Birthday Gifts You Can Make At Home

The fact that the giver is presenting a personal gift can add to its specialness in the eyes of the recipient.

Scented Bath Salts
For the bather on a birthday list, scented bath salts make an excellent gift. And it only takes a minute to make them, once the basic ingredients are in hand.

• Get an attractive glass jar in which to put the salts. The Container Store, or perhaps even the local grocery store, is a great place to look for clear glass jars with attached, hinged lids.
• Fill the jar with Epsom salts.
• Add 10 to 15 drops of lavender essential oil.
• Put the lid on the jar and shake it up to mix the oil and salt.

If desired, this gift can be added to a small basket that contains washcloths, a loofah sponge, a stone for rubbing the feet smooth, and a bath pillow.

Food Mix
For the baker whose birthday has arrived, give him or her a homemade muffin kit.

• Find a premade muffin mix, or assemble the powdered ingredients, and put the dry mix in a clear jar.
• Then add directions on how to mix up the batter. Either tie the directions around the jar with pretty ribbon or use a rubber band.

If desired, this jar of mix can be part of a basket containing an oven glove, muffin tin, and cooling rack. Or it can be delivered on its own as a thoughtful gift.

Gardening Kit
For those with green thumbs, the gift of a gardening kit can be cause for celebration.

• Get a small selection of seeds. Choices will depend on the gardener's preferences. For example, choose all vegetables, all flowers, or a mixture of both.
• Assemble a small selection of gardening tools, such as a trowel, gloves, watering can, and other small tools that might be useful when planting seeds.
• Place all of the above in a basket in an attractive arrangement.
• Finish by tying some ribbon around the handle of the basket.

Making thoughtful, personal birthday gifts at home can be rewarding to make, and to receive. The fact that the giver spent time assembling the gift just for the recipient makes it special.