handmade gifts for christmas and celebrations 2011

esmer

emay wrote: »

Sorry if this has been posted already, did start reading through all posts, but gave up!

I want to make Christmas cakes to give as gifts next year. I have a recipe that I use every year and this is the recipe I want to use but it makes a pretty big cake. Do I need to adjust the timings if I'm splitting the mixture between tins, and if so by how much?

Thanks guys

Hi Emay,

Im sure there is a recipe somewhere that people use to make small christmas cakes in old baked bean tins. Here it is

Welcome to all the new peeps.

youngoldlady

:wave: Hi Wammy! That keyring looks really professional Have you thought about selling them? Absolutely beautiful!

emay wrote: »

Sorry if this has been posted already, did start reading through all posts, but gave up!

I want to make Christmas cakes to give as gifts next year. I have a recipe that I use every year and this is the recipe I want to use but it makes a pretty big cake. Do I need to adjust the timings if I'm splitting the mixture between tins, and if so by how much?

Thanks guys

Hi Emay! What sort of size cake were you planning to make? This year I did a big one for us and ended up throwing half of it away - which I hate doing :mad: I used a sponge fruitcake recipe and fed it with a cheap whisky I found in Netto. I had to double the quantity to make it around 9inches wide and around 4inches deep. It took 2hrs to cook instead of 1hr because of doubling the size. I hope this helps!

Ddraig

Some ladies know me on here.But it matters not.You will by end of the year.Im shifting you all along one to make room for me.Im cheeky like that hehe.
I want to make sock monkies and at least one quilt this year.I am an unorganised mess as per.Stuff all over the place and no time to read flylady lol.
Oh well if I make some stuff and sell some stuff,il have room.I think,lol.
Good luck for the start of this challenge my friends.

esmer

Not sure what i want to make this year............

Ordered the book from Lakelands, for making Jams and chutneys.

I like the idea of door stops, and some draft excluder's.

I'm concentrating on my DD's birthday on Thursday. The place for the party are doing everything, (Saturday) all I have to do is take her cake (still to make). I cant for the life of me find her birthday bag that I got before the holidays. Need to get another one, all her presents are here and wrapped.

Im off on Thursday, so will set out all her presents on Wed night. Not sure if I should get some balloons and a banner?


Make Cake
Buy new birthday bag
buy birthday card
decorate cake
buy sugarpaste
make flowers, and butterflys

Think thats it :rotfl:

Well_Preserved

Posting Individual Dundee Cakes next in case it helps emay:

[Makes 3]
225g raisins 225g currants
225g sultanas 50g sliced glace cherries
115g candied mixed peel grated rind 1 orange
300g plain flour 2.5 ml baking powder
5 ml ground mixed spice 225g unsalted butter, softened
225g caster sugar 5 eggs

Topping:
50g whole blanched almonds 50g halved glace cherries
50g candied fruits, sliced 45ml apricot jam

Preheat oven to 150c/300F/Gas 2. Grease & line 3 x 15 cm tins & tie a strip of brown parcel wrap around each. Mix all fruit & orange rind in large bowl. In another bowl, sift flour, baking powder, mixed spice. Add butter, sugar & eggs. Mix together with wooden spoon & beat 2-3 minutes until smooth & glossy. Add mixed fruit & fold in using a spatula until well blended. Divide mixture between tins & level tops. Arrange almonds in circles over the top of one cake, glace cherries over 2nd & mixed glace fruits over 3rd. Bake 2 -2.5 hours or until a skewer inserted into centre comes out clean. Leave in tins until completely cold. Turn out, remove lining paper & brush tops with apricot glaze [made by adding 30 ml water to the apricot jam in small saucepan & heating gently, stirring, to melt the jam, & sieving.] Leave to set, wrap in cellophane & pack in pretty boxes or tins.

Laura_D_3

... Although I'm rubbish at the crafting this thread is like my naughty pleasure - I love it and all of the wonderful things you make. This year I'm hoping I can get going early and then theres no stoping me :j:j

Sylphraven the presents you've made sounds fabulous. I'm sure people did appreciate them and if not I can give them my address for them to forward on.

