Christmas gifts

Being that we are on a tight budget this year, I decided to make my own Christmas gifts. So I set out on Pinterest to find some ideas on what to make and found these lovely Homemade Vanilla Extract bottles. So simple, cute, and most of all inexpensive yet something everyone uses.

To make these on your own, simply follow these few steps:

Items you'll need

1. Vanilla beans. I purchased a half pound of bourbon vanilla beans from Beanilla.

2. 4 oz. bottles and caps. I bought mine from the Specialty Bottle company for $0.67 each.

3. Unflavored vodka. The cheap stuff is fine, just make sure it’s unflavored.

4. Labels. I bought sticker paper from staples and made my own. If you don’t feel like bothering with that, there are plenty of places online where you can get custom labels.

Now that you have all the pieces, start by cutting up the beans. First, cut them in half. Then split each one down the middle, exposing the little beans (“caviar”) inside.

And then, stick the beans in the bottle and pour in the vodka.

Seal it tightly, and let the bottle sit for 2 months. Give the bottles a little shake once or twice a week and you’re done.

When the bottle gets low, just keep adding a little vodka and let sit for 6-8 weeks. If it seems weak after a while, just throw in another vanilla bean.

Here's my finished product!