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

[MineMail]

My grandmother is 81 and has everything she could want or need. She lives alone and cooks mostly prepared food because it is too much to cook for herself. A few weeks before Christmas I start making a little bit extra of everything I cook for dinner and freeze a portion for her. Then I give her the frozen meals at Christmas. Then I give her a card saying when we visit every month (she lives out of state) we will bring her more meals.

I also give my elderly neighbor a card every Christmas saying we will make him one home cooked meal a week.

They both love it and I know they are getting home cooked food at least some of the time.

Absolutely wonderful idea! I love it!

 

[gracie1]

Getting ready to check this thread out as well.

 

[MapleGirl]

I like to make photograph gifts using artscow.com So far I've made ceramic ornaments, photo albums, calendar, dog tags and business card holders. You don't have to limit yourself to photographs. You can also also put fun images and designs on the items. I shop the sales and wait for things to be free or only a few dollars and with free shipping.

I've also made a custom calendar with my home printer. I put important family dates and fun holidays on it.

 

[MineMail]

I make up little gift bags for kids that I coach. They always have to have their hair pinned back and no jewelry, so give them a little personalized baggie containing:

. Chapstick
. Tissues
. Ponytail holders
. Snap clips (good ones that don't get stuck)

Dollar General usually sells these little hairbrushes that have a mirror on the reverse side. The handle unscrews to hold small hairclips and ponytail holders. If they don't have them, I just buy small hairbrushes.

If they show up with jewelry, they have to put it in the baggie for safekeeping in their locker/carryall.

 

[magik]

3. Cloth napkins - buy inexpensive fabric, and make your own. One year I hand-embroidered a holly design on a set for my mother. Took me a while - I worked on them while waiting for the kids at their extracurricular activities. If you don't want to embroider, you could potato-print or sponge print a design using acrylic paint. Just remember to iron the design under a sheet of paper to fix the paint.
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5. Tote bags - buy some denim or even upholstery fabric and have fun decorating them with beads, buttons, paints, applique - whatever tickles your fancy! Other similarly simple projects include drawstring backpacks, personalized pencil cases/cosmetic case with stationery or toiletries.

I received a set of homemade cloth napkins in fun cotton prints for Christmas one year, and I loved it. I bring my lunch to work most days, and it makes me smile to have a fun napkin in my lunch bag. I like them so well that I plan to make myself some more and make some sets for friends and family for Christmas this year.

I am also thinking about making some wallet totes like these for gifts.

In my family Snapfish/Shutterfly albums are always a big hit as gifts as well.

 

[chris31997]

Every year my kids make Christmas presents for the family. It is fun and hard at the same time

Things we have done: Calendars, Picture Frames, Candles, no-sew blankets, ornaments, homemade goodies, jewlery, vases, and tie-dye stuff.

Usually, I go find items that are discounted, flea market or at the thrift store and combine it with something we have at the house or found at the beach. Grandparents love it.

 

[DizFan101]

seashell project - frames/jewelry/paper weight
i live in NJ and have gone to the beaches here in NJ and collected seashells. Many of them are big so i was able to paint them and make them into paper weights with logos. One is a NY Giants logo and another one looks like a water mellon.
there are smaller seashells that can easily be made into pins or glued onto a frame. awesome.

 

[Jerseyguy's Wife]

Wow. So I just finished reading all 46 pages of this thread! There are some really neat ideas here. One PP said she was making Mickey tie-dye shirts. Can someone tell me how to do this? Thanks.

 

[dizneemom]

One year I got a cookbook that they scrapbooked. In it they also placed old pictures of me and my family along with sayings, bible verses, etc. I have been given those blankets where you tie knots all around (LOVED this since it is so cold in Iowa).

 

[sharonmickey]

Jerseyguy's Wife - Here is a link to the thread on Tie Dye Mickey shirts. It has great directions. It was easy to do. Good luck!

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2028914&highlight=tie+dye+mickey

 

[ariamac]

I've been starting to think about Christmas gifts too...

Normally I make boxes of assorted cookies and give them out... they're always a big hit (especially the mint chocolate chip ones I made last year!!!)

