Ideas for home-made gifts for x'mas please

ShirleyPark_2

ian123 wrote:

Does anyone know the link to the shopbot that obtains amazon items to build up purchases to £15.00 the amazon free delivery threshhold.
Thanks

http://www.filleritem.com/uk.html

havekidsamskint

I make jewellery,

You can start fairly cheaply and also make gifts for MIL/friends xmas and birthdays throughout the year. Kids stuff is pretty chep to make and is a great standby for unexpected birthday party pressies.

PM me if you want more info

Gingernutmeg

Maybe you could make a craft box for some of the children? I used to get these at Christmas and I loved them. It was simply strong plastic tub with a good lid, filled with various bits and pieces like embroidery thread, beads, plasticine, crayons, some nice paper, some paint, glitter, a pritt stick etc etc. It was fun decorating the box and then great to make things with the stuff in it - friendship bracelets, necklaces, cards ... I'm sure that you could make this quite cheaply, by looking out for special offers at places like Woolies, WHSmith, Partners.

sammy_kaye18

I agree with sexy mouse

If you join Pigsback all the answers are posted in the thread on the freebies board, you just click through alot of things and you get points - ive been a member for about a month and already have £10 saved - im plannign to save a lot of boots vouchers up adn then go to swansea/cardiff to a big boots store and use them on a variety of things

smellies/3 ofr 2/gift sets - pampering hampers for mum, sister, mil and sil.
baby clothes - sisters new baby due sept/oct.
aftershave - sisters bf

i figure i can also use it to get a few pictures printed off there too which will be nice as i can use these on christmas cards adn put soem in nice frames as Xmas gifts for elderly relative and other relatives too if i can manage to sit little one still for a few seconds and then i cna make home made frames or decorate some cheap ones for a personal gift!!!

Also if i have enough im going to see about a night in hamper for my step bro and sister so ill be saving up for either a blockbuster voucher to include in it or a CD/video voucher for them both

there is another thread here somwhere form last year after the farepak disaster that had alot of good ideas for non expensive gifts etc.

bobsa1

harduphester, love your fancy dress ideas. Are any of them easy to make (I've never done this sort of thing before!) my dd aged 3 would love it.

stressedoutmother

morganb wrote:

Are the gifts for the kids or for other people in the family?
I made a hand print apron for my parents this year. They loved it, so I am making one for ourselves for this year. Got the apron free with a magazine, so that was even more of a bonus.

That sounds great - did you get the children to hand print? Did you have to use fabric paint?

Other suggestions for aprons are to buy plain adult ones, cut up to make 2 kids' ones and decorate all girlie with cheap stuff from local fabric shop.

sammy_kaye18

Think my ben would like a dress up box this year (hes 3 too)

hmmmmm...........

bob builder
army man
fireman sam
batman/superman cape
sportacus
policeman
doctor

might be worth keeping an eye out for a few bits as this could be a good present for him.

Sallys_Savings

I agree gingernutmeg, you're right the kids love them.

If you have a look at car boots (great believer in car boots for gifts ) you often find craft items that havent been used for nearly nothing. Scraps of fabric, paper, threads, etc, old bracelets that can be broken up for beads etc.
I managed to buy an old baby changing box from a car boot for £2 and filled it with lots of goodies for my nieces.

I included;

Box of beads (all secondhand jewellery I bought for £1 and then broke up)
feathers (from an indian fancy dress)
bits of fur
brought a few second hand clothes for 10p each (got some lovely sequin and glitter fabrics- look out for lots of bright fabrics) and cut up into patches for their sewing/gluing.
Paper
Tissue paper
Pens/pencils/chalks/crayons/paints
Collected card board/jiffy paper from packaging
Ribbons from flowers/gifts
coloured laces
brought xmas hologram paper gift tags in the jan sales for 5p a pack
a clay set
playdough/cooking moulds and then made homemade ploughdough
collected from my own home bits of old embroidery thread, buttons, wrapping paper, scraps of bias binding,
Two photo frames for them to decorate (50p for the pair)
Two small trinket boxes to decorate
wooden spoon to make a puppet
old clean socks for puppets
depending on the age you could put a couple of tiles in to make coasters, plates/mugs to decorate, glasses to make tealight holders etc. (I brought three lovely glasses for 20p each for the children I childmind to make these)


I also looked on the internet for crafty ideas, printed them out and managed to collect the bits needed for them so they had a few "kits" ready to begin. I put everything they needed for each thing inside an old icecream tub with the instructions glued to the top. And made up 5 kits each for them for next to nothing.

