Ideas for christmas stall

[pinguwings]

I've said I will help man a stall at a Christmas fair in aid of a local charity. Problem is I've done it before with lucky dip, splat the rat etc. and it just didn't raise a huge amount.

I have some free time so thought of making some fun christmassy bits to sell and hopefully make a fair profit for the charity.

I've thought of doing a group of candy canes with ribbon and felt santas/rudolphs on them. It's a bit dull though. Does anyone else have any fabulous ideas, that are cheap and easy to make?

Oh and it can't be anything edible, (apart from pre-wrapped sweets)

Maybe stick with your decorations. Cinnamon sticks, ribbon nutmeg, pine cones, string, felt, dried orange slices are all cheap or free to use.

sounds good - so does paisley's stuff
We've also done jars with tealight in them, decorated with the gold outline holly or stocking stickers and glass painted inside them. Are you any good at making cards? Handmade cards go at an incredible rate at fairs like this if they're far enough before christmas

The decoration theme sounds a safe way to go. Hadn't thought of dried orange slices. What sort of price would you pay for them?

I have PM you another forum that I use

Personalised baubles. I did this one a few years ago at school xmas fair. I got a load of plain red baubles, ribbon and gold markers. Then in nice script just wrote peoples chosen names on in. Also had some with the year pre written on them and babys first xmas on some. Sold them for 50p but you could probably get a £1. My box of baubbles were 6 for £2 so made a good mark up. Dont forget the display is important too. I brought a mini tree with me and had them displayed on this, hung by a bit of ribbon to jazz them up.

Felt decorations seem to be fashionable at the moment and felt is cheap and easy to sew.

Santa iscute but the ball might be pricey.

Or this sort of thing. Seems to be a good website too beyond the tree I linked to.

No pictures on this one but some ideas and templates on how to do them.

How about small cellophane bags of "Reindeer Food" (oats and glitter) with a small label explaining that the reindeer see the glitter and smell the oats. Will see if I can find wording. Cheap and easy to do and unlike decorations, need to be purchased every year.

My DDs always fall for the 'reindeer food' and pester me to buy it, it's ridiculously cheap to make too. You're supposed to sprinkle the mix of oats and glitter on the path so the reindeer see the glitter in the moonlight and smell the oats, and know where your house is... Then come morning the birds eat the oats and the kids think Santa's BEEN!
Our school's Christmas fair sold little bags of wooden tree decorations- simple candy canes, presents, deer, angels etc cut out of soft wood and painted in basic colour/style. I bought a bag and they look lovely. I think they all sold pretty fast.

make sure it ie edible glitter - the craft stuff can be bad for birds.

Yeah reindeer one is a good one
' sprinkle this on your ground at night,
The moon will make it sparkle bright.
When santa's reindeer swoop and soar,
Its shine will guide them to your door'

Snowman soup kits - cheapo hot chocolate sachet, couple of marshmallows, candycane to stir it - think people pick up packs of hot chocolate sachets in places like home bargains or B+M, I KNOW the candycanes are 10 for 69p in B+M cos I got some the other day.

Reindeer poop - packaged up nice and craftily chocolate raisins.