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...

ooooo, quince paste? Is that for eating with meats or toast?

Mmmm quince paste is lovely with cheese.

I made cranberry and apple chutney this afternoon. This one. I've made it before with good results, but wasn't going to bother this year as I don't really go for chutneys much. We always have the whole family round to ours for a big meal on Christmas Eve, though, and lots of them are big chutney fans, so I thought I'd do it. I should have made it last month, really, but I hope it'll be ok.

I only made a half batch as the recipe makes loads and I put most of it into smallish jars so I can give it away.

Flubba your pictures are amazing. I want pictures like that[stamps foot]

I am going to have to make the needle roll at the weekend but still don't have the outer fabric, think this ones gonna go tits up and end up being a Xmas present.

thank you lovebeingawitch - simple recipe: Take one uncommunicative husband so you might as well do some sewing and pompom making in the evenings , three young children who wake you early in the morning but then go back to sleep while you lie awake thinking "I could be making something" and a tight budget so that you have to be inventive with presents and, Ta Daaah - you have little pretty things taking over your living room :o :o

EllaDee I use it mainly just as a pinboard of my own things - so don't get all the crap other pins thrown at me all the time. If I'm browsing and come across an idea, or if I'm looking for inspiration on an idea (like yesterday I was thinking I might be able to make a little pyjama case for my kiddies), I'll type that into google or sometimes just pinterest, and then, if I'm not making the idea there and then, I'll pin it and get back to it later or just gaze at it adoringly for a few months until I've got over my fad! :o

I've also got a 'to help me relax' page where I just put pics of pretty things/places I come across. And a travel page as I'm planning a big trip in a few years' time and at some point we'll have to start thinking of where we're going to go to and narrow down the field! :)

Cen more now you've said you have 3 kids, I've just had number 2 and can't imagine a time where I can do anything for me again!

I'm struggling with pininterest, think I must be really thick but have trouble getting to the actual details of pins that I like!

Myself & dd1 - 