• Give handmade gifts to the men in your life.present box image by dana nicolescu from Fotolia.com
  
  Finding the perfect gifts for the men in your life is often a challenging task that can end in frustration. Instead of accepting the anxiety-inducing task that is shopping for men's gifts, you can get creative with gift giving and make some crafty presents. Shower your favorite men with everything from homemade candy to customized accessories.
  
  

Candy

• Almost everyone has a weakness for candy, which makes it a great crafty gift item for men (and anyone else). Find a simple candy recipe, such as Paula Dean's English Toffee, and spend an afternoon making the candy confections. As long as you have a candy thermometer on hand and you don't rush through the cooking process, you'll end up with a batch of irresistible goodies. Wrap the finished sweets in cellophane paper, and depending on your man's preferred drink, place them in a hand-tossed ceramic coffee mug or a glass beer mug.
  
  

Stenciled Necktie

• Turn a boring necktie into a cool accessory with custom stencils. This crafty gift is ideal for men who dress up for work, and it's easy to make. Cut a stencil from freezer paper (a kitchen paper that's waxy on one side and smooth on the other) using a retractable cutting tool; cut out the areas where you want paint to show on the tie. Position the cut stencil on the front of a necktie. The waxy side of the paper should sit on the tie fabric. Cover the stencil with a piece of cloth, and press with a warm iron; this will make the freezer paper stick to the tie fabric. Stipple paint over the stencil, and slowly lift it off the fabric. You can create stencils of favorite pop culture icons or animals, but keep the details to a minimum. The stencil works best for images that don't feature fine lines.
  
  

T-Shirt Quilt

• Men who collect concert and event T-shirts probably have several tees they no longer wear but refuse to part with. Turn these retired shirts into a colorful T-shirt quilt and give them a new purpose. T-shirt quilts are easy to make, and they're sentimental. Each square might represent a concert attended, a completed race or a volunteer experience. To create a throw-sized T-shirt quilt, you need 14 1/2-inch squares cut from 12 different T-shirts. Before you sew the quilt, line the back of the T-shirt squares with iron-on interfacing; this will stabilize the stretchy knit fabric and make it easier to sew without puckering at the seams.