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!

Thanks CJCregg

DH is out pub quizzing tonight, so a good excuse to get going on more things while he doesn't look at me like I'm a loon for getting Christmassy on a hot day in October but must sort out who I'm giving things to before I end up with loads for my mum, DDs and nieces and nothing for anyone else :o. Have so far made a little apron, one batch of fudge and lots of felt hearts and snowmen. Have bought some gorgeous material cheaply from Ikea so will get going on some lavendar winter warmers methinks.

i ment to ask, thoes of you making bath salts what jars/bottles are you using to put them in?

Mogs I imagine I will do one day, but DC1 is as of yet unborn so I'm avoiding the boxes of crayons everywhere!

Ah, that would explain the need to purchase new sets!

Hello everyone! My vodkas are all looking like they're working and my boss has just told me he has loads of blackberries on his land so on Wednesday I'll be taking my morrisons bag to fill it up! I'm hoping to make blackberry jam from them as I don't want to buy any more vodka.

I'm going to ask around and see if there is anything else I can forage because all your talk of chutneys is making my mouth water!

I am on crutches at the moment and it seems every time we drive anywhere we go past trees and hedgerows groaning with fruit I can't get out and forage

Pinterest will be my downfall! I can't stop browsing, and I keep finding things I want to try. At least it is more organised than my bookmarks. My pins are here

I'm going to start with the cinnamon butter (yum).

Love that idea for 60 envelopes browneyesblue - sitting in bed dabbing a tear away

Made my first lavendar/wheat warmer last night, took no time at all and looks beautiful. Really pleased with it :)

I'm not straying down the vodka route, as I'd drink it all in 'testing' :o but have realised you can sterilise jam jars in the microwave (duh!), so will be having a go at my oninon chutney tonight (as long as my family obey and finish up all the last bits of honey and jam I need so I can use the jars too.

Anyone got any idea how much chutney I'll get out of 6 large red onions?

If you go to your local 99p shop they are selling 100 wax crayons for... 99p

I've decided i'm not going to join Pinterest, as it will be my downfall. I will never get off the bloody laptop and do things if i do...

My making time is already shortened as i've decided to swap bedrooms with my DS and DSS. I'll need DS3 to go into their bedroom before this baby is born, but there simply isn't the room, so the best idea is to swap rooms with them. Means redecorating both rooms, but nevermind.

I made the lemon hand scrub last night, only mine is lavender and it's gorgeous! I used half granulated and half caster sugar, it's still quite scratchy but my hands felt fab after testing it :-)

The pots I bought to put it in are maybe a bit big, as the whole recipe filled just one of them...

Rue, how much lavender oil did you use? I've only made lemon so far but have some lavender and want to try it. Just got to get me some more jars ... I reckon 250-300ml is about the right size.

Morning all - Christmas pudding brandy is on the go

This is me on pinterest (I am not a man, but it used DH's FB for some reason

I am also on the lookout for candy canes - will post if I find any.

**MartyrStewart - yes please let us know if you find Candy Canes - I have that giant Candy Cane lollipop pin on my board and have been looking everywhere for cheap ones. Poundworld had them cheap (can't remember who posted about it sorry!) but they didn't have them in my local branch annoyingly. I don't want to pay through the nose for them and even ebay doesn't seem to have particularly cheap ones.

RueDeWakening - also keen to know how many drops of lavendar oil you used in your scrub and what proportions of sugar to oil etc. I am just very wary of using too much essential oil - I only put 5/6 drops in a WHOLE BATH so worry about putting too much into a hand scrub.

Manshapes just had a great idea! He really like jars of meat paste - you know the shipmans beef or salmon etc? (bleurgh) and he's just finished one and washed it out and said that perhaps it might be just the right size for making scented candles in - and i think he might be onto something!

We got a three pack of paste for just 99p from the 99p shop - well worth it for the little jars!

Candy canes - loads in sainsburys yesterday

Citric Acid - can buy in pharmacy/boots

HTH

Just found out my local church is doing a craft fair mid November and asking £20 for a table, which sounds like a Billy Bargain. Now, do you think I can make enough felt Christmas decorations and winter warmers to fill a table by then? :)

flubba i read your post quickly and i thought it said 'christmas decorations and willy warmers'

hehehe hippy - I could branch out into that field of crafts, just not sure it would go down too well at the Church fair! :o :o

i reckon you'd be alright as long as you sold them with brown paper bags!

I could do Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer themed ones that lit up when, erm, under certain circumstances.

Anyone got and links/patterns for children's bags? Was think of making some and sewing on theirs names in felt letters. Although probably won't look as good as it does in my head

I haven't got a pattern or link, but I've always had most success with drawstring bags for kiddies - about size of A4 twice, stitch along the three joining sides, then a generous hem on the top side wide enough to allow the cord for the draw, and you also need gaps at each side of the top for the cord (if that makes sense?)

does anyone have the recipie for the hand scrub? (or a link to it on pinterest) i ment to pin it but i didnt and now i want it i just cant find it!!