The Festive Fivers competition is back!

riverlife

Crocheted Granny Blanket
Homemade
Cost: as little as free!

I have loads of bits of leftover wool - and have been Freecycled some more - so am crocheting a colourful blanket made up of Granny Squares. It's quite time consuming, but you can easily do it whilst watching TV & you can rest assured that whoever you give it to will know that you've put plenty of time & love into it. The vintage look is back in fashion at the moment too - I've seen a similar one selling for over £100 on Etsy!!

Loads of tutorials on You Tube & Google 'Granny Squares' for inspiration :-)

minnie17

• Name of present: Cute lump of coal stocking filler!
• Whether it's bought or homemade: Either
  
• Total cost: £2-5 if bought, 50p if homemade
  
• Details (where it's from, how to make it etc): Perfect stocking filler for all the naughty girls and boys out there. You can buy through Etsy (US and UK sellers available) but SO simple to make your own. Stitch a piece of muslin into a little gift bag. Decorate bag with either fabric paints or inks, using your own cardboard stencils or existing tree decorations as templates. Even a potato stamp would do the job! Then place into the bag a small lump of coal and tie with a pretty little ribbon. I also like to attach a parcel tag (5p-10p), saying "Been good this year?" with the name of the recipient and extra decorations.
• A link to the offer if it's online (where possible): US seller: http://www.etsy.com/listing/63685908/lump-of-coal-in-mini-muslin-sack-party?ref=sr_gallery_5&ga_search_query=lump+of+coal&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=GB&ga_page=2&ga_search_type=all&ga_facet=lump+of+coal

wizzywilc

Name of present: Festive five senses

Bought or homemade or mixed

Cost: £5 - <£2 depending on what's included, how much is home-made or vintage, and whether items are bought in multipacks.

Details: a mixed present of five items, one for each sense.

Something to taste eg chocolate teddy bear 50p Tesco; alternatively home-made sweets, biscuits, jam, chutney etc.

Something to see: magazine eg Private Eye £1.50, vintage paperback 50p charity shop; or collection of cartoons, poems, recipes collected over the year and pasted into a folding book.

Something to smell: eg scented candle 99p QD stores; alternatively home-made pot-pourri

Something to touch: eg facemask 99pSuperdrug; or disposable handwarmers £1 outdoor shops.

Something to hear:Download free or cheap tracks (see tunechecker via MSE site) to a CD (25p if bought in packs), alternatively Poundland have a selection of £1 CDs.

Wrap each separately and tie together with ribbon (re-used, or 25p metre)

tidydesk

Name of present: Cafod World Gift
Whether it's bought or homemade: Bought
Total cost: £4.50
Details (where it's from, how to make it etc): On the Cafod World Gifts website you can buy a practical gift for a child/family in a developing country on behalf of someone else. You chose/buy the gift online (eg. Pack of colouring pencils £4.50) and then you get an illustrated card showing the gift with a presentation envelope. You then give your family or friend the card by hand or in the post (or you can opt for e-card) and explain to them that you have bought a gift for someone in a developing country on their behalf - perfect when people have so much already. This can mean a lot to some people knowing that instead of recieving something themselves something useful is being given to those who need it. It can also be really nice for children to understand how lucky they are.
A link to the offer if it's online (where possible): unable to post link as new member, so please google cafod world gifts

fergal71

Name of present:Pay It Forward DVD

Whether it's bought or homemade: Bought

Total cost:£2.00

Details (where it's from, how to make it etc):Ebay probably cheapest

A link to the offer if it's online (where possible):




Pay it forward dvd, watch and do! change the world! amazing film and I have been paying it forward ever since I watched the film nearly 10 years ago I think. excellent selfless present....

Rainbow_001

Name of present: Brownie Mix in a jar (can be adapted for cookies)
Whether it's bought or homemade: Bit of both
Total cost: £3.50 - £4
Who for: Those who enjoy baking but have limited time. Teenagers who are just getting into baking. Friends, Family etc
Details:
This is for jar which has attractively layered ingredients which the recipient can then use to make cookies.

1. Buy a 1 litre kilner jar from Ikea, the pound shop or Wilkinson (£1 - £1.50). Wash, clean and dry thoroughly.

2. Buy or take from your cupboard (check products are in date first!) Measure out the following:
½ tsp salt
½ tsp baking powder
95g plain flour
35g cocoa
75g plain flour
135g brown sugar
150g sugar
100g chocolate chips
100g white chocolate chips

3. Take your cleaned jar and layer the dry ingredients listed above in the following order starting from the top so starting with the salt, baking powder and flour. The chocolate chip cookies will be on the top underneath the jar lid. Layering the ingredients will give a “layered sand look” and make the item look attractive.

