crafty for christmas 2008

thriftymoo

hiya all!

Just wanted to say that your ideas are all fab! you've given me quite a bit of inspiration!!

I was wondering if anyone knows where i could buy sloes from to make sloe gin?

Gonna do hamper type presents as i did one for mum on mothers day and it worked well. will update once i decide on my final list of stuff to make!!

MrsTinks

Don't know if anywhere sells them... I pick them in the nearby fields. Get in before others and the birds by picking before the 1st frost and sticking them in the freezer yourself Over night will do!

I'm going to buy paper cases I think for the Sloe chocs... Then I'll try and remove the stones and put a splodge in each choc case. I'm going to try and make a tiny tiny cup thingy do there is a hollow to put the sloe in before sealing it with chocolate if that makes sense? I'm just paranoid about the stones even if they are small... what if people crunch them! :eek:

BigMummaF

If you have a look on the 'How Can I Make This?' thread, there are links to predominantly ebay sellers who have the prettiest cake cases..just thinking they would finish off your fudge & choc liquers a treat! There's all sorts of colours, style & sizes, so I would think you'd find summat to give you inspiration. HTH

naturally_2

Right, fudge update no. 2!

I now have fudge that I am happy about to give to my dad for his bday and to do for other people at Xmas!

I amended the nestle recipe to as follows;

450g caster sugar
110g stork margarine (substituted this for butter, its a lot cheaper)
100ml milk
1 tin condensed milk.

shove everythign in the pan apart from sugar until butter is melted, throw in sugar and stir stir stir until that is disolved and nice and bubbly.at this point I had disturbing reddish brown lumps in it which I initiallythought was my non-stick coming off or just that I hadn't washed the pan properly, but was actually harmless lumps of caramel!

Continues heating on slightly lower heat for about 10 mins, not as long as the recipe said, it suddenly changed texture to much more gloopy and did the soft ball test ok, so then I took it off the heat, split and added a few drops of vanilla essence to half, and a packet of sainsburys basics choc whip (a bit of a gamble but so cheap - 9p!) to the other half. Beat with an elec whisk until it was grainy and pressed into lined moulds to set in the fridge.

Both flavours were GORGEOUS, only think I'd add is about 10g more marge as it was very crumbly. You really have to press it well into the tin to get decent blocks out at the end.

I'm still astounded at the gamble of the 9p Mr S whip paying off, but it certainly did, made a really really nice chocolatey flavour.

sammy_kaye18

Hi All

have been slightly AWOL lately what with OH's hospital appointments (now back on teh surgery waiting list) and Benjie being off - do you knwo how hard it is to find grey trousers in south wales! near impossible - until yesterday thankfully.

Anyway went out lately having a nose round the charity shops and noticed two small revlon bags in the PDSA shop, they are like mainyl white with various shades fo pink shapes on them (once bf brings his camera home i will post a picture) but i thought they would be a nice little set for my sister and 16 year old niece so im looking on the freebie board for a few things to chuck in it at present.

Also im currently looking at doign my dad a recipe book with nothing but sauces and dresings in it. I got given a flavour shaker by my MIL that was homeless as she didnt need it as a gift so i figured id rehome him and then give him to my dad for christmas - im also hoping to include a few packets of herbs for him to grow - was thinking 6 of them but they all have big stickers over them now in teh offers but hey i guess i could re bag them and put instructions in the front of the recipe book itself.

Does anyone have any good sauces/dressigns that i can add in it - my dad is a very good cook (does all the cooking in his household) eg. the christmas we went to see him he did us turkey with a cranberry glaze with stirfried chowmein noodles and vegetables! :eek: so needless to say he has a fair bit in his kitchen.

furrypig

Welcome back Sammy Kaye!

Just wanted to say I'm rubbish at recipes for sauces but the only idea I did have was for a simple salad dressing buying some nice virgin olive oil and some balsamic vinegar and then I got the idea of making flavoured vinegar and/or oil. I'm sure someone here or on old style will have a recipe or a link for making something like that!

Also wanted to comment on your no heating til Nov 1st. WOW! Last year (and this year)we turned off heating beg May and we didn't turn it on until beg Oct not sure if I could last until beg Nov but might try!! Depends on how cold the kids get I guess!!

sammy_kaye18

Thanks Furry

Ive just had a nosey round amazon as i had vouchers from bview sitting in there doign not alot so ive ordered

• a How to draw pokemon for my nephew whos 11 and has ADHD he'll sit happily doing that i think if i get him colouring pencils, paper etc too.
• a 365 sauces book for my dad
• 101 salad dressings again for my daddy
• a 'in the night garden' colouring book for my little 3 year old niece.

there is atleast some more gifts done and i dont feel so far behind with it all now but they were technically free as i didnt pay for them other than writing a few reviews on another site.

Ive still got my boots points, pigsback (ok not alot but something) and my tesco vouchers - im hopign to get abotu £7 in the next lot sent out so hoping it will at least help if not buy bf a bottle of JD to keep him happy! or might even keep it to find a few more little things for littel one or a few more christmas decorations! oh rag garlands!!!

also with the heating - im on the using less gas adn electric thread as well as the preparing for winter thread on the OS boards - i pay the electric and gas bills myself (along with the otehr household bills) and bf pays our rent, keeps the car goign so anything that needs and his debts and maintenance for his other son (its abotu equal) so im tryign to save money any way i can so using lots fo fleecy blankets etc - they are good threads you should nip over and say hello

rainmac

Hi Sammy! I did the same with £20 Amazon vouchers I got from Valued Opinions. Took me about 4 months to get to £20 but spent them the day I got them on books for Xmas pressies! Bought most in the summer sale so got even more value for my hard earned £20!!!

I've got Boots points and vouchers that I'm keeping till nearer the time for my own kiddies. You can use points points for any of their products on offer can't you.

mary43

Hi sammy - can't help ypu with the sauces/dressings ............OH does the cooking as much as possible (I'm c**p at it !) and he cheats a bit with the endless jars on offer. Half of them I wouldn't know what to do with..........lol

Well I'm getting in such a muddle..........make a yule log ages ago and cab't remember where I put it -I know I have thorough tidy up before son,his girlfriend and baby grandson came up in June but it's gone totally out my head ! So, this afternoon, when other kids are out of the way I'll have to plough through my upstairs room and sort out what I've got and for who..........you never know.........I might just find it (she says hopefully)
Made a list of stuff to get for the various 'cheap' pressies I'm concocting....starts to work out not so cheap !!
Got to buy more flannels -brown/cream/white...........
.cotton wool balls for 'pickled bums',
ordered door hangers and pegs - hope I've got enough paint kicking about
and need handbag stickers for the pegs and something to jazz up the door hangers........
scrapbook for baby grandson (unless I can find very cheap notebook and cover it)

Oh I daren't think of anything else..........................lol I'm surrounded by 'stuff'...................does anyone else get in a muddle like that or is it just me

crystalclear

mary43 wrote: »

Oh I daren't think of anything else..........................lol I'm surrounded by 'stuff'...................does anyone else get in a muddle like that or is it just me

Yes me :beer: I even have boxes on the landing (no room anywhere else) I have to sort out :eek: . Went shopping yesterday and have bags in the hall and one or too going up the stairs + I am still writing lists :rolleyes:

I keep reading ideas on here and think I would like to do that for so & so but to be honest I am going to be hard pushed to finish what I have going now not only time wise but financially - but i am having fun :rotfl: