Share your ideas for Handmade gifts...please

[Sibsmum]

Would you be prepared to share your ideas for homemade or handmade gifts? I am making my Christmas cakes in a few weeks ( so I can feed them with brandy for months ) and starting to think ahead to collecting bits and bobs for ' that' time of year. We like to include some homemade items but ..
I need some new ideas - along with methods and list of what I need for the make.
Please include some ideas for things that children can make too, pictures too very welcome.

I've been making beeswax cotton cloths to cover food (as opposed to clingfilm).

I bought some and then realised they are so easy to make.

I had some cotton already, but then also bought a pack of large patchwork squares from hobbycraft (other stores are available ).

All you do is buy some beeswax pellets. Lay some greaseproof paper on your ironing board. Put on the cloth and then the wax. Another layer of paper then iron (low heat) until all the wax saturates the cloth. You may need to add a bit more but you get the hang of what's needed quickly.

As the wax melts at a low temperature you can then use the cloths instead of cling film by covering and using the warmth of your hands to create a seal.

You can also use larger squares and sew a button on to form an envelope for sandwiches.

My mum was a bit skeptical but loves them now.

Very environmentally friendly and they look lovely folded up with a bit of ribbon as a gift when you do them in a pack of various sizes and fabric (that's were the patchwork squares come in handy).

Note: you can't wash in super hot water as you'll melt the wax - you wipe any dirt off them with spritz of anti bac spray. Dry and then fold for next time.

The wax will erode over time, but then you put the cloth on a hot wash and re-wax as described.

ohfourfoxache
Teas were a doddle. Can't remember exactly where I found the ideas but am sure it was with just online. Would like to take more credit, but I just found the idea, not mine originally. I really like your rosemary salt idea too.

should have read the thread - apologies for the beeswax repeat!

Wombling thanks I'm going to try that

No worries. You saved me finding out how to do them

I saw an episode of an American chef doing homemade chocolate truffles once and putting them in gift bags for Christmas. I always wanted to try that. Her name is Barefoot Contessa? Or something like that.

Homemade chili jam, caramelised onions and mustard in pretty jars? You can print some antique-looking personalized labels available on Pinterest. Some are just gorgeous!!!

Homemade cordial is also lovely.

It can be economical if you buy fruit that's just about to pass it's sell by date or even frozen fruit.

Just juice the fruit of your choice, add sugar and reduce by simmering until it's at least two fifths of the volume. It should be thick and syrupy. I can't give a recipe as I just do it by eye and taste but I'm sure there are some online.

Strain (ideally through muslin or a clean old tea towel) and bottle that's been sterilised.

The best one I made was orange and cranberry, but a rhubarb one came a very close second.

Lovely just diluted with water - even better with some prosecco at Christmas .

You can do all sorts of flavours you can't get normal cordial in and that's part of what makes it lovely.

Another idea is ramekin candles. There's a desert brand that sells their products in glass ramekins

• lots of people throw them away. Ask around and you can probably collect a lot (tbh a call on MN would net you thousands I would guess ).

However you can get short candle wicks quite cheaply online (or make your own) then fill the glass ramekins with wax and essential oil for fragrance. They look really pretty if you decorate with some beads/ribbon etc using a glue gun.

Re:the candles - you can do the same with shot glasses that you can generally by for 50p each.

Thank You very much for these ideas.
Off to bed now sadly without lavender spray but I hope to dream of chickens😂/ werthers gin and truffles...ummm
Sweet dreams lovely creative mumsnet folk

Raspberry salad dressing.
Warm raspberries in white balsamic vinegar, strain and bottle in serialised bottles.

Cold that sounds yummy 😋

Blackberries and sloes are ready for picking now where I live. For me, it's blackberry jam and sloe gin (another Aldi gin fan here). My apples in my garden are also ready so I've got apple sauce galore in my freezer.

Peanut butter fudge - it's so easy (lots of recipes online) and you don't need sugar thermometers or anything like that. Pack into nice clean reused jars and tie a nice label on them.

Gingerbread!
Love the sound of the teas.
Along with gifts a few years ago we asked our kids to draw pictures of people like my mum, dad etc. It was brilliant (the children were about 6 and 4)

Keeping an eye on the trees at the moment for making rowanberry jelly. I often make a lace shawl for people but I think my next one (once the two bridal ones are done) will be for my friend who never had a formal bat mitzvah.

I much prefer the handmade things; I have shawls and brooches that I have treasured for years. I also cherish the embroidery from my mother, grandmother and great-aunts.

Paws you make lace shawls

They sound incredible - but very, very difficult

Paprika rib glaze - tastes amazing and looks really lovely in glass jars with ribbon

225g soft light brown sugar
1 tbsp sea salt
2 tsp smoked paprika
1-2 tsp cayenne pepper (use less
if you prefer)
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground allspice powder
1 tsp chilli flakes

Get blackberry picking and apples if you know anyone with some to spare and make blackberry (& apple) jam. If you go picking with the kids, take a picture of you all picking.

If you don't have time to make the jam now, stick the berries in the freezer till you do.

Make pretty labels & make the jars look nice.
I let my kids loose on the labels as my family love stuff from the kids.

dunraven I should have RTFT! Great minds ....

I make my friends skittle vodka and put it in a nice little bottle.

Be careful with flavouring or infusing oil, it can be a botulism risk.

Think about the recipients and what they would like, the same as you would if buying presents. And that means not necessarily the same stuff for everyone - for example I would never use homemade soaps or bath bombs due to sensitive skin, and I have to eat a low-sugar diet so jam would be useless - my friends know both those things about me and so giving me jam or soap would be thoughtless.

Often home-made gifts are more about the giver having fun doing a particular craft than any thought for the recipient. By far the best homemade gifts I've received showed were about what I'd personally like or use, rather than churned out stuff (unless it's kids making it, which is different). A mobile, blankets and quilts for a new baby, needle case and pincushion when I was getting into sewing, a handmade dressing gown.

Good quality food that you know the recipient will use and enjoy is generally the best if you can't think of anything specific to the person. If you're making food then longer-lasting is better, or give it earlier in the month, lots of people go away for Christmas and biscuits that only last a day or two are impractical. Nut butter was good one, though probably expensive to make in large quantities.

I don't give lots of gifts, but this year I'm giving embroidered cotton tote bags. I did one for dd, I've got several. You can personalise, line them, whatever. Make the design simple though-I've just done a Britney Spears one that took ages.

Morning.
Lee made some good points. I hope that I know my friends and family well enough to know what would go down well and what would be a gift fail. That said I get commercially produced bathing and cosmetic products given to mw, and with allergies myself they usually end up on a tombola, whereas the soap my friend makes me is purer in content and fine for me to use.
I know we get a lot of pleasure from the making of the gifts but I am sure that the recipients enjoy getting and using/ eating the product.
Even without our budget we try not to over commercialize and give things that are wanted and needed even amongst immediate family. There's no room for frivolous gifts in my budget and most of my circle are in a similar position.
Homemade means we can enjoy participating in gifting and save money for other things like memorable trips to picnic at the seaside, or our annual street winter bbq, and my kids school trips.
There are some lovely ideas on here and I guess it's hurtful to the individual to decide if they want to do the bought or homemade thing.
Thank you for posting and sharing your ideas

If I knew someone was skint I would genuinely prefer to receive nothing from them - homemade gifts can still cost a lot of money if you are short.
I make fudge for people I wish to give a personal thank you to, I know they appreciate it because they have consumed large quantities when visiting my house! It keeps well and it tastes much better than most commercial fudge.
Thanks for the beeswax cloths suggestion - what is the best fabric to use?