Cheap Crimbo presents-All ideas Welcome!

[dropinthe]

Thought I'd start a thread where we can all share our ideas for great,inexpensive Christmas presents in the "Take a Break" stylee....no washing up bottles allowed though!

I bought some great little tin boxes that are like little suitcases in one of those big "CO OP" Superstores-99p each-they had 2 designs-one with cows and sheep on and ones with farmyard animals.I also bought in there, some Christmas tree marshmallows and filled the boxes with them-total cost for 4 little suitcases that can be used for storing little toys after faces stuffed?-£5.94!!

Anymore ideas please?

oo, JM - I want to come and live in your village. It sounds so community minded.

Previously, I have made gift parcels of 'reindeer soup'. I have had a quick google search and can only find snowman soup ideas but it is the same thing - warming contents in a cup.

At home, hubby used to make sweet parcels for his mates at Christmas time - biscuits, truffles, apricot balls and the like. They always went down a treat. I will find the recipes later, if you like.

Often do ice-cream... coconut, cinamon or marmalade usually. However, a friend recommended making lavender and honey flavour, I will give it a go- should be interesting at least! Mum used to do jams for the neighbours, often rosehip and apple, or I'd do plum chutney and take it to hte disabled chap down the road.

Kids did bookmarks lat year- really easy but useful- this year for my 3 BIL's they're decorating some of those paddle and ball old fashioned games that I got with a colour in design on. For FIL's new fiancee they're decorating a shirt to go on a small teddy bear, and for the rest biscuits. We did the traffic light biscuits last year (where you cut a hole from the middle and put in chopped red, green and yellow boiled sweets so they melt and form a stained glass window effect)- this year I'm not sure, maybe apricot biscuits as they're their faves.

ideas to filch!

kiwi....its at the back of beyond where I live and a very very small hamlet. 9 of the cottages are holiday homes

good idea dropinthe

I am thinking of doing chocs again this year, they went down well 2yrs ago.

I like the journal jar on Pootlepods site.

can I ask you the size of your tins? I have some from asda which i am going to alter and a couple of provocraft ones,( metal tin altering is big in scrappin at mo)

mini scrap books for nan's and also a paperbag book too.

erm.... lots more ideas but getting weary and think i'll better go up to bed.

oooops so tured i forgot to say hi to everyonex10........

Hi!!!

I think the bookmark idea is great but how to make them durable so they will last??? What did you use?

Ive laminated bookmarks that the DS's have made before. They last for ages

How do you do that then?

you can buy laminating pockets which go through a machine to heat seal them. Otherwise, you can use the clear sticky back contact stuff. I can't remember what you call it here!!

hobbycraft.co.uk/ideas_library/result.asp
not sure if a link like this will work? this is for bag charms. My dd 10 is making these for all her aunts.... they sell for between £5 & £10 in next. she has made 4 so far with loads of stuff left to make more and it all cost less than £10

link not working, sounds nice tho.

no, link isn't working... but I took off the 'results' ending and came to a page with gorgeous stockings you can make. Love the white fluffy one - MissE could easily make that!!

found it... they are fab!
hobbycraft.co.uk/ideas_library/idea_560.html

question: do Hobbycraft sell all the items that they use in their ideas library?

I THINK so theoretically, but some shops are bigger than others and they don't all stock the entire range.

They do mail order though you know (at least they did six months ago). They don't have a catalogue, but if you e-mail over exactly what you want (handy for replacing stuff I guess) they will post out... so they could fil a required list like this?

Those bag charms have given me an idea...they are similar to those wine charms you can get to put on people's wine glasses so they know which is theirs. Bet they would be relatively easy to make.

Am going to give the bookmarks a go-am now wondering what to paint on them and with what medium?

Any suggestions?

More inventive ideas needed please-decided against the pickled onions so am in need of inspiration!

I'm making some xmas decorations with dd to give to close family members.

I've got a tub of clay and masses of glittery stuff.
Can't wait!

I am going to knit things but that can actually be more expensive! I can only do it as I have a ridiculous amount of wool I have wasted money and not used!

I thought I might make some jam...

Oh and I like to think I am a semi-decent artist so I thought I might paint a couple of pictures of dd (and put in nice, cheap frames) for grandparents.

Jam is good Sasdie, and EASY! I don't know why people get so worked up about it, I've been making it since I was seven or eight, we just did. We used whatever came out the garden.

Chutneys are good for Christmas too, and also very easy.

I made a recipe book of my favourite 60 recipes culled from all my recipe books for my mum's 60th birthday. We've also made a personalised family calendar.

my mum makes xmas marmalade and mincemeat to give as presents - the ingredients and time etc prob. cost as much as a nasty box of chocs, but so much nicer imo