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

mary-op

elysia - when I find the one I like I want to do it in fancy font and print it out on a creamy paper, tear round the edges and dab with cold tea or coffee before I stick it in.
I'll maybe pop a favourite photo of approriate son on the page as well.
Found another site via the scrapbooking thread that looks good................really must have a good look tomorrow. There's so many thats the trouble..............lol:rotfl:

Clare -just pop down any info you can gather, doesn't matter how small it is.......can be where she lived, what the village or town was like then (probably find that off google) with some images, did she work ? If she did what did she do.......dates of marriages, where married and when, picture of the church..........anything to make it look fairly full.
Sorry sticking my nose in but its the sort of thing I did for my scrapbooks. If I didn't know much about the relative little bits like that soon fill a page and make it interesting.

mum2one

Anglea wrote: »

mum2One - did you also see the one on MF about the website with 3 free items which included a sock monkey -I pressed the link but couldn't see any freebies once I got there - something to do with children's books I think.

That was a weird one, from the looks of it, the sock monkey etc was a download, whether its the instructions I don't know. xx

Chillout5892

elysia2003 wrote: »

Hiya everyone - sounds like you're all having fun!

I need to sort out what I need for my Christmas cake - I have the fruit and flour and spices etc, there's probably something I've forgotten. I need a cake tin too - Do you know how long i've been looking for a cake tin? Weeks! Everyone must have snapped them up early. I can find shallow victoria sponge ones but not a deep loose bottomed one. They have them at Lakeland but there prices are over the top. I only need a cheap one as it wouldn't be used much. Ahhh there's a thought - I might do the skills swap thing from off the other thread and see if my friend could lend me hers. She bakes a lot of cakes, I'm sure she won't mind! Sorted!

Hi there. I've recently bought quite a few baking containers of surprisingly good quality from very inexpensive sources. Wilkinson and Poundsaver both do excellent quality silicone bakeware. I bought a 6 hole small muffin tray and a set of 8 small heart shaped silicone muffin cases from Poundsaver, £1 each !!! A regional ritzy specialist kitchen shop that happens to be local sells the same heart shaped cases for £9.99. (I go in there to drool over the display of Artisan Kitchen Aids.) Wilkinson do metal bakeware, but I haven't seen springform tins there. The best place I've found for those is TK Max @ £6.99 for a 23-25 X 5cms tins. I was measuring them for myself this week.

Maybe you can help me. The reason I haven't bought one is that I can't find a cake storage tin big enough to hold a 23cms cake! There's no point in me baking one if it's going to get stale sitting on the counter in the kitchen. (I live alone, and I don't want to have to guzzle it all before it starts to go stale.) Unfortunatley most tins of Christmas biscuits are only 23cms wide so no room for my fingers to get the cake in and out.

Does anyone know where I can buy a good old fashioned drum sized cake storage tin, like your grannie had?

Thanks

abdonz

Hiya girls, still can't get on comp arrghh.

Everyone seems so sorted out and organised I've not done anything christmassy for over a week now, every day when I catch up with what u all been doing i start to panic.

Well done with all bargins and brilliant links.
Will catch you all up on my preparations by weekend .
Can you freeze the mince pies til Christmas? I have never made my own maybe a challenge for myself next week.
Xxx

Anglea

Chillout - biscuit tins - perhaps you'd find one in the charity shop. I've seen them in mine.

Alternatively, I've got a massive round cake tin that is as big and tall as a drum, it was from one of those Panettone cakes.

mum2one

abdonz wrote: »

Hiya girls, still can't get on comp arrghh.

Everyone seems so sorted out and organised I've not done anything christmassy for over a week now, every day when I catch up with what u all been doing i start to panic.

Well done with all bargins and brilliant links.
Will catch you all up on my preparations by weekend .
Can you freeze the mince pies til Christmas? I have never made my own maybe a challenge for myself next week.
Xxx

Yep - you can freeze mince pies, I cook mine, let cool, then freeze them. I cheat and use packet pastry mix - add water to, it sounds daft but its just as cheap than buying the flour etc.

What I do with my mincemeat - empty out stir in either sherry or brandy, gives it a little kick, xx

rufusdog52

Morning all

Had a fruitful day yesterday which made up for not going to the show today. Oh took me to the fabric shop (and waited in the car lol) so I bought some lovely fabrics, didnt get too many but managed to finish off my Xmas table cloth last night and have some Xmas fabric left over to make some place mats, need to get another bit though so might look again on Ebay.

Went armed with a shopping list of sweets to buy but didnt really see what I wanted except in Co-op, saw the pack of lips, they only had one pack left though and was buy 3 for £1 so bought another two packs of different sweets for daughter to munch on. The lips were quite small though when I opened them and there were teeth in there too. Emptied lips into the small kilner jar I bought and they dont even cover the bottom so will have to look out for something else. Didnt get bonbons or any of the other sweets.

In Co-op they had the medium sized selection boxes in though, were priced at £3 each or on offer of buy 3 for £5 so we got 6 of them. Two of them will do my Great Nephews presents. I need to get a couple of those tubes of sweets now for the girls to go with their teddies but waiting to see if they go on offer anywhere.

