Homemade Holiday Presents! Lets help each other! Ideas WANTED!

[magiclj]

bump to page one - great ideas!!!

 

[etoiles]

I haven't read the whole thread yet so forgive me if someone stated this already but last year I made some cool bowls for a movie themed gift bag to go with the snacks and Blockbuster gift card. I made bowls from old records! If someone has old records they don't want you can use them or get them cheap from a music store or Goodwill type.

The instructions are online but basically you heat the records in the oven over an oven proof bowl (turn on the fan to vent) and when heated you push them into the bowl to bend them into a shape. Use gloves to protect your fingers from the heated plastic. when cooled I sprayed them with this clear protective spray so food could go in them.

They looked awesome and the gift-ees loved them!

 

[fakereadhed]

I haven't read the whole thread yet so forgive me if someone stated this already but last year I made some cool bowls for a movie themed gift bag to go with the snacks and Blockbuster gift card. I made bowls from old records! If someone has old records they don't want you can use them or get them cheap from a music store or Goodwill type.

The instructions are online but basically you heat the records in the oven over an oven proof bowl (turn on the fan to vent) and when heated you push them into the bowl to bend them into a shape. Use gloves to protect your fingers from the heated plastic. when cooled I sprayed them with this clear protective spray so food could go in them.

They looked awesome and the gift-ees loved them!

I remember doing that with my mom in the 70's. The fumes nearly killed us!!!

 

[momtosam]

I have a friend who has her own embroidery set up. I'd like to have her embroider canvas bags for my kids' grandmothers and aunts and then put their handprints on with fabric paint. I'm stuck on what to do for the men, though. I'd like to get something embroidered with their names, but what?

We did those paver snowmen last year and they were adorable! I used the kids' fingerprints as the buttons.

 

[gardengalB4]

I haven't done this, but I've seen it for sale in stores.

Take a cute cookie cutter and fill it full of homemade fudge. Decorate if you'd like. Wrap in celophane and give out! Duel purpose gift! Sugar and a cutter for future use!

Yes! This year I'm going to do this!
I bought a big container of metal cookie cutters last year & was planning to do it but ran out of time...

 

[Tweevil]

I have a friend who has her own embroidery set up. I'd like to have her embroider canvas bags for my kids' grandmothers and aunts and then put their handprints on with fabric paint. I'm stuck on what to do for the men, though. I'd like to get something embroidered with their names, but what?

We did those paver snowmen last year and they were adorable! I used the kids' fingerprints as the buttons.

I am making the guys a "My Stuff" bag and putting a bucket in it with car detailing/tools/etc... You could personalize this by adding their name.
Oh... maybe if their hobby is golf you could do a golf towell and bag with stuff in it? The guys love it when I give these. Stuff that they just throw in their trunk and when they need it *poof* it's already there.

Hope this helps,

 

[hellotoyou]

This was such a great thread -- loved everyone's ideas!

 

[snowgooseltd]

subscribing...thanks for all the great ideas!!

 

[Blue.Fairy2]

Do you know how well these stay fresh? I am worried with the eggs that they would go bad.

try these no eggs and no cooking

http://www.teachsoap.com/bombs.html


only got to page 12 so forgive me if posted already.

In the idea of gift baskets try this hand shaped oven mits fill with your favorite biscuit, cookie, scone recipe mix, add a spatula, a cookie cutter, measuring spoons...customized to fit your theme.

some ideas:

pancakes
biscuits
scones
cookies

 

[DisneyDawnNH]

My sister-in-law purchased a case of "nips" from the liquir store last year- chambourg (sp?) These were beautiful blue bottles with gold embellishments. We took it a step further by attaching a printed recipe card for brownies that use that liquir in the recipe. Great idea really! She did it for coworkers and they loved it !

 

[budbeerlady]

My sister in law makes us all home made Kahlua. (Did I mention she is my fav sister in law!!!) Its so good and we all love it.

http://www.ehow.com/how_2109595_home-made-kahlua.html#

 

[weewuvvdisney]

subscribing - now that I know how to do it!

