I have plenty of ideas for christmas...marble magnets, marble tacks, lip balm, magnet poetry, bath salts and etc. But I don't think the guys in my family will appreciate it that much. Like my dad, uncle, brothers and boyfriend.

Any ideas for gifts for guys that are either all involved or with families? i.e. no nude pics or nude-y anything. I like useful gifts too. Hmmmm. *scratching noggin*

Please help! :)

Lissa

make em t-shirts with cool pictures and that glue transfer stuff.

knit/crochet/sew a scarf or hat

coupons...especially for bf.

meal in a jar...noodles, spices, etc.

cookies in a jar

food already made, like cookies or candies.

picture frames

hobby kit

movie night kit

for me and my bf's anniversary, i used porcelain paint to decorate a cornflakes bowl and mug for him. the bowl turned out completely blue with cute little messages scratched on the paint inside, and on the mug i painted the logo of his favorite soccer team. (which was harder than expected!)
this is a pretty easy project... u could even make your entire family personalized mugs or bowls or whatever!

I think you may be able to make marble magnets for a guy depending on what pictures you use. I made some for my boyfriend using pictures I found in his computer magazines. He put them on his cubicle at work and his co-workers went nuts for them!

I have lots of trouble when it comes to choosing gifts for guys. They usually end up with a sweater, book, or DVD. boring boring stuff.

-Anna

i have lots of good guy ideas - most involve decoupage. sigh. earlier this summer i was going to write an article about guy gifts and shop it out to magazines, but now it's really too late. oh well.

make a light switch plate with his favorite team, a 2002 calendar, a tray to eat football treats from, cd clocks, soap with plastic footballs or sports stuff inside, coasters, etched glass, crochet golf club covers ... in my own family, my one brother is getting a set of pillows made with fabric with his favorite team (let's go jets!!) and the other is getting a wooden tray decoupaged with soccer players. my boyfriend is getting etched pilsner glasses, and my father is getting probably an etched jar to hold some change in (he collects coins, so i'll probably try to do something coin related as the etching).

Ok, this is kind of on the same track. I've been absolutely smitten with the same guy since 10th grade (now we're both freshmen in [the same!] college), but the problem is that we are pretty good friends too.

I don't need relationship advice (well, really I do, but I won't get into it right now) but I never know what to get him for christmas, his birthday, etc. I always want to get him something really nice (you know, because I heart him), but I don't want to freak him out.

I need something nice and thoughtful, but nothing *girlfriendy* because, well, as much I wish it weren't true, I'm not his girlfriend. Grrr. Any ideas?

-Stephanie

Stephanie: I've got a great guy friend that I heart too. In the past I have given him nice camoflauge snowboarding goggles, lego skateboarder with ramp, wool socks...all stuff he has loved but wasn't girlfriendy...too bad I don't have any money anymore :(

Lissa

these are all such good ideas, totally wasted on "the boy" (that's what my mom calls him). all he wants is the ed wood boxed set in the fuzzy pink angora box. *sigh* at least he keeps me amused(however out of funds).
-em

There's a running theme with gifts for my boyfriend. They usually involve some of the following:

*computer stuff
*car stuff
*sport (racing) stuff
*coffee and coffee things
*electronics (CDs, movies, video games)
*books
*clothes

As you can see, most of this stuff can't be made. When it comes to crafts, there isn't much that I do that my boyfriend would be really interested in (he likes what I make, but its all rather girly). But, there have been a few crafty things that I made that he did really enjoy (fleece blanket, magnetic poetry, marble magnets, baked goods, coasters).

boys....argh!

good luck,
--punky

ahh well, this is what im doing for the boy that i heart, and my guy friends... im making them stuff from their favorite bands.. like one is obesessed w/the cure, the other the smashing pumpkins, and another weezer.

so what ive done so far is decopauged band logos/pictures/lyrics on to these tiles that i got and painted, as coasters.

im also in an attempt to find old t-shirts from said bands so that i can cut them up and make them into pillows...

other ideas, take their favorite song lyric and some stencils and spray paint it onto a t-shirt for that oh so punk rawk look....

baking food is always good. so are blank journals. mix tapes. mix cds. every guy i know enjoys a good cd or tape w/thought put into it.

if you have a running inside joke with them, try to find something that relates to that as well. that way, you know, its not *girlfriendy* but it shows that you remember what they say and that you yanno, like them.

those are my suggestions for now. hope it helps... :)

I think since all by guy friends/family like to watch movies I'm gonna make a theme basket type thing with a hastings gift card, popcorn, and candy. Not too crafty but not totally 'picked up at the store the day before christmas.'

Has anyone else noticed my spelling keeps getting worse. oh well...

Keep the ideas coming if you can think of 'em and thanks for the ones posted.

Lissa

I saw a cool idea in a Martha book - pillows from old sweaters. I bet you kind find some nice, manly sweaters to cover craft pillows with.

Does anyone know where I can get a non-stupid looking pattern for slippers for my dad? Everything I have found so far is either for crocheted (not very manly) or bootie-style. Yuck.

i'm doing a picture frame for my dad to keep in his workshop that's covered in nuts and bolts... my little brother is pretty easy, last year one of the tiny gifts i sent him was gum made to look like bologna. he still giggles about it. but anyway, boys like pictures. and pictures go in frames. i framed a ski pass for my snowboarder boyfriend one year, he thought it was nifty. endless possibilities there.

x jessie x

Um, some of my boys get mint body lotion, and like it. Mint, the Manly Smell. Heh.

I always find that if you're in real doubt about what to make a guy -- make him food.