Sallys_Savings

Look around for nice fabric at car boots, clothes that you wouldnt necessarily buy to wear but the fabric could be good to use. Perhaps you could use the fabric or rejig/customise an item of clothing for fancy dress.

I have made wheat bags for christmas, some you can pop lavender in too. If you want to make up lots it may be worth buying a sack of the internet. I've brought one for £15 before and it made up about 30 bags. I have made fleecy ones for the children and pretty flowery ones for aunties etc and tartan/plain for grandads. They just have to be popped into the microwave for a couple of minutes to heat.

How about chutneys/jams/pickle onions (we made some wicked chilli pickle onions last year which everyone loved...just make up the pickle onions in the normal way and then add some crushed dry chillis and a couple of fresh chillis to the vinegar and leave a couple of months)

Photo calendars with pics of the children on for grandparents if you look on the internet you often get free or really cheap pics..vistaprint i think is one. You can make up your own calendars using photos you already have or you could take some with the children dressing up for special months...i.e. grandads birthday in July so you have them all sitting their with a giant card or something saying happy birthday grandad. Other months you can have December - xmas hat/rudolf, August - on the beach etc, If you think ahead now you can get different photos as the months go by.

I love the apron idea that someone mentioned on here, and I've also seen someone making up teatowels in this way too.

Personalize t shirts...how about finding images on the web and printing them out onto the transfer paper you can buy at stationers (I paid £1 a sheet for this). If you buy the supermarket own brand t shirt you can make something individual to your own child for a couple of pounds. You can put photos/nick names/clip art/favourite tv character/writing etc.

How about fabric notice board to match their bedroom decor..i.e. bob the builder etc and then you put ribbons across so they just slot the pics etc in so no drawing pins. (lots on ebay to have a look at and make up your own)

CD Coasters?...Great for a teenagers bedroom. Just pop a piece of felt at the bottom and use old cds. Either use ones that are knocking around the house (freebie ones from newspapers). You can customise it by making up your own label with your sons/daughters name on and then stick on and coat with a layer of varnish.

Sock monkeys?...my daughter loved these when I made them for her. If you just google you can see how to make them. I brought stripey socks for these from poundland.

Brilliant idea for a dressing up box/basket..how about looking for a box/basket to keep them in at car boots.

Just noticed you have teenagers too........how about making an ipod cover (if its a girl I've seen lovely trendy flowery ones on ebay that can be made so simply or a brown faux)

If you're able to paint (which I am useless at) how about buying plain wooden box drawers and customise yourself for a girls jewellery box.

Large bean bags (I've brought an old one at a car boot and then made my own trendy cover and looked fab)

Pretty cushions/pillows to scatter on bed. I've seen trendy cushions in shops that look like old jumpers with the jumpers either taken off or tucked in and the buttons done up. You could find jumpers from car boots and decorate/customise yourself with lots of great buttons etc.

How about saving Tesco points and using those for christmas pressies. (great for the older ones for experiences) If you look on the tesco thread where it helps you to maximise your points you can get lots. (I've just received £35 worth of vouchers and that means in deals it would equate to £140..thats my sons ferrari driving experience sorted plus a magazine subscription for my dad and some left over).

Have you tried tesco r and r'ing?...there is a thread on the boards that explains, this may help pay for a few more pressies too.

Dont forget the sites already mentioned pigsback, quidco etc.

If when you are making items you make just a couple more perhaps you could have a stall at your local christmas fayre next autumn and sell the surplus?

fizzyfeet_2

Sallys_Savings wrote:

I have made wheat bags for christmas, some you can pop lavender in too. If you want to make up lots it may be worth buying a sack of the internet. I've brought one for £15 before and it made up about 30 bags. I have made fleecy ones for the children and pretty flowery ones for aunties etc and tartan/plain for grandads. They just have to be popped into the microwave for a couple of minutes to heat.

I would love to make these, was thinking of doing some other flavours/scents aswell as lavender (maybe chocolate using cake flavouring or cinammon!) I did find a huge sack on the internet, but I really don't want that much, and don't have anyone to share with, is there anywhere that I could go and buy a smaller amount, say enough for 4 or 5? Did try Tesco's and Holland & Barratt, but none in there.....

Thanks