittany

    I make a lot of hair accessories for all the girls but I saw fun idea for the boys. It’s called a skittle snake. It’s made from a strip of fabric and decorated with some flet eys and tongue and then it’s filled with skittles.

    Reply
  141. DeeAnn S

    I think my favorite homemade gift I received is a lap quilt my best friend made for me years ago. We live far apart now, but the quilt brings back some great memories. Thanks.

    Reply
  143. Kim.M

    Every year my best friend’s mum makes me a ceramic ornament. It’s the one thing I love seeing each year especially since a one of a kind and made with love.
    valkayries at yahoo dot com

    Reply
  146. Lim

    My mother made me a wind chime with some silver spoons she found at a yard sale, and a napkin ring. It looks neat, and she used a drill without hurting herself! It means a lot to me.

    Reply
  174. CherylS22

    My favorite homemade gift was when my sister-in-law prepared Mason jars with all the dry ingredients to make a batch of cookies with the recipe attached to the gift.
    Thanks for the giveaway…..
    Happy Holidays!

    Reply
  179. ohkeeka

    My aunt always makes these amazing cinnamon almonds as a Christmas gift. I think homemade food gifts are a great idea, because who doesn’t like food? 🙂

    Reply
  188. pixie13

    My favorite home-made git to recieve is the cookie tins we get from family every year. I do so look forward to the sugar cookies 🙂

    Reply
  211. Susan T

    I have received several varities of the “sweets in a jar”…Cookies, brownies, oatmeal…Always so good and creative. semtaylor(at)yahoo(dot)com

    Reply
  229. nan

    my sister knitted me a homemade sweater and it was perfect she made it with extra long arms like i have
    nannypanpan at sbcglobal.net

    Reply
  233. Joyce Harrell

    I love all of my homemade ornaments on my tree, especially the ones with my “grown” daughters little pictures. Now I am starting to get them from my grandchildren and I love it!

    Reply
  244. katfam

    My son and I just made 120 handmade truffles today. We’re passing them out to coworkers, teachers, etc. Everyone seems to enjoy them, and I like making them.

    Reply
  248. Jackie

    My sister always gives us a tray of homemade cookies…just like my mom used to make. Thanks!
    jackievillano at gmail dot com

    Reply
  253. Nancy Meyer

    When I was in high school, a friend of my embroidered my name on the bottom of a cute homemade flannel pillowcase. It was so nice and soft and unique for me!

    nancymeyer1 at gmail dot com

    Reply
  255. Erika

    My kids love to make me paper snowflakes – I just love them! And they’re each so unique, just like my children. Thanks!
    MusingsfromaSAHM at gmail dot com

    Reply
  269. Melissa R.

    My favorite homemade gift that I ever got was a box of homemade chocolates that a customer brought into the store for me. She said it was a thank you for always being nice and helpful to her even during the hectic christmas season. It meant a lot to me and the chocolates were delish!

    Reply
  276. Erin E

    Several years ago our nieces and nephews made us a homemade calender from their drawings. It was so cute and thoughtful. Thank you for the lovely giveaway.
    sewmuchstuff at ymail dot com

    Reply
  287. Brooke C

    This year we made wreaths for each of my sisters and my mother. My son also made a cup coozie by coloring it and puts foam stickers to give to his dad.

    Reply
  301. Debbie Criss

    I’m making candies. Chocolate covered peanut butter balls, coconut balls, fudge and all kinds of candies. I save the big peanut butter jiff jars, fill them with the candy. First I remove the label, by soaking in warm water then scraping off. I buy sheets of Christmas stickers after christmas on clearance. Put these on the jar. Would love to win. Please enter me, thank you

    Reply
  302. Noreen

    my girls made cinnamon (and apple sauce) ornaments and soap (melt and pour) for their teachers and friends. We usually make toffee to but I was not up for it this year (dislocated jaw at the dentist last week ouch)

    Reply
  309. Kristi C

    My favorite are the ones the kids make each year at school. We have quite a collection of handmade ornaments that have special places on the tree each year.

    Reply
  321. Jennifer R

    This is not my original idea but I just read about making I SPY bottles for the kids on my gift list. I thought it was a cute idea.

    Reply
  324. Sheila K.

    I like giving home-baked oatmeal cookies and chocolate chip cookies to people for the holidays!

    skkorman AT bellsouth DOT net

    Reply
  327. barbara wright

    The best homemade give I’ve gotten was a bunch of different kinds of beans with a WONDERFUL soup recipe attached to it.

    Reply
  334. Callie

    I love the “art” which my special needs neice makes and then her mom frames for us. It is so so special to me and I smile whenever I go by it.

    Reply
  353. Emma Peel

    My homemade gift idea is basket or box filled with cleaning products and wrapped in cellowrap with a bow on top

    emmaspeel(at)gmail.com

    Reply

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top