"Handmade gifts are a favorite gift idea for the holidays, as handcrafted presents have more of a personal touch to the recipient," says Grace Mayweather, owner of craft and gift site Sheer Blooms. "These also tend to be more meaningful than shopping (in a big-box or department store)." When gifts are original and it takes time and effort to make them, there's a level of excitement for and appreciation of all the effort the giver has devoted to the present.

Mayweather says that one-of-a-kind, handmade gifts are exciting because "people value things more when they know they are rare."

When you're giving Christmas gifts, it can often be difficult to find the perfect item at the perfect price. If you want to put in effort to delight the recipient with a present that fits several criteria (personal, sentimental, useful, unique and so on), handmade gifts will often fit the bill. When it comes to the financial aspect of homemade gifts, homemade will usually turn into a budget-saver that looks more expensive than it is. "I make tie-dyed totes, in my friends' favorite colors, as gifts," says crafter Elizabeth Owens. "They look like the expensive ones you see on influencers' Instagram stories, but no one can tell that I spend about $12 for my materials on each tote. My work time isn't charged, because these gifts come from the heart."

Are homemade gifts always an impressive cost-cutter? No, not always. It's possible to spend a lot more for handmade items when you consider materials, equipment like a Cricut machine, stencils, a glue gun, glue sticks, glitter and sealant. "And triple that when your projects don't come out the way you would have liked, and you have to start over by remaking these gifts or choosing another craft project and loading up on supplies," says crafter Jo Wilson.

So, it's not always guaranteed that your homemade gift will be a savings of money. Just take budget-smart steps like the following.

-- You absolutely can add craft store sales, coupons and points to your crafting arsenal, which bring your outlay down even further.

-- Look at different types of fabrics, as you might discover an alternative style that costs half as much and may be easier to sew or glue.

-- See if crafter friends have any materials you can buy at steep discounts or trade for items in your own crafting supply cases.

-- Search neighborhood sales Facebook pages to safely shop garage sales or relieve a fellow crafter of their excess craft supplies. "People often buy lots of items when they want to try an art form, and if it doesn't go well, they seek to resell their supplies," says Wilson.

Use Coco Chanel's advice and take one thing off your design so that it's not too overdone. Those $5 paillettes, six packs of them, can go.

Here are some of the most popular homemade gifts this holiday season:

-- Jewelry.

-- Tumblers with names or sayings on them.

-- Coasters.

-- Crocheted hair scrunchies (particularly popular right now).

-- Journals with hand-drawn artistic opening pages, along with stickers and other journaling accessories.

-- A glass jar filled with homemade or purchased mini gifts or treats. Jill Nystul, expert at OneGoodThingbyJillee.com, says, "Instead of using a basket, which the recipient may or may not actually use, I decided to arrange gifts in one of my favorite large glass jars" from a big-box store. "The jars themselves are endlessly useful, and using one as the 'package' for a few smaller gifts is not only perfectly practical, but it looks beautiful, too!" Nystul mentions filling your "gift in a jar" with such things as candy; spa items; movie night snacks and gift cards for streaming services or movie rentals; or book-themed items like bookmarks, a mini-reading-light clip and bookstore gift cards.

-- Bath bombs.

-- Wine charms.

-- Weighted face masks, with aromatherapy beads inside or paired with an aromatherapy spray.

-- Photo artistry, such as hand-drawing a version of a favorite photo or using Photoshop special effects for different designs such as comic book art, watercolor and stained glass.

Don't forget that "handmade" doesn't have to be made by you. Look for budget-friendly gifts handmade by other artisans such as those in developing countries or in co-ops. These creations may strike the perfect balance for your recipient and give back to the artist and his or her community. That's a lovely gift!