New Thrifty Gifty - Organised for Christmas and all ocassions 2010- Santas Challenges

piglet27

Hi all are soo busy at mo, been to asda this morn and they got linen lined medium wicker baskets reduced from £8 to £4, bargain.

mary-op

Hello all :j

pipsmum - pleased to hear about your grandad :T

turn3r -

What about making bird food to hang in the gardens? Lots of people buy bird food at that time of year anyway, but its maybe not very Christmassy??

if you've got some small seed pots you could wrap some birdseed in cling film so it doesn't fall through the hole in the bottom, stick a robin and some holly on the top with glue dots and you've got 'robin redbreasts christmas breakfast''

susan - think I might get a white flannel and do that on top of the 'pint of guiness'

Spent today sifting through fabric samples.......found a link on the crafty for christmas thread for doing things with fabric bits and pieces........one of them was making a sort of patchwork border along the bottom of a tea towel. Sorted all mine out into colours then got confused which ones to use and found I hadn't got the right colour cotton anyway..............lol:rotfl:
So, covered a notebook I found lurking in a drawer. Did it with some nice rust shade striped fabric and tied with a leather tie.........make a nice sketchbook for my son..........:j

Still got 'stuff to do' -not half as organised as the rest of you:eek: Panic will set in before long......:rotfl:

turn3r

mary-op wrote: »

Hello all :j


if you've got some small seed pots you could wrap some birdseed in cling film so it doesn't fall through the hole in the bottom, stick a robin and some holly on the top with glue dots and you've got 'robin redbreasts christmas breakfast''

Mary
You have the best ideas!! And you sound way more organised than I am! Perhaps next year I will send you my list and you could be my personal Christmas planner??
xx

JaneLiz

Went to the garden centre this morning and soo much Christmas stuff around, really cheap too compared to our other garden centre! Didn't really need much, but did buy a pack of 50 gorgeous labels for 99p.. but that's it!

abdonz

I have just made jam for first time ever its just cooling but it smelt yummy when I was making it.
Does anyone know where I could get some free fabric samples for tops of jam jars or what else I could use? X

mary-op

turn3r -I'm not organised, honest, don't panic me.........:eek: I couldn't organise anyone else.....lol:rotfl:
Just found recipe for fat balls I'd got and twice tried to paste it and each time I do I lose internet connection :eek: So if you want it I'll type it on once I've printed it off. It's a good way of using up your old cooking fat.

abdonz -I've had quite a few free fabric samples from the Freebie Board..........if you have a look on there and just type 'fabric' in the search box you should get the threads on it. Some I had would have been too small for covers but others would have been ok.........I've taken the labels off now so can't remember where I got them

abdonz

I have just made jam for first time ever its just cooling but it smelt yummy when I was making it.
Does anyone know where I could get some free fabric samples for tops of jam jars or what else I could use? X

mary-op

abdonz - think your post got duplicated.......I replied above

turn3r -heres the fat ball recipe -just printed it off so thought may as well put it on

Fat Balls

Heat your excess fat (dripping, lard, oil)
Cool slightly and add mixed birdseed, raisins, leftover cake or bread
Wedge piece of lolly stick with string tied round it into an old plastic bowl or yoghurt pot
Pour in mixture leaving other end of the string outside the pot
Put pot in the fridge and let it set completely
Hang our for the birds using the string to tie it to a branch

cdsmiler

NickyBo wrote: »

My 2 year old son has requested something for Christmas - an elephant! Usually he asks for a toy elephant (which he already has several of!) but sometimes he insists he wants a real one :eek: He's elephant obsessed at the moment, when I asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up, he said an elephant :rotfl:!!!

Nicky - not sure if anyone else has suggested this (I got 6 pages to catch up on!!!!) but have you looked into the David Sheldrick trust? It's based in Kenya and consists of an elephant orphanage in Nairobi and two 'teenage' elephant areas in the national parks. I was really lucky that we visited the orphanage when we were on our honeymoon, and a few months before my husband and I had sponsored two of the orphans and we met them! Anyway, have a look at the sponsorship thing - it goes straight to the charity, and you get monthly update emails (plus additional ones if a new orphan joins the orphanage), plus a hand drawn picture when you first join...... saying this, your son is only 2 so might not appreciate it! lol :rotfl: However, anyone else looking at an elephant based present, the idea is there!!

Off to read the 6 pages that I've missed this weekend! lol

Clare x

rufusdog52

Evening everyone

I'll ave to have a look and see how cheaply I can get some lard as my dad likes to feed the birds in the winter and would like some of those fat balls. Thanks for putting up the instructions Mary-op. I am going to the pet shop in the morning as Dad wants some peanuts so will grab a bag of bird seed while I am there. I will start to keep the yoghurt pots too instead of throwing them out.

I have finished the dolly clothes and put them in the lunch box, could just about shut it lol. Din't get round to covering the box, will try to do it tomorrow.

Managed to get up and do a bit of sewing this evening after OH went off to work, he's been asleep all day so had to keep the noise down. Have completed piecing together the patchwork for my Xmas table cloth, I need to cut the wadding and backing fabric tomorrow and get it all tacked together. Was hoping to get some painting done too in the spare/craft room but will see how I get on. Can't paint until OH gets up anyway, and as he's working tonight he will be asleep again so might be better off just sticking to the tablecloth.

Its freezing cold tonight down here in Kent, suppose its the same for all of us.