Homemade Christmas: DIY Pure Vanilla Extract

I read a post about homemade vanilla extract from The Traveler's Lunchbox in the summer, in a brief moment of thinking about Christmas gifts.  I remembered then that a friend of mine had hosted a make-your-own-vanilla party a few years ago (that I wasn't able to go to but reaped the benefits of) ... and I just knew I had the makings of a fun Christmas gift.

Ya'll - it was so easy!  Jar ... vanilla beans (I found the best price on ebay) ... vodka.  That was it.  The only hangup was that I had to start it months before I was ready to gift it.  But it literally sat in a quart-sized Mason jar on my shelf, untouched (except for the occasional shake) for months!  That, my friends, is an ideal project from a DIY perspective.

I ordered these little 2-ounce Boston round amber bottles from Amazon.  The vanilla beans came from ebay (I started with 1/4 pound of beans to one bottle of vodka).

These make fun and easy little stocking stuffers, hostess gifts, and neighbor gifts as well!