LOW COST homemade christmas gifts

*Louise*

rachmc - I LOVE them, they are brilliant! How long did each one take you to make?:T:T:T

rachmc

Thank you *Louise*! They only took about half an hour to make, if that. The first one took about 45 minutes as I was figuring out how everything was going to work.

mum2one

there amazing xx

maria_and_the_imps

Love them rachmc

pinknfluffy28

rachmc - your dream catchers keyrings are beautiful, i know i would be delighted to receive one, so unique!
thought i would share my latest idea with you all, its not a gift as such, but a unique, free way of giving a gift!
this year, santa will not be leaving the kids main presents under the tree (a second-hand but mint ipad for dd12 & lego friends house for dd5), instead, these will remain hidden at the bottom of my wardrobe, nicely wrapped. Then, at christmas lunch, when they think its all over, i am going to hide the first clue for the scavanger hunt in littlest ones cracker! its taken me a while to come up with 10 rhyming clues and hiding places which i can set up on christmas eve night, but the last clue will read "i know you have both been good this year, so how could i forget? Go and look at mummys new dress, and i hope this is the best christmas yet!"
im so excited!!!

pol65

You can get some great things in Hobbycraft for making gifts and they even have in store demos. I like buying the empty kilner jars and filling them with home produce and then decorating with some ribbon, labels etc. My grandparents love that I put thought in to their gifts :-)

allybee101

Limoncello
One for the adults!

Serve straight from the freezer. Makes 2.3 litres (4 pints).

-8 unwaxed lemons
- 800 g (1 lb 12oz) granulated sugar
- 1 litre (1 3/4 pint) vodka
- 650 ml (1 1/4 pint) water

1. Remove zest from lemons. Avoid the white pith, this will make the limoncello bitter. Put zest in a large pan with sugar and water. Heat gently until sugar dissolves, then turn up heat and simmer for 15 min. Remove from heat.

2. Squeeze juice from lemons into a large bowl. Stir in sugar mixture and vodka. Cover and leave to infuse for one week.

3. Strain into a large jug through a sieve lined with kitchen paper then decant into sterilised bottles. Keeps for up to 6 months.

If it lasts that long.
I ended up straining it through the sieve unlined first before filtering with paper to get rid of the lemon zest. Otherwise it's v slow. You don't need to use premium vodka - you won't taste it through the "lemonyness".

As it's not hugely strong it will freeze at a higher temperature than neat vodka - Limoncello slush puppie anyone? I used the flip top bottles from L8keland. It looks v pretty with brown string and luggage type labels. Enjoy!

Cher-Ching

I remember years ago when I was little we made personalised money bottles for our nans, so cheap and easy but a great little present

You will need

1) Empty beer bottle (or any other glass bottle, not too big though)
2) Ribbon
3) Craft pens to write on the bottle (gold/silver glitttery ones stand out)

Wash out the bottle and remove the label and give it a good clean to remove any of the label glue and dry

Using the craft pens, write on your personalised message - the beer bottles are the perfect size for 5ps (nothing else fits) so when we done it the message was simply 'Nan's 5p's' of course you could use any name/message depending who it is for. Allow the writing to dry. If you do not want to use the pens you could make a fake beer bottle label on the computer if you have the know how and have the label say 'Dad's beer fund' or something like that and glue it onto the bottle. Let your imagination run wild! Maybe you could decorate with sequins or beads?

Decorate with some ribbon etc around the neck of the bottle and voila a very cheap and personalised money bottle - don't forget to put 5p in there to get it started!

Cher-Ching

Thanks to ALIBOBSY on the Grabbit board for posting a link about Lidl special offers. I have had a look through and they have the film wrap for 99p a roll great for our homemade goodies. They also have ribbon

http://www.lidl.co.uk/cps/rde/xchg/lidl_uk/hs.xsl/offerdate.htm?offerdate=36192

honey

doraexplorer wrote: »

lovely thread x

I think so too. I really love your sig BTW

mum2one wrote: »

I don't know if its any help. but can you knit or can you get someone to knit it for you, its a mini christmas stocking, I'm doing a wack as DD is sharing my stall at our school fair and were putting a mini choc bar in them.

The pattern -
Oddments of Double Knitting wool and pair of no 8 / 4mm needles

Cast on 20 stst
Rows 1 to 4 - k2 p2 to end, - gives a double rib
Rows 5 to 16 Stocking Stitch (1 row knit, 1 row purl)
Next - Knit 12 sts
Next - turn Purl 4 sts
next - turn knit 6 sts
next - turn purl 8 sts
next - turn knit 10 sts
next - turn purl 12 sts
next - turn knit 14sts
next - turn purl 16sts
next - turn - knit to end
(on reverse side)
Stocking Stitch 7 rows (begin with purl row)
Next Knit 2 tog to end of row (10 sts)
Next Purl 2 tog (5 sts)

break yarn, thread through the 5 sts and sew up the seam. Your having a mini stocking

To make a chain at top of stocking, pop the needle through and make a stitch do a small chain 1stitch, knit a small chain cast off, sew on the stocking for loop. xx

Thank you for this, my DD (10) is just finishing her first one, she's going to give them as gifts to her teacher and TAs. I've made a couple too and my DD (4) has run off with them and wants the tree put up now :rotfl:

I'm only a novice knitter and couldn't grasp how to do the chain bit so I've finger knitted a chain and sewn it on.

Great ideas everyone x