Thrifty Gifty - Organised for Christmas and all ocassions 2009- Santas Challenges

mary-op

fallen angel -well done. Wish I felt organised..........cards are all done and written but the spare room looks a total muddle :eek: I think I've swapped pressies around so many times I've confused myself - had to walk away from it in the end.
Need a clear head and a couple of birthdays out the way........that'll reduce the piles a bit and I'll know what I'm left with (she says hopefully):rotfl:

98jdougl - I'd love my pva a whole lot more if the nozzle at the top didn't keep drying up and blocking..........:rotfl:

mum2one

Added the births onto the front page, so if I have missed anyone off apologies, let me know, add ur in.
xx

Dont know if anyone doing pamper hampers, but when I went into Boots 2ngt, they had the Elle Macpherson items @ 75% off. xx

jamtart6

hi guys thanks for tip i love the elle macpherson stuff it is really nice stuff and actually does what it says it is going to!

anyway quick tip from me! this post on HUKD saying a box set of musicals for £8.88 which is great value
Includes:
1. The Sound of Music
2. The King and I
3. South Pacific
4. Oklahoma!
5. Carousel
6. State Fair

bought these for my mum at £5-£10 each last year so could be good for a hamper or something??

hope 2 catch up better soon xxx

sarahf191979

What do you call a flamingo at the North Pole?
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Cazzell

Would it be ok to start now. Only came back to site last week and I am defo the most unorganised person in the world. Would be great to be organised this year and not have the last minute panic. Especially as I don't have any money.

elyphant

cdsmiler wrote: »

Thanks ellionic. I'll have a little think about them then. What with being due around Christmas I MIGHT give it a miss. Last year I made some home-made-food-hampers. They went down really well, but because of the contents, pretty much everything had to be made for each recipient a day or two before!!! Otherwise the stuff wouldn't be fresh enough, or would go off too quickly! Was MANIC over christmas! (Made shortbread christmas trees, citrus cake - nice NOT to have comething chocolatey around! - and chocoalte truffles....oh and some gluten free chocolate muffins for my SIL.)

Now, I know Snowman poop is nothing in comparison, but I want to make it as EASY as possible this year. I shall have a think!!

Why don't you try something like preserved lemons or things like that - they HAVE to be made at least weeks in advance, and some of those things are better the longer they keep for, so you could do them well in advance and still have beautiful gifts. Can't think of any other similar things off the top of my head, but I'm sure you could google away. allrecipes.co.uk and lots of other sites have loads of good gift recipes.

btw, must say this thread has had a strange effect on me...Have made myself a notebook out of scrap paper, old cardboard boxes and a 1995 calendar, and am madly writing down birthday and christmas ideas now, in August!!! This was not me at all last year... Could barely stick anything together, let alone make a notebook (not very pretty btw, but an achievement for lit ol me)

Also, I find I am looking at every object in my house and thnking - ooh, i could use that for wrapping x!!! You have converted me!!!!!!:rotfl:

cdsmiler

elyphant wrote: »

Why don't you try something like preserved lemons or things like that - they HAVE to be made at least weeks in advance, and some of those things are better the longer they keep for, so you could do them well in advance and still have beautiful gifts. Can't think of any other similar things off the top of my head, but I'm sure you could google away. allrecipes.co.uk and lots of other sites have loads of good gift recipes.

Thanks elyphant but I don't think there's many people in the family who would appreciate it! I've recently made a batch of raspberry jam, which people have loved, but I feel I made it a bit early. However, bargain of the century - I was in ASDA monday night and they just reduced the £2 boxes of raspberries to 20 p each!! So I got 6 and they are now in my freezer ready for raspberry jam take 2 which I'll make probably around October time and have them as extra pressies at christmas.

I'm not doing food hampers again this year, however popular they were - I'd like to do something different anyway. But for those of you who ARE doing food hampers including things like homemade biscuits, cakes & chocolate truffles, just be careful with their eat-ablity within the time scale!! Christmas last year was very manic.... lol

Clare x

Anglea

I've not thought of freezing fruit like raspberries before I make something with it like you Clare. I always tend to have the fruit and get into a panic about using it at once. Thanks for reminding me about the freezer.

cdsmiler

Anglea wrote: »

I've not thought of freezing fruit like raspberries before I make something with it like you Clare. I always tend to have the fruit and get into a panic about using it at once. Thanks for reminding me about the freezer.

No problem! Not all fruit freezes, but I know raspberries and most other berries do too. Not sure about strawberries.....

rufusdog52

Just got a nice string of black beads for my sisters bag of bits for Xmas, was only 50p in charity shop