DIY gifts!

I made gifts two years ago, and will be doing it again for this holiday season. I will be making ornaments for people using clay.

I'm going to buy the red clay (more festive) and roll it out to about 1/2-3/4 on an inch thick and trace sophia's hand so i can cut out her hand shapes, poke a hole though it, let it dry, and tie a pretty string or ribbon through it. we did something similar two years ago, but i cut out circles and made an impression with her hand (because she was 4 months old then). then we painted them with a translucent gold paint and wrote her name/date on the back. many people used them as tree ornaments, but her grandma has it hanging in her kitchen year round.

i also sometimes buy dollar store frames (not homemade, i know, but cost efficient) and give them with her most recent portrait in it- it's always a "very sophia holiday" around here :lol:

candle arrangements. umm wait how can i explain this better. like centerpieces or candle holders and decorate. i used to do crafts ALL the ttime. make ornaments and shit. now i hardly have time but recently have gotten back into scrap booking.

i buy mix and such for cookies and put all the amounts of the ingredients in seperate bags and then buy jars bulk from a store there not that much money. I then put all the ingredients seperated into the container and write a tag on how to make whatever treat i put the ingredients for. I usually do it with a italian treat my grandmother taught me how to make. You could do it with choclate chip cookies or cupcakes with confetti in them. You basically could make whatever you want. Its a nice idea and fun to make too. And by the way its really cheap! Just use ziploc bags to put all the different ingredients in. and btw i usually attach a pic of me and jayden along with the directions tag! awesome way to personalize a gift.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/meringue-mushrooms/detail.aspx

http://www.joyofbaking.com/MeringueMushrooms.html

http://www.oprah.com/foodhome/food/recipes/food_20020726_marshmallow.jhtml

Two recipes for meringue mushrooms then another for homemade marshmallows...I've never attempted to make any of these..they were just getting dusty in my favorites folder... but I have had homemade marshmallows before..and they are -divine- you could make a batch and wrap it up with a pretty bag and ribbon or something...cheap easy and yummy! :D

I do a lot of chocolate dipped strawberries/dried apricots/whatever, planted bulbs, and homemade journals.

Coffee stirs? Use plastic spoons dipped into melted chocolate, cooled then put into cute gift bags. This can go well with a coffee/tea basket with a mug from the dollar tree or something.

I am making my mom a braided rug, out of Neil's old shirts. It's not going to be that big because I only got the idea a few weeks ago. But it will be big enough for her largest roaster that she can never find anything to set under!!!!
We are doing a lot of "photos of Aislynn", because we give them out anyways, so we might as well save!!!!!!!!!!!

Lipbalm can be made with olive oil, beeswax, a dab of vitamin e (optional), a then a flavoured oil.... I like coconut oil! I also like cinnamon.... But it takes longer to draw that oil because it is a bark.... Maybe sprinkled cinnaom would work???

Jars will probably be the most costly, but if you can find a bulk place or re-use what you have it will be cheaper.

i do a lot of DIY gifts too. this year i am cohabitating with someone so i have a bit more money for holiday spending, but i don't think i'll change too much. i get such good feedback on how "thoughtful" the DIY gifts are that i see no reason to change that.

heres an lj community i stumbled across today. it seems pretty interesting. you don't have to have an account there to read it either.

http://community.livejournal.com/giving_ideas/

My all-time favorite site for DIY creations of all kinds is:

craftster.org

If you've never heard of it before, please go check it out- I know you'll love it. I've never posted there, but I love to go browse for inspiration.

I made some ornaments- they're kind of cheesy, but cute and easy for kids to do. They're reindeer heads made out of puzzle pieces painted brown. One piece for the face, and two glued on at angles for the antlers. Add a red pom-pom for a nose at the bottom of the face piece. Add two eyes (I used googly eyes in black and green- a big bag for $1 at Dollarama). I painted holly berries and leaves on one antler. You could add any kind of decoration, though. Then just glue a loop of ribbon or string to the back.

I'm making scarves for all the kids in my family.
Scarves sell for $35 and I can make one for $8 at most.