LOW COST homemade christmas gifts

MrsTinks

I made this a few years ago for me... but it would be easy to make for any relatives and god parents and looks very posh!

It's the super light clay from hobbycraft - let it dry and spray silver (or gold...) glue to black back ground and use an Ikea frame Viola!

fairynuff27

What a great thread! Some fantastic ideas and crafty folks out there - thoughts I'd share some of what I'm doing this year...

Most of these are repeats, and the images are from previous years when I use to write a blog about this stuff. I hope this is ok to share here - will give you all an idea at least of what the gifts looks like...


I always make chilli jam (like Nigella's, but my version is here: https://secondhandshopper.wordpress.com/2010/05/22/the-jam-plan/) and pop it in jars I collect over the year (I really like the little ones supermarket own brand mustards come in for this - they're a good size but not so big that a batch doesn't stretch). I made up a poem for this:

Try me neat with cheeses
Or with a bacon roll.
With ham I’m the bee’s kneeses,
I give scrambled eggs real soul.

I’ll spice up noodle dishes ̶
Stir fries will really sing!
Or try me with your turkey,
I give leftovers real zing.

I’m killer with kebabs ̶
Veg, halloumi – I don’t mind!
And I’ll pep up your king prawns,
Baked or barbecued or fried.

I’m a little winter warmer
Sent to thaw the winter through.
Packed with sweet and spicy wishes,
From my kitchen, made for you!


I get requests for chilli jam EVERY year, so it must be good!


For a few years now I've made whole-family gifts for friends with kids of a jar of cookie mix with printed instructions. I use the recipe on Bakerella (http://www.bakerella.com/mix-things-up/) only change the cowgirl theme to Christmas. I buy white choc chips, and stock up on M&Ms when they're cheap around Halloween and pick out and save the red & green sweets especially - they get hidden in a jar at the back of the cupboards while the rest get added to cookies I make for us to eat at home (although sometimes I do make orange and brown cookies specifically for halloween too!). Again, I always get really good feedback and requests for the ingredients/measurements so that others can copy to hand on, so I think the family activity presents are really appreciated.

No pic, but a friend sent me a message a week ago asking if I wanted any of her sweaters that she was sending to the charity shop. Some cabled, some fair isle. Some are wool, which I'll felt down to turn into mittens and slippers and some are acrylic, which I plan to turn into Christmas stockings for various nieces/nephews.

I'm knitting and crocheting too, of course, and will be bottling up this year's sloe and rhubarb gins and crab apple liqueur...

anita116

I design mine on the computer and then print out on thin card or coloured paper. Sometimes cover with sticky backed plastic.

Great fun to do, cheap, and totally original too. Win win. :j

mademoiselle_2

Talking of gift tags...

That sheet of stickers that Tesco have put in the front of their Christmas Gifts catalogue (red cover, at the checkout/entrance) make excellent gift tags - almost for free!

Just stick them on to any card you have available - plain or coloured, back of used cards, card from packaging etc - cut them to size - and voila! :T

RockersWAG

Not quite gifts but every year my little girl makes the Christmas cards we give to family and friends.
We have a fun afternoon in early December getting messy with cardboard, paint, glitter and felt-tip pens (which we always have in the house as she loves arts and crafts) and the only thing I tend to buy are the envelopes to put the cards in.
I find they're appreciated much more by the recipients than a standard bought card and it also saves money that can be spent on other things in the run up to Christmas, such as a trip to see Santa. :-)

RockersWAG

I also make mini Christmas cakes for my closest friends and work colleagues as a 'non-present' present and they are always very well received. :-)

Brown.Owl_2

I love making flavoured alcohols. Our friends are quite into Gin at the moment, so picked up a batch of cheap Kilner bottles in Wilkos sale earlier this year and have made chocolate & mint, raspberry & mint, orange & brown sugar, rhubarb & strawberry and apple & cinnamon. Each one takes a different time to seep, but a simple taste will tell you when they are ready.


My bf then announced he wanted an alcohol based advent calendar this year... doing some googling managed to find some lovely little bottles to take about 40ml each with a cork. He has 24 now all with different alcohols in and unlabelled so the spirit of the day will be a nice surprise. (also was able to raid the alcohol cupboard!)


Bottles left over (I ordered loads as they were 19p each) I'm turning into tree decs to fill for my friends so they get a nice big bottle and a few little ones to hang on the tree. no pics of these yet, I'm still waiting for some of the gin to finish.


I love making hampers for friends and family - they are a great way to tie together lots of little things. I like shopping on approved foods - I pick up bits through the year and have a lovely tea hamper for a friend to make up, fancy tea bags for cheap and a mug, with some homemade biscuits for dunking.

CoffeeAndTV

If you're looking to save money, why not make your own homemade Christmas crackers and put little gifts in unique to each person? You could set yourself a £5 budget per person and really make the crackers look special so it shows how much effort you've put in! Good things to include are:

For men:
Golf balls
Keyrings
Socks
Chocolate

For women:
Nail polish
Keyrings
Lip balm
Socks
Jewellery

I personally really like this tutorial for making Christmas crackers- http://smile.findmeagift.co.uk/how-to/how-to-make-christmas-crackers/ however I know that Jamie Oliver also has quite a good tutorial!

happyinflorida

I made a Mickey Mouse wreath - which we've hung up but you could make them as gifts too. Very cheap if you buy in cheaper shops, just get whatever colour you like and buy one wreath and two smaller ones for Mickey's ears and then buy whatever colour baubles you want - you will need a glue gun for this, which, again, is quite cheap to buy.

lisa1234831

Brown.Owl wrote: »

I love making flavoured alcohols. Our friends are quite into Gin at the moment, so picked up a batch of cheap Kilner bottles in Wilkos sale earlier this year and have made chocolate & mint, raspberry & mint, orange & brown sugar, rhubarb & strawberry and apple & cinnamon. Each one takes a different time to seep, but a simple taste will tell you when they are ready.


My bf then announced he wanted an alcohol based advent calendar this year... doing some googling managed to find some lovely little bottles to take about 40ml each with a cork. He has 24 now all with different alcohols in and unlabelled so the spirit of the day will be a nice surprise. (also was able to raid the alcohol cupboard!)





Bottles left over (I ordered loads as they were 19p each) I'm turning into tree decs to fill for my friends so they get a nice big bottle and a few little ones to hang on the tree. no pics of these yet, I'm still waiting for some of the gin to finish.


I love making hampers for friends and family - they are a great way to tie together lots of little things. I like shopping on approved foods - I pick up bits through the year and have a lovely tea hamper for a friend to make up, fancy tea bags for cheap and a mug, with some homemade biscuits for dunking.

Hi could I ask where you got your miniature bottles from please? Thank you x