All the homemade Christmas people over here please, lets share our ideas :)

[BabyDubsEverywhere]

Do we have a 'Homemade Christmas Thread' going yet? Ive linked to last years below, I am determined to MAKE MAKE MAKE this year and bugger the responses

I need a fail safe mulled wine kit to give people please if anyone can help, Thankyou :)

Last years thread!

Hmm the PTFA of school has just asked me whether I would like to sell home-made body lotions and scrubs on their Ladies Fayre and Christmas fayre. Only made a few jars... so I don't know... could I? Busy browsing the web for cheap plastic tubs to see if it's feasible...
Can I make money out of this? Yes or no?

Ooh, in that case I will post a photo when I've got my camera charged. Thanks for the encouragement!

slight - six pointed stars made out of six diamonds. Then you sew six more diamonds between the points so there's a six-pointed star sitting inside a hexagon. I nicked the pattern of one of the other MNers but originally I think it is called Kate's stars?

Whoo I have just sewn my first bag! Fair enough, I haven't done the top part yet as I can't figure out how to loop the string to make it drawstring but I have sewn it so I have a 'U shape!

That makes a lot more sense than what I was trying to visualise in my head LRD!

great link for the quilters amongst us

Wahey, first vat of blackberry vodka started!
Thank you folks, I would never have got round to it left to my own devices :)

Next stage in my one woman mission to make a chocolate pizza in slices rather than just a round - www.siliconemoulds.com/portion-slice-sectional-silicone-soap-moul-p-201.html. Have any of you crafty ladies tried this mould already for anything? I'm thinking I would only shallow fill it with either milk chocolate or rocky road topped with a layer of chocolate and then blobs of melted white choc for the cheese and scattered with various toppings.

Hippy thanks for the link - it's lovely to browse! In fact I now have plans for about 3 zillion quilts I will never get round to making ...

Havent tried the mould, theancient but those chocolate pizzas sound brilliant!

theancientmarinator, are you making the chocolate pizzas with a chocolate base or a dough base? If chocolate, how are you doing it?

the ancient marinator - is choc pizza basically chocolate bark in a pizza shape? I have seen gazillions of bark recipes on pinterest, and after twigging that it just means a layer of chocolate with things on it, am contemplating it for my sister's gift. I need to send loads of presents overseas, and glass bottles full of alcohol are a) pricey to post and b) probably not legal to post to some countries!

Does anyone know how long homemade granola and homemade spicy nuts would last?

With the chocolate pizza, I'd use a cake pan lined with greaseproof paper to set a round shape, then top it, then let it set. Then I'd use a very hot knife to slice it so that the cuts were clean. Might be worth a try before you buy moulds?

right, here's what I am thinking about choc pizza... I've looked at loads of different ones online and yes they do seem to be basically chocolate barks although one or two places seem to use a very thin rocky road type base. Cutting solid chocolate neatly is v hard which is why I was thinking of the mould but... when I sat down and did the sums, the wedge mould makes an almost 12" pizza which is a lot of chocolate making it a very pricey prezzie. So back to the cake tin idea. I think a simple rocky road base in a tin with a thin layer of milk choc on top could then be sliced into wedges (still in the tin?) and then topped (I'll get back to the toppings in a mo). I am going to do the rocky road part this week because I can then freeze them and just defrost and add a layer of chocolate and toppings right before Christmas.

I'm making them for teenagers so my toppings will be a bit on the novelty side - I am going to use coconut marshmallow mushrooms, possibly chocolate or jelly fish (nb not jellyfish ) and maybe freeze dried red fruit for a sort of tomatoey effect from here www.healthysupplies.co.uk/freeze-dried-sliced-strawberries.html and some slices of Twirl bar (as a nod to pepperoni) and dark choc covered raisins (nod to olives). I'll add these when the layer of milk chocolate is still liquid so they stick. When it is all cooled and has been sliced but is still in the tin I will drizzle over lots of melted white chocolate for the look of mozarella and maybe add some shavings of white choc to look a little like parmesan. If it is not a total disaster, I'll get back to you all and try to post a picture. If you never see me mention the words chocolate pizza again you'll all know I failed...

ooooo, sounds yummy theancientmarinator. Good luck!

I am looking forwards to seeing the finished result.

Right that's 2 batches of Xmas Pudding vodka on their way as of today!

Next, sugar scrubs/bath bombs and possibly body/hand lotions.

bluetinkerbell - I was intrigued by your body lotion success. Do you have a link to how you made it that you would care to share? I reckon you should go for making some for your PTA fayres - it sounds like you're really pleased with the result so share the love (and perhaps make some money!)

