The Festive Fivers competition is back!

meeshpeesh

Name of present: Alice in Wonderland box of treats
Whether it's bought or homemade: Bought/homemade
Total cost: £5
Details (where it's from, how to make it etc):
I made this for my sister last year and will have a challenge topping it this time! I got a gift box and filled it with some of the following things - a paper rose (free!), a teacup and saucer (£1 from poundland), a pocketwatch necklace (£1 from primark) some chocolate mice and foam mushroom pic n mix (about £1's worth, filled the teacup!) some bright red nail varnish (£1.99) pack of cards (already owned!).
I then wrote a quote from the book on a luggage tag and attached them to each item (nail varnish was 'Paint the roses red', the sweets and teacup were 'Eat me' 'Drink me') My sister loved it, she's a massive Alice in Wonderland fan and it's a great way to do something unique and different for not a lot of money! You can always swap things for different items, for e.g. if the giftee doesn't like painting their nails then include a mini bottle of wine (£1.99 from most supermarkets!) the story is so detail filled there are many ideas that can be used to make it your own
A link to the offer if it's online (where possible): Not really applicable but this site helped with getting the quotes perfect for the luggage tags http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Alice's_Adventures_in_Wonderland

xfive71

• Name of present: STORY CUBES
• Whether it's bought or homemade: Homemade
• Total cost: £0 - 3ish
• Details (where it's from, how to make it etc):

I saw a little write-up about a new game using dices to create crazy stories. The game costs about £10 but it consists of a few dices which you can easily make.

You will need 5 dices with pictures on the sides instead of numbers. Each person can throw the dies and create a sentence or story following the pictures. The zanier the better!

Dices can be made from stiff paper. This site is great for ones with particular themes like Christmas; lots of pictured dies. Alternatively, you may want to make dies from air dry clay which has a nice weight to it. Personalise the dies with pictures of the little ones, mum, dad or nan.

Once all done, wrap them up in some cellophane and write the game instructions on a piece of card

Suitable for kids and old alike! Might help with writer's block too! I found it helpful for the girls for composition work for their 11+ practice.

A link to the offer if it's online (where possible): Not on offer

devil_tez

Name of present: Lottery Tickets

Total cost: £1-£5

Details: Lottery scratch cards and tickets make great gifts, they are something people may not already buy for themselves and see as a waste of money but they love receiving them and the excitement of the chance of winning, you can spend as little or as much as you want and could potentially be the best gift they ever received.

My brother asked for money for his birthday but i knew i couldn't afford much so i bought him lottery tickets instead and he won £20.

n3vster

Name of present: Egg Carton Desk Organizer or Jewellery box
Bought or homemade?: Homemade
Total Cost: around £2.50
Details (the more, the better): Get a typical egg-carton for a dozen eggs. Paint it any colour you choose.

Cut lots of coloured pieces of fabric and/or rip tissue paper and glue them all over the outside of your egg carton - or you could also glue old photos and or cut appropriate pictures out of the Argos catalogue.

If you want to make it really last a while - and look 'eggstra' special - you can even seal it with something like a clear wood-varnish.

It makes a great gift for younger kids - or you can help cash-strapped kids to make for their parents! As a jewellery box, it can sort and hold rings, earrings, cuff links, and so on. As a desk organiser, you can use it to hold small items like paper clips, rubber bands, and old stamps etc.

:T :money: :T

jeccymail

Name of present: Limited Edition Gold Marmite
Whether it's bought or homemade: Bought
Total cost: £3.99
Details (where it's from, how to make it etc): For the Mother-In-Law who loves marmite and loves bling...marmite with gold flecks in it, perfect!!
A link to the offer if it's online (where possible):

katieliverpool

Name of present: Memory Jar
Whether it's bought or homemade: Homemade
Total cost: £5
Details (where it's from, how to make it etc):

The concept of this present is quite simple, basically to fill a glass jar with as many memories as possible that you've shared with a loved one. These memories can be funny, happy sad or poignant whatever you may choose and one of the best things about this present is you can work with siblings/friends/family so that everyone adds their own memories to the jar adding even more meaning to the present.

Equipment needed:

Glass Jar (Wilkinsons - £3)
Plain Card (Poundland - £1)
Ribbon (Poundland - £1)
Perfume/Aftershave (of your own choice)
Glitter?


How to make:

Step 1. Write each memory individually onto the card (I use gold/silver pens to give a nicer look)

Step 2. Cut around the memory and roll the piece of card up, tieing with a length of ribbon

Step 3. Add each memory to the jar and add glitter and a couple of sprays of perfume/aftershave depending on the recipient


This is such a simple present, and although it does take a little time to come up with memories and add them to the jar from my experience this present is so well received! The person you've made this gift for can then open a memory a day for the next year or until their birthday depending on how many memories you've added! You can also create more to add for their upcoming birthday! Its such a personalized gift they'll never have received anything like it before!

hannonle

Name of present: Cup Candles
Whether it's bought or homemade: Homemade
Total cost: dependant on charity shop price
Details (where it's from, how to make it etc): Search your local charity shops for pretty cup and saucer sets and for candles. Use an old saucepan (or bowl in the microwave) to melt down the candle after chopping or grating it into smaller pieces. Save the wick. Re-make the candle in the cup. You will need the saucer too to protect surfaces from the heat of the candle as it is burning, unless you can heatproof the bottom some other way eg cork/felt stuck on the bottom. The bowl or saucepan will probably have to be thrown away so use an old one. You can customise them to the recipients by choosing colours and patterns that they will like. Large cups may need a couple of shorter wicks rather than one central one.
Anything made for holding hot items can be used instead of cups, eg rammekins, but you need to remember that the bottom will get hot when the candles are burnt, so you'll need to do the cork/felt thing.
A link to the offer if it's online (where possible):

mrslimo30

Name of Present: Extended Christmas Present Opening (Couldn't think of a clever name - sorry)
Homemade!
Cost: FREE!!!

When I was young and money was tight, we would get only very few little presents for Christmas so to make our presents more fun and to take up more time on Christmas day, my mum would hide all our presents around the house and do like quizzes or bingo etc and when you got an answer or won you would get the clue to a present. Back then I never knew that I only got 2 selection boxes a year but I was a very happy child (I know its not something Ive done myself but I always try to share my wins with my mum and I'll be doing the same with my own children at Christmas even though now I can afford to buy more presents they will have fun opening them)

MTDancer

Name of present: Love Box
Whether it's bought or homemade: Homemade
Total cost: dependant on what you use for a box. I used a few sheets of pretty paper and covers a small box that was made from cereal boxes
Details I made a small box and lid from cereal boxes and covered with pretty paper. Then I printed out 52 small tags, cut them out and on each I wrote: I love you because......(and then wrote the reason)
Brought my hubby to tears and he looked forward to getting a new tag every week.

Sam-Cooke

LEGO 3 IN 1 KIDS can built and play several options and use it again in their own lego sets to be imagnitive and use their own ideas just as much as the three in one idea lego wins all round both for boys and girls and great price at 4.99 a set x
2 minutes ago · Like

Samantha Cooke from most toys stores and supermarkets and boots even better get hem on 3 for 2 on boots and get 3 sets for a tenner!
a few seconds ago