Homemade Gift ideas

StressedSteph

Hi all

I did a search but could'nt come up with a specific thread to answer my question, but if there is a thread on this subject feel free to move me )

We are SERIOUSLY cutting back this year and loads of our friends & family are being fantastic, doing us loads of money saving favours and the mother-in-law is being a real star and every week when we visit she has bought the kids clothes and pjamas etc which really saves us money.

I really want to find a way of giving them something as a thankyou, I have verbally thanked them so many times that it does'nt feel like enough now.

I have found a Bargain sewing machine from Aldi for £39.99, and plan to learn how to make Shopping Tote bags and peg bags.

I have made some experimental soap , and plan to make some better soap soon for gifts. I can't knit but would love to learn.

I wondered what other ideas you guys have for HM gifts & pressies that might go down well.

Many thanks
Steph xx

earthmother

Needs a bit of advanced planning, but if you have a garden, then plant marigolds to turn into handcream (http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/tv_and_radio/factsheets/pages/36.shtml#contentAnchor), various herbs and scented flowers to dry for pot pourri and scented bags, and tomatoes, strawberris etc for jams and chutneys.

You could also make your own chocolates and fancy cakes etc - there are plenty of easy recipes here and on the OS board.

Or you could turn your hand to scrapbooking or journal keeping and do family histories, photo albums etc for special occassions. There is also, somewhere on this board, instructions to make a journal jar which you give to someone so they can complete it over the course of a year - cheap but very effective.

rose_sparky

I'd love some QUICK AND EASY ideas to use up my fabrics. I cannot resist buying pretty curtains and remnants from charity shops and boot sales. I have a wardrobe absolutely spilling with them!

mary43

Thank heavens its not just me rose_sparky..............lol:j
I buy curtains that are too small, bits to make cushion covers out of but never do.............lol
Decided to use some of the oddments of voile I've got to wrape my christmas and birthday hampers in............its a way of using it and it might just hide whats in the basket.
I'm a softie for cushions too and last lot I bought from the charity shop were plain dark green and look ok on the sofa in the kitchen as its got a check throw over it but I did wonder about doing some applique on a couple of them to brighten them up and use some of my oddments for that.
So, there's an idea for you if thats any good ?

rose_sparky

Hi Mary!

I just love a bargain and love pretty fabrics!

Last week I bought the most amazing single curtain in a gorgeous country cottage floral linen. It was new, a good size and still had the pins in it, plus the curtain tape. I paid the grand sum of £1, so for that I have a lovely piece of linen, some more pins plus a length of header tape. Not bad eh!

When I have time (some hope) I'd like to cover the cushions on a pair of Bergere (sp?) armchairs I have. Another bargain buy - but that's another story!

mary43

What a bargain rose.............now, give me an idea what to do with a large piece oof voile, blue and green floral (big flowers !). It was so lovely I had to have it (can't even remember what I paid -probably about £1).
The only thought I've had is to put a bamboo pole up towards out bedroom ceiling and drape it over that so it hangs against the bedhead part of the bed.
(Just have to persuade OH that it would look good............lol)
It wouldn't do as curtains in the bedroom as we're at the front of the house facing the houses opposite and our bedroom is the only room with blue in it.....everwhere else is green or green-ish. OH won't have any voiles (or 'nets' as he calls them) at the front window

BabyKat

why not make a knitting bag and line it with white material and put in 2 plastic handles? I have one for my cross stich out of patches of fabric and its brilliant.

rose_sparky

I've got voile (actually they're pretty sequinned beach wraps) wrapped around a cream and gold painted curtain pole. I say wrapped, but draped would be a more suitable description!

If I remember correctly, I sort of halved the voile and looped it over the middle then draped/wrapped it around equally. It looks quite impressive. Oh and I nearly forgot, at the end of each pole I pushed flowery candle holders, they're only about 75p each.

savvy

Steph you gave me an idea I've just quickly knocked up a craft ideas thread so that we have a one stop shop for links to some of the brilliant ideas on here

If anyone spots any that aren't included, pm me and I'll pop them in

earthmother

How about survival kits. They don't need to be expensive, but do involve some thought - you need to fill it with objects with meanings.

For example - a new mum kit (which I'm currently building) would include things like a torch 'because you are your child's guiding light', marbles 'for when you loose all yours', a medal 'beacuse every mum deserves one', something shiny like a crystal or some foil/sequins 'because motherhood makes you shine' and so one.

Put it all together in a nice container, add a printout of what each item means, and there you go. You can make it as simple or fancy as you like, and for virtually any person or event.


People sell small versions of these things in voile bags on eBay - http://home-garden.search.ebay.co.uk/survival-kit_Home-Garden_W0QQ_trksidZm37QQcatrefZC2QQfromZR40QQsacatZ11700 - it's where I came across the idea (was in the middle of a general 'grandpa' search, and at the time there was one).




Edit - the printout for my New mum kit - but many of the items could be used for Grandma/grandpa, special aunts etc.

mary43

BabyKat - thanks for the idea.........but I dont knit or sew

rose - like the drape idea - too nice a piece to cut up too much
and would lose the design

savvy - brilliant idea to have a sticky for craft stuff.

earthmother - thats brilliant "! Wish I'd seen that when my son and his girlfriend had baby grandson last June. Still, not too late to give her it on his first birthday is it ?