But I feel like doing something different this year... but something useful and inexpensive, I saw some cool ideas in some posts here a while ago, I'll have to revisit.

I actually just found this idea online: it's a personalized glass-etched baking dish! It's relatively inexpensive, and I can just give everyone a batch of rice krispies made right inside of it!

http://www.obsessedwithscrapbooking.com/2009/08/using-your-cricut-to-etch-on-glass.html

I'm also contemplating possibly doing cookie jars:

http://moscraftycorner.blogspot.com/2010/12/glass-etching-candy-or-cookie-jar.html

 

[Jerseyguy's Wife]

Jerseyguy's Wife - Here is a link to the thread on Tie Dye Mickey shirts. It has great directions. It was easy to do. Good luck!

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2028914&highlight=tie+dye+mickey

Thank you so much! We are "gifting" our nephews with a WDW trip this Christmas, and I wanted to put a few special items in the Buzz Lightyear duffel bags I bought them for the trip. These are awesome! I just read the entire thread and think, maybe, I can do this! The last time I tie dyed anything I was 10! And we only did the rubber band and dip in RIT dye thing. So, thank you, thank you! I really appreciate you posting this link.

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

When we were at AK DD and I fell in love with some paper bead jewelry made by women in Uganda, we each bought a pair of earrings, but the necklaces that we liked were more than we wanted to spend that day. Well, DD came home and looked up instructions on the internet and has been making beads for a week now and they're coming out really well. She made a necklace for her friend's birthday, I think they will make a really nice gift.

There was very little money oop, she just recycled newspapers and old magazines and brochures and needed: clear fingernail polish, elastic cord, a toothpick, scissors and a ruler. She's not here for me to ask her what website she used, but she just googled paper beads and found the instructions.

 

[amberdburke]

I've been starting to think about Christmas gifts too...

I actually just found this idea online: it's a personalized glass-etched baking dish! It's relatively inexpensive, and I can just give everyone a batch of rice krispies made right inside of it!

http://www.obsessedwithscrapbooking.com/2009/08/using-your-cricut-to-etch-on-glass.html

I'm also contemplating possibly doing cookie jars:

http://moscraftycorner.blogspot.com/2010/12/glass-etching-candy-or-cookie-jar.html

I am so excited to try this out...What a great and inexpensive idea!

 

[MickeyP]

Love the etched bakeware. I should get started on these this summer.

 

[poohfriend77]

I'm so glad this thread is "back in action" again!!!

I LOVE the glass etching idea. I am definitely going to give that a try. I'm thinking pans or plates filled with goodies for Christmas gifts, but also pans or serving platters for wedding showers!

And I will definitely be looking for the paper bead instructions. That seems like something DD8 would love!

Keep the ideas coming!

 

[jacksmom]

Looking forward to some new ideas! Can't wait to get started!

 

[jadeblue13]

sorry if this has been posted before, have a headache and 47 pages is too much to skim at this point.

One year the kids painted the cheap wooden serving trays from the craft store, then we baked an asst. of cookies, bars and other treats to give to the grandparents. If your family doesn't paint, you can buy the rub on transfers or decoupage with pictures/cute napkins/old Christmas cards. We wrapped the goodies so we didn't worry if the tray was food safe.

 

[Truelovernr1122]

I've made these in the past as end of the school years gifts that I think would work really well if you have a lot of teachers to buy for and not a ton of cash during Christmas! I found the idea and the printable tag from this site:

http://domesticatedlady.com/2010/smore-teacher-appreciation-idea-and-free-printable/

 

[horseshowmom]

I've made these in the past as end of the school years gifts that I think would work really well if you have a lot of teachers to buy for and not a ton of cash during Christmas! I found the idea and the printable tag from this site:

http://domesticatedlady.com/2010/smore-teacher-appreciation-idea-and-free-printable/

Oh my goodness! My husband is a new principal, and these would be so cute for one of the days of teacher appreciation week. I am not crafty AT ALL, but this looks easy enough that even I could do it! Thanks!