O/s Christmas Club?

rainmac

June is quite early but I've been thinking about Xmas for a couple of months now! Haven't bought much so far (gathering baskets when see nice ones at good prices) but got ideas for what I am going to do - mostly ideas nicked from you lovely people on here... :rotfl:

Men idea 1 - car wash buckets including car shampoo, sponge, car air freshner, car sweets...
Men idea 2 - jars of retro sweets

Ladies idea 1 - cross stitch coaster, mug, hot choc/ coffee or tea sachets, chocs or something else to go with (cheapie novel maybe?)
Ladies idea 2 - homemade bath salts in a jar with scoop (had big success with this already this year for pressies), candle, flannel cupcake, cheapie book as before

Girls - brownie cake mix in a jar with wooden spoon and maybe an apron
Boys - already mostly bought toys from Boots 75% off sale. Rest will buy books, maybe Book People?

About as far as I've got!!! Will watch this thread with interest

rainmac

rainmac wrote: »

June is quite early but I've been thinking about Xmas for a couple of months now! Haven't bought much so far (gathering baskets when see nice ones at good prices) but got ideas for what I am going to do - mostly ideas nicked from you lovely people on here... :rotfl:

Men idea 1 - car wash buckets including car shampoo, sponge, car air freshner, car sweets...
Men idea 2 - jars of retro sweets

Ladies idea 1 - cross stitch coaster, mug, hot choc/ coffee or tea sachets, chocs or something else to go with (cheapie novel maybe?)
Ladies idea 2 - homemade bath salts in a jar with scoop (had big success with this already this year for pressies), candle, flannel cupcake, cheapie book as before

Girls - brownie cake mix in a jar with wooden spoon and maybe an apron
Boys - already mostly bought toys from Boots 75% off sale. Rest will buy books, maybe Book People?

About as far as I've got!!! Will watch this thread with interest

Forgot to say, if anyone is interested in making presents in jars have a look here... http://www.allfreecrafts.com/giftinajar/index.shtml mary43 originally posted a link to this site on another thread so I can't take the credit for finding it .

Lillibet_2

Hi Bertiebots, don't worry, you're not the only OS'er on this board!

This year we hare having a recycled/2nd hand Xmas. Excepting the 2nd hand stuff which has come from ebay, charity shops etc, so far I have made/am planning on making :

Jewellery : this is my 1st time at jewellery making & am pleasently (& immodestley) suprised with the necklaces/ear-rings/bracelets/spectacle chains I have made!

Jewellery holders : bought those artists mini wooden manniquins & couloured them according to recipients bedrooms

Monitor frame pin board : I posted the link to it on this board, no-one else commented so I guess I was the only one impressed, but I thought it was a good idea for a man!

Elderflower champange : from a OS recipe, elderflowers are out now so get picking, you only need to add water/sugar/lemon juice & recycled glass screw top bottles! No fiddly wine making equipment required.

Taken colour themed photos of flowers & going to try & make "stick" frames for them.

Knitted ties.

Got to knit a snowman jumper for my son.

Going to "try" to paint a picture from a photo of my Dads favourite steam engine. I am not in any way an artist! I have a vague idea about enlarging a photo & taking a tracing & using this as the outline & effectively "painting by numbers"! Don't know if it'll work though!

In the past I have also made ; Bath salts (epsom salts/rock salt/essential oil/food colouring if desitred) ; Herb kits (HM bouquet garni/dried bay leaves in a thread/bunch of dried rosemary/box of dried mint) ; Batik cushion covers ; Bird boxes/tables out of off cuts/spare firewood, accompanied by home made fat balls ; knitted handbags ; Knitted scraves ; flavoured oils (beware of Botulisim, look into it first!; Bought cheap blankets/towels & personalised them with initals etc.

I don't do baskets.hampers any more I used te make them years ago (I was obviously ahead of my time!!!) when I was a student, I can't give food items to my family as they are mostly chefs & the other options for baskets don't really suit any more, plus I found that I was better off putting the money torwards one reasonable gift rather than several small insignificent items plus packaging. However I know lots of peopel here swear by them.

HTH & good luck;)

System

we are about to "deliver" our pressies in mid june ,theres a family get together and unusually everyone will be there so we have bought and wrapped everything and giving them to the parents to keep for xmas,so ive no postage costs this year !