DoingTheBestICan - I just wanted to clarify something in your sugar scrub recipe earlier on in this thread. You said you use 4 tbsp of Lemon Oil - are you talking Lemon Essential oil here because that sounds a lot of oil to me when usually you talk in drops?! Have I got hold of the wrong end of the stick? Your Lemon/Lime scrub sounds so easy that it would seem rude not to have a go at making it.

JetLi am terribly disappointed that my nearest Poundworld didn't have that fabulous offer on the candy sticks that you discovered. They said they were too small a branch - boo!! Their other branch is miles away but I may take a trip out there because the offer you got was amazing!

Am still on the hunt for some decent burlap/jute/hessian - my local garden centre had some burlap but it was a very very loose weave so no good for printing on or making into stockings. Might have to go for more of a linen affair.

Am also going to do the Skittles vodka nearer the time.

Impressed by all you sewing people and quilters - that's a bit beyond my crafting capabilities but am hoping to stitch together some Xmas stockings.

Am absolutely IN LOVE with pinterest and thankful to this thread for introducing me to it

theancientmarinator, you could try to make a slice mould out of cardboard and line it with greaseproof paper - that way you get the slices in the size you want and don't have to try and cut the chocolate.

Anyone got any good links for making potpourri? Did a google search last night, but it all seems either very complicated or expensive :( (was thinking cinnamon and apple and that kind of thing).

My plans so far are;
fudge in glass clippa-jars
butterscotch in glass clippa-jars
shortbread in ???
kids' hand/foot moulds for GPs (possibly as tree decorations?)
homemade blackboards with chalk holders (loo rolls??! )
felt christmas tree decorations
Christmas mini-bunting
pot pourri
lavendar bags
material flower badges/brooches

Now all I need is for my kids to give me some time a few weeks to myself and a helluva lot more skill! :o

There are some excellent ideas here!

My biggest project is to give birth on time (or even a few days earlier) to hopefully a healthy little boy! He is due on Nov 21st so I'm trying to get my Christmas crafts done before, but my 3 year old doesn't seem to agree with me!

I'm making candles for the women in my family, and mini buckets of sweets for the men (fudge, Turkish delight, and peppermint bark). Kids are hopefully getting pyjama cases (six kids!) or if it proves too difficult then maybe just bags or something.

I'm appliqueing 'Big Bro' and 'Lil' Bro' on t-shirts for my boys, as well as finishing a toy kitchen for my toddler. The baby is getting a few quilts (one knitted -finished, one crochet (er, I can't crochet so not sure how that will turn out) and a couple of fabric ones. And a playmat.

My OH is getting a repurposed blanket (lots of old woolen jumpers, cut into squares, washed then knitted together), my mum, MIL, and SIL will get a scarf each, and that's about it!

Oh and I am hoping to do a few decorations that I have pinned.

All this and dealing with potty training my stubborn toddler! I am mad!

Morning all!

Loving all these suggestions. I really like the idea of hampers.

Just bought lemon oil and lavender oil, to make the sugar scrub. I have the same question, though - 4 tbsps seems a LOT?! I've got essential oils, they seem quite strong (3 for 2 in Boots).

I'm doing some homemade mulled wine kits again this year. Last year I gave a bottle of wine, a muslin parcel of the spices and an orange with cloves as the kit. This year I want to try making mulling syrup to go with the bottle of wine.

However, to keep the costs down I'm using "recycled" bottles/jars for all of my gifts (minemeat, jeweled mincemeat, cranberry sauce, etc).

All of the bottles I have are either too small (300-330 ml) or too big (750 ml). The recipe says to use 400 ml of syrup to 1 bottle of wine. Am I cheap to just put in the 400 ml of syrup into a bigger bottle? Or, should I make a full bottle of syrup, give one bottle of wine and give the instruction to use half the syrup per mulled wine (not sure the lose of 25 ml per mulled wine would make much of a difference to the taste)? I don't mind giving syrup for two bottles of drink but don't want to (or think I can afford to) give two bottles of wine as well.

Peaz - have a look at Dillytante's kitchen. I think its on het profile.....

flubbabubba how are you making your christmas mini-bunting? from material or from paper?

I think my candle making ingredients have arrived (DH needs to collect from post office). Will experiment this week and post a picture with the results.

Am also planning on felt tree decorations thought this sort of thing looked fairly easy to copy, bearing in mind I have very limited sewing skills and no sewing machine.

Was thinking I'd do material reds and greens and maybe a few cream thrown in to break it up - haven't found the material yet though. Those felt tree decorations are exactly the kind I'm going for too.

Am adding little aprons for nephews and nieces as presents - should be fairly easy to make? :S

These look lovely and easy for those wanting to make felt baubles