I discovered the perfect gift this year for Christmas. I gave out ten of these things, and everyone adores them (and the people who didn't get one wish they had). They're great for men or women (of all ages, except maybe little kids), they're easy to make, they require few materials, and they aren't expensive. These amazing gifts are, of course... rice-filled heat packs.

I made ten of these things, and I only just started sewing in October. I'm working on a tute to put on my blog, but there are several great ones on Craftster. The basic steps to my version are: fold a rectangle of cotton in half lengthwise and sew up the sides; turn it inside out and fill it with rice (scented rice if you want! I used a few drops of candle fragrance in a big bowl of rice to make mine smell like lavender and vanilla); sew the top closed (I sewed across it twice to deter spillage); sew a sham cover for it so if it gets dirty, you can take off the cover and wash it (since the inner pack can't get wet or it can get gross and moldy).

I've already been informed by some of my recipients that these are great for: post-yoga muscle relief; pre-bedtime relaxation; mid-PMS cramp relief; dead-of-winter foot/bed warmer; backache deterrent. I also learned somewhere (probably elsewhere on Craftster?) that you can freeze them and use them as cold packs.

I got a TON of my Christmas gift ideas from this board, so I wanted to give a little something back