Festive Fivers Contest.

jawa1

Name of present: Smoke Alarm.
Make it or buy it:Buy it
Total cost:£4.99
Details: It could save the person you are buying the presents for life.

Next Year and every year and every year after that....

Name of present: Smoke Alarm Battery.
Make it or buy it:Buy it
Total cost:£0.99
Details: Lets face it many of us forget to change the battery in the smoke alarm, many smoke alarms do tell you when the battery has run out but what if it fails. For such a little price it is worth changing it every year, make it an annual event on charismas day and that way hopefully you and your family will never forget.

Ten year anniversary.
After 10 years it's best to get a whole new smoke alarm.

You're twice as likely to die in a fire at home if you haven't got a smoke alarm.

robertk

Name of present?
G'day, kids. My idea is a jar of "Boxing Day" chutney
Do you make it or buy it?
Make it
Total Cost?
Minimal money, a little time
Details (the more the better)
Now is the time to use up any old fruit and weggies to make a tasty chutney that will be ready for Christmas. Rescue any remaining green survivors from tomato plants in those neglected nooks of your garden at this time of year, and don't overlook the low-hanging fruit on the laden bows of the wild apples trees that pepper the highways and byways with their expert money-saving potential.

Once you've rounded up a few kilogrammes, chop it all up as appropriate and pop it in a large pan. [Aside: At this stage, you may wish to consult a proper recipe, although in my experience, chutney is quite a forgiving condiment and usually turns out well. Famous last words. Ahem.] Add some vinegar (for advanced Money-Savers, take the opportunity to use up the remains of those previously opened bottles of white wine you've been hanging onto and that have gone a bit vinegary...), add some dried fruit if you have some, a pinch or two of salt, and a little bundle of festive spices tied up in muslin or a (clean) handkerchief. Let it bubble and boil on the stove (or atop a makeshift al fresco barbecue of foraged firewood if you're concerned about your fuel bill) until it goes nice and gooey. Pot it up in clean old jammy jars and let it cool. Then pop on your personalised labels (Avery "video face" labels are the right size, may be free* at work...ahem...and allow you to choose a professional-looking font) and let the beauties mature until Christmas.

Recipients of such a gift will eat it with relish. A few pence a pot? Job's a good'un.

Rhiannon

Name of present: Secret Photo
Make it or buy it: Bit of both
Total cost: As much as you like, easily under a fiver!
Details: Get a photo of you with the recipient, or something that means something to you both, on the back write a special message, how important they are to you, what special thing that they might have done etc... (not in biro though it'll go through to the front) then put it into a pretty picture frame... they'll never know until something bad happens, like the frame breaks, then they'll find it and it'll make their day!! Make Christmas last and last!!

finlay

Name of present: Old photo blown up in black and white
Buy it/make it? Make it and buy it
Total cost? Under a fiver
Details Take an old photo scan it and blow it up to 8 by 10. Print it out in black and white and put into a frame from the pound shop. I did one of these a couple of years ago of my grandparents taken about thirty years ago. The rellys loved it.

josey1964

janet_skelton wrote:

Name of present: Personalised chocolate Bars
Buy it/make it? Make it
Total cost? Under a fiver
Details: Buy the small flat chocolate bars eg Milky bars or Cadbury's animal bars. I buy a large box from Costco they cost under four pounds for about 75. In word draw a text box to the same size as the paper wrapper. You can then personalise this to suit the child. I use google images of Barbie, Disney princess, shrek etc. depending on what the child is interested in. Then write Happy Christmas and the child's name. Print out, cut around the text box and rewrap the chocolate bar. You can then package up 3 or 4 bars with cellophane and ribbon. They look fabulous and go down very well.
I use these chocolate bars individually for party bag gifts as well, they always go down extremely well and I have had a number of parents asking me to make them for their children too.

Dont want to be a party pooper, but this breaking copyright laws - beware.
Only use copyright free images, and by law you have to keep the original wrapper in place, so the new wrapper must overlay the original (but not be stuck to it). Sorry just telling from experience.

mirandamayhem

but surely if you're giving to friends and family, is someone going to report you?

chd16

Name of present?
A floating duck radio - a modern twist on the traditional rubber duck!

Do you make it or buy it?
Buy it - Wilkinsons

Total Cost?
£4.99

Details (the more the better)
I saw this after quite a dismal christmas shopping trip, a thought of its a great solution for the person who has everything as i've never seen one before and even if they have a shower radio already I think still going to make them smile!

pippa_h

Name of present: Pirate treasure chest
Make it or buy it: Make it
Total Cost: Under £5
Details:


Kids love pirates... It's true. Actually, who doesn't love pirates? Pirates are excellent!

This is a fun craft project and you'll probably have some of the materials required in the house, shed, or garage.
I made one of these for my cousin and he loved it so much that he still has it many years later!

Firstly, get hold of a simple, cheap wooden box. An old tea caddy is about the right size and would be perfect, but if you don't have one of those lying around, hobbycraft sell wooden boxes and there are loads on ebay.

Optional step: Neatly glue some fabric inside to line the box. Any plain colour will do.

Using strips of newspaper and watered down PVA glue (flour and water paste is also suitable), soak bits of the paper and build them up in layers into a curved shape.
It should take this form here: http://www.classicwoodentoys.com/prod_img/pc0021.jpg

Once the paper has dried out (put it in the airing cupboard to speed things up) paint the exterior brown or black. After the paint dries on the outside of the box, use a gold, or black pen, or paint and add some fancy riveted straps around the treasure chest. You could also use tip-ex, or similar, to add a scary skull and crossbones to the top of the chest!
You may want to varnish the box at this stage. It's not essential, but it will make the paint harder wearing.

Crafty stuff over, you can now fill the chest with gold chocolate doubloons, or whatever you like - et voila - pirate treasure!

Aaahaaarrrrrr! Yer kids'll love it, me hearties!

rumblytum

Name of present: Box of hugs
Make it or buy it: Make it
Total cost: free, assuming you have paper, pen, and a pot to put them in

Details:

We used a lidded plastic Christmas pudding tub that was in the craft box. Daughter covered it with stickers and coloured paper. She wrote a type of hug on separate bits of paper and put them in the box and gave them to her Dad. Different hugs included: A hug in the dark, a sandwich hug (where someone's in the middle), and hug and a biscuit, a hug and a jump, a hug and a bump, a long snuggle, a hug and a story etc etc. It's now used as a reward system, and when she has acquired 10 'house' points, she can choose a hug!

Jadis

Name of present? Who's Who In The Archers 2006 Book
Do you make it or buy it? Buy it
Total Cost? £3.99
Details Entertaining guide to the long running radio soap - a must for any fan. "For the new and established listener alike, Who's Who in the Archers is the essential A to Z companion to this renowned radio drama - now in its 55th year - giving an insight into the characters and the tangled lives of the villagers of Ambridge."
http://www.bbcshop.com/invt/0563522887&bklist=icat,3,,840


also



Name of present? Animal Games DVD
Do you make it or buy it? Buy it
Total Cost? £4.99
Details Entertaining but educational DVD depicts and animal olympic games with commentry from sports commentators John ‘Motty’ Motson and Jonathan Pearce. Great pressie for a young sports fan.
http://www.bbcshop.com/invt/ebbcdvd1556&bklist=icat,3,,840