Creating Christmas gifts

If you're hoping to personalize Christmas for your friends and family, it's time to start looking for items that can help you along your way.

As retailers plan their stock for Black Friday, they are forced to liquidate older items to free up shelf space. Small junk and thrift shops are also planning for Christmas -- whether it be for their own family or the mission they help support -- so items are to be found all around.

Here's a list of items to pick up and a few ways to make use of them this holiday season.

Picture frames

Picking up picture frames when they're on discount or clearance can help you in a pinch. The most obvious use is to share pictures with family, but you can also frame colored paper or poems. Small frames can be used as place cards at the dinner table or as gift tags. Then the receiver can reuse the frame for their own memento.

The key to grouping picture frames is to choose a general size or to select frames that are all the same color. If you can't find frames the same color, use some spray paint to match your table design. Different sized frames that are all circular or square also make a nice grouping.

Napkins and tea towels

The great thing about napkins is that they're usually the same size as a standard decorative pillow. Buy a few of the same color or style to make pillow covers.

Just sew two together, leaving a hole on one side to stuff a pillow form into. Then whip-stitch the hole closed and you're ready to rest your head.

Buy some that match your friends' decorating schemes and embellish them with beads, buttons, or embroidery to give them personality. Now you've got a gift that really keeps on giving.

Tea towels can also be used for gifts with a little embellishment.

Buy some that are as plain as possible and add ribbon or embroidery to make them pop.

You can also stencil monograms or a kitchen motif on the towels and give them as gifts.

Trays and dishes

Small silver serving trays can make a mundane gift seem stately. Shine up an inexpensive tray and stick that gift card to the center with double-sided tape. Then wrap the whole thing in colored cellophane and tie it up with a nice, large bow.

Serving trays can also hold snacks on tables throughout the house so guests are encouraged to mingle about to taste all of your goodies.

And don't pass up dishes. You don't need a full set to make them beautiful. Find a lovely teacup and plate, stick a gift card or small trinket inside, and wrap it all in cellophane. A nice serving dish or large plate can also be a nice palate for a holiday offering.

Speaking of holiday offerings, don't overlook mismatched dishes on the dinner table. Look for plates with a matching color scheme or style, but don't worry about them being from the exact same pattern. A little whimsy can add a lot of personality to your table.

Planning ahead can help prepare you for the busy upcoming season. And you'll never be without that last-minute gift.

Tins and other containers

Pick up some old cookie or popcorn tins at your local junk store and save them up for wrapping your gifts. It's a great way to recycle and helps travelers keep their new stuff together on the trip home.

Old tins with Christmas themes can be used as is, but even tins with designs that don't strike your fancy can be used. Metal spray paint can work wonders and help you give a consistent look to your wrapping.

Once the containers are painted a solid color, you can go back and stencil on designs with acrylic paint or glue ribbon around the sides.

And don't overlook wooden or glass containers. Giving them a good wash and a ribbon may be enough, but you can also add colored cellophane and silk flowers to really show them off. Even if it doesn't have a lid, it can be used for gift giving.

Vanessa Cook is a former copy editor for the Southeast Missourian who dabbles in decorating.