This December, as in years past, Vena Cava designers Lisa Mayock and Sophie Buhai will set aside time to craft handmade holiday accessories and gifts.

Homemade items are creative and meaningful, say the designers, who last month were named runners-up for the Council of Fashion Designers of America /Vogue Fashion Fund award, which recognizes new and emerging talent.

Making your own wrapping paper, for instance, "ends up being cheaper," Ms. Mayock says, "but it doesn't really have anything to do with money." Rather, she says, "it's fun and personal. It can be tailored to each person."

Ms. Mayock has created her own wrapping paper for the past few years. She arranges old photographs of friends into a collage, using a colorful magazine image as a backdrop. She then runs the collage through a color copier. While there are usually trims and ribbons lying around her studio, she likes to finish packages off with twine from the hardware store.

Even Christmas trees can be personalized on the cheap. Ms. Buhai says that Christmas-tree lots often have leftover branch trimmings free for the taking. She'll pick up a large branch and paint it black. "It looks much cooler than a Christmas tree. And it's a little darker," she says. "I usually add plain silver bulbs. It's a minimalist Christmas tree." She prefers to simply lean her twig tree against the wall, but smaller cuttings could be put in vases.

The designers also shared some ambitious gift ideas that they haven't yet created. Ms. Mayock says her father has a collection of silly '80s T-shirts with animals and weird motifs. "It would be really awesome to cut them up and make them into a quilt," she says.

Ms. Buhai said that this year, she is considering making someone a custom chessboard of cardboard coated with a clear lacquer. The pieces would be checkers or poker chips covered with paper and a drawing or written label. "It's a trompe l'oeil chessboard all made out of paper," she says.

On a smaller scale, Ms. Buhai suggests personalizing a deck of cards by putting collages on the backs of the cards. She would incorporate newspapers, old photos or little doodled messages.