OS Christmas Support thread & timetable

MrsTinks

pavlovs_dog wrote:

tine is dutch/of dutch descent, im sure (s) will have a few ideas for you :beer:

Sorry I'm still catching up with all the threads at the moment

I'm Danish actually :rotfl: but I still love you pavlovs_dog hehehehe

Dutch inspired hamper... dare I ask why? I mean if they are dutch then would they not appreciate a really english hamper more? Or have they lived in the UK for a while?

If you wanted Dutch then tulips spring to mind They are also famous for delishious liqurish - especially salty. I would suggest maybe keeping an ear out for someone going to Holland andasking them to bring back some Dutch sweets OR what about a home made voucher for a flight to Holland? Some of the cheapie airlines do some very reasonably priced tickets

freyaluck

Hello
Have been buying stocking fillers and the like for the last few months.All reduced to at least 1/2 price of course.
Also got loads of wrapping paper, cards, crackers ect in the jan sales.
Have also got freebie bits for gift boxes.- just need to find the boxes now LOL
Today I got my 2 youngest their main presents , a play kitchen and mr potato head set for dd 3yo and a ball thingy, bashing thingy and a pop up thing for ds 14 months ( the bashy thingy was free:j ) .
Just need to get dd 7yo main presies and dp although he wont tell me what he wants:mad: :rolleyes: Always the same Will never decide until 2 days before xmas.
Going to start wrapping and tagging tonight, also need to get the cards written and make sure I have everyones addresses.
Frey

BWZN93

Evening all!

Ive been looking around for xmas stockings for me and oh as we dont have them already and so far i havent found anything to my taste and have decided to make some instead (im even going to try and cajole oh into making his own!). I found http://familyfun.go.com/arts-and-crafts/season/feature/ff1003_stockings/ff1003_stockings.html this and thought it might be useful for those who also want to make their own.

Im off to the fabric store on Tuesday to pick some colours!

There is also some homemade gift ideas which might be fun for kids in the run up to xmas too at http://familyfun.go.com/arts-and-crafts/season/specialfeature/holiday_gifts_ms/

In preparation for xmas so far I have bought some bells from ikea from the xmas tree as they match the style im trying to go for, bought my xmas cards, bought a book of stamps, and planned gifts for freinds. Each couple is getting a little picnic hamper of homemade goodies as most of them are foodies like us, and oh's contribution is a couple of homebrew bottles of 'real ale' and a cigar for the gents! He is currently designing his own labels for the bottles!

Jo x

luckylukey

I have just moved into my new flat and the previous tenants have left 6 full rolls of xmas paper, tags, ribbons and 20 gift bags!! now just to finish off my presents! and i have been invited to my uncle's for christmas - so no food shopping for me!!

tinselfairy

For those considering a foodie hamper, or maybe just use them as a stocking filler, I can throughly recommend Asda's Caramel Wafers from the Extra Special range. They cost 95p for 8 biscuits. They are best eaten after being placed on top of a hot drink as the rising heat melts the caramel inside and they go all soft and gooey.
I am going to be giving some to a friend along with a mug, hot chocolate and a good book.

kethry

tinselfairy wrote:

For those considering a foodie hamper, or maybe just use them as a stocking filler, I can throughly recommend Asda's Caramel Wafers from the Extra Special range. They cost 95p for 8 biscuits. They are best eaten after being placed on top of a hot drink as the rising heat melts the caramel inside and they go all soft and gooey.
I am going to be giving some to a friend along with a mug, hot chocolate and a good book.

They're actually dutch, originally called stroopwafels - if you're anywhere near Manchester and you can hold on till 21st November, i would check out the christmas markets in Albert Square, they're often sold there, may or may not be cheaper but they'll be the genuine item (often sold in the Netherlands for Sinterklaas which is at the beginning of december, Sinterklaas is Santa and its when Santa visits the netherlands - cookies and wafels are very popular for children around that time, along with big letters made with chocolate), and i think, much nicer.

keth
xx

Blairweech

Finally found this thread on page 13 of Old Style!

I'm making up a gourmet food hamper for my auntie and uncle and am wanting to put some sort of fruits in alcohol in it i.e. pears in brandy, clemetines in vodka, cherries in kirsch etc

Does anyone have any good recipes for such things? Google has failed me

Ms_Notalotofmoney_2

Blairweech wrote:

Finally found this thread on page 13 of Old Style!

