HOLIDAYS : Handmade & Heartfelt : Gifts bearing the loving stamp of the giver are fun to create and joyous to receive.

Christmas is usually a joyous time, but economic woes might hamper any lavish plans for holiday spending this year. One way to stretch dollars and offer mean ingful gifts is to make them.

Handmade gifts aren’t limited to the dreaded fruitcake or predictable holiday cookie offerings. The decorations described here--similar to many sold in better stores and catalogues--can easily be made at home, most for less than $15 each.

Making gifts not only teaches children the value of handiwork, it also provides a nonfattening holiday bonding experience, encourages thriftiness and is downright fun, says Tarzana-based Leann Hudacek, assistant manager at Michael’s Stores Inc., an arts and crafts chain.

“Holiday classes are up over last year and so are requests for more,” Hudacek says.

Classes with children are especially popular. The store’s weekly Kids’ Club class attracted 64 children this fall, up dramatically from a usual enrollment of 15.

Once you have the materials in hand, making items is easier than busy people think. The five projects suggested take about one hour or less to complete, almost as much time as it takes to find a parking place during the holidays at a mall.

Skill isn’t a must. No sewing, cooking or woodwork is required. Most can be completed by children alone, or may be made under adult supervision.

Topiary Tree

Total time: 45 minutes

Cost of materials for each: $8

Cost of finished items in store: $20-$40

Difficulty: Easy to medium

At a craft store, purchase:

spray paint (metallic shades are nice)

red and green puff paint (mix to make brown for this project)

a dowel (sold in multiple bag packs)

a bag of decorative moss

ivory paper plant pots

flexible wire (preferably green florist wire)

wire-reinforced ribbon florist clay

From the grocery store, purchase:

a couple of bags of rosemary (unless you have some in your garden)

Spray-paint the pot and let dry. Paint the dowel brown while you wait. Once the pot is dry, place a wad of florist clay on the bottom of the bucket and position the dowel so it is straight. Scoop moss into the bucket and make sure the dowel is centered and straight.

With about a yard of wire, make an 8-shaped figure, and fold it in half to end up with two circles on top of each other. Weave the rosemary into the ring and secure the ends with florist wire.

Tip: home-grown, curly rosemary works best for the circle shape. When using store-bought, the “palm” variety tree is the best bet.

To make the palm shape, bundle your rosemary and slip it into the dowel, doubling the dowel by twisting the wire as you would a bread tie and turning the remaining ends to the back of the dowel. Secure with additional wire strips.

Make a small bow from the French wire ribbon to attach to the dowel (below the greenery) and another for the paper bucket.

Two completed topiary trees make great centerpieces or adornments for the buffet, and stay fresh for about five days if real herbs are used.

Oil / Vinegar Bottles

Total time: 15 minutes

Cost of materials: $7

Cost in stores: $15

Difficulty: Easy

From a store like Cost Plus or Pier I, purchase:

a decorative bottle (most start at about $4) and come with a cork--or save more money by cleaning an old wine bottle and removing the label.

From a grocery store, purchase:

plain red wine vinegar or olive oil

dried chilies or other green herbs

From a craft store purchase:

raffia--a straw-like ribbon

Leftover from topiary tree project:

the remaining rosemary.

Retrieve a funnel from your kitchen cupboard. Pour the oil or vinegar into the empty vial. Add the chili peppers or rosemary. Attach a ribbon and a gift tag. Optional: add recipes for salads or dressings and slip into a decorative “wine” wrap-style bag.

Children’s Memory Book

Total time: 30 minutes

Cost of materials: $5

Cost in stores: $30

Difficulty: Easy. More elaborate books made with handmade paper may not be appropriate for kids, so making them at home makes more financial sense.

From the grocery store, purchase:

plain brown lunch sacks

poster board (if you don’t have any shirt cardboard)

a hole punch

From the craft store, purchase:

red and green fabric paint with a pointed cap for “drawing”

gold spray paint

Keep on hand leftover from oil/vinegar bottle project:

raffia

Remove a number of lunch bags from the package, depending on how thick you want the memory book to be. Punch holes in the center of the bottom of the bag (measure if you have a single punch so holes are centered in the bag bottom). Set aside.

Cut two cardboard sheets from the store-bought poster board or use shirt cardboard. Decorate the outside of the memory book with sponge paintings, seasonal messages or festive rubber stamps. Let covers dry thoroughly, then punch holes on the covers, match up the holes and string raffia through them. The completed book features bags with open ends ready to stuff with Christmas cards or other reasonably flat treasures.

Mesh Votive Holders

Total time: 15 minutes

Cost in materials: $2.50 each

Cost in stores: $15.50 each

Difficulty: Easy, but strength required to trim mesh. Children using scissors should be supervised.

From a hardware or home improvement store, purchase:

1 square yard of screen door mesh

From a craft store, purchase:

small cheap glass votive holders

votive candles

Leftover from memory book:

gold spray paint

You will need a pair of sturdy scissors or wire cutters from the toolbox. Simply trim a square about 6 inches on each side and use as a guide to recut as many votive candle holders as you want to make.

Place the mesh on a flat surface, then put the votive holder on top of the middle of the screen, holding it down securely.

Simply pull up each corner of the square until the candle is evenly centered. Crush to achieve desired appearance. Remove the votive holder, spray-paint the mesh and let dry thoroughly. Rest the votive inside the mesh and arrange mesh to balance the candle.

Wooden

Charger Plates

(Decorative plates slid under china that double as place mats.)

Total time: 30 minutes

Cost of materials: $12 each per plate plus paints and decorative trims

Cost in stores: $25 each for solid color stained plates

Difficulty: Easy, tool-free--little parental supervision required

From the craft store, purchase:

unfinished wooden charger plates

flat jewels (optional)

Keep on hand from earlier projects:

mesh

gold spray paint

red and green paints

Decide on the decorative painting approach you wish to take--drizzle painting, stencil with Christmas motifs or sponge painting. Here, a plate is spray-painted, adorned with faux crystals and mesh left over from the votive holder project. Glue or paint accordingly. Let dry thoroughly. One plate was stained red and green, spray-painted gold and decorated with fabric paints left over from the memory book project.