• Crafts make wonderful gifts for friends.arts and crafts image by Gina Smith from Fotolia.com
  
  Handmade crafts make special gifts for friends who appreciate creativity, artistry and artisanal presents. Possible craft gift ideas include knit and crocheted items, hand-sewn clothing, scale models, beadwork items, homemade toys, hand-woven baskets, candles, candle holders and games. Craft gifts that you make yourself will send the message that you truly care for your friends. Personalizing crafts you buy from others to reflect your friends' interests makes for a delightful surprise.
  
  

Crocheted Amigurumi Gifts

• Amigurumi is the Japanese art of crocheting creatures and stuffed toys.crochet project image by robert mobley from Fotolia.com
  
  Amigurumi is the Japanese art of crocheting various creatures and stuffed toys such as kitties, aliens, jellyfish, squid and even movie characters. Use free online tutorials to learn how to create your own amigurumi creatures. Crochet Pattern Central offers over 90 categories of links to free crochet patterns and directions for how to make crocheted owls, bunnies, robots and even cute little crocheted movie characters like Yoda or a gremlin. Customize the crocheted creatures with felt and additional designs of your own. Once you get a feel for how the patterns work, create your own designs inspired by your friend's interests for a customized gift.
  
  

Artisan Candles

• Artisan candles will remind your friends of your generosity every time they light them.candles image by Ekaterina Lozanova from Fotolia.com
  
  Handmade artisan candles can make an elegant, stylish and decorative gift. Scented candles made with essential oils and soy-based wax or beeswax will delight even the most sensitive noses and bring the calming benefits of aromatherapy each time your friend lights them. Martha Stewart suggests making molded candles using small milk cartons or the cardboard from a paper towel roll for the molds. Use beeswax for a sweeter and cleaner burn than paraffin. You can also make dipped taper candles the way they have been made for ages using long wicks with weights on each end and dipped multiple times into wax. For one-of-a-kind molded candles, use an acorn squash as a mold.
  
  

Beadwork Gifts

• Intricate beadwork is stunning to behold.beads image by Irish i from Fotolia.com
  
  Beadwork crafts make great gifts your crafty and detail-oriented friends will appreciate. Use beads to create beautiful patterns on purses, bracelets, necklaces, clothing and just about any other accessory imaginable. Make a bracelet by drilling holes through the sides of wooden Scrabble tiles and use beads as spacers between each tile. Spell out a name or a significant word with the lettered tiles and add a clasp to the string. Make a beaded bracelet using glass beads and stretch cord or use hemp cord and seed beads to make a macrame-style wish bracelet. You can also use beads to adorn sandal straps, watch straps, hair clips and necklaces. Craftbits provides free, clear directions for over a hundred bead projects.