Christmas thoughts already...

themull1

If it was me receiving a homemade gift, i would love a patchwork quilt or patchwork cushion covers, or those cute little material heart decorations that are fashionable at the moment, draft excluders are a good present as well, unfortunately i'm rubbish at knitting and sewing, although i can bake!! But if all you lot are good at crafting, i think home made is the way to go!!

rsdiscos

There is an american site called tipjunkie will loads of ideas
What about this: http://homemade.tipjunkie.com/personalized-wooden-blocks-diy/

Would fit with most decor

midnightraven3

:(at your hubbys attitude

a few years ago, i made everyone a hamper, full of homemade goodies, i had the time and wanted to do it, it was nothing to do with money, i gave out my hampers and waited with nervous anticipation at how they would be received

within a few days i had people asking me to make them more of the things in them:T

NOW i am sure they would be disappointed if i handed over a bought gift:rotfl:

you can have so much fun making presents OP

i know this isnt constructive, but if hubby wants to give flash presents, tell hubby to buy & pay for them, and you make for the people who you know will appreciate them

be warned, once you start, your mind thinks of nothing else, you will be "creating" in yorur sleep:rotfl:

FrugalWorker

For girls, what about making a kitchen set, but you'll need to use relatively expensive fabric (or go for something very neutral with accents of colour) - I'm thinking something that looks like Cathy Kidson, or something along those lines. Tea towel/coaster/apron/tea cozy (or for coffee percolator).

A variation on this is to buy part of the gift - say a coffee plunger and make a cozy for it with matching coasters - make's it look expensive.

For men - a manly laptop cover (assuming they own a laptop).

I look for ideas in places like anthropologie/avoca. There's a designer/interior designer's shop just down from where I work. I go in for ideas - I'd never dream of buying anything.

Look for what's popular in the shops. Hot water bottles with knitted cozy's were very popular last year. These are a fairly quick knit, with a bit of ribbon around the top look shop bought.

Get some celephane to wrap gifts - don't show your husband the gift until it's wrapped in cellophane with a 'designers' name on it. Get a tag for them, create your own designers name. Make up tags, and put made and designed in xxx by yyy. For scarves, consider getting fabric tags made up that you could sew on. Look on Etsy or ebay - they are quite reasonable. I'm not for a moment suggestion you copy another designers name/label - make your own and pretend you got it in an interior designers/some boutique.

By the way, I love home made - not everyone dose. For these cases need to make it look non-home made.

Klug

So many great ideas all of you - thanks so much for taking the time to try and help me. I will certainly investigate some of them when I get a minute. You are all so inventive.
Thanks once again

NiceGuyEddie_2

Tbh, I'd tell your husband to choose and buy the presents for his family. Their attitude towards your gifts is unacceptable and incredibly rude, so IMO you shouldn't put so much (any?!) time and effort in to their presents. I am still always shocked by posts like these, where the recipient is rude and ungrateful - their attitude is their problem, not yours, and as such you shouldn't waste your time pandering too them. You are clearly someone who puts a lot of thought and effort into present buying, so I'd be inclined to focus those thoughts on to people who do appreciate it.

It's beyond cheeky of your hubby to expect you to sort his family's presents out in these circumstances - if they don't meet his or their standards, he can try buying them, and hopefully will then have more appreciation for what you do to keep them happy

If you do however decide to go down the road of getting their presents, then I agree that hampers are the way forward in these circumstances. They can still be filled with 'bought' goodies if his family don't appreciate handmade gifts (how could they not?!) but are so much cheaper if you buy the contents yourself as a) they don't have the profit element of buying a readymade hamper, as obv. the seller will be seeking to make profit on the hamper and b) you can buy the contents throughout the year when various items are on offer, thus reducing and spreading the cost.

HTH x

midnightraven3

I would love to know how many people MAKE their own gifts & hampers for people as presents, BUT would LOVE to receive one?

i cant be the only one surely? Everyone i give them to, i think is genuinely pleased with them, the thought, time, and how unusual & appropriate they are, dont get me wrong, ANY present is appreciated, but do none of you sit sometimes and just wish someone would make YOU a hamper?:o

NiceGuyEddie_2

midnightraven3 wrote: »

I would love to know how many people MAKE their own gifts & hampers for people as presents, BUT would LOVE to receive one?

That is me to a T!! My friends and family are normally very good at choosing presents so I'm a lucky girl with what I do receive, but a hamper would be bliss

money_saving_diva

NiceGuyEddie wrote: »

Tbh, I'd tell your husband to choose and buy the presents for his family. Their attitude towards your gifts is unacceptable and incredibly rude, so IMO you shouldn't put so much (any?!) time and effort in to their presents. I am still always shocked by posts like these, where the recipient is rude and ungrateful - their attitude is their problem, not yours, and as such you shouldn't waste your time pandering too them. You are clearly someone who puts a lot of thought and effort into present buying, so I'd be inclined to focus those thoughts on to people who do appreciate it.

It's beyond cheeky of your hubby to expect you to sort his family's presents out in these circumstances - if they don't meet his or their standards, he can try buying them, and hopefully will then have more appreciation for what you do to keep them happy

x

^^ this!!

I can't see any enjoyment in making homemade presents for people that won't appreciate them. Homemade presents are filled with your time, dedication and love and if the recipient can't see that they don't deserve the present.

I only make homemade presents for people that will like them.

Some people just don't 'get' homemade presents and I think unless they have ever tried a craft/ baking etc it's hard for them to understand.

Don't waste your time on them. Send your hubby shopping for them

[Deleted User]

I have made over the years blankets for all of my seven grandchildren two of the boys I made football ones with their favourite teams logo knitted in to the middle I.E. blue and white squares for my Chelsea mad grandson I also knitted last year into it Chelsea double cup winners and the year.Jack ,my 11 year old grandson was thrilled to bits as his personalised blanket.My eldest grandson Danny has a West Ham one that I knitted for him when he was 11 and he is now almost 21 and he even takes it with him when he is away on holiday in this country.Ben (15) has a Liverpool one in red and white. This year I am going to make for DGS Danny's girfriend Chloe a 'Betty Boop' one as she like the logo for it and she wants a blanket personalised for herself.
www.microrevolt.org/knitPro will bring up the site to get a pattern up for you and you just type in what ever you want.Once you have done the middle square then just match the surrounding squares with colours as you want . Its very easy to do if you can follow an ordinary one row knit one row purl.