4. Write out the recipe on a tag in your best handwriting.
“Combine the contents of the jar with 150g melted butter and 3 beaten eggs. Mix well, and pour into a lined 9 x 9 inch tin. Bake at Gas 4 / 180 C (160 fan) / 350 F for 25-35 minutes.”

The tag can be as fancy as you would like – could just be written on a piece of paper, or on coloured card with fancy pens if you have some craft materials at home.


5. Tie tag around the jar with a piece of ribbon/string.

6. Give to recipient


These sell for between £9.99 and £15.99 on the Scarlet Bakes website, Jamie Oliver also does them too for a similar price. This makes a professional looking item for less than half the price of ones in the shop!

You can search for other brownie and cookie recipe ideas online. The more you make the cheaper it is because you can buy the dry ingredients in bulk.

Search online for “Recipe for cookie mixture in a jar” or “Recipe for brownie mixture in a jar”. This will return multiple recipes so you can pick one for the recipient.
NB. If you are layering in a clear glass make sure each layer is distinct – the ingredients need to be different colours (for example white sugar and white flour is not going to show up well.

sandsferguson

Name of present: Chalkboard Mug
Whether it's bought or homemade: Both
Total cost: £4.99
Details (where it's from, how to make it etc): A plain porcelain mug, take a gift tag and trace around it. Paint inside the trace with chalkboard paint and draw a line to the inside of the mug as ribbon. Write on names, dates or anything else significant. Gift with chalk for a unique and special gift.
A link to the offer if it's online (where possible): http://www.aberartscentreshop.co.uk/blackboard-message-mug-149-p.asp

xfive71

Name of present: 3 Jars of Scented Sugar
Whether it's bought or homemade: Both
Total cost: Cost of sugar (1kg bag) and decorative bits £3-5
Details (where it's from, how to make it etc):

Jars of scented sugar goes for at least £5 a pop but these can easily be done at home. Get 3 clean jars. Divide the sugar into 3 portions and add one of any flavours/scents below :

• A vanilla pod
• Fresh Lavender sprigs
• Cinnamon sticks
• Orange, lemon or lime peels (dry for a day first)
• Rose petals (pinks ones are lovely)

Pack one scented sugar into a jar, screw on tight and leave it be. That's all. Best if made about a week or two in advance. These can be made even 2 months in advance.

I find giving 3 jars in a box/basket or wrap in cellophane and ribbons looks the most festive. Make personalised labels as per this link


A link to the offer if it's online (where possible):

kelly1989_2

Name ofpresent: Gift mug

Boughtor homemade? Both

TotalCost: Up to£5 each dependingon what you put in the mug and how many you make

Details: Buy amug, line the bottom with red tissue paper and fill it with homemade cookies(you could even get Christmas cutters and make snowmen and Christmas treeshaped cookies) which can be decorated with icing. You can also buy more foodiegifts that the person will like and then wrap it all in cellophane bags and tiewith red ribbon. You can put different things in the mug depending on whattypes of food the person likes.

You can buy a pack of 4 bright red mugs from Asda for £4.
Buy a pack of 20 cellophane bags from Amazon with Christmas designs on them;these cost £1.99 including delivery.
Buy red ribbon on Amazon for £2.09 including delivery.
Buy red tissue paper on Amazon for £.2.50 including delivery
Initial outlay cost = £10.58 but you have 4 mugs so makes it £2.65 each. Plusyou will have enough bags, ribbon and tissue paper to make more if you so wish.

Then you could then add a small sachet of hot chocolate for about 30p each,candy canes for about 10p each, chocolate coins, retro sweets such as lovehearts, or anything that takes your fancy!

If you want to personalise it even more, you could buy a plain white mug anddecorate it with ceramic paint.

ih8stress

# Name of present:

FRIDGE MAGNET BIRTHDAY REMINDERS

# Whether it's bought or homemade:
Both

# Total cost:
£1 - £2

# Details (where it's from, how to make it etc):

FRIDGE MAGNET BIRTHDAY REMINDERS:

Buy a pack of magnetic paper from the poundshop (2 per pack)

Select family members from photos (just the head and shoulders will do). Arrange them to fit on one sheet, taking care to leave a white space underneath each person.
Print on one sheet and leave to dry.

Cut around each person and include a deep base at the bottom for the date to go.
*If you already know the dates you can include these before you print the sheet off.

Wrap them as required, with a carded description.

The recipient can then use them as 'fridge magnet birthday reminders'. All they have to do is add the birth date on the white base (biro or black marker) of each person.

And, even more moneysaving, they can be used again and again!


I posted this at 3.46am this morning but it seems to have disappeared, so I'm posting it again?