Easy To Do Handcrafted Holiday Gift

With the holidays upon us, my thoughts are turning towards gifts for family and friends. If you are like me, money is tight, and often I am not sure what what to give to those I love.

I recently came up with an idea that I thought was worth sharing with you. I am not much of an artsy crafty type person, when I have attempted projects in the past they have always turned out very amateurish looking, certainly nothing I would feel comfortable giving as a gift!

But there is one craft that is easy to do, can be very stylish, and very inexpensive to make.

Eyeglass chains are easy to craft, and make an elegant gift for anyone who wears sunglasses or prescription glasses!

I discovered this when my husband lost his favorite eyeglass chain. I had searched high and low for a replacement, but could find nothing comparable to what he had before. So I decided to try my hand at making him a new one.

I went to our local bead store and picked out the colors and types of beads I knew he would like. For his, I used a lot of turquoise and wood beads. You can buy the double hoop eyeglass attachments, some strong bead thread, a couple of crimp beads, and begin stringing your way to making really great Christmas gifts to give to your family and friends!

Besides being a very simple project, it is also a lot of fun and allows your creativity to flourish! Think about the person you are making the eyeglass chain for, and what colors they may enjoy. You can make the eyeglass chains (also called lanyards) very masculine, as i did with my husbands, frilly and feminine, or in between!

When you visit your local crafts or bead store tell the salesperson what you are making, and you will receive lots of free advice and guidance to help buy all the right material that you will need. They can help you find the eyeglass hoops, and the crimping beads, and give you even more tips on how to make your project a success.

When you are selecting your beads, pay attention to size and weight. Although some of the bigger beads may be beautiful, you do not want to add a lot of weight to your chain. Definitely vary the size and shape of your beads though for a more unique eyeglass chain.

Once you get your beads home, use an empty egg carton to store your beads in. All the little compartments offer a great way to keep your beads sorted.

Buy a few of the cardboard jewelery boxes to package your gifts in, and make up little tags stating "Handcrafted by Carol" (Use your name, of course!)

Your gift will be unique and special, a one of a kind gift that your recipient will surely enjoy!