Please help - have to make part of my Christmas pressies?

Question

Every year we try and do something a bit different. and we do our best to move away from the rampant commercialism of Christmas by putting a vey modest limit on our gift giving. This year our limit per person in the family is £25 - as many or as few pressies as we want to buy with that - but the one proviso is that part of the pressie has to be made (and the costs of it included in the £25) I've thought of homemade chocs - with moulds where you fill with different things. Anyone got any ideas more original than that? BTW I'm not terribly craft talented, but willing to put in some time for a good result. Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

I like to make Holiday Recovery Kits for the women on my gift list. They're always a big hit. I usually use a coffee and tea theme. Last year I made tea scented rice heating bags, green tea and ginseng glycerine soap, and cinnamon coffee infused olive oil and sea salt scrub. I put it all in paper lunch sacks with a few tea bags and attached handmade tags.

Quick and easy instructions:

Rice heating bags:
I like to make mine rectangular so they lay nicely across the back of the neck.
Cut a piece of fabric to 12"x14" (cotton works but flannel is really cozy).
Fold long ways with right sides together.
Sew one of the short sides and one of the long sides.
Turn right side out.
Fill 2/3 of the way full with rice (not the instant kind).
Pour the contents of 3 tea bags on top of the rice (I like the scented herbal teas).
Fold the raw edge of the open end to the inside and hand stitch closed.
Be sure to put on the tag that the bag shouldn't be microwaved for more than a minute or it will get too hot. It also shouldn't be allowed to get wet or the rice will mildew.

Glycerine soap:
You can find glycerine cubes and molds at your local hobby store. Follow the directions for how to melt the glycerine.
Once the glycerine is melted turn off the heat and quickly add green tea. I use about a tablespoon or the contents of three tea bags per bar of soap. Sometimes you can find green tea mixed with ginseng. If not, get some dried ginseng from a health food market. Use half as much ginseng as you used tea. Mix up very well and pour into your molds. Most of the tea will end up sinking to the bottom which makes a nice rough surface for exfoliating hands, elbows and knees.
This soap is good for purifying and revitalizing the skin.

Here's a link for making the bath salts:
http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=645.0

Hope that helps!

Answer 2

Homemade chocolates are a great idea. If you want to add a personal touch, can you make your own greeting cards with a nice picture of the family and include with the batch. Or can you present your chocolates in a mug, a stocking, or other decorative bag or box that has the family photo inserted in a plastic sleeve?

Some other things you can add:
(1) A typeset book of "coupons" where each sheet is a different "favor" such as a night off from washing the dishes, free night of babysitting, free lunch on a bad day, etc.

[Other examples: "this coupon good for watching sports all day without interruption" or "dropping whatever I am doing to help you with something stupid" or "this punch card good for one YES per day" (with squares along the edges that say "YES" or "Yes, you're right!") or "playing 10 games with you on XBOX even when I have homework". If you use friendly humor, make sure it stays cute and loving, good natured with inside jokes that everyone can enjoy.]

(2) If you can buy a small album from the dollar store or craft store with clear sleeves, you can make your own book of
favorite photos, poems, or recipes. If you like the idea of personal gift coupons, you can insert these as well.

Answer 3

Idea number 1:
Have you ever made paper? It is not hard, though the kit is about 30 quid. You'd have it forever though.

You blend up the cardboard egg cartons/old papers (not glossies tho') and thinly spread this muck across the screen of the kit's deckle. Then press excess water out and dry paper sheets.

This then can be made into bookmarks, cards, decorations and a host of other things.

2. Hand made soap. I have done this for years. It is a leeeetle bit messy, but very cheap and effective. Find a recipe on line. Basically, you are mixing fat and caustic soda (I think that is the chemical in England, - tho in the USA they call it LYE) What makes a different soap is the kind of fat that you use. Olive oil and almond oil (expensive) make softer and more luxurious soaps. Essential oils add lovely smells to the soap, though I have made soap with drippings and lye. Makes a rather rough carbolicky soap!!

ONE PROBLEM: freshly made soap takes 4 weeks to 'cure'. If your family members can wait, go ahead and make the soap and give it away, but tell them to wait the month before using. Guaranteed you could do it for under twenty five quid.

Answer 4

I've always found that people like the Cookie Mixes and soup mixes in the mason jars. You can find recipe for these online and at the library. They are cheap and easy and take very litttle craftiness since it is jsut layering ingredients. You put directions on a tag as to how to make and cover the lid with a decorative piece of fabric. Voila you have an easy and practical present.

Answer 5

I am considered the "crafty" one in my family, so I always make most of the gifts for my parents and in-laws. One that I made this year was personalized purses. I bought that printable fabric that you put through your printer and printed photos on it. I bought canvas purses from Wal-Mart and stitched the photos on them and decorated them with ribbon.

Also, but I am not sure if it would be in your budget, cause I don't know European money amounts, but I did the same concept with quilts for them too.

Answer 6

hi in simple terms because of the fact which you ate the many of the chocolate doesnt make you a foul person yet you incredibly shouldnt have ate them. whether you didnt provide them to her this is being egocentric which you're ingesting the rest. perhaps deliver them to her as a manage in case you ever pass to and get yet another present for her. Remeber to furnish this trip season =)

Answer 7

You can make decorative mints for the holidays - different colors with different designs - good luck and great idea!@