As we stumble into the land of December frenzy, I thought I’d share a couple of really (really!) simple, but still handmade gift ideas that are tried and true and also easy enough to still pull off in the next couple weeks.

First up- these metallic alphabet wooden blocks.

These hit the trifecta of gift perfection- personal, easy and inexpensive. Just gather alphabet blocks that spell a name or message (when we lived in Denver, I had great luck finding wooden alphabet blocks at our local thrift store), cover with several coats of metallic spray paint (allow ample drying time between coats), and tie up with string.

Fun to give, great to receive, gorgeous to look at- these make such a great gift!

ps- The spray paint on these blocks means, of course, that you shouldn’t give these to someone who’d be prone to try to eat them (aka- a really small child). Just FYI.