crafty for christmas 2008

pebbles88

Mrs Sambora - Those bottles are gorgeous!!!

MrsSambora

Pebbles - i love them! actually bought 2 sets but couldnt believe i got a set of 4 for £4.99! Top bargain!

pebbles88

i know i sound uber dim here!!, but how would you seal them?? i was thinking of HM vodka for christmas but was gonna get the bottles from ikea that have a flip top??

MrsSambora

they all have corks in them. hoping if i make some stuff just now the corks will be a tight enough seal to keep it fresh if i keep them all in a dark cupboard. never done this home made liqueur thing before though so it will be trial and error!

sethsgran

My DH always tells the tale of when as a child his mum would make gingerbeer. The bottles were stored under the kitchen table in the middle so they could still use it, big family 7 children. One tea time as they sat there the corks started to pop and gingerbeer was exploding all over their feet. He has great parents and everyone sat there laughing not knowing if a cork would get them!!

Mrs_Bones

Some great ideas on this thread, Mrs Mcawber I love the hampers you made.

Melissa Journal Jars are just jars filled with strips of paper with journal prompts, simple questions or challenges written on them. You can make them match the person who your giving it too, ones i've done are

Disney questions for someone who been on holiday
Family history questions for relatives (sneaky way of getting info this )
Different layout challenges for a scrapbooker.

If you google Journal Jars you will get alot of ideas come up, this is a good site to start with

http://www.lightplanet.com/mormons/ywc/journaljars.htm

sammy_kaye18

Well my son is definately in the christmas spirit - hes watching mickey mouses winter wonderland in the middle of June! and asking for a hot chocolate!! :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: Ive created a monster!:D Will be loving this year with him - now hes 4 he is understanding what chrismtas is and loved putting out his christmas key last year (i had the 'mummy how will santa get down our chimney when we live in a flat?' - haha young one, mummy is one step ahead of you!)

Anywho - im wanting to make a nice lap blanket for my grandad so does anyone have any idea how to make a nice blanket - im thinking knitting is easier than crocheting but in honesty i have never really done any of these and if i manage to knit squares - how the hell do i join them all together??

Of all the people on my list my grandad is my most difficult to buy for - he has severe arthritus and is near enough crippled by it - he is mobile still (pure stubborness that he wont use a wheelchair though) has difficulty eating/driving etc and recently has undergone two caterax (not even going to pretend like i know how to spell it!) surgerys. He suffers terribly with the cold.

Last year i got him a nice cardigan jumper with a zip as he finds them easier to do now his hands and nearly totally seized up, and one of those microwave heat bags with lavender etc in them which he said worked wonders for him. and a few packs of shortbread which he loves (this was all in a hamper for him) But now im totally stumped for this year but i always do my grandparents practical baskets which i find are more gratefully recieved now that they are both 70. Last year i also did my nan a tea for one hamper with flavoured fruit teas in it, a tea for one pot, a nice shawl to decorate, and a tea strainer and she was over the moon.

Well this year i am doing my nan a writers hamper - she has penpals and i thought a nice writing set, nice pen, nice biscuits, and her handdecorated address book and diary would be nice and all tie in nicely together for her hamper.

But my grandad im stumped. Hes a mad train buff and an aeroplane nut - for years and i mean more like 50+ he has had one fo the aeroplane radio transmitter/reciever things and spends forever writing down all the planes that flew near his house. He loves it - but im not sure he does it much anymore. but he has forever been a keen train/plane spotter and every holiday i have ever been on with them we ended up at a train station to look at the trains (now my dad is a manager in a train yard he is in his element when he visits him)

any ideas for a hamper peeps??? I want it to still be practical but somethgin he will like/enjoy and find useful

MRSMCAWBER

Morning all

well here is my 1st attempt at a knitted doll xmas tree dec ...still need to sew his details and hanging loop on..not bad for a first bash... i can knit just fine..its the bloomin sewing together that does my head in...


He has come out about 5" tall so im going to do some on smaller needles -think im going to do a snowman or fairy next... ooh and i have my mum getting me lots more wool to send to me :T
The x stitch lady for mum now has her face and im hoping to finish her hair off today....
right better get back to the x stitch.. keep up the great ideas folks

melissa75_2

Mrs. Bones thanks for the info on the journal jars - they sound like a great idea!
MRSMCAWBER - love your knitted man - how cute! I'm afraid I haven't got a clue when it comes too knitting!
Sammy-kaye18 - my sons are 6 and 4 and last yesr it was great as they understood a bit more about what was going on. With all the talk of xmas I am getting excited myself! I can't help you with any ideas on the lap blanket but I'm sure someone else can help you out! As for other ideas for your Grandad I can see why you are stumpted. Would he watch Dvds, my Grandparents are chuffed that now you can get old programmes/ films on dvd that you couldn't get before. Would he like one of those slipper things that you put both of your feet in? I think they are heated but I'm not entirely sure! I'll have a think and see if I can come up with anything else.

Mrs_Bones

I love your knitted doll Mrs Mcawber, you must have loads of patience.

Sammy-kaye18 I love your idea of a writers hamper for your gran. Re your grandad, I have a peg loom and it's brilliant, It would mean an initial outlay but they are not that much and you could make loads of things on it and so easy and quick to do. I've never done a blanket on mine, but it would be easy enough, just do the strips you need then sew them together. Other ideas are a subscription to a train magazine or maybe doing a mini hamper based on trains with a dvd, book and a hand made voucher offering to take him out for the day for a meal and trip on a train?