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

mary-op

kalojac - lucky you -I had a go but it was a no win for me:mad:

sarah -thanks for the links., Hope you have a good day

I've spent the morning making some little matchbox books with bubble wrap in them -all morning to make three Dont know why it always takes me so long........too many coffee breaks maybe:rotfl:but even OH is impressed (so he says............lol)

sarahf191979

Today ministry of Deals have these really cute back packs on sale for £5

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Would be great for young kids when travelling.

www.ministryofdeals.com

sarahf191979

What's the most popular wine at Christmas?


"Do I have to eat my Brussel sprouts?"

:T

mary-op

sarah - I love brussel sprouts............:rotfl:

Tried to make a flannel cake this morning for sons partners birthday - well you've never seen anything like it :eek: If anything could look less like a flannel cake its mine.............back to the drawing board !
Then I attempted her door hanger...............umm....... Think I'll have to look at door hanger thread for ideas on that one so looks like today, so far, not going as well as I'd like. Ho hum...............:rotfl:

SugarSpun

I like sprouts too, although I sneakily tell my husband I don't cause it means he cooks 'em with bacon :rotfl:

I thought some of you might be interested in the reduced dressing up stuff at Asda.

sarahf191979

I love sprouts too. Sorry was struggling to find a joke this morning.

Hugs to Sammy_Kaye. Thinking about you huni. Hope your ok too Sugarspun, how is the lovely new addition to your family doing? And how are you hun?

Thanks for the tip on dressing up stuff, my little boys is mad on dressing up so will take a look later.

Hope everyone is having a nice sunday, I have just finished wrapping dads Christmas presents for that part of the family so he can take them home with them next week, that will save me £30 in postage.

Catch you all Later

Sarah
x

NickyBo_2

Hi,

Sorry if this has already been posted, I haven't managed to read through all of the previous posts yet. I have been searching the internet for craft ideas for Christmas gifts and found these easy recipes for playdough. I thought it would make a nice gift for a child. You can make any colours using different food colouring, you could even add glitter or scented oils.

Play Clay

Clay crafts from FamilyFun
This popular recipe produces a clay that can be used over and over again and will remain pliant for weeks. A child just learning to model will appreciate how soft and cooperative this dough feels in her hands, especially when it's still warm.

Materials
1 cup flour
1 cup water
1/2 cup salt
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
Food coloring (optional)

Mix all ingredients together in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until the mixture holds together (keep mixing or it will stick to the bottom of the pan). When the clay is cool enough to touch, your child can knead it on a floured board.

WHAT TO MAKE: This recipe's long drying time makes it most satisfying as a play dough (it's easy to roll into ropes and balls), but sculptures will dry eventually.

DRYING TIME: 3 to 5 days.

STORAGE: Stored in an airtight container, this dough will last--refrigerated or unrefrigerated--for two to four weeks.


No-Cook Dough

Clay crafts from FamilyFun
For the independent modeler, this simple dough recipe is the natural choice. There's no cooking on a hot stove, and the more your child squishes, tugs, and pounds it, the more this pliable stuff cooperates. Suitable for either dying or painting, this dough has a distinctly homemade look when dry.
Materials
1 cup flour
3/8 cup salt
3/8 cup hot tap water
Food coloring (optional)

Have your child combine the flour and the salt in a medium bowl, then pour in the hot water and stir well. Knead on a floured board for at least five minutes, working in food coloring if desired.

WHAT TO MAKE: No-cook dough's sturdiness makes it a winner for molding chunky beads or small figures (large ones have a tendency to crack during drying). The recipe also rolls out nicely with a rolling pin; your child can cut the flattened dough with a butter knife or cookie cutters, creating shapes that make great holiday ornaments, pendants, pins, and refrigerator magnets.

DRYING TIME: Depending on the thickness of the dough, air-drying will take anywhere from one to five days. Small or thin shapes can be dried more quickly by baking them on a cookie sheet at 200 degrees for about two hours.

STORAGE: No-cook Dough will keep for up to a week when refrigerated in plastic bags or containers.

NickyBo_2

Another idea for the kids.

Magic reindeer food.

I have made many of these, they are always a huge success! They are designed to be given on Christmas Eve so the child can sprinkle it to show the reindeer the way. It really gets everyone in the Christmas spirit!

This is taken from the DLTK website. I can't post link as I'm a new member, but if you go to DLTK-kids and search for magic reindeer food, it also has a printable tag with the magic spell. The website also has pictures so you can see what the finished item looks like.


In a small ziploc bag or baby food container, mix:

• 1/4 cup oatmeal
• 1/4 cup sugar
• sprinkle of red or green sugar crystals (for cake decorating)
• OPTIONAL: You can cut a circle of cloth or felt a bit larger than the lid. Place over the lid and tie a ribbon around it to decorate. We actually used Kleenex cut in a circle and tied on with wool for the top of our lid and it turned out really nice.

I also mix lots of glitter in too.
I hope this is the sort of thing people are wanting

mary-op

Well, one side of door hanger done (got my doubts about it but think it'll have to do now..............other side to do and not sure what to put on it. What I've done has a flower on it and says 'mums time'...........put it away now while I have a think
Found some really big bubble wrap upstairs...........just the thing to make a bigger bubble wrap book for youngest son who's always in a stress over something...............lol

OverZealous_Mummy

Hello All, I have been faithfully (ok pretty much religously) monitoring my email updates during frantic house move and it feels so good to be able to focus on Christmas again!

Although all are pretty much in planning stages I am def doing the following hampers:

1. Couple of 'Work Survival' hampers for some workaholic friends and relatives which they should love and can incorporate their usual CD/Book request into this
2. Baking hamper for little sister in law who is just learning the complexities of baking
3. 'Magic' hamper for my little one and I am making him his own story book too of his adventures with his favourite toy as my special present to him.
4. I am working on an 'partner overload survival kit' for my 2 x BIL and SIL (1 each so 4 gifts if that makes sense) to help them cope over holidays, they both have good senses of humour so should go down well.
5. Night in at movies hamper
6. Tea party hamper for my little girl which will mostly mean some sweeties and brightly coloured plastic cutlery and plates etc as she loves to 'feed' her teddies and us (she is only 16 months) so she should enjoy this as a little stocking filler.

Working on others, especially for my mother who is impossible to buy for but really deserves a treat and will be doing various foodie gifts too!

Very excited and daunted seeing it all there! But yay, its Christmas!!! (In best Noddy Holder voice)