Celebrating Without Breaking the Bank : GIFTS : Making Gifts a Personal Endeavor

Slim holiday budgets, a return to basics and a yearning for good old-fashioned fun have fueled a growing interest in handcrafted gifts.

“I think people are pulling in their belts and finding that it’s not all that bad,” said Gwen Howard of Oceanside. “I get a lot of pleasure out of making things for people.”

A handmade item can spring totally from the imagination, or it can be based on someone else’s creativity. Personal T-shirts, wall hangings, theme-oriented gift baskets and jewelry are some of the popular items that can be made quickly and cheaply.

Recycling is also a factor in this booming do-it-yourself climate. Craftspeople are increasingly integrating used beads, lace and other personal embellishments to create interesting pieces.

Kits also leave room for creativity but generally reduce the guesswork. They are favorites with children, who are major customers in the craft industry.

“How-to” books and myriad classes can be found throughout North County. Arts and crafts shops, city and recreation departments and community education programs all offer classroom instruction and demonstration days. Most are geared to the neophyte crafter who is looking for an inexpensive, two-hour project.

Stores such as Tandy Leather and Plastercraft of Escondido have in-store worktables where customers can learn a craft technique before striking out on their own at home. While many sessions are free of charge, it is a standard practice to purchase project supplies from the shop that is offering the class.

“We teach approximately 60 classes a month,” said Pat Herring, owner of Crafts and Ewe in Escondido. She has written 30 craft books and travels worldwide teaching what she calls designer arts and crafts. “Most of our classes are free, but some have a $6 pattern charge.”

The downside for some people who get involved in the craft industry is the initial investment. Projects can require expensive tools such as a mat cutter, quality paint brushes, wire cutters, woodworking tools, and a sewing machine. Nonetheless, neither up-front costs nor fickle craft trends have slowed down business, said Steve Seignious of Michael’s in Escondido. “Our sales are up 10% from last year,” said Seignious, whose store just underwent a major expansion.

Veteran crafters say start-up expenses can often be defrayed by planning to make multiple versions of a craft. Creating a basic item assembly-line style, then varying the details, allows you to give friends and relatives a unique gift without starting over from scratch each time.

Here are some of the projects popular with North County craft devotees this holiday season. Most materials are available in a variety of hobby stores.

BIRD HOUSE--These hot decorator items can be purchased ready to paint from craft shops or can be made from scratch. Steve Tibbetts of Wood Works in Poway can show you how to build one in three hours and then make the birdhouse look old by finishing it with hide glue and latex paint.

HERB GARDEN-- Almost all nurseries carry herb plants such as rosemary, thyme, oregano, endive and cilantro. Transplant them with potting soil and nutrients into a redwood planter box. Pictures of the herbs can be glued to the face of the box and covered with a protective coating.

PHOTO COLLAGE--Old photos can make a timeless treasure for a family member, especially when accentuated by a mat with multiple cutouts. The trick is in the mat cutting and being creative, said Dale Mann of Vintage Art Supply in Escondido, whose shop specializes in teaching mat design techniques.

MACRAME DECK CHAIR--An aluminum folding chair is the basis for this project, which looks expensive and intricate but is made with two spools of macrame material and can be completed in six hours. The class is offered through Michael’s in Escondido.

MOP DOLL--A simple $3 cotton mop is transformed into a country mop doll with braided hair and finishing touches such as a bonnet and calico dress. The dolls are suitable for playing or displaying.

PLASTIC JEWELRY--This has become the busy person’s answer to gift making. With just a few tools that include a water-filled electric skillet or an oven, plastic is melted into free-form shapes that can produce a psychedelic color scheme. Pieces of suede fabric can be integrated into the design before applying jewelry backings.

NINE-MINUTE ANGEL--Created by Pat Herring, this table decoration is made from Styrofoam and paper. It features a wood ball head, Spanish moss hair and raffia accents. Wings are crafted from Eucalyptus branches.

NO-SEW HOOPS--Assorted hoops are covered in fabric and become the frame for a wall hanging. Cutouts and other embellishments of ribbon, lace, felt and dried flowers can be applied to the face of the fabric and create an interesting picture.

FABRIC PAINTING--Iron-on transfers, stencils and other types of patterns transform the look of T-shirts, sweat shirts and aprons. Paints are brushed, beaded, sprayed or squeezed onto the fabric and finished with pearls, rhinestones or glitter.

GIFT BASKETS--JoAnn Ferguson, who teaches this craft privately or through MiraCosta College, has made gift baskets for golfers, brides, babies and even a new car owner that included auto polish, sponges, tire repair kit, auto magazines and other items. The goods are artfully placed in the basket, wrapped in cellophane and tied with a bow.

WOVEN BASKETS--Pat MacGillis teaches basket making from her Del Mar studio or through several community adult education classes. Her sturdy melon-shaped market basket is made with natural materials from the area and becomes an impressive gift when filled with fruit and vegetables. Keepsake baskets involve a special weaving process and make good containers for small treasures such as a piece of jewelry.

THEME ALBUM--An inexpensive album is covered with batting and finished with a fabric. If a Southwestern theme is chosen, for example, American Indian fabric can be enhanced by adding feathers, suede and even beads to the cover.

DREAM CATCHER--An outgrowth of a Native American legend that says all dreams are caught in the “Dream Catcher.” It is a simple hoop decorated with suede lacing to form a webbed effect, which is meant to “catch the dreams.” Tandy Leather sells materials, including feathers, beads and hair pipes.

NO-BAKE POTTERY--Hydrocal is the answer for people who want the pleasure of “creating” everything from refrigerator magnets to theater masks to menorahs, but don’t want the mess of a potter’s wheel and the expense of a kiln. A solid, inexpensive product, hydrocal is ready to be painted and decorated. Plastercraft carries one of the largest selections in North County.

STRAW HAT-- An 18-inch plain straw hat can be purchased at many craft stores and decorated with ribbons, silk rosebuds and “junk” jewelry. It’s a simple project of gluing together the right stuff to make an attractive hat for wearing or to hang as an accent piece on a bedroom door.

FABRIC WREATH--A straw wreath is turned into a decorator item with some fabric, pinking shears and a Phillips screwdriver. Fabric is cut with the shears into 3-inch pieces that are gently poked into the straw wreath with the screwdriver. No longer restricted to the Christmas holiday, fabric wreaths make nice year-round gifts, says Margaret Hodges of House of Fabrics.

STAMP ART--Trolls, Disney characters, skateboards and balloons are stamped onto inexpensive paper plates, napkins, bags, and stationery to make a gift for a young child. Stamps have also become a popular method of decorating T-shirts for all ages, says Jeanne Haley of Stamp-It-Catessen in Carlsbad, who has been collecting stamps and ideas for more than 20 years.