Funyy you should mention.....here's my 10 month old and her "found" objects:

Picasa Web Albums - Da6d - Trouble

Picasa Web Albums - Da6d - Ride_em_Cowgirl

Picasa Web Albums - Da6d - Amelia's Walk...

Picasa Web Albums - Da6d - Clipping_Coupons

She so inventive.

Another one she LOVED was my pill bottle. It was a big one for vitamins with a couple pennies in it. Her absolute favorite rattle. Plus it was bright pink.

__________________
Sarah

I just made my daughter some books. One is a cover for an ugly dollar store photo book that I filled with pictures of her cousins and family, her favorite animals etc.

The other is an ABC book I made using a blank board book, magazine pictures and modge podge. She loves them both, they're her new favorite toys.

__________________
It's not what you make; it's what you spend.

I love the abc book idea... i am going to borrow that one.. My DS will love it. Great idea

Homemade toys are the best! I remember every
homemade thing my mom ever made me, but I
rarely remember the store bought items!!

__________________
Jen

Great Ideas! I really like the color book! I know babies love to look at themselves!

__________________
Mommy to Ellie born January 9, 2008

I just made my daughter some magnet toys. I used those "free" attorney, pharmacy etc magnets from the phone book. On one I used a Mickey Mouse sticker she was playing with, the others I glued some ladybug diecuts. Then I cut out the shapes. She loves to stick them on the fridge and the magnets are big enough I don't have to worry about her swallowing them.

Also, I wrote detailed instructions for the ABC book I made HERE.

__________________
It's not what you make; it's what you spend.

My mom made many of our toys when we were little.
1. every once in awhile when we had a bunch of crayon "stubs" she'd have us gather all of them up and put the in a pie tin. She put them in the oven until they melted together. Once it cooled, we had a huge rainbow crayon that we could break apart and color with.
2. for christmas one year my father cut up a bunch of 2x4's and painted them red, yellow, and blue. this was our favorite toy for years. no toy got more play time than our blocks.
3. My mom taught me how to make "Barbie clothes" by cutting felt in a long rectangle, cutting a hole in the center (for the head), putting her head through the hole and tying the dress together around the waist. Not the cutest, but my BFF and I loved making the dresses and then putting on fashion shows with our Barbies.
4. Tissue boxes were turned into Barbie/GI Joe cars and houses.
5. This might seem silly, but I could be amused for a long time by this. My mom would take a black marker and draw a scribble on a piece of paper so I could color it in. I loved it. I thought it looked like a stained glass window from church.
6. My mom made me a felt board. She cut out little pieces of felt that looked like people, houses, clouds, a sun, hearts, flowers all that I could arrange on my felt board. I used it to tell stories.
I know these are for bigger kids, but hope they help someone. We LOVED these toys when we were kids.

__________________
would you please loan a girl some chocolate?

My son loved his "plinko" game too! I used a 12 oz coffee can and cut a slit in the plastic lid for him to drop frozen juice can lids through - makes a lot of noise which he loves.
Also, I took and old half gallon milk jug and let him drop in old fashioned clothes pins (the wooden kind without any springs).
We used a big plastic container like the giant icecream tubs and cut out a square in the lid for him to put wood blocks through.
We got a lot of these ideas from our Parents as Teachers home visits. Check to see if your school disctrict offers this program.

The first homemade toy for us was by Nana. She drew a face with a black sharpie marker onto a solid white piece of paper...and named him George, to be funny! George was LOVED by all six of my kids. I taped him to the wall above their changing table (and made duplicate George's for the car, to put on the bathroom cabinets while they were in the bouncy seat with me, etc). When they were tiny, they would sit and STARE at him, and as they grew they would sit and smile and coo at him. It was so funny, but it literally gave me time to take a shower, etc. while they were talking to their friend, George!!

__________________
Shaking in my boots (well, if I was wearing them in the middle of summer!), but glad to be back!

I have tried some of this stuff too, the soda bottle with shiny, rattling objects, the mason jar rings on a string, but still nothing beats just turning them loose in the kitchen and letting them play in the knife drawer.