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

[BabyDubsEverywhere]

OLD THREAD

We were all on about pinterest, jars, and where we are up to in our christmas planning :)

Lets go...

and oh yes, it was a max of 3 jars per persson in Ikea

There was a lot of discussion earlier up the thread (or possibly the first one) about the tablespoons and general consensus was this was a typo and should either mean teaspoons or drops. I did a lavender one and used a few drops at most and it smells jubbly even if it looks a bit like purply catsick :o

aaah so should i do the same flubba with the lemon scrub?? Ruddy heck, i'm confused with this lemon scrub one, i want it to fill a 1L jar thats all :(

I would give it a go and see how it goes - the lemon oil is surely predominantly for a nice smell? so you could add a few drops and mix it all up, leave it a day, see how it still smells in a day and add more if necessary? I'm no expert, but I would much rather underestimate with the costs of essential oils being as they are!

Yay so I am not going mad! I suppose if I actually HAD A GO at making one I would have arrived at that process Flubba with the putting it in by the drop, and just using my nose and common sense! Good. I've seen recipes using juice and rind but I think you get into a shorter shelf life that way (it being a more foodie thing and poss needing refrigeration) so I shall go with the oils. I have some yellow and orange food colouring and am hoping this will jolly them up a bit.

I tried making a hessian stocking last night - drew a free hand shape and cut out a template etc. Have come to the conclusion that I am slightly allergic to hessian! I started to flush and felt itchy -it shreds like nobody's business and has quite a strong smell - I love the look of it but my love affair with hessian might be drawing to a close Will have to find a rustic-looking linen instead.

I've finally caved - have lurked here for ages and inspired by you all last night I gave in and bought stuff to make my own cards, gift tags and whatnot. I can see a whole lot of food-related presents in my future too! :)

What I don't have, though, is a Pinterest invite - would anyone be kind enough to help me out?

cartblanche - the lemon hand scrub looks quite yellow even with just the colour of the olive oil so you may not need the colouring.....

Boo to hessian rash cartblanche ~ that's not a good look to sport (takes rustic a little bit to the extreme )

everyriver PM me your email address and I'll send you an initation :)

Thanks Flubba, PM on its way!

Another lurker here! I decided to make snowman soup for my DSs Christmas Eve presents. I think more places will have their Christmas mugs on sale once Halloween is over, but one place worth looking is Charity shops. I bought a lovely mug in one today - red with pictures of candy canes all over it - for 50p! Cheap for me and I get the satisfaction of money going to a good cause!
Nearer Christmas I'm hoping to make some sweets - not sure what yet, so any suggestions for something simple would be great! Poundland do a set of silicone moulds for sweets, tiny cakes etc. in festive shapes. I made my Christmas cake yesterday.
Am I too late to start the flavoured vodkas? They sound lovely!

This website has some yummy and easy looking sweets, moojab.

I was thinking about making a more mannish hand scrub for dp using sea salt, basil olive oil and some lime essential oil. He does lots of diy type things so has grubby hands quite a lot.

Ok so what flavoured vodkas would you all recommend? Looking for some inspiration.

For a couple of my friends mojitos hold special significance would line, brown sugar and mint work?

Oooh, that sounds delicious! You need to try it and tell us.

Not a recommendation, but a -don't-be-stupid-like-me: be really careful not to get any pith in there. It makes it unbelievably bitter even if it's just a small amount.

The most successful one I've done so far is cherry apple brandy, it is really good and DH and my mate keep asking for 'just a bit to try'!

I've never made it before but from what I've read I should be able to add more of any of the three and leave again, is that right?

Lol at having to keep tasting the vodkas to see if they're done - it's a tough job but someone has to do it! :o
Thanks for that website Tolalola - they look yummy. Might have to keep tasting those as well to make sure I'm giving good presents!
How long do the truffles keep for once they're safely sealed in jars? (won't last two minutes out of the jars in our house!)

think I may have messed up my christmas pudding vodka with the peel too.
Have taken it all out and it just smells marmalady no christmas spicey smell at all.
ella how much sugar did you bung in to rectify?

Tolalola that idea for a "mannish" scrub sounds good - the lime and basil should work really well together. Am off to look at that sweet site.

A bit worried about my vodka now because I have only been sniffing it! It smells gorgeous and very Christmassy but it's been stewing since the middle of September - perhaps it's done enough now? Will have to have a taste and then probably get making some more depending on how it turns out.

Am getting slightly sidetracked now by Halloween. Am wanting to cut some bat silhouettes out to hang on what was my Easter "Tree" (basically a branch!). Am amazed at the level of celebration that goes on in the States for Halloween - judging by Pinterest it's a HUGE and lengthy event. Don't think I could afford cope with that big a fandango so relatively close to Xmas!

If I got one of those scrubs I'd throw it out. Ever used one and seen what your bath or shower tray is like after? A skating rink has better grip.

cartblanche I call my doo-dahh my "fandangle" as a joke, and skim-read the last line of your post as "I couldn't cope with that big a fandangle so relatively close to Xmas!" :o :o :o :o :o :o

Sansa I've made mine as hand scrubs not body scrubs. But I guess if the reciever wants to throw out a hand made lovingly though out gift then that's their progative.

Lol flubba

Cart I would love it if haloween were as big over here as in America, but they'd have to move it to august or something! I sometimes wonder how the ameeicans cope Oct. Halloween, Nov. Thanksgiving and Dec. Christmas. You barely have time to recover from onw before your preparing for the next!

...crosses SansaLannister off Xmas list Yes, a hand scrub only I think although you could make it as a body scrub and just use it carefully in the shower??

Flubba sorry for bringing such an image to your mind!

I've made a hand scrub and a brown sugar body scrub...however if the receiver chooses to throw it out, that's up to them, but i think if they did so they really don't deserve presents, as it's the thought that counts and all the hard work and love that went into creating them!!!

Sasna...off christmas list also ;)

Ooh, Tolalola that sounds fab! Let us know if it works so I can nick your idea