Need help with a 'homemade' gift

[Wits' End]

Need help with a \'homemade\' gift

I need to make a gift, for Christmas, for my 24 year old daughter. I think I may try to make a flashlight but before starting that I thought I'd check in to see if anyone had a brilliant alternative to a light(what pun?).

This has to be mostly made by me. A kit would be OK but not prefered. An example, my 11 year old son is making a wooden chest for my 25 year old daughter. He is working with a guy at the Senior Wood Shop in town but other than pointers the work is mostly his. Material cost should be less than $50.
TIA

 

[DaFiend]

Re: Need help with a \'homemade\' gift

It may sound like the simplest thing, but maybe a collage card or something..... Something that says ...... this is what you have done...... and why i love you. doesn't need to cost money, its the thought that counts remember?

Help your son, give him some lime light, give him the "man" job, ask him how you can help..... carving etc.......... Then you can work on something together, Make it a big project.Incorporate lights where needed, 8 month's between now and then. But you're thinking ahead!!!!

I'm no expert on father/daughter relationships,

This is coming from a 23yr old guy.....

 

[Wits' End]

Re: Need help with a \'homemade\' gift

We are helping him. But the point of this exercise is to help each of us think of the other more. We have always traded names at Christmas for gifts. This year we decided they would mean more if we made them. Time spent in making the gift will ideally help us appreciate the one we are making it for.
We have 14 children so this is quite a project for all of us /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Lurker]

Re: Need help with a \'homemade\' gift

Put together a photo album of old family photos.
Make a scrap book of her childhood.
Bake her favorite cookies and brownies.
Assemble an emergency breakdown kit for her car.
Build a shoe rack for her closet.

Good luck. It's a great idea.

Tell us what her interests are or any other details that might trigger some ideas.

 

[gadget_lover]

Re: Need help with a \'homemade\' gift

I've modded lights and given them as gifts to several family members. They all enjoyed them. Most often it was a modded mini-mag with a sandwich from the sandwich shoppe.

Mods are easier to accomplish since you don't need to learn metal crafting skills first. On the other hand, there's a lot of fun in turning your own flashlight on a lathe.

Like Lurker said, you need to tailor the gift to her likes. Of course, it's fun to introduce people to things they might like too. That's the joy of discovery.

Daniel

 

[JackBlades]

Re: Need help with a \'homemade\' gift

You have 14 kids???
Guess there isn't much else to do up there in "Remote NEast Minnesota" ......

 

[Shanghaied]

Re: Need help with a \'homemade\' gift

Speaking of lights, one thing that I've made for a friend (she was twenty then) was a large board painted dark blue with tiny drilled holes in them. I then passed strands 'optic fiber' from one of those cheap lamps (an example: http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10101&storeId=2&productId=28015&langId=-11&parentCats=10111*10280) through the holes.

After trimming and gluing them with transparent glue, I gathered the other end of the fibers and fixed them to two Lux I stars running off AA batteries on the back. And voila, with the lights off and the board on it looked like the night sky with stars (well kinda..).

It was pretty primitive and a pain in the butt to make, but the friend really liked it and now have it on her wall.

 

[Lurker]

Re: Need help with a \'homemade\' gift

14 kids. That's gotta be some kind of record. Or a typo.

 

[greenLED]

Re: Need help with a \'homemade\' gift

Wit's End, how about a LUXI mod? It's relatively easy to do using the Zetex circuit and a Lux I and it makes a great gift (light-wise).

BTW, it's really nice what you're doing with your family. Those are the gift memories your children will cherish. Thank you for the inspiration!

 

[bjn70]

Re: Need help with a \'homemade\' gift

I made a knife for my father, but that's probably not what a young woman wants.

I painted a clock for my wife once. She likes sun faces, and she also likes clocks. She found a big clock in a flea market with a white face and big black numbers. It is almost 24" diameter. I went back and bought it, then painted a sun face on it. I used several different colors of spray paint, masked it off, faded the colors yellow to orange, etc.

I also made her a photo collage- she has 4 cats so one weekend when she was gone I photographed each cat, bought a frame, had a mat cut with 4 openings, and put it all together for her.

 

[DaFiend]

Re: Need help with a \'homemade\' gift

[ QUOTE ]
Wits' End said:
We have 14 children so this is quite a project for all of us /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[/ QUOTE ]
14 children /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

 

[verbie]

Re: Need help with a \'homemade\' gift

as a female, i think a scrapebook or collage of all her pictures since a baby til now sounds like a nice gift. i would appreciate that. if you know how to make jewelry, you can make a pair of earrings or bracelet, etc. if you know how to sew, how about a purse? you can look at the purse that are fashionable(hmm..around winter time? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif ) and try to copy them. or a small purse, wristlets, or totes. those are always in. a lamp is good too. but yeah, it does really depend what her interests are. for example, i would really appreciate a modded light or a knife /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

EDIT: rather than adding posts, i will add more suggestions in this post /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif another suggestion is candles. i know of someone who makes candles, decorative or scented, to give as gifts to her friends and family. it's an idea /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[vtunderground]

Re: Need help with a \'homemade\' gift

I needed a present for my girlfriend for her 21st birthday, and I wanted to make her something special...

It has regular checker pieces, as well as shot glasses.

 

[Sigman]

Re: Need help with a \'homemade\' gift

Edit: Link fixed!

 

[gadget_lover]

Re: Need help with a \'homemade\' gift

Sigman, the link shows up normally in your post. We don't know what you are talking about.


Daniel

 

[CroMAGnet]

Re: Need help with a \'homemade\' gift

First in line for group buy!

Does come with a choice of BIN. For black I prefer the 18yo Single malt and can be swayed on the white.

 

[verbie]

Re: Need help with a \'homemade\' gift

vtunderground: /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif did you make that?? looks like a great gift! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[vtunderground]

Re: Need help with a \'homemade\' gift

[ QUOTE ]
verbie said:
vtunderground: /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif did you make that?? looks like a great gift! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah... I didn't have any plans or anything (or any woodworking experience), I just had an idea of what I wanted the checkerboard to look like. It took forever to make, and it's not perfect, but my girlfriend likes it and that's what matters.

 

[Lurker]

Re: Need help with a \'homemade\' gift

I've done enough woodworking to know what kind of effort went into that box. Nice job!!

 

[Wits' End]

Re: Need help with a \'homemade\' gift

Thanks for all the tips. I know she'd like a light who wouldn't /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif. It would be more memorable from me but it has to be almost all non stock. Sewing I can do, somewhat. That might work also. Woodworking is an idea but the only thing I could come up with off the top of my head was a match to my 11 year old's.
She does candy-making and cake decorating. Works in our store. Reads, riles up the younger children /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif right before bed /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif