Handmade summer gifts for your family and friends

Handmande gifts are excellent all year round. No matter if your budget is tight or wide, your loved ones will appreciate your effort and the good spirit that you put into your handicrafts. If you really are on a low budget, these ideas will help you to create free or nearly free items that are indeed worthy.

FOREST DELICACIES

Summer is the time when the nature provides you with loads of goodies. Spend some time in a forest, and, depending on a season, fill your basket with blueberries, wild strawberries, raspberries, or anything else that can be found at your location. Both kids and busy adults will appreciate the fresh fruit or berries. If that is a birthday present, bake a cake from those, and do not forget to mention that the ingredients were picked by your hands. Create a special drawing on the cake, write a greeting, or the name of the person. You can also make jam or juice, and design a label specially for that person.

A grown-up person will enjoy a liquor that was made by extracting flavors from the fruit, berries, or herbs.

If you live far away from the forest, you can still get fresh fruit and berries in the local market, or even visit the farmers. Special design, freshness, and preparation with love is something that you cannot get in a supermarket. Try this dessert from berries and fruit.

FOREST TEA

Lime-tree, thyme, raspberry leaves, and many more herbs can be used to brew a nice up of afternoon tea, or even use it as a medicine. Read this article on how to prepare homemade herbal teas. Pack your tea in a nice paper bag and write or print the greeting. Alternatively, you can prepare herbal extracts.

FOREST FLOWERS

If you have a field or forest nearby, spend an hour picking flowers and enjoying the nature, arrange a bouuet, and give it to your loved one, even without any occasion.

MUSIC

Record a CD with the best summer songs of all times, or the currently popular songs to remember this summer. Such present is easy to send to a friend far away.

PICTURES

Even if you are just an amateur photographer, you can take beutiful summer shots, and prepare a calendar or a poster. Make it personal, include pictures with the person that is receiving a present together with you and other friends or family. You can print a calendar or poster at any photo shop, but you can also create it yourself. Instead of usual January to December, make it July to July, or birthday month to birthday month. Use sunny shots for all months to aways remember the summer.

YOUR OWN TIME

In most cases, that is the most precious present.

- Take the kids or your loved one to a park, beach, lake, pack exciting picnic snacks and outdoors games, and spend an unforgettable day.
- Organize a camping trip with dinner on a fireplace and songs accompanied by a guitar (or just songs - prepare printouts of the lyrics). The kids would love camping even in your own garden, if there's no possiblity to leave home.
- Organize a bicycle tour for your family or friends. Explore new areas, have a picnic lunch in a panoramic spot, finish it up with an easy dinner (e.g., pizza), and a review of pictures at home.
- Make a music, dancing, painting, crafts, or any fun activity workshop in your garden. Give your created piece or a song as a present. If you don't feel creative yourself, ask a friend to volunteer as a teacher.

No matter what you create, your love and friendship is the most important.