Heartfelt Homemade Friendship Gifts

Homemade friendship gifts mean something both to the person who is giving the gift, and the person who is receiving the gift. A homemade friendship gift should not be something frivolous. It should be something that your friend would really appreciate. A friendship gift could be an item your friend has either talked about making or buying, or something she has admired while out shopping, such as a picture or a picnic blanket, something you know she will never have the time to create on her own. 

Homemade Friendship Gifts from the Garden
Some of the most unique friendship gifts come from the garden or the kitchen, or both. If you have a vegetable garden, you have a built-in gift center. Make several types of jam, strawberry, blueberry and raspberry, and add your own personal labels. Remove the rings, place a circle of gingham fabric over the lid and either replace the ring or tie the fabric on with a piece of ribbon. Place the jars into a basket, add a loaf of freshly baked French bread and watch the delight dance across your friend's face.

Another specialty treat from the garden is a jar of dilly beans or dilly carrots. Add 1 garlic clove, 1 dill head and ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper to a sterilized pint jar. Fill it with straight string beans or small carrots.

Make brine out of 2 ½ cups white vinegar, 2 ½ cups water and ¼ cup Kosher salt. Bring the brine to a boil and pour it into the jars, leaving ½ inch of headspace. Wipe the jars down, add hot lids and rings and place them into a kettle filled with hot water. Make sure the jars are covered by two inches of water. Bring the pot to a boil and continue boiling for 10 minutes. Remove the jars and let them cool for 24 hours before sampling. Discard any jars that do not seal or show signs of spoilage.

Fresh veggies of any sort are also a wonderful friendship gift. But when it comes to the garden, the best gift of all is to teach a new gardener how to tend a garden and how to preserve his produce.

Special Friendship Gifts
Add your own personal twist, and you're sure to create memorable friendship gifts. If you are a writer, write your friend a poem. If you are an artist, paint a picture of your friend, her pet or her house. You could also snap a few photos, which can be blown up and framed. If you are into gardening and landscaping, surprise your friend by sprucing up her beds, or dropping off one of her favorite potted plants.

Some treasured homemade gifts are bird baths, butterfly watering holes and stepping stones. When making a stepping stone, a square pizza box or a round container such as a milk jug will do. Cut off the front of the pizza box or about half of the milk jug. Make sure the depth of the container is at least 2 ½ inches, or the cement may crack or break easily. Pour prepared cement into the container and then mosaic the top of the stepping stone with marbles, colored glass and broken bits of china.

To make the birdbath, you'll need a huge rhubarb leaf, cement and a bucketful of sand. Dump the sand all in one spot. Smooth it into a hump that looks like the inside of a spoon. Place the leaf, top side down, over the sand carefully, then pour a thick layer of cement over the leaf, pressing lightly and evenly to make sure the veins in the leaf show up on the inside of the finished product. Allow to cure for several days before lifting the cement and removing the leaf from the inside of the birdbath. You may need to use a scrub brush to remove the leaf. This type of birdbath is perfect when nestled within an herb bed.