I'm making up a gourmet food hamper for my auntie and uncle and am wanting to put some sort of fruits in alcohol in it i.e. pears in brandy, clemetines in vodka, cherries in kirsch etc

Does anyone have any good recipes for such things? Google has failed me

I took the liberty of having a look around for you and the best I can find is: -

http://www.homemadecookies.ca/Recipe/Brandied-Peaches.html

It does sound like alot of peaches so you might end up making them for the WHOLE family unless you fiddle about with the recipe.

Hope this is some help to you!!!

broomstick27

im thinking of making a rice bag for my grandad but was just wondering - what happens if it gets wet? surely the rice will then cook when u put it in the microwave? Or do u put rice inside plastic bag before putting it in material?

one more question - is there any type of material that you shouldnt put in the microwave?

Thanks

broomie
x

Queenie

broomstick27 wrote:

im thinking of making a rice bag for my grandad but was just wondering - what happens if it gets wet? surely the rice will then cook when u put it in the microwave? Or do u put rice inside plastic bag before putting it in material?

one more question - is there any type of material that you shouldnt put in the microwave?

Thanks

broomie
x

I have *never* used a plastic bag when making rice bags and the only materials I have used are cotton. Muslin inner bag to hold the rice and then a 'pillowcase' to put that into - the advantage of the little 'pillowcase' is that you can remove it and wash it with no ill effects on the inner rice bag I've heard, if you use some man-made fibres they can 'melt' so I've always erred on the side of caution!

I posted on "Can't Afford Christmas" about rice bags .... I'll copy it here

Yes. Here are the instructions, taken from the Sewing.Org website:-

Rice Bags

Rice bags can be made from novelty or decorative fabrics of from muslin and a cover. What size should a rice bag be? Well, that depends on what it will be used for.
Possible uses are as:

• warmer for knees, ankles, backs and hands
• bed warmers
• lovies
• bread basket warmer to keep food warm or cool

To wrap a joint or arms or legs, try the dimensions 5 x 30. For a back warmer, make the dimension 10 x 12. If the recipient would use the rice bag for a back warmer, consider making a vest with a big pocket on the back to insert the rice bag in.
Want to make a gift for someone with arthritis in the hands? Make the rice bag in the shape of a glove.
For a bed warmer or a lovie on those cold winter nights, make the rice bag in the shape of an animal.
For a bread or bun warmer, make a basket liner with a pocket in the bottom in which to insert a rice bag shaped to fit the basket bottom.
Rice bags cannot be washed. If you need a washable bag, make the rice bag out of muslin and then add a removable (washable) cover. This a good way to use fun, novelty prints. Or better yet, make a quilted cover using a pattern such as bargello.

Things To Know When Planning Your Rice Bag

• Use white, long grain rice. Do not use instant rice.
• Do not wash rice bags.
• To help the rice stay evenly spread, sew channels in the bag before inserting the rice. Sew three sides, press a hem on the open side, then sew channels from the sewn side to the open side. Add the rice using a funnel (don't overstuff the channels...fill one-half to three-quarters full) and sew shut across the open end.

Hot or Cold
When you are ready to use your new rice bag, place it in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes on high (the time will depend on the size of the bag). Do not heat the rice bag too long-you could burn yourself. If you want a cold pack, place the rice bag in the freezer until cold (a couple of hours).
Note from Candace: Rice doesn't hold the cold very well. For a cold pack, fill the bag with gel crystals from a garden center (the kind used to keep houseplants from drying out). Never heat a gel pack in the microwave.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Note from Queenie:

If you heat the rice for too long or you reheat it too often, the rice will dry out. This can lead to it giving off a yukky "burnt" smell rather than a lovely comforting scent. I have a little plastic squirty bottle (from Boots) which I keep a mix of water and lavender essential oil in. Whenever I'm heating up the rice bags, I give the bag a spritz with the lavender water first. Just a couple of squirts really.

I've been using these for several years and the original one's are still going strong with just a periodic wash of the covers and spritzing before using.

When deciding how long to microwave the bag for, start with 45 secs and work up in 15 sec bursts because when hot, they really can be HOT!!

HTH