crafty for christmas 2008

rainmac

MrsM - wow, do you have more hours in your days than me, how do you manage to cram so much stuff in?

Sammykaye, The door hangers are a good idea aren't they! I;ve worked out if I make them for all the children we buy for I have about 12 to make. Going to start looking into this and get started asap. Nice simple project (hopefully!) :rotfl: I am thinking of doing a few couples hampers/baskets rather than individual gifts. Was thinking of a cooking one and a gardening one (or wine?) and like you want to include some crafty things but thats as far as I've got! Really need to get cracking on my list of what to make for who! Will come back if I think of anything good...you may be waiting some time...:rotfl:

Something I did buy last week was several magnetic shopping list notepads from Home Bargains - 35p each - bargain! Thought these could go into basket presents. Some of the notepads had little wine bottles on them so would fit with a wine themed basket.

Has anyone ever made mulled wine sachets?

melissa75_2

Sammy-kaye18- great ideas for the hampers. I'll have a think of what crafty things you could put in.
Rainmac- on one of my searches of the internet during the late hours I came across this website: www.alteredelement.co.uk look at the blank elements section. There is some great stuff to decorate- quite a few little boxes, a really cool jewellery chest with 2 drawers and a mirror for £5.25, a diary with a lock for £3.95, a couple of notebooks, and a treasure chest for £2.50, the postage seems quite reasonable too!

MRSMCAWBER

Morning all

Rainmac... No ...not more hours in my day..but i dont have any children yet ......
Hubby is golfing wed/thu/fri/sat/sun this week -so No lunches to pack and he has requested HM soups(in freezer:D ) or "something" on HM bread for his evening meals.. so i am going to make the most of it :T

I did hampers last year..had a whole lot of fun getting them back to the UK in the car with everything else:eek: but everyone loved them and reckoned they would have cost a fortune to buy...i did get a bit carried away:o but everyone loved the fact that i had themed them to each person/couples likes.

here are a few that i have pics of -in case it gives anyone ideas... if you click on them it will give you a bigger image










It won't be happening this year as i don't think we are planning on going back to the UK.. so my xmas list this year is quite small... i won't risk posting anything much from here as stuff seems to not make it...
right i had better get back and get some x stitch done

SammyKaye.... for the couples... what about decorating your own photo album and either leaving them blank to fill themselves or if you can get copies of photos and do a family one for them....oooooohhh or how about decorating your own photo frames and putting a photo of ben in it ..ben could even help decorate them..and putting that in the hamper:D

ooooohhh melissa..I have just looked on that website :eek: ...bad bad bad idea.... there are soo many lovely bits

melissa75_2

MRSMCAWBER - crikey what a lot of baskets - you are a hamper queen! They all look so good. I've got most of the bits to do mine, but they're for xmas presents so I've got a while to go before I make them up - also no storage space here. Some of the things on that website are good aren't they! I think I am going to try and wait until I get something and see how I get on with the scrapbooks!

rainmac

melissa75 wrote: »

Sammy-kaye18- great ideas for the hampers. I'll have a think of what crafty things you could put in.
Rainmac- on one of my searches of the internet during the late hours I came across this website: www.alteredelement.co.uk look at the blank elements section. There is some great stuff to decorate- quite a few little boxes, a really cool jewellery chest with 2 drawers and a mirror for £5.25, a diary with a lock for £3.95, a couple of notebooks, and a treasure chest for £2.50, the postage seems quite reasonable too!

Oh my word, that site is fab Melissa! I'm still having the urge to buy stuff when I'm not really sure what I've got, what I've made so far (not much!) or what I need - really need to make that blooming list!!! :rotfl:

Sammy, had a thought about your hampers, Melissa had said previously that she is thinking of decorating a box and popping some handmade cards in to give as a gift. This would be an ideal crafty present to pop in a hamper pressie. I did say to Melissa that I'd be nicking her idea as I think it's fab!

melissa75_2

Hi rainmac - its really hard not to buy more isn't it. I keep writing and re-writing lists for xmas. There's only a few people that would like the handmade items I was going to make and I've got them loads of stuff already. I am still really tempted to buy more stuff though - maybe to sell???
My pictures came today from Photobox - I was really impressed, it means now I can start having a go at a scrapbook - I am scared.

sammy_kaye18

MrsM - you may possibly become my new best friend as i never noticed you lived in Germany - all my family have been stationed over there with the RAF - and are all absolutely mad on Jiros spice - any chance of a packet finding its way to my house? accidentally on purpose of course

MRSMCAWBER

sammy_kaye18 wrote: »

MrsM - you may possibly become my new best friend as i never noticed you lived in Germany - all my family have been stationed over there with the RAF - and are all absolutely mad on Jiros spice - any chance of a packet finding its way to my house? accidentally on purpose of course

:rotfl: :rotfl: Gyros was a staple food stuff of hubbies diet before we met :rotfl: have to say that i can't stand kebab type things back home.. but gryros has grown on me..although we have 1 once in a blue moon ....
I have a tube of the spices ..but im not that keen on the 1 we have... there are loads out there..so im sure 1 might be able to find its way back to the UK

rainmac

melissa75 wrote: »

Hi rainmac - its really hard not to buy more isn't it. I keep writing and re-writing lists for xmas. There's only a few people that would like the handmade items I was going to make and I've got them loads of stuff already. I am still really tempted to buy more stuff though - maybe to sell???
My pictures came today from Photobox - I was really impressed, it means now I can start having a go at a scrapbook - I am scared.

I think altered stuff would sell really well at a craft fair. I think I'm too chicken to try it - had a disasterous attempt at a handmade card stall at a craft fair a few years ago and the organisers positioned me next to a woman selling Phoenix Cards - I stood no chance as everyone wanted lowest price rather than nicest card! :rotfl: I couldn't believe Phoenix Cards were allowed at a craft fair as there's nothing crafty about it??? I did complain but got nowhere, made money but not enough to at all cover the cost of all the materials I'd used to make my cards let alone make any profit! Oh well, we live and learn :rotfl:

I'm the same with handmade stuff, my OH's family just don't really appreciate the effort that goes into making things so I ask myself why bother? My OH has two brothers so was thinking of doing them some sweet jars and maybe car wash bucket? I think I'm going to steal your fab idea and make a couple of boxes of handmade cards to go into hampers for my m&d and a friend and her OH...do I need to recognise you on my box somewhere as the person who came up with the idea? :rotfl:

Good luck with the scrapbooking, remember we want to see pics of what you create!!!

melissa75_2

Rainmac, I think its just finding the right place to sell your stuff that's the key. I used to live in the Midlands where there were often crafts fairs and I think I could have sold a lot of stuff - both cards and other handmade items, probably could have made quite a bit of money. Now I live in quite a run down area and people aren't really bothered, I get the odd bit of interest in my cards but only from OH's family and I only manage to make a few £ss here and there.
My son's school often has car boot sale's in the summer so I was thinking of maybe (if I am brave enough) trying to sell stuff there. I mean you would think people would jump at the chance to buy handmade cards when they are such a fortune in the shops, and there's nothing worse than someone getting two cards the same, whereas there's no chance of that happening with handmades!
I figured I'll just plow on making cards so that if I ever have a stampede of customers knocking on my door for a card I will be prepared! I'll need quite a few to go in the "all occasion card box" as I have called it for xmas. And yes you do need to recognise me on your box or else I will contact my solicitor!!! (my Dad!).