My favourite presents this year were a beautiful crocheted blanket by my mum (it was supposed to be a wedding present bless her at least I got it in the same year- I'm very proud of her) and my sister made me a beautiful little cake stand by drilling some plates and using one of the kits I've seen on ebay. Its adorable. Homemade presents are the best by far - I love that someone has invested the time in something for me. Unfortunately I didn't get round to making the homemade presents I wanted to, although one of our mums elderly neighbours did get a jar of my other halfs homemade chutney which is truely fabulous and she'd commented on earlier in the year so I assume she liked it - I'll photo the blanket and cake stand for my blog later.

Betterlife/ Wammy77 I saw these amazing piccys for a fairy party on celebrations at home http://www.celebrationsathomeblog.com/2010/07/enchanted-fairy-party.html



And there are loads more piccys there as well. I don't have any kiddies but may have to do a fairy party for my god daughter - just because they look so fab.

Wammy77 That key ring is amazing. How did you make it?

OMG I've just been looking through all of your blogs they are fabulous. I'm following all of you and looking forward to seeing what brilliant ideas I can steal in the coming year. Although I need to learn the art of doing instead of just reading!!

I've started up a new blog this year in an attempt to be slightly tidier last years will stay put as it links to all of my favourite other crafty blogs. But from now on I will be posting on a new one.

Heres to another year of craft parties (two last year - my birthday and a Christmas one), attempting to make homemade presents and if not telling my mum what lovely things I've seen so that she very nicely makes them for me

esmer

Wellcome to the thread Laura and thanks for that link on the fairy party, got some great ideas. just to let you know that your not allowed to plug your own blog. You need to add it to your homepage on CP and we can all look at it from there. you can post other links, but for whatever reason we are not allowed to advertise our own. dont want you getting into trouble

Hollyberry

Sallys_Savings wrote: »

Hi, do you have photos of these elf schools?...i'm looking into doing something similar for my goddaughter and neices for next year. thank you

Hi Sally

There are lots (probably rather too many ) photos on my blog, running through December's posts. The main difficulty was in actually acquiring the elves. In the end, I bought two small Grumpys and with the help of my mum, who has more talent with needles and fabrics, transformed one into a girl elf complete with lacy skirt, and a nice frilly collar to conceal the results of her beardectomy. Next year I intend starting the search for elves earlier, and not roaming Solihull like a woman possessed the day before the elves were due to go to the godchildren.

Along with the elves, I sent a number of tasks including writing letters to Santa, riding in a human sleigh, visiting a human school, hosting a movie night in and playing outside (with elf and safety equipment of course!). I bagged up all the tasks with any items needed to play and with instructions. The elves were sent with their igloo (which ElfMum hid in the house for the kids to find on the first night), sleeping bags (cut down bottle bags), a naughty step (a fine pair of Santa's best trousers), plenty of chocolate for the journey, their magic snow (little pompoms in a bag), passports and sleigh driving licences.

During December, I sent them some extras by post: a volcano to sit near the igloo (which produced a dinosaur) and some space rations and space poems (which elves, of course, eat/recite while on sleigh duty). I set up an email address for the Chief Elf, and had lots of fun conversations with the 8 year old goddaughter, which might work well, depending on the age of your goddaughter/nieces.

Let me know if there's anything else you'd like to know.

mary-op

wammy - love the key ring........:T

Welcome Laura and any other newcomers I may have forgotten.

Started on some birthday cards this morning - Just remembered one in Jan and one in Feb so thought I'd get stuck in else I'll forget and it'll be one mad rush.
What to do for pressies Ive not a clue

Laura_D_3

esmer wrote: »

Wellcome to the thread Laura and thanks for that link on the fairy party, got some great ideas. just to let you know that your not allowed to plug your own blog. You need to add it to your homepage on CP and we can all look at it from there. you can post other links, but for whatever reason we are not allowed to advertise our own. dont want you getting into trouble

Thanks Esmer, I've removed my blog links now. I thought that was the case last year but as quite a few other blogs were quoted thought I was going mad :rotfl::rotfl:, anyway I've got the link on the drop down for my homepage now. Rightio off to photograph my beautiful homemade Christmas presents.