Home made Xmas gifts (merged threads)

moggins

I've just found this site with loads of things for children to make for christmas and also pages of things to print out for them.

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/christmas/

pdoff

thanks moggins, was wondering what to do with 3 year old this week as there is no playgroup!

nabowla

I was at a talk by Cath Kidston a couple of weeks ago and she mentioned scanning her favourite fabrics to create a digital image, printing out in colour and using the finished product as wrapping paper. Admittedly she's got an A3 printer (lucky woman!) but I'm sure that you could use the idea to create personalised paper for small presents.

Thinking about wrapping things up, I was rummaging around a very posh boutique last weekend. They were selling small bars of soap wrapped in thick coloured/patterned paper and tied with pretty ribbons. The idea was that you bought a whole pile of the soaps and arranged them artistically in a group on the bathroom shelf rather than using the soap itself. Needless to say, I'm sure that OS'ers could make their own for a fraction of the cost of the ones on sale in the boutique! It would be a great way to use up scraps of paper & ribbon. If you put three or four in a white ceramic bowl or on a 'vintage' glass plate (bought for 50p from a charity shop or similar), it would make a stunning and expensive-looking prezzie.

MuMu_4

fuglyjowls wrote:

Does anyone know where I can get some tins from to put homemade biscuits in? QUOTE]

ikea have their christmas range out now and they sell tins with christmas prints on. I also saw some in Lidl's last week but they've probably sold out by now.

MuMu_4

kal25 wrote:

Have also started making bath bombs which I think will be great, so I was thinking possibly making bath baskets up with homemade bath smellies.

Wow sounds complicated but a great idea. Where can I find the recipe/ instructions for this?

Pink.

MuMu wrote:

Wow sounds complicated but a great idea. Where can I find the recipe/ instructions for this?

Hi MuMu,

Welcome to MSE. :wave:

There are some good links to recipes for bath bombs on this thread:

Anyone know how u make bath bombs bubbly?

Pink

Fairy22

I make up fruits in liquors for presents but this has to be made at least 3 months before hand, the good thing is that you can use the most rubbishy brandy or alcohol and a tastes gorgeous because of the fruit, it aways looks lovely in a nice jar and people always seem to appreciate it as the fruits as nice as the booze. I also make up sloe gin and blackberry vodka and gin when the blackberrys are in.
Homemade pop pourri made up with things you find when out walking mixed with the bags of crafty things you can buy cheap, I usually make it up with pine cones, dried orange rings, cloves, cinnamon sticks, etc, oh and I add a few of those old fashioned pomanders in it made with cloves studded in oranges, these are nice on their own but finish off the pop pourri really nice, other than that just wack on a bit essencel oil (this christmas'sy ones) and thats it, put in a nice bag or wrapping, it looks fab and is really cheap to make. You can also make a seaside'y one if thats you thing.
My little boy makes our christmas cards to give out, and we usually have a bit of a family day doing it together, is really nice, cheap, and people absolutley love it. I just give him a bit paint, sequins, glitter and a few potato stamps and hey presto !.
I also am planning on giving homemade christmas decorations and a calender made from a drawing he's done as a present from him for family (it's bad enough having to fork out for presents from us, but we have to get separate presents from kids ridiculous I know !.)
Anyhow I've gone on abit so good luck, and if you do make the pop pourri, the oranges take about a month to dry out so get cracking !.

lindadykes

I have just made Snowman Soup Giftsets and Reindeer Poop as stocking fillers. You can make 10 sets of Snowman Soup for £10. Take a mug (I got mine 2 for £1, though if you shop around you can get them cheaper), Put 4 heaped teaspoons of Instant Hot Chocolate Powder (I used Morrisons Bettabuy about 60p for a large jar) and 15 white mini marshmallows (Supercook 85p a packet) into a small plastic bag and secure it. Place this in a mug. Take a sheet of Tissue paper (2x10 sheets in the £1 shop) and place the mug in the centre, gather the tissue paper up over the top of the mug, securing in a sort of bunch just above the mug with selotape. Take a candy cane (10 for £1 - Pound Shop) and use a piece of curled foil ribbon to attach this to your mug over the seloptape. I also add a small silver bow. (Again pound shop) Go to this website http://organizedchristmas.com/article64.html and print off the tags, cut them out and punch a hole in one corner, just slot this onto one end of the foil ribbon. For the Reindeer Poop, I bought bags of Asda's own make Chocolate Covered Honeycomb at 69p per bag. I divided each bag into two clear plastic sandwich bags and attached the label printed from here http://organizedchristmas.com/article79.html with some of the curled foil ribbon.

judi24

i'm sure there must already be suggestions for this but could someone direct me please. i am looking for boxes (either to make or buy) for home made Scottish tablet.

katieowl_2

Pinking shears are the scissors that cut a zig-zag edge, meant to stop fabric fraying.

If you can get hold of a pair that cut a "Deckled" edge (meant for paper not fabric) it is a bit more sweeping and curvy, your recycled gift tags look even smarter!!!

Other essential ingredient is a single hole punch, as I find my holes end up in the wrong place if I try to use the double.

Regards

Kate