With holiday parties in full swing, there’s not much time left for anything but stuffing yourself with high-calorie dips and eating cookies by the plate full. Still have gifts to get and piles of presents to wrap? No sweat, there’s enough time for a few simple handmade gifts that look great, don’t cost much, don’t require a trip to the dreaded mall and won’t keep you up until the wee hours of the morn. All the supplies can be picked up at your local craft shop, fabric store or the grocery store. Easy peasy.

From Angry Chicken’s kitchen, cake in a jar. This is the perfect project to tackle a large group and mind your budget. The options are endless, it’s super simple and totally adorable. Slap a bow on ‘em and call it done.

If you can tie a knot you’re all set for this project. No-sew fleece blankets are great gifts for everyone from babies to grandmas. Scale back the basic pattern and make a toasty scarf. Creative Jewish Mom has a great tutorial that won’t leave you wishing you’d paid more attention in math class.

I’m a big fan of felt; it’s cheap, readily available and comes in a zillion fabulous colors. For a couple bucks you can score a felt rainbow to make these cool ornaments by Zakka Life. No sewing machine required.

Here’s a cute project with a free printable design from Mushy that can be put together in a jiffy with a mug for your favorite chocolate lover. Bonus, this project is the perfect excuse to sip some cocoa while you work!

Make a “green” gift for your socially conscious pal. With a stash of ready-made canvas totes (check the craft aisle at the fabric store) and a package of iron-on transfer paper you can whip up a set of reusable shopping bags that will impress. From experience I can tell you that using a craft knife to cut out your image will make it look much more professional. Here’s a tutorial from Martha.

This simple sugar scrub uses a whopping two ingredients – olive oil and sugar. Whip up a big batch, package in small glass canning jars. Use a pretty ribbon to tie a handmade tag with instructions on and you’re golden.

A pretty package will make all the difference in the recipients perception of your gift. Use real ribbon instead of the crummy plastic stuff and make sure you set aside enough time to wrap in slightly less than a frenzy. A nice gift will look cheap if it looks like it’s been wrapped by the Tazmanian Devil. If your wrapping skills leave something to be desired, check out this tutorial for some great tips.

I hope a little handmade goodness finds it way to you. Happy holidays to you all!

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Holly is the Arts & Crafts Editor for Girls Guide. You can check out her site, South City Studio, to see her handmade jewelry, read about her upcoming craft shows and learn more about her artsy self. You can contact Holly by Emailing her – holly [at] girlsguidetothegalaxy [dot] com, and you can follow her on Twitter – @southcitystudio.