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...

AngryFeet I got some great wicker baskets off fleabay from this seller - they're going to be used to display my crafts at the craft fair in November, then doubled up to use as mini hampers for my family/friends.

Home bargains had some, but I didn't see the size or price, just noticed as I was searching earlier in the year and couldn't find any, typical!

Have you seen this site? This one seems to be one of the larger ones - they do do smaller

www.candigifts.co.uk/items/product-range/wicker-baskets~trays/wicker-packing-trays/openweave-tray-8x34x29cm-detail.htm

For hampers, I'd try local bargain stores (Edinburgh Bargain Store is fab), or IKEA. Think outside the box, too, when it comes to hamper containers, galvanised buckets, garden buckets, or plant containers found cheap in end-of-summer sales suit hampers well, too.

Never been in Edinburgh Bargain Store!!

Hmmm... well i'm going to make loads of baked goods nearer the time!

Hi I have been lurking and now have a question.

I would like to make some flavoured oil for Xmas presents but not sure what to do or how to do it! Could somebody please recommend some flavours and if possible point me in the direction of some instructions?

Thank you :)

I've uploaded a few pics of my handiwork so far if you fancy taking a peek are as nosey as I am :)

Flubba your stuff looks amazing!

I am still having trouble getting pics on to the PC, but am going to ask DH to have a go at the weekend so you can all have a nosey

Disclaimer: I am NOT a quilter, nor likely to be, as I live in a hot place, but I found this and thought it looked like a nice, relatively easy one into which it'd be fun to incorporate more colour etc.

Thought some of you clever sewing-type people may be interested.

LotsOfGoodFunThatIsFunny I think strong flavours like garlic, chili, basil, rosemary, thyme etc make the best oils. There are lots of recipes for them online.

Garlic and chili oils seem to last longer out of the fridge than some of the others.

flubba - I love those felt (are they felt?) hearts with the stitched edges - beautiful! How long do they take?

(You have a beautiful baby too! )

Tolalola - that site has some gorgeous fabric on, thanks! I like the idea for the quilt too - but I have about 6 patterns DH and I have narrowed down to to try next, so I am trying not to look at any more quilt books.

It is really hard to find nice fabric online though.

Right someone MUST give me a foolproof guide to this lemon scrub, because i'm going to attempt it again today! I have a 1L Kilner jar for it? So someone must help me

mrstired, thanks for the link to the baskets - they look really good.

lisa, a 1L kilner jar is quite big. You might be better off with smaller ones. I made a batch and it filled about two-thirds of a 500ml jar. I'm getting 250l or 300l ones for the next lot.

I only have a 1L kilner jar handy...wail!!!!

Thanks elladee and martyrstewart - yes they're felt hearts - they probably take about 20 mins (as I sew them under the blanket stitch too). That's while watching telly the kids.

Ok,, I'm off to try lemon scrub again, found little jars, so will give it a go, i should follow the original recipe yes?

Flubba at your little felt bits and your lovely homemade gifts...wishes me was that inventive [huff]

You evil, evil bunch of crafty devils!

I have today bought bottles and jars and alcohol to make some flavoured booze and maybe some mustard or quince chutney as I have a glut of them this year!; and I have been madly sewing cushions to give as gifts

I blame you all! (I love you all!)

flubba they're lovely - I wondered if the blanket stitch was all that was holding them. Do you stuff them with something or are they flat? I can't quite see in the picture.

I have just bought 6 more little jars and need to think what to fill them with - I'm enjoying the planning off it all.

shirley how does quince chutney taste? I am so jealous you have a 'glut' of quinces - I would love to have a tree but they don't do well in pots I hear, so it must wait until I have a garden not a balcony. I was fancying making quince cheese with bought ones though - there's that Sarah Raven recipe where she says you can cut it in squares and roll it in sugar like turkish delight, and if anyone's tried it I'd love to know if it's good.

I don't know! I've never tried to do anything with them before as we've never had such a large crop.

I'm currently veering from making a quince jelly to quince chutney. All I know is that I've got to pull my finger out and get it done this weekend before they drop and rot.

They're stuffed with batting of sorts - I do think the chunky blanket stitch would be enough to hold them together as they're not heavy and as hanging ornaments should be fairly lightly-handled, but the stuffing isn't always contained as well with just the big stitch.

Really pleased with my car rolls - saw the idea somewhere and adapted it to the material I had. I had fun painting the lines too - although it definitely makes them look, ahem, 'rustic' ! :o

:( I've broken pinterest :(

I'm sorry :(

shirely - well, I'd love to know which you decide and how it goes.

flubba - you know, you're obviously very trendy as I was out browsing Christmas decorations today and they were selling similar - not IMO as nice and smaller - for 3.50 a pop. You're ahead of the curve!

Btw ... I feel awful after pestering you so much for the invitation, but I'm not sure I get on with pinterest. It seems incredibly fiddly!

Shirley - if you look on the previous thread I made quince paste - once I decided not to peel or core and just to coarse sieve it was quite easy.