Back in the day when I had money... I made my boyfriend cd/dvd box sets (for movies that weren't already in a box set). I'd buy a cheap DVD organizer and decorate it. That was some pricey shit though... this was a couple years ago.

One idea that I had, that I don't know if it can even be done anymore... was to make them mixed CD's. With the lack o'napster and the requirement of a burner and maybe even a high speed connection... this probably isn't too useful either.

I made my brother magnets with less-than-wholesome pictures -- but you didn't want anything nekkid. The magnets by the way were for his work van, and not his 'fridge that incidently he shares with his wife. He did say the guys down at the construction site did like my magnets. I asked him to maybe hook me up and give one of the better looking ones my phone number, but he didn't... oh.. i'm off topic now...

Kinda depends on the guy. I can give my one brother a fuzzy kitten oven mit and he'll think it's cute and love it.

One year at work I made everyone mugs with FIMO charicatures. It took way too long, and since I didn't plan it well enough, I couldn't make that many. You could do something like that. All it was was a mug from wal-mart (cost under a dollar) with a clay charicature sitting on top. I baked the figure on to the mug, and when it was cooked I gently removed the figure and glued it into place and then coated it in some sculpty varnish.

YAY! Christmas is 46 days away!!!
BUMP

Ugh! Don't remind me! ;) I need to get to work on my xmas gifts. My little brothers are going to get some Dollar store crap!

As for movie gift baskets/kits:
Last year my boyfriend's step-sister and her husband gave us one of these, and we really loved it (and we were very surprised because we hardly know them). They included Blockbuster gift certificates (they sell $5 books of them, each book contains five $1 things), popcorn, candy, and Coke in Santa collecter bottles.

His mom gave us a coffee can full of cookies along with other stuff. She covered the can with wrapping paper, and it looked really nice.

Mixes in bottles are also good. I've posted this link before, but here it is again:

Soup:>http://soup.allrecipes.com/directory/3258.asp

Cookies:>http://allrecipes.com/directory/571.asp

The Sand Art Brownies sound like fun. The recipes are rated and reviewed, and I reccommend reading the reviews because people tend to leave tips on how to make them better and/or gift ideas.

Oh! And Chex mix type stuff is always good.

When in doubt, give them food!

i quite liked this thread, and i'm also looking for ideas on what to make my boyfriend this chirstmas....i'm buying him some things (sweater, cologne) and baking him something like cookies cuz he has a sweet tooth, but i usually like to add something handmade for the people i'm close to. i like the movie basket idea..i may do that. i was also thinking to knit socks. is that too dorky? lol...i liked the fleece blanket idea too. i was thinking of making myself one....maybe i'll make him one as well. though he doenst' get cold much (which cancels out the hat or mittens or scarf idea....) blah. more ideas!

If you live near an IKEA, check out the stuff they have that you can decorate yourself - last weekend I found wine racks (super cheap!) that are unfinished, so I'm going to paint one for my aunt and uncle. There are also shelves and stuff (like, if your dad happens to be very disorganized or something :-)

Well, i'm also having difficulties with my guy i <3. I's thinkin' a blank noteook for his lyrics and stuff. that i decopauge with DBC pix and this kewl pic of gumby playin' the guitar. it'll say "david's jots scribbles and lyrical masterpieces" and i DBC patch that i make 4 him.

another i'll give somthin' very impersonal. he just totaly blew my BFF off and didn't "properly breakup w/ her" a cd ur sumit

and last but not least. magnets... guy magnets. let's keep in mind he lives with his parents. so no pin up girls (thoigh i thought that was a cute idea) manly magnets :S help!

edited 2 say: for some other friends of mine i'm makin' them some coffe soap in a coffe mug with a thing of coffe and some o those chocolate spoos ur sumthin

yeah..*laugh* I wish my guy's were all into sports, n'stuff..But nooooo..he has to be a writer that doesn't eat much, and has more clothes than me. *laugh* and my brother, I could do the marble magnets of little computers and stuff, to stick in his dorm room or something...He loves computer geeky stuff.

but my dad! what do I get my dad? I could do a magazine holder for his workshop..
but still, any idea's for literary boyfreind?

how about making some magnetic poetry? or maybe decorating a journal. i covered the front of a black journal with red velvet, and then glued a black japanese dragon on it (he's very into japanese writing and dragons). it looked so great!
Jenna

Sooo many good ideas! (I'd love to know more on making the coffee soap.) I don't know if the guys on my list appreciate homemade stuff much. My dad is safe because he still treats the stuff I make like I was a little kid and could do (make) no wrong! (Love dad sooo much!) But hubby, uncles, and almost-related boys in the family are tricky. Some only want fishing or computer stuff and otheres only car racing or super-pricey music gear - sigh....

Whatever they end up getting, I'll likely supplement it with at least some homemade cookies or candies since that's usually safe.

And for some of the inlaw guys who are never pleased with anything (with their noses so high in the air and this rainy area where we live, I'm amazed they haven't drowned yet!).... maybe a donation to Greenpeace for the hunter and one to N.O.W. for the chauvenist??? ;^ )

My boy is IMPOSSIBLE!! Hes a music geek and a film major. He has all the DVDs he wants pretty much, and the things he doesnt have are WAY to expensive for me to get him. He's very into classic rock, Govt Mule is his favorite band, he plays bass and guitar and wants to make movies for a living. I on the other hand am a little ska girl who teaches pre school and has no ability in the musical instument catagory. HELP!!!!!!

ebay -ebay - ebay

for sweeties who have fave classic rock band(s) - check ebay for collectibles - they have tons of obscure stuff sure to make a collector's heart go all pitter-pat! (works for my guy at least ;^ ) )