OK, so I'm very early, but please share your best homemade Christmas present ideas

[eggybreadandbeans]

A friend and I made Christmas presents for most family and friends last year. They were really well received, and we're planning to do the same again this year. However we want to get started earlier - at the beginning of the autumn term - and would like a few fresh ideas.

So other than jam, hot chocolate/cookies in a jar, chocolates, photo calendars, painted pottery and soap, what else can we make?

TIA

Nice idea, but can't we enjoy what we have of a summer before entertaining ideas about Xmas presents?

Summer? What's that? It's been soaking wet here for just about the entire time. May as well gets some stuff done AND keep the girls occupied at the same time. Wahey - two birds, one stone.

Know what you mean about the weather expat (though was hot here today) but it is just so early it almost seems like wishing the seasons away.

It hasn't stopped raining. It's dire.

We're calling it 'Christmas in July'.

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expat make the rain stop. i'm in scotland too.

we made calendars with pictures we did ourselves. themed pictures for each month. i,e kids dressed up for valentines. kids dressed up for haloween, kids messing about with leaves for autumn. that takes ages to do. but tiswas fun.

my sis always makes me up a big hamper with crazy stuff.

we're currently growing our own strawberries to make jam with.

oooh - we've got that book in the library expat - I'm off to borrow it this afternoon

One year I made name plates for my cousin';s dcs bedroom doors. I drew animal shapes onto a piece of cardboard (from a box,corrugated is good and strong) did a few laters of papier mache, painted them white and then decorated with paint , writing the names on each animal, followed by a layer of clear varnish. Attach a sticky pad to the back et voila !

Well I have been knitting cotton socks and will wrap them up with a tube of foot cream so that the recipient will be able to lather on the foot cream and pop the socks over the top and their feet will still be able to breathe, because it's cotton.

I have done in the past, photos of the children in a frame, home made christmas decorations with clay (dd made them), jewellery for the women and my dad requested hankerchiefs last xmas so I bought him a pack and the lurvely Miaou embroidered his initials onto them for me.

This year I'm doing embroidered pictures, dd draws a picture onto fabric and I embroider over it. It went down v well on fathers day for my dad.
I have a long list of things I want off the MN crafters.

get your orders in early butwhy

I know.
I will do

oh i like the idea of home made soap and that book looks good!

, Miaou!

Tell me if the book is any good - it has rave reviews.

Cookery book - make your own with your fav recipies. You can buy a nice book and stick all the recipes into the book on printed paper and take some pictures of the finished product to stick in opposite. Or come up with another way of doing it and let me know

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See I would be offended if I was given a tea cosy by a good friend - as I dont drink tea and my good friends know this. If they made me something though whether I liked it or not I would be touched at the time and effort put into the present.

but you wouldn't be offended by my homemade mincemeat tarts or liqueurs?

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I think the cook book is a lovely idea, and something I'd love to receive.

Another one is slow gin woooow slowley drunken