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

mary-op

Hello all !
You are all so organised it puts me to shame.........I've notebooks with stuff written in but its not as efficient as having a proper folder................really must get one done. Its such a brilliant idea.

Today I've been messing about with a dish of pebbles........largest one has eyes and a guitar (its for my eldest and he's music mad) and I've been painting some bits of slate with 'Neil Rocks' on them.........done about four and not sure which will look best so I've walked away from it all...............have another look later. He's got a birthday in August and I've got a few 'silly' bits for him and also want to get him a digital photo frame. Was going to get one last year but he wanted the money instead.
Just got to find where I can get one thats not too expensive.

sarahf191979

Don't forget to get your free photo books, they will make nice pressies for grandparents for Xmas...

Heres the Link Again

http://www.printing-1.co.uk/

Found on the Freebies forum originally.

Sarah
x

sarahf191979

Lucy_Lu wrote: »

For the we whisk you a merry Christmas idea... (move the spokes from an ordinary whisk and put wrapped sweets inside them). I found red Christmassy coloured spoked whisks in Morrisons similar to this one, except the Morrisons handle is black. I don't know how much they are but they are Morrisons' own brand so I doubt they'd be much.

Not sure on the price but Home Bargins had some similar to these too, they are really good pressies when made up, made them a few years ago for the LO's teachers and Classroom assistants they only worked out at about £1 each.

hels102

Good evening Ladies

I love coming on here to read this thread!!
I've still not done the freezer challenge but I have cleared underneath my stairs we've a huge cupboard there and it got to the point where I couldn't open the door! So it's all sparkly clean and everything is in boxes with easy access!

I also bought a docraft goodybag today to get me started on my christmas cards!

Sarahf thanks for your link to the photobook that will come in so handy x
Mary your pebbles sounds lovely

sarahf191979

Just found this thought it a good checklist for the folders... Seems pretty straight forward, but nice to have it set out for you


1. Pick a theme. Keep in mind space constraints, and any small children or pets in the household.

2. Set a budget. Make it realistic. You'll need to allocate funds depending on how large your home is, and how elaborate you want your decorating to be. It might be helpful to shop around to see what you like and what it may cost.

3. Recruit helpers. Decorating an entire house for the holidays alone is a daunting task, and not much fun. Recruit your spouse, children, friends, who ever is willing to put in a hard days' work. You supply the cookies and hot buttered rum!

4. See what you already have. Go through all your decorations. Keep what you know you'll use. Discard anything that is broken or got ruined in storage. Be sure to check all your lights! Consider donating or passing along anything that you don't like or doesn't fit your new theme.

5. Clean your house the day before. You don't want to be dusting and vacuuming while trying to decorate. Starting with a clean house will make your life easier.

6. Assemble all your materials. Pick a central location that's easy for all your helpers to access.

7. Tackle the biggest job first thing, while you're all still fresh and well rested. You can always do the little jobs yourself another day if need be.

8. Remove packing boxes and materials as you go along. You'll avoid a huge stack of empty boxes at the end of the day.

9. Take photos of any elaborate displays that you'll want to duplicate next year. Keep a notebook as well. Write down what worked, and what didn't. It'll be much easier to put together that 100 piece Victorian village next year if you have a picture and notes to help you along.

10. Sit back, relax and have a happy holiday!

Courtesy of Moms Who Think - http://www.momswhothink.com/

Hope this is of some use...

Sarah
x

sarahf191979

Just found this recipie for soap crayon, I bought mine last year, but will be trying this recipie out this year, may even give it a go over the 6 weeks hols with the kids, a nice indoor activity

Soap Crayons

Supplies:
One ice cube tray
Liquid food color
2 tbsp. hot water for each crayon
1 c. soap flakes
Small bowl
Spoon

Directions:
For each color, put two tablespoons of hot water and one cup of soap flakes into a bowl.
Add as many drops of food color to the mixture as you wish. Stir the soap mixture until it thickens. This takes time, so be patient!
Press spoonfuls of the first color of soap into the sections of the ice tray.
Mix enough soap in other colors to fill the ice tray, following the above directions again.
Let the soap crayons dry for one or two days. Gently bang the ice tray to loosen the crayons.
Pack them in a box for gift-giving.

sarahf191979

Coffee and Tea Mix Recipes

Mix any of the recipes and place in a pretty jar with a fabric decorated lid. Include a mug or tea cup.
To prepare the following coffee recipes: mix in food processor or blender until you have a fine powder.
For all the coffee recipes except the cafe' au lait, use 1 to 2 spoonfuls to one mug of hot water (to desired taste)

BAVARIAN MINT
2/3 cup instant coffee
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. dried mint leaves , finely crushed
2/3 cup nondairy creamer

CAFE' L'ORANGE
2/3 cup instant coffee
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. dried crushed orange peel
1/4 tsp. cinnamon

CAFE' MOCHA
2/3 cup instant coffee
3 TBS. unsweetened cocoa
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 cup nondairy creamer
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk

CINNAMON-N-SPICE
2/3 cup instant coffee
1 1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. allspice

TOFFEE COFFEE
1 cup instant coffee
1 cup nondairy creamer
1 cup brown sugar

CAFE' VIENNA
1 cup instant coffee
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 1/3 cups nonfat dry milk
1 tsp. cinnamon

CAFE' ORANGE CAPPUCCINO
1 cup instant coffee
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups nonfat dry milk
1 tsp. dry orange peel

SWISS MOCHA
1 cup instant coffee
1 cup sugar
2 cups nonfat dry milk
4 tsp. cocoa powder

CAFE' VIENNA MIX
1 cup instant coffee
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 cups nondairy creamer
1 1/2 cups nonfat dry milk
4 TBS. cocoa

CAFE' AU LAIT
1 11 oz jar nondairy creamer
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup instant coffee
dash of salt
(use 1/4 cup mix to 2/3 cup hot water for the cafe' au lait)

NIGHT CAP COFFEE
2/3 cup nondairy powdered coffee creamer
1/3 cup instant coffee
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. ground cardamom (I've made this - I'd use less)
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
Use one heaping TBS. to 1 cup hot water.

CHOCOLATE MALT COFFEE CREAMER
2 cups instant hot cocoa mix
2/3 cup nondairy powdered coffee creamer
2/3 cup malted mil mix
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

RASPBERRY COCOA MIX
3 cups instant hot cocoa powder
1 pkg. unsweetened raspberry Kool-aid (0.13 oz size)
Use 2 heaping TBS. to 1 cup hot water.

FORGET-ME-NOT TEA (hot or cold)
1 15 oz jar orange tang-type mix
1 cup sugar
1 cup unsweetened tea mix
1/2 cup sweetened lemonade mix
1 package cherry Kool-aid (0.14 oz, unsweetened)
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
To serve, stir 2 heaping tablespoons tea mix into 8 oz. hot or cold water.

RUSSIAN TEA
1 cup instant tea mix (unsweetened and no lemon)
2 cups dry tang powder
1 pkg. lemonade, unsweetened powder
1 cup sugar
1 TBS. nutmeg
1 TBS. allspice
1 TBS. cinnamon
Mix all ingredients together and store in air tight container. To use, place 1-2 rounded teaspoons of dry mix to 1 mug of hot water. (can use a shot of whiskey or spirits for hot toddy.)

Courtesy of Moms Who Think - http://www.momswhothink.com/

Something a bit different, as a COFFEE holic might try a few of these;)

sarahf191979

I love this gift idea, made some for the grandparents last year and they went down a treart...

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica]Box of Love

To make this gift you'll need:
Small plain boxes- Jewelry boxes work very well.
Glitter, sequins or any ornamentation.
Ribbon
Printed poem ( below) on card stock paper if possible.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica]

[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica]This is a very special gift
That you can never see.
The reason it's so special,
is it's just for you from me.
Whenever you are happy,
or even feeling blue.
You only have to hold this gift
and know I think of you.

You never can unwrap it,
please leave the ribbon tied.
Just hold the box close
to your heart,
It's filled with love inside.

Have your child decorate the boxes in anyway she/he pleases.
Add a ribbon and the poem, with the signature.
[/FONT]

mary-op

sarah - thanks for all those. Love the idea of the coffee and tea mixes.........might do a few of those as extras for a few people.

Box of love is lovely...........I did similar with a bottle I'd covered for my friend -she loved it.

sarahf191979

Really love this idea

Family Alphabet Book





FAMILY ALPHABET BOOK
An album stocked with fun photos of all your relatives -- and family pets -- helps bridge the gap between long-distance cousins.
Coming from a large extended family, the Markey children of Springfield, Massachusetts, have received wonderful homemade gifts from their aunts and uncles over the years, including hand-drawn storybooks and personalized trivia games. So last year, their mom, Jennifer, invited Brendan, age 10, Nora, 8, and Danny, 6, to help make a present for their young cousins.
"We realized that with so many cousins, aunts, uncles, and pets, we might have someone for every letter of the alphabet," says Jennifer. And so the Markey ABC's book was born. Together, they gathered and scanned family photos and assembled them into albums, one for each set of cousins. Each page was labeled with a letter and included one or more pictures of family members whose names started with it.
The family did have to get creative with a few letters. For i, they wrote the word Irish for the family's nationality. And for y, they attached a small mirror to the page and captioned it "You" to go with the reader's reflection.
The alphabet book has not only proved to have lasting appeal (the kids never tire of looking at it), but also helped perpetuate a sense of family between distant relatives. One toddler who lives in Oregon was able to recognize her New England cousins when she came for a summer wedding because she had looked through the book so often, Jennifer says. A photo album with pocket pages works well for this project. Just trim a piece of card stock to fit in each sleeve and dedicate one side of each page to a letter of the alphabet.


Courtosey of: http://familyfun.go.com