The Festive Fivers competition is back!

xfive71

Name of present: Cookie Logs with cutters
Whether it's bought or homemade: Both
Total cost: from Tesco

250g butter 98p
140g caster sugar 25p pro-rated from 500g bag
300g flour 10p pro-rated from 1.5kg value range
One egg 10p
Parchment or baking sheet
A set of cookie cutters from Poundland

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

The idea is to make frozen cookie dough logs, wrapped it in parchment/baking paper. Print the recipe & baking instruction in a nice font on a decorative piece of coloured paper and stick it on the outside. Tie ribbons on the ends and add the cookie cutters.

For the basic cookie dough (from BBC Good food):

INGREDIENTS
250g butter , softened
140g caster sugar
1 egg yolk
300g plain flour

Mix 250g softened butter and 140g caster sugar in a large bowl with a wooden spoon, then add 1 egg yolk and briefly beat to combine. Sift over 300g plain flour and stir until the mixture is well combined - you might need to get your hands in at the end to give everything a really good mix and press the dough together. Roll into logs approximately 3in. in diameter, wrap in baking parchment and stuck in the freezer.

*** Above recipe can be adjusted to chocolate by substituting 50g of plain flour with cocoa powder and add white choc chips ***

DECORATIONS
Print the following instructions onto a decorative piece of paper to fit the log. "Defrost cookie dough if still frozen. Cut the logs into 1 inch disc. Flatten and use the cookie cutters. Place on baking tray and bake in a 180 deg oven for 12-15 min. Cool the cookies and eat! "

Stick the paper on the outside and decorate the ends of the log with some red ribbon. Tie the cookie cutters together with a length of ribbon and tie it onto one end.

For an idea on how it looks like and an egg-free recipe, see here. You can print off the festive labels here

ih8stress

# Name of present:

HEARTFELT TOKENS

# Whether it's bought or homemade:
Both

# Total cost:
£1 - £5

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

Bring a smile (or groan) to your loved ones with a jokey present with a message of your love and appreciation.

SOME EXAMPLES ARE:

compass: I would be lost without you
torch: you light up my life
key: you have the key to my heart
stone: you are my rock
bra: thank you for all the support you give me
globe: you mean the world to me
stamps: you're my first class male

Put the gift in a suitable box or bag (the more luxurious the better), along with the message.

If it's for someone special you can always present it with their main present as a teaser.
Alternatively, it may do as a 'secret santa' for someone.

Have fun making up your own combinations.

Gift prices range from £1 - £5.

Kimmy.W

Name of present: Recycled T-shirt Infinity Scarf / Necklace
Whether it's bought or homemade: homemade
Total cost: £0 - £5
Details: There are a number of tutorials online to help you turn a T-shirt that you own, or have purpose bought, into a lovely scarf. All you need is a good pair of scissors and a T-shirt. You can embellish it with beads, or flowers, weave colours together, or leave it plain. These can sell for £30, but can be made for pennies.

Check out myblessedlife.net/2011/10/t-shirt-scarf-tutorial.html

Jobump

Hi

Name of present: Date of Birth CD
Whether it's bought or homemade: Homemade but will have to buy songs from the year that person is born.
Total cost: 5.00 ish (depending on numbers of songs & Pice)
Details (where it's from, how to make it etc): You can get people's top songs from when they are born from various sites and create a CD with a front cover.
This is a great personalised idea.

HappyTorty

Name of present: Jewellery Box/Treasure Box
Whether it's bought or homemade: homemade
Total cost: £0+
Details (where it's from, how to make it etc):All you need is an egg box, some paint (or cover it in tissue papr or wrapping paper) and any decorations you may want to add such as sequins, ribbons, bows etc. (Thats why I said it could be free plus.)

So just take your egg box, paint it whatever colour you wish, and maybe add some PVA on top to give it a glossy look. Add a button on the front and an elastic hair band so you can fasten it shut (like you get on expandable folders).
Then add other decorations if you wish.
This could be used as a draw organiser, make up holder, small toy holder, whatever your mind will imagine!

A child could make this for his/her mummy or daddy

SavvyStudentSaver

Name of present: Black Gloves with Leopard Print Cuffs
Whether it's bought or homemade: Bought
Total cost: -£2
Details (where it's from, how to make it etc):
While completing my annual shop at Matalan (my jeans from last year had started to wear and let in drafts, and my shoes soles had started coming off), I saw some gloves that my partner's sister might light, as she loves leopard print. I looked at the price, and saw £3. I then totted uop how much I had spent on clothes for job interviews (I'm graduating this year), etc, and realised I'd spent £72. But I had a voucher for Matalan for either £5 off £25, £10 off £50, or £15 off £75.
So, by buying the gloves I spent £2 LESS then I would've done had I not bought them.
A link to the offer if it's online (where possible): N/a

Does this mean I get to buy something else for £7 to combine with them to make this a perfect gift, as opposed to just REALLY money saving? :rotfl:

sharniebates

A personalised story book
Homemade
Cost - £2-5

My boyfriend made me an amazing personalised story book for my birthday - it was the best present ever!
First get a hard back sketch book (£2-5 from The Works or wherever) and print off memorable pictures e.g holidays, work, friends, pets, anything really. From these create a story, mine was that I had lost a sheep named Teddy (from the farm I worked on that summer) and a prince (my boyfriend) helped me to find him by asking other animals (we had visited a Safari Park that year!) in the end I found him and we all lived happily ever after.
Once you have the idea glue the pictures in and hand write the story to go with them. On the front cover you could cut around the picture on the first page, this looks very effective. The best thing is you could make one for everyone you know and they would be different.
I love this book and still get it out now, it reminds me of some great times and always makes me laugh!

vonjosrob

Gift of love box
Home made
£1 -£2

I received this gift from my son when he was very young and it still remains under my tree every year. The most precious gift of all.

Wrap with love an empty box ( eg cheese triangle box) with christmas wrapping paper and tie neatly with foil ribbon. Print or write out the following poem and attatch it to gift.

This is a very special gift
that you can never see
the reason its so special
it comes to you from me
whenever you are lonely or even feeling blue
you only have to hold this gift
and know i think of you
you never can unwrap it
please leave the ribbon tied
you only have to hold this gift
its filled with love inside

Can be sent with love from adults and children alike

vikki_louise

Name - wish stars
Cost- pennies
Homemade

Take a strip of paper (either cut it yourself or use ones designed for paper chains or iris folding), write a wish for the person inside and make it into a star which is super easy!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cE3hHgEG350&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Aside coming up with wishes they are so quick and easy to make, you can do them while watching tv or waiting for something,

I once did 365, I stamped the words 'I wish for you' inside and also wrote a list of the wishes so they didn't have to open the stars.

Here's a star I did last week for a friend!

vikki_louise

You can buy expensive flower arrangements with diamonds or glitter on but I made my own.

I brought 2 bunches of fairtrade supermarket roses (on bogof), removed them from their packaging, pushed a diamond pin into the centre (you can glue on gems if you don't have pins), combine the bunches and wrap in whatever you have to hand. I also sprayed glitter over a couple of cream roses for my nan and this year am going to paint a fine line of pva around the petals and sprinkle fine white glitter onto cream roses.

Here is what I gave my mum- total cost £5