Tips needed on Presents

JailhouseBabe

kittiwoz wrote:

There is a thread on the freebies board about a website that has PDFs of paper toys, boxes and baskets which seems really good.

What a lovely website! Almost makes me wish DD was young enough to appreciate it... but then again, the thought of running round after a little one. :think:
I don't think so!

CAFCGirl

Greenwellies wrote:

Hi,

I'm sure there is a more appropriate thread for me to add my 2p worth but here goes anyhow!

I grow lavender in my garden, I then pick it and leave it to dry on the garden bench. I take all the flowers off, then store them in a margarine tub next to the hot water tank. I then go to charity shops bootsales etc and get very pretty glass bottles, some epsom salts, rock saly a few drops of lavender oil, and hey presto, home made bath salts

I also purchased clear soap, melted it down, then added the lavender and placed in a mould, wrapped in the hand made paper that daughter made at play group - ta-daar!

Another thing I done was using daughters flower press kit, pressed some lavender, brought some cheap candles from poundstretcher and a plate (cost £5 in total) and used some glue to dress up the candles with the pressed lavender. very pretty, and effective.

I will be experimenting with other ingrediants this year, such as rolled oats for a bath 'milk', but I have yet to find a recipe for these (been too busy to look)

Ranting moment ahead:
Personally I have a BIG problem with being a consumer, and I detest the way that advertising is making us feel we have to buy products or gifts. I want a really traditional Christmas, where it is about enjoying the company and a simple gift, not a snazzy toy / bag / smelly set that you don't really need.
ranting over

Greenwellies

WOW!!!!
I'm loving all of that. Unfortunately I live in a flat and dont have anywhere to grow any lavender!!! How exactly do you go about melting it down, and where do you get moulds from>?

Am also now really keen on the idea of making up little hampers for people.Am now on the lookout for little gifts to add into them.Any good theme recommendations?

Hermia

I am horrified at how many Easter cards I got this year! I've never received one before and the only time I've ever given an Easter card to someone is if they are Christian and if it's not someone I was going to see over Easter.

Wrapping paper - I use pages cut from magazines. I buy a few magazines each month and I save any nice full-colour pages from them. I try and match them to the present too! When I gave a friend some kitchenware I wrapped it up in the foody pages from a Sunday supplement and when I gave another friend a Bollywood DVD I wrapped them in some fashion pages which featured girls modelling saris. My wrapping paper always makes people laugh!

Presents - I make some pressies, although this is sometimes more expensive than buying something. I try and buy things in the sales and I buy all year. I also try and buy presents in unusual places so the items are unique. Two of my best pressie buys have been in a little shop that I walked past when I was on holiday. It was closing down as the owner was retiring and it had beautiful gifts in it all at half price. Another great pressie buy occured when I was on holiday in Yorkshire and they had this craft fair on in the town hall. I went in as it was raining thinking the stuff would look handmade in the worst sense, but the items were top quality and so cheap.
Actually I find buying presents when I'm on holiday is the best idea because I live in London where everything is so overpriced. I was in Somerset recently and couldn't believe the differences in price.

If you have a factory shopping anywhere near you it's worth making a trip. Once a year I go to the Clarke's Shopping Village in Street in Somerset for a weekend and buy cards and presents (and shoes!) to last me for the rest of the year!

Chipps

Hi. I have seen the toymaker website, the things on there are really nice.
Another site with easy things to make out of card or paper is
http://www.bastelbogen-online.de/

For Easter baskets etc, go to the "Ostern" section. I printed out some of the egg holders and baskets this year & put a couple of creme eggs in for each person. Very inexpensive & just a bit of fun really. (And yes, this was for adults!)
My family tend to go a bit overboard with present buying on all and every occasion, although don't usually spend lots of money on things. My DHs family are quite the opposite and don't exchange much at all - just cards at Christmas for the most part.
It's rather sad to see the over commercialisation of festivals such as Easter. For our family it is the most special occasion when as Christians we remember Jesus who died and is risen from the dead, and to be honest, chocolate eggs play no role in this at all.
However, just a little bit of time spent making those baskets for people we care about cost very little money and just provided a bit of fun and that is part of what life is about too, isn't it.

Yorkielass

A tip about getting cheap wrapping paper etc I found on here is that Tescos etc etc sell off their 'Christmas' wrap after Christmas very cheaply. We got a roll of plain red and another with purple and silver swirls vastly reduced (were good quality paper) and have been using them to wrap up birthday presents this year. We don't have space to store reduced Christmas design paper for the next Christmas but this paper was really cheap (about 20p for about 5metres) and can be used all year round.

newmommyjen

I always make sure l have a supply of birthday cards and wrapping paper. If there is a big reduction on them, l buy loads. Why waste money on wrapping paper thats going to end up in the bin and cards that are on display for a day or so.
I am always on the look out for cheap pressies. Little things like jewerelly, mugs and scarfs, that dont take up much space are a bonus. I find cheap silver jewelery in Debenham sell, in next clarance. I picked up a silver necklace, bracelet for £1 each in Next clearance. Clares asseries is good during their £1 sale, for little girls stuff.
I pick up little things for ppl through the year. So they have a couple of wee things than 1 present. It helps spread the cost of Xmas and having loads of birthdays in a month.
But l have made the mistake of buy too much of one item when they were very cheap. I end up forgetting who l have given it to, worry l have given the person the same gift come xmas and their birthday. Silly me.
Its hard buying so many ppl presents at xmas, dont help when my hubby has no idea what his family likes, typical man.

Greenwellies_2

CAFCGirl wrote:

WOW!!!!
I'm loving all of that. Unfortunately I live in a flat and dont have anywhere to grow any lavender!!! How exactly do you go about melting it down, and where do you get moulds from>?

Am also now really keen on the idea of making up little hampers for people.Am now on the lookout for little gifts to add into them.Any good theme recommendations?

Hi,

I use a microwave and cling film to melt it. it is really fast but I ruined a plastic bowl, so be careful. As for moulds I sooooo cheat! I use the plastic chinese TA dishes, then when cool, I cut it into slices

I have a friend who is really into all of this, and she got me into just googling for home made gifts. She makes wine and jam and christmas puddings etc.

Greenwellies