Homemade Gifts - Do You Do Them?

Our family has decided to make the majority of the presents we give this year for the holidays. We would like to contribute to consumerism as little as possible and give people something special that we created ourselves. We're thinking of making baked goods, spice blends, and sewn items (to name a few). 

The spice blend idea is a pretty fun one that my culinary-genius Husband thought up. I got the recipes to share with you all! We used large jars to do the mixing, after which we will put in smaller jars for the presents. 

Herbs de Provence

2 parts dried savory

1 part dried basil

1 part dried oregano

1/2 part dried mint

1/2 part dried rosemary

1/2 part dried fennel

1/2 part salt

1 part dried lavender 

Put together and mix or shake!

Husband's (Not Exactly 5) 5 Spice Blend

7 or 8 anise pods

2 tsp dried fennel

1 tbsp Szechuan peppercorns

1 tbsp cloves

2 3" cinnamon sticks

1 tbsp ground allspice

Toast in pan over med-high heat until fragrant, then grind and add:

1/2 tbsp ground white pepper

1/2 tbsp Himalayan sea salt 

Check out this (hilarious + epic) slow-mo video of the toasting process, starring The Man Himself, my mister :

Are you making homemade gifts this year? I would love to hear your ideas, too! ^_^