Tks,


Jan

 

[etoiles]

Last year I did some salad gift baskets for my aunts. I made my own garlic croutons with a recipe from allrecipes.com. I made my own herb vinegar by adding white vinegar to a nice jar and stuffing in home grown fresh herbs. I bought a nice oil to go with it and some salad tossing forks. It went over well!

 

[HLDisney]

This is both an idea and a request.

I want to make a bunch of these candy wreaths for gifts:

http://familycrafts.about.com/od/christmaswreath1/a/CandyWreath.htm

I made some quite a few years ago for a crafts fair and they turned out really nice.

Does anyone know of a good source for cheap, wrapped candies? I know there will be after-Halloween candy sales but those are usually for Halloween-themed candy or things like candy corn, which can't be used for this project.

Thanks,
Helen

 

[wdwfan16]

I showed DH the homemade kaluha and he is all excited.

 

[PolyndianPrincessJes]

This is both an idea and a request.

I want to make a bunch of these candy wreaths for gifts:

http://familycrafts.about.com/od/christmaswreath1/a/CandyWreath.htm

I made some quite a few years ago for a crafts fair and they turned out really nice.

Does anyone know of a good source for cheap, wrapped candies? I know there will be after-Halloween candy sales but those are usually for Halloween-themed candy or things like candy corn, which can't be used for this project.

Thanks,
Helen

Less than 25% of our Target/Walgreens (I avoid Wal-Mart like the plague) candies are Halloween themed, only the bags they come in are. I know beacause I buy a lot of these treats (the pretzels and Rice Krispie treats are great!) after the holiday and use them for student rewards.

Otherwise, Dollar Tree? I imagine they have wrapped candies.

 

[gerberdaisy1234]

Edit:I started a new thread not seeing this great thread and someone was kind enough to add the newer thread to the older thread. I can not wait to go back and read all the wonderful ideas!! Thanks a million!!!

This Christmas our extended family is trying a new but old tradition. All gifts must be handmade or hand-ons. So you make something for each person or find something in the abundance that we all already have that we think that person would enjoy. (i.e. I am taking an older computer that we do not use and a ton of programs that we no longer use and customizing a computer for my brother's 2 children.)

This has been very exciting so far. But I am in search of new ideas. These can be Disney theme or not. For people ages 6 months to 70+. If you have photos you can post that would be awesome.


It is putting a personal touch back in Christmas. You focus on the person instead of an amount. Before it was if we spent $x amount on one you had to try to spend that on all.

Please help with ideas. Thank you.

 

[Colleen27]

This is what I'm doing for the little girls in the family this year. I made them for my girls for our trip to start with, but two of my nieces just went nuts over seeing them so now I'm making more for Christmas gifts. They're almost no-sew (no-sew tutu but I sewed on the overskirts & details) and only take about an hour to do.

We're also making Christmas ornaments for my mom and my inlaws, but I don't have pics of those since we haven't started yet. Some will be clear glass bulbs coated on the inside with decopage glue & glitter, and others will be clear glass bulbs filled with poupouri and decorated with lace, beads, and flowers to give them a more classic/Victorian look.

 

[gerberdaisy1234]

These are so cute. Are they kid size or doll size?

 

[Goofy'slady]

We're on the same page in regards to making a lot of the gifts we pass out this year. Mostly those homemade gifts will go to neighbors, co-workers and teachers; however, I may just make my husband and our girls a homemade gift this year as well.

I can - as in canning foods; so in October we always go apple picking and the apples get turned into apple sauce and apple butter. So my dining room table is chuck full of mason jars full of apple goodness. This weekend I'm canning corn relish. I'm also making oatmeal soap and bath salts and potpouri saschettes(sp) for my girlfriends.

My kids are decorating wooden frames and putting picture of themselves in the frames and giving them to relatives as gifts. I'm even making doggie treats for my friends who have pooches!

The homemade touches I try to incorporate into each gift will hopefully let the receiver know how much I care. To me there is no better gift than that which is homemade and comes from the heart.

T.