The Best of Gift Personalization

(CBS)  Want to add a homemade touch to gifts for everyone on your holiday list this year?

In the past, you could buy a gift and maybe get it monogrammed, but choices on how to customize items yourself have really increased, thanks to the Internet.

"Early Show" financial and consumer contributor Vera Gibbons found gift design ideas that go way beyond a monogram, at different price points -- and showcased them on the broadcast Tuesday.

She even made a few herself!

BUILD YOUR OWN BAG AT TIMBUK2.COM

This is a company that is all about functionality, and these bags are built to last. They have everything from messenger bags to backpacks and small tote bags. You can choose the bag that you want, and you can pick the colors for all of the different panels, even the lining. You can pick the pockets you want for storage purposes, and everything is nylon, which means they can take the wear and tear of everyday life. Once you pick the style, colors and storage you want, they do the rest. The prices range from $80 to $145. The one we made is a small custom messenger bag with three panels on the front. It's $135 dollars.
THE DEADLINE TO ORDER FOR CHRISTMAS: Dec. 14th
TIMBUK2.COM $80-$145

See our big Holiday Gift Guide
MAKE YOUR OWN STORY BOOK AT HERITAGEMAKERS.COM

The perfect gift for family members and friends, everyone has a story this Christmas they would like to preserve, an engagement, a new birth, how your kids have progressed in the last year. So why not share your story with people on your list in a personalized story book! You can download your own photos, you can write your own text, and captions, and the website does the rest. The pages can be a matte or a glossy finish. And the book is $30 a pop for 21 pages. Additional pages, although there should be plenty already in there is .99 cents a page.
THE DEADLINE TO ORDER FOR CHRISTMAS: Tomorrow!
HERITAGEMAKERS.COM $30 a book

MAKE YOUR OWN BARS, SHAKES AND TRAIL MIX AT YOUBARS.COM

This is something that nature and health food eaters on your list will love. Do you know someone who hikes, bikes or uses energy shakes to face the day? These homemade snakes and drinks will make great gifts. All you need to do is choose the ingredients from the sites list (For energy bars ingredients include almond butter as a base, seeds, fruits and sweeteners such as honey). You can view the nutritional facts along the way as you create. Then you can name the products (ON set we have Maggie's Trail Mix, Harry's Happy Shakes, Harry's Bike Bars, Dave's Delight). Once all of that is done, You Bars does the rest. They come in packs of 13 energy bars, 13 shakes, which are each about $40. The box of personalized trail mix (again 13 comes with an order) is about $26.
THE DEADLINE TO ORDER FOR CHRISTMAS: Dec. 18th
YOUBARS.COM $26 for trail mix; $40 for energy shakes and energy bars

MAKE A HOMETOWN PUZZLE AT NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC's WEB SITE

Hometown puzzles are one of a kind, and when anyone on your list feels attached to the town they grew up in, this could be the present for them. All you have to do is supply the recipient's home address, whatever address you want to feature. Or you can use their favorite vacation spot on the puzzle, and national geographic does the rest. The puzzle will arrive with their home as the puzzle's center. Around it can see the main roads, notable buildings, 6 miles to the east and west, 4 miles to the north and south of the supplied address. It's a fun, educational and nostalgic. The puzzle has 400 pieces, and the center provided address has a puzzle piece shaped as a house.
THE DEADLINE TO ORDER FOR CHRISTMAS: Dec. 10th
SHOPNG.COM $40 per puzzle

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