Challenge: Handmade 2010 xmas

debsleypig

Just wanted to say a big thanks to all you guys on here. This thread is fab and I am truly glad I discovered it. I have been meaning to read it for a while, so the other evening I sat down and ploughed my way through it.

It has given me loads of ideas and great websites and deals to take advantage of. Thanks in particular for the http://www.everycraftsapound.co.uk/ website-will deffo be buying some stuff off there and getting a free gift with my order which will then be someone else's Christmas present! Plus also the http://www.makingmagazine.com/index.asp website with their free craft book offer which again will be someone's present (if I am not too tempted to keep it myself).

Plus all the lovely homemade stuff-snowman soup, personalised chocolate slabs etc. Have started a spreadsheet on what to buy/make for each person.

It is all quite amusing as my in-laws have been a bit horrid about Christmas this year. We have always had this unwritten rule to spend £15 on each other (there are a lot of them!) and every year we feel pressurised into doing this and every year it would go on the credit card, to just about be paid in time for the next Christmas! We wanted to get away from this so started to suggest ways to spend less, e.g. do homemade pressies, just spend a fiver on each other, or give to charity in their name. All seemed fine, then they suddenly changed their minds and said that £5 simply wasn't enough and we should spend £10-15 on each other-right back to square one! So, I will be feeling most smug when sister in law is opening her pressie that is RRP £16 but only cost me £2.95-he he he. :rotfl:

Plus I am going to be brave and do homemade pressies as well. This is the last year we are buying for extended family anyway. Fed up with all the pressure about it every year. We have a very limited budget for Christmas now we are not using the credit card, and I would prefer to spend the money on our kids or give to charity

nikifm

Good evening everybody!

This is my first post after taking about 3 evenings to read through all 26 pages in this thread - and now I think I have christmas presents sorted for just about everybody! Amazing - it's not even the end of October!

I made a few little homemade bits and pieces last year but as money is getting tighter and tighter every minute I've decided to make a few more bits this year and this thread has given me ideas for everybody so - thanks to all!

My list so far is:

Sister: (expecting a baby 28th Dec!) blanket for the baby, canvases that I'm painting for the babies room, snowman soup and then a few other bought bits and pieces
Her partner: sweets and cakes! (and possibly a few xbox games and dvds - he's quite hard to make for but I know he loves my cupcakes so - nice big batch of those!)
Mum: some fudge (just got to decide which recipe!) and as her and her partner got married the other day, I'm going to get the photos off my friend (who did the photography) and put them in a nice scrapbook along with little bits and pieces from the day (like place settings etcc)
Secret santas (yes I have 2!): Snowman soup [= - sounds like quite a sweet idea and in Secret santa budget [=
And then lots of other random little bits and pieces I'm going to make and distibute as necessary [=

Thanks for all your great ideas and I will start to post some of my own as and when I find some [=

Pixie_Fairydust

Hi all, am a new one on here!

Please help what is snowman soup and what are pots of gold, I am so intrigued!

Am going to have a go at sock monkey's, they look sooooo good. Might have a go at a scarf too! Get me!

You are all an inspiration, thanks.

esmer

If you search for both in the forum you'll get to see the lovely photos of what people have made.

Snowman soup is a cone shaped cellophane bag, hot chocolate at the bottom. The choc drops, then a layer of marshmallows, then tied up with lovely ribbon and a tag with a wee poem.

Pots of gold
Small gold container, filled with gold covered choccies, ferrero roche, eshaw mints, gold coins, then wrapped in cellophane. Tag and poem attached

Hth

midnightraven3

nixx

it just came to me as i read your post

the cupcakes?
since he is such a fan
(and this would cut costs as games are £££££)

why dont you make him either a certificate or vouchers
like a sort of cupcake of the month kinda thing

each month a different flavour/topping etc
promise to say deliver 6 cupcakes of the month throughout the year
he can anticipate getting them each month and his present would last all year:T

dramarama

Afternoon all! Hope you're all well. I've not done much in the way of HM stuff, got to get a few more supplies!! I'm making a food hamper from my bestie and her OH.
My close family are doing Secret Santa so i don't have to worry about my OH!! he he!!

Everywhere I go at the moment stores seem to keep giving out till spits etc to make me spend...its not going to happen though!!

I love the monthly cupcake idea...mmm, wish I could have that too!! You could have themed flavours too, like guinness & cream cheese for St Patricks day, pumpkin for halloween etc!

I'm off to search the forums for chilli jam recipes and where to get cheap hamper baskets from!:)

esmer

I just got free samples of soap........... just postage. They will go nice in my Pamper Hamper

http://www.soape.com/free-samples-1.html

Got it from the nearly freebie board

This might help some ofyou.

mary-op

esmer - must have missed that one -thanks. Got six sample candles this morning that I can box up and give to someone...........they're all the 'festive' smells.
Ordered a Pashmina from the 'freebie -nearly' (forget what its called.....lol) it was an offer through the Sunday paper but you can order it online for postage only of £2.99.

Pixie - I'm a real cheapskate I'm afraid (needs must) and my pots of gold are empty kitchen jars filled with gold coins or any gold covered sweets of choccies..........tie a gold ribbon round the top or stick self adhesive bow on the lid.......job done !
My neighbour was really thrilled with hers last yeare -mind you I did give her ferrero roche..........lol

Claros78

Hi everyone, I have been following this link for a couple of weeks now and am so inspired by you all and the lovely things that you are making. I am trying to do a lot of homemade presents this year and have taught myself basic knitting so have made a scarf for my boyfriends mum and am making a baby blanket for my boyfriends neice/nephew who is due in December. I am also hoping to make the pompom scarf for my sister.

Id like to give the toffee vodka a go but can i ask what kind of vodka do you use? if i used the cheapest own brand would it work or would it taste nasty?

Thanks

tinkerbell1990_2

we're making Cadbury Clusters to bulk out our presents this year. Look at the ingredients on a packet of Clusters, and it is simply chocolate, corn flakes and raisins (and emulsifier, but who wants that anyway?!!) also, we bulk ours out with rice krispies as it makes them easier to bite into. we've been making them for a while for ourselves, but have decided to get creative for christmas and try different combinations.
so far, our ideas are white chocolate and raspberry, dark chocolate and orange, milk chocolate and mint. i'm still plotting some others too. we buy our ingredients at tesco. tesco value chocolate (not great by itself, but good melted down) at about 30p a bar, tesco value corn flakes (they come in a bag and are only something daft like 35p), tesco value rice krispies (are you catching the theme here?!!) and just some sultanas, or whatever you're adding in. they're really quite cheap, and because its melting chocolate, you may even get some help!!!
once you've melted the chocolate and walloped everything in, we just put them on greaseproof paper on a tray, pop them in the fridge overnight and break them up the next day. we plan on putting them in jam jars or something, with some ribbon to make them pretty.
good lord, just realised i sound a bit like a cookery book!!! sorry, i tend to get a little carried away. love the snowman soup, that sounds awesome!!!