Margaret54

Hi everyone:) I too have been thinking ahead for Christmas, and have started to buy small things and put them away. I think it is a great idea to begin early as it is not so expensive when you leave the buying until later on. I too lok in charity shops for new stuff which people have handed in unused. I am also going to knit somethings this year for presents.

shaz_mum_of__2

Hi just found this and happy to join in

I have 2 new hobbies this year soapmaking and card making so hoping to utilise them ,unfortunately??? i have few pressies to buy my sister and mum and BIL have for the last few years had a kids only policy i instigated it and was worried people would think we were cheapskates but it was well recieved so other than my kids my nanna and three nephews i dont have many pressies to buy

I do however give lots of food gifts to rellies and neighbours fudge fruitcake ginger cookies etc but dont get or expect anything in return i have made jam and marmalade and chutney as well as wine this year so will have lots of impromptu prezzies to give away

Any ideas for my 7yr old boy with ADD greatly recieved i hate anything commercialised/cheap plastic( apart from the odd annual i pick up at the pound shop) i prefer activity/educational toys

Thanks

Shaz

ps

Bunglegirl i wish i lived near you(i dont do i?) i love the ide of a get together countdown to christmas

amyandoli

I this thread!

So far I've made earrings and bracelet sets for younger people, and for older ladies beaded spectacle chains- I've got sooo many ideas of here that I want to try but not enough people to give them too :rotfl:

I'd love a regular MSE crafty get together! I'll have a go at anything crafty- cards, jewellry, wire shaping, willow weaving, knitting, sewing.... you get the idea! Anyone near me fancy it, get in touch!

sammy_kaye18

Lol

Hi All,

i was wondering whether or not to start up anotehr christmas thread but figured id bimble on into this one instead! lol

Ive got most of my list going in the crafty for christmas thread but i have a few hampers that i will be making but i am making alot this year which should be good fun - although not for boyfriends family as they are a bit brand freakish so only the best will do there - so boyfriend can buy for his own family this year im afraid.

Im hoping to do a writing hamper, and a reading hmaper at least. I was possibly thinking of doing something 'pamper/girly'ish for my sister who is a single mum to two girls which i know she'd love but also am thinking about some sort of photo album and including pictures of me and her as kids,as i think she'd like that too and we always have a laugh looking at baby photos of ourselves.:rotfl:

I have 22 people (10 adults,12 kids) and 5 animals to buy for and that is strictly family, no friends and their kids yet! I have worked out it should cost me £275 to get them all done but am hoping it will come in slightly cheaper but realistically i think if i budget £300 for them all ill be alright. Then i still have boyfriend and my son to buy for!!

Does everyone else have their budgets worked out yet? Im hopign to be more sensible with money again after an O/S lapse lately so i will start savign up soon as i dare say this will be a more expensive chrismtas with my son as he is 4 now and knows what he wants!!! and his brother is 8 and exactly the same and the boyfriend never seems to want anythgin cheap either!

amyandoli

We spend about £10 per person - 4 people on my side, 6 people on dh's. So about £100- this goes down if I collect enough pigsback points to swap for vouchers, or if I make something I take off an understimate on how much it would have cost me to buy- like the bracelets and earrings I've made I'm taking off £4, and for the beaded spectacle chains £3.

Plus we sometimes buy for friends and secret santas which seems to vary every year- although with friends I think it'll be cheaper to go out for a meal as our communal gift to each other as there's a fair few of us in one group, and I have a few random friends too which I'd have to buy for.

I make my own cards which for me works out more expensive than buying them, but then it's duel purpose as it's a hobby too. I buy posh or quirky giftwrap in the sales normally and make a big deal of wrapping up stuff saving any boxes and polystyrene filling- everyone always says it's a shame to unwrap the gifts lol!

furrypig

Hi Guys

Funny enough I was thinking of getting out my Christmas present list (started in Jan too!) andupdating it and seeing what is needed! I thought it's half way through the year so I need to get organised! I bought for about 70 last year, which was mad, though mostly children and mostly just small things as I get so excited at Christmas and love giving things!! This year I hope to do a few more home made things as don't normally mange this and I have already got some Christmas/red mugs and I'm going to do hot choccie kits with marshmallows, a mini whisk and/or mini grater with chocolate etc etc. Thought these would be nice for maybe teachers or friends or childrens friends, we will see!!

Last year I used http://organizedchristmas.com/ for lots of fab ideas and printables (I think that might be where my mug idea came from!!) and it was really useful and you don't feel like you are the only one getting organised in the middle of the summer!!!

Iusually get cracking after the kids birthdays and one is June, the other July so nearly there!!

Good luck everyone, I'm looking forward to hearing all your ideas!