I always make homemade things for the adults in the family at Christmas. Anyone else like to craft their Christmas gifts? I'd love to hear what you are making this year. Could be a fun way to share ideas and talk about something we enjoy doing
This year I'm making a collection of good smelling things for the home:
Potpourri to simmer on the stove
Scented salt dough sachets to hang in the closet
Herbal paper sachets for drawers
Those are the for sures. And I may do car air fresheners (I found a site that sells shaped air freshener blanks), and maybe candy cane bath salts. And perhaps some sort of charcoal deodorizer for the basement. I think I will do scented wax pinecone fire starters for people with wood stoves.
I'm also designing a family tree for DH's maternal grandparents that will be about 3feet x 2feet and framed.
Wow, such the crafter aren't you? I wish I had the time to do all that I surely would. I so enjoy homemade gifts over anything else, always more special knowing that someone took the time to think of me with a special gift than a store bought one.
About the only thing I will probably do is get the step-grandkids over to make some Christmas ornaments. I did start some scrapbooks...maybe I will finish them by next Christmas
Oh Boy,my kind of topic.
So far I made my daughter a quilt and almost finished another one for my son.
I am working on a scrapbook cookbook for my kids,Foods I made when they were little.
I would love a home made christmas but in this age of buy me ,buy me,no one really appreciates home made.But I always do a little bit anyway.
My husbands kids are wealthy and expect more than homemade.SO i give them cold hard cash.(no fun in that)
Most of the gifts I give are homemade and people seem to appreciate them, but I try to make useful things or holiday specific things.
I make cookies, jam, pickles, etc. for edible gifts. As far as crafts, this year I'm crocheting wreath ornaments. Here's a link of the ones I'm making: http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/lffunt/wreathorn.htm. I've already knocked out five of them.
Last year I crocheted snowflake ornaments and I may do a few of those this year to give to people that didn't get one last year. They are quicker to make and don't require the ring that the wreath ones require.
i love making craft gifts! I have done the cookie mix in a jar gifts - those are fun. I hand sewed christmas stockings for several people one year- I made one that was a bare foot with painted toe nails, a paw print one for my cat (what can i say, i went overboard lol), a cowboy boot for my uncle... it was a lot of fun. I would love to try my hand at soaps and scrubs and lip balms and things one year I think that would be great. I have a real problem giving people gifts that aren't consumable - I try to make sure it's something that's very usable or can be eaten/used up. I made everyone cross stitch book marks one year those came out really nice.
I don't know if i'm going to have time to do anything this year because we will be packing our house and moving and i have to work a bunch of mandatory over time at work. :C
I would love to try my hand at soaps and scrubs and lip balms and things one year I think that would be great.
Thanks for the reminder. I completely forgot that I want to try to make soap! I hear using a drill with a paint stirer is the way to go versus a stick blender. I have a friend who blew out several stick blenders making soap.
Good luck with your move! I just moved and it sucks, so I feel your pain.
This discussion has motivated me ...again. I went out and bought yarn to knit my Mom a sweater for Christmas.
Some how I gained 4pounds this weekend ? HUH? how many calories are burned knitting? Probably not enough !
I made soap about 10 years ago. I used a stick blender without any problems. It was fun. I made coffee soap with grounds in it for the guys to help get their hands clean after working on cars. I made almond joy soap that was almond scented and had cocoa powder swirls. I made Cinnamon orange soap with orange peel in it. And a couple of others. Fun fun. And DH liked my mad scientist outfit that I wore when making it. (I got a bad burn from making candy in bare feet once so I wasn't taking any chances with lye!)
froufrou - what fun making ornaments with the kids - it is a tradition?
lizziep - the stockings sound fun!
cartp - I get what you mean about the buy me age - I don't do homemade for any of the "kids" anymore - adult or younger - but DH's parents and aunt and my brother and sister all have everything they want or need and anything they don't have we can't afford to give them! We do usually get a special gift for his parents each year.
Things I have made in the past: homemade jams, personalized note pads, etched designs on glassware, candles, soap, homemade cocoa with purchased mugs, coffee spoons, gifts in a jar, stained glass picture frames, hummingbird feeders, cookie assortment, pocket boards, microwavable rice heating pad in a washable fleece pouch, various ornaments, I've covered picture frames with the mini bone shaped dog treats and poly'd it, made birdseed bread in the shape of a candy cane wrapped with thick red yard to look more candycanish to hang outside for the birds, one year we decoupaged pictures onto wooden boards and bought clockworks to make homemade clocks (I get DH in on the act as needed). I made homemade dip mixes one year to go with dip servers I bought. I make calendars on the computer a lot too. I love to design things on the pc and my niece is an amazing amateur photographer, so we team up and I make a calendar of her work and have it printed and bound. It looks very professional and makes a fabulous gift!
I love to make things, it's fun for me and everyone seems to enjoy it. It doesn't always end up cheaper than buying gifts, but that's not really the point.
I've also always done homemade gifts "from" my son for Christmas. The year I was pregnant with him I made a calendar with a month appropriate border for each month, then the recipient could glue in pictures of their choice each month. His 1st Christmas I did a collage of pictures of him from a "photo session" I did with him. The next year I made a calendar of pics of him in various outfits and with various props for each month. Since then it's been mostly ornaments or various other collages of pictures for the year. As he's gotten older and been more able to do the work himself it's become more of his project. This past year he was 9 and he did all the work himself - made popsicle stick pictures frames decorated with various embellishments and his school picture in the middle. He is a natural with the hot glue gun!
zenor - I love those wreaths! I've never gotten the knack of knitting or crocheting, that is an something I'd like to take an adult ed class in as I can't seem to learn from a book. My mother in law can get me so I can do straight knitting and purling but that's about it. I did knit a hat once with LOTS of help from a coworker at the time.
Already knit my son and his fiance a cabled afghan for Christmas. Now I'm working on mittens for my mom's church (they do a "mitten tree" around Christmas for the inner city poor kids). My to-do knitting list is way too long! But mostly it's all knitting. Never got into other crafts much.
I'm working on a crocheted afghan for my grandma right now. Once that is finished, I'm making felted wristlets for my mom and two sisters and at least one scarf for a friend of mine. I'm only going to be home one week the month of December due to business travel, so I think that will be all I accomplish this year. I usually do a crafted something for my grandmothers and aunts, but I don't think I have the time this year. Last year they each got a dish towel angel.
oh one of your posts reminded - the first year i was married i gathered recipes from both sides of the family and put together a cookbook to give to people on both sides. it was fun. i'd love to do a scrapbook cookbook some time.
i feel very strongly in giving things that will be useful or consumable. we have a few umm... hoarders in the family and i do not want to contribute! hubby and i are pretty much minimalists & knowing this about us we still get some pretty strange things from his mom and i don't know how to tell her we'd rather she save her money the buy us one more beanie baby for example. lol.
Things I've made in the past: Crocheted hat/scarf sets, baking mix gift baskets, cookie baskets, homemade soaps and lotions, cookbooks, and every year a new handpainted ornament for close family and friends.
This year I'm on a beading kick...lots of beaded necklaces, bracelets, earrings. I'm also going to do my cookie baskets/goodie baskets for acquaintences, coworkers, etc...just bake stuff up en masse, bag prettily, and go.
Any other Christmas Crafters Out There?
I hear using a drill with a paint stirer is the way to go versus a stick blender. I have a friend who blew out several stick blenders making soap.
