I find myself feeling very accomplished this week. After a delicious and only slightly hectic Thanksgiving, my husband and I were able to wrap up all of our holiday shopping over the weekend. That's right, I'm one of those people this year, the ones with the to-do list all marked off. But before you post my picture up for target practice, let me share a realization I had just a few hours ago.

My children haven't finished, or even started, their holiday presents yet. I love letting the kids pick out presents for each other and other family members. We'll usually make a trip to the dollar store, hand them each $10, and let them go crazy. It does require some gentle reminders that they're looking for presents for somebody  else, but it's fun to see what they pick out and hear why. But this year, I'm thinking of going a different route. That's right, I'm braving the craft supplies and we're going to make presents.

Here's the situation. With a couple of sets of grandparents, cousins, each other, and keeping their teachers in mind, buying a present for everybody on my kids' wish lists isn't very plausible. But I'm thinking, with a little organization, creativity, and a whole lot of help from Google, we can certainly make something for everybody. So far my favorites center around photo gifts, bath salts, and baking artwork onto a mug.

For many of us, life often forces us to be creative, which is awesome. The inventions that we take for granted today weren't bought by somebody on Amazon. I know that the kids will enjoy making gifts for their friends and family, and that we'll build some memories in the meantime. If you find yourself staring at a long shopping list this holiday season, maybe you should join me in my quest for DIY gift giving success. Check out my page on Pinterest for some ideas. Here's just a few:

1. Photo Key chains! Sure you can get them from a photo site, but you can make them for a lot less with a whole lot more personality.

2. Custom magnets. If you have three little ones, you'll never have enough magnets to display artwork on the fridge.

3. Jewelry! Okay, so maybe not for everyone, but did you know you can bake marbles and tum them into jewelry?

This week, I'll be wearing my elf hat and making presents with the kids. If you're still in the holiday shopping mode and need some extra cash, make sure to check out Afena. You can get started with a Christmas club for next year at the same time. I'm Claire, the Afena blog mom. Thanks for reading.