Santa’s challenge 2020 ...

chanie

@Anglea i had to research talking sticks and i think they would make a wonderful gift.

@Happy_Kitties it is good idea to give freebies to the food bank.  Last year, I sent off for a voucher for nappies, so that I could give them to the food bank. It was very strange buying them after so long.

My latest project is knitting some mini Christmas stockings to raise money for the school.  I’ve done about 10 so far.  

I still need to arrange to drop off my Link boxes, so thanks for the reminder.

Progress with Xmas prep is slowly underway, but I still have lots to do.  I went to a new B&m store to check out their Xmas stuff, but it was quite a small store, so rather disappointing, so I need to get to a bigger store. 

chanie

I haven’t been able to get in contact with my normal Iink area collector so I contacted another one and they said they were having a fundraising event so my plan is drop the boxes of at the event. I just need to add chocolate and sweets before wrapping them.

I bought some cashmere wrist warmers as a spare gift and as a colleague has a big birthday coming up, I thought they would make a decent gift.  They were pretty cheap, so I may buy another pair.  

chanie

I bought the chocolate and sweets needed for my Iink boxes today, filled in the inventory form and wrapped them up, ready to be delivered.  I’m proud of my family boxes, as I think I got some great bits and bobs, but think I could have done better on the elderly boxes. 

Happy_Kitties

Chanie-you are doing better than me this year. I’ve lost one of my inventory forms, think it is in the box I have wrapped up! I’m nearly there, one box to go just need the box which I think will be a family box as I have more items spare for a family box. I do think it is easier to do a family box, have used H.Barg a lot!!

Not much else going on. With the postal strikes I'm trying to plan when it will be best to send out the family Christmas parcels and make sure I have boxes. Going to send earlier as I don’t fancy the queues at the post office December. 

Im also dipping into my stocks for a birthday present needed at the end of the month. Doesn’t help that the present I had planned I cannot find at all. I bet I find after Christmas when presents have left the house I will find it!

chanie

just a quick update from me…. I met Iink royalty today.   My area collector was having a fundraising event and i said i’d drop off my boxes there.  i was introduced to someone from the charity, who said they’d take them back to HQ.

Happy_Kitties

Chanie that is impressive and I would be really happy if my boxes were going straight to HQ

I cannot believe how behind I am. 

I’ve got my small autumn and Halloween displays out but I’m not really feeling it this year, they are not bringing the same joy but I think that sums up the year in general. I always feel like I am always doing something positive with the shoeboxes that no one can take away…..even though I’m behind this year

Anglea

Hi everyone I enjoyed reading the updates. Just a quick reply as I don't have the time to do it properly eg about the standing stones or what you all have been doing, but I must tell you that I tried making a talking stick and I really didn't like it at all. It could have been the wrong combination of colours so next time I'm going to try natural ones with a bit of brown to brighten it but if that doesn't work then I'll ditch that idea.

chanie

@Happy_Kitties Iink were pleased i bought the boxes to the fundraiser and it was really motivated me.  in fact, i’ve already bought a few items for next years boxes.  i picked up some colouring pencils for my family boxes and some wooden spoons for my elderly boxes.  i’m going to limit myself to 2 Family and 2 elderly as that’s a manageable number.

@Angela sorry your talking stick didn’t work out first time, but i’m sure you will make a success of your next attempt.

i have a couple of men in the family that i always buy a token gift for. As it’s only a token gift, i like to do it as cheaply as possible, but without looking tight.   i think i’ve done well over the years, but am running out of ideas.  So, this year, it’s gloves. i saw some nice ones in Costco, which i’m hoping to buy at the weekend.

Happy_Kitties

For the first time this year I have been efficient. I have the birthday on Monday, still cannot find the planned present so I dipped into stocks. To save on postage and bec of the strikes I even added the Christmas present. I had the perfect box and they have been sent. I’m totally amazed at myself that I have been this productive……it won’t last!

Also picked up a present that I ordered for DD from B@@ts today and a token present for a friend. Present wise the gift bag stash is out and I have started to put things in gift bags. Did some wrapping last night, but I can only do so much before I get bored. Getting things ready to drop off to Duncles in a couple of weeks.
Looking at my Christmas list last night, I have nearly all of my main presents, just need some bits and bobs now.  Was in H.Barg last night, they have some nice bits in…..for me!! I even wrapped up a friend’s birthday presents ready for December……the efficiency won't last!

After opening the link parcel and not finding the missing inventory in it, I did a new one. The next day i found the missing one🙈. I wrapped another box last night. Hoping to do one more. 

Chanie I would be really inspired if that happened to me, knowing that my boxes were going back to HQ. I would love that! The hub that I’m hoping to volunteer at, they box up the boxes, they’re loaded straight onto the transport to go abroad so I’m hoping that I can get over for that very last night. I think it will make for a very Christmassy evening.

Anglea

Hi everyone. Happy Kitties, the standing stone is about 6 ft high and had lots of very deep holes in it, apparently it wasn't in that location all the past years but was found inside a nearby pond and repositioned in the 1980's and no one knows why it had been in the water.

I had to give up on the talking stick idea after a 2nd and 3rd attempt. It just didn't look right. Earlier in the year I tried making a crochet wind spinner (for outside) as a gift and that didn't work out. Last week at the club I found another pattern and tried a very small one just to see if the pattern worked and it did so I may try a full version (although it is tricky to do so I may decide against it) the other possibility is to crochet snowflake or other shapes and attach them to the driftwood I used for the talking sticks and make a hanging but I don't know if I will as I'll be changing my mind about colours etc it ends up getting stressful.

I found an interesting book that I bought that I decided could be ideal for that friend but I may give it to my son's wife instead because it's a heavy book (to mail) even though it is not that thick. It's a flower colouring and crafts book so you can do lots of interesting projects and there are already some printed pages as well as those you need to colour. Son's wife made all the wedding decorations in origami as she's Japanese so I thought this might appeal to her as well as the friend.

I've made several visit to a hen house outside a craft center, it looks like a huge wooden cupboard that's standing in a country lane and you can get really interesting gifts in there only for the price of a donation. In the past I bought a lot of things but on the latest visits there was nothing suitable for sending in the mail eg succulents in vintage china cups or jugs, soil covered in tiny stones and there's always some kind of crystal or gemstone in the container as well. I bought one for mum last year but wouldn't attempt packaging it to send as the soil would fall out I imagine. In a previous year I bought the friend a beautiful hand made glass necklace from there. 

There are a few craft fairs coming up so hopefully I'll get something there or at least get more ideas.

I bought 3 boxes of Christmas cards at the weekend and last night found a bag of ones from previous years I had no idea about because when I was checking few weeks ago I looked in a different place. Even worse, the ones I found were in my bedroom all along.

I really enjoy reading all about the boxes everyone is doing. Katiehound I hope you are ok.