In 99p shop I managed to find some drawing paper made into pads, they were A4 sized sheets and all different colours, and about 2 and half inches thick so plenty of paper. These will go nicely with the crayon rolls I made the two youngest ones.

Went in charity shop to see if any bargains in there and found a brand new wool winter coat that was my size, was only £7 and I needed a new coat, especially one thats smart looking for if I go out of an evening so chuffed with that.

Took watch that I won on a tombola up to have new battery fitted to see if it works and works well so thats a present for eldest daugther for birthday next month. It is in a lovely smart box with a bracelet to match and is by Elizabeth Taylor in her white diamonds range. Cost me £1 for the tickets and the battery was £3.50 so nice present for under a fiver.

Sorted out the boxes on top of my wardrobe when I got in as was getting a mess up there. Got out the bits for daughters birthday and grandsons birthday next month so made room for more in the boxes. Found lots of little bits and pieces in the bottom of the box that I had forgotten about and realised that there was quite a bit of stuff all co-ordinating colours like peachy colours. Found two orange face flannels, Two sanctuary bits both peach coloured, think bath gel and body lotion, two round soaps wrapped in paper, a box of Next bath bombs (charity shop find) also peach coloured and a nice orangey pink soft toy pig. Also found a pink bracelet and pair of earrings to match that I had made for her earlier in the year. Put the bracelet round the neck of the pig and hooked the earrings over its ears and sat it in a basket with the other items and done it up in cellophane with a bow and it looks really nice and expensive. So thats another present for her birthday. She also has a set of books and a hand bag I made out of recycled mags. The kids helped me fold the paper for the handle so I will put it from them as well.

One of my parcels from Ebay turned up yesterday while I was out and typically it needed a signature. I will pop up and get it this morning as going to see ExMil for a while. OH is in today so if anything else comes he can take it in for me. Want to pop in the sewing shop while I am up there and see if she has some cord for making button necklaces as I have found loads of large black buttons of all different sizes and shapes. Might be able to make something up for nieces. Saw a pic on the net of one that they had drilled small holes either side of the button and then just joined them together by linking them. I have one of those small hobby drills so will give it a try and see how it works. Might be able to make earrings to match then.

Anyway thats as far as I have got. If anyone sees larger jelly lips about (am sure you used to get larger ones) especially if they come in a bag and are cheap then can you let me know please. Dont have many shops too near me where I can look unless we travel out, only co-op.

Have a nice day everyone xx

rufusdog52

Sorry, that was a long post lol. Forgot to add as well that I got some blank dvds in Wilkinsons to make the photo dvds for my Bro and two Sis's for Xmas. They were supposed to be £2.59 for 10 but went through till at £1.40 and good make too - Maxall. If any of you have OH's that use blank dvds would make a good stocking filler xx

mummyslittleboy

rufusd!!!2 wrote: »

Sorry, that was a long post lol. Forgot to add as well that I got some blank dvds in Wilkinsons to make the photo dvds for my Bro and two Sis's for Xmas. They were supposed to be £2.59 for 10 but went through till at £1.40 and good make too - Maxall. If any of you have OH's that use blank dvds would make a good stocking filler xx

Thanks for that will pop in and get some for DD1 as she needs some more although she will have to wait until christmas for them;)

You have got a lot done well done, I will keep my eyes open for the sweet lips for you.

I managed to make another memory wire bracelet last night for my friends daughter hopefully will get the other one made tonight.

cdsmiler

mary-op wrote: »

Clare -just pop down any info you can gather, doesn't matter how small it is.......can be where she lived, what the village or town was like then (probably find that off google) with some images, did she work ? If she did what did she do.......dates of marriages, where married and when, picture of the church..........anything to make it look fairly full.
Sorry sticking my nose in but its the sort of thing I did for my scrapbooks. If I didn't know much about the relative little bits like that soon fill a page and make it interesting.

Thanks Mary - I'll take this as a guide and see what info I can get from other family members - they're not overly motivated this far away from Chrsitmas.

piglet - that's so annoying with the parking ticket!! I'd write and complain nicely with an apology and as it's only 2 minutes over, can they leave it!

chillout - damn good question!! Would love to know the answer too!

abdonz - don't panic!!! Loads of time left.... And you can definitely freeze mince pies - my mum freezes them fuilly cooked (and then leaves a small number out to defrost and reheats them in the oven.), and I'm sure I've read people freezing them before cooking too.

Well done on your productive day rufus!

Going to get some jewellery made tongiht me thinks!! Off to Home Bargains tomorrow to see what goodies I can find in there! Has anyone seen any packets of seeds around still? Preferably herb seeds, cress or sunflowers... I want to do a thank you card for the child minders for at Christmas from DD and wanted to put inside "Thank you for helping me grow" with a packet of seeds (idea was off this forum SOMEWHERE - Thank you to whoever it was!!!) Me being practical I'd like to give some seeds they can use - they cook loads of herbs would be great, but they could grow cress or sunflowers with the children....

Clare x