Homemade Towel Gifts for Kids

• It might not be the most exciting gift, but children will enjoy their own homemade towels. towel image by Alison Bowden from Fotolia.com

  Giving useful gifts to children, especially things like towels, doesn't always compare with gifts of toys. Surprise them by turning their towels into fun, creative gifts that encourage them to use their imagination. Every time they go to wash their hands or have a bath, they'll remember the special origin of their towel.

Hand Towel Cupcakes

• Give them cupcakes but hold the sugar. For chocolate or strawberry flavors use brown or pink towels and for vanilla, use white. If you want your cupcake to look like it has sprinkles, try a spotted towel. Fold the towel into a long rectangle and roll it up so the middle is a bit higher than the edges. Pin the end or wrap it with ribbon and tie it so it won't unroll. Place it in a colorful large cupcake holder - check your local party supply store to find one - and top with a paper or plastic cherry on top. You could also use other plastic cupcake toppers such as clowns or ballerinas.

Cross Stitched or Embroidered Towels

• Create a unique towel for the recipient by cross stitching or embroidering a piece of art on it, along with their name, their initials or even a special saying. Find patterns to use that match the child's hobbies or interests or draw your own picture on the towel in washable ink. Embroider or cross stitch the towel with thread until you've replicated the picture or words.

Towel Cake

• Spruce up your towel gift by turning it into a surprise layered cake. Fold the larger towels into rectangles with a width high enough to serve as the bottom layers of your "cake." Hand towels or face cloths can make up the smaller top layers. Roll the rectangles up tightly and secure the ends with safety pins. Place the rolls on end so that only the outer layer shows and stack in descending size. Go overboard with fun decorations by using ribbon, buttons, pearls, silk flowers and other cake toppers to provide the finishing touches.

Towel Cape

• This towel does double duty as a superhero's cape after the bath is done for the night. Choose a brightly colored towel, not longer than the child is tall. Securely attach washable ribbon or fabric strips to the top two corners. These can tie up around the child's neck to attach the cape (make sure to always observe the child when he plays with this as it's never a good idea to allow children to place items around their necks without supervision). If you want to put a logo or design on the towel, consider sewing on pieces of other old towels so they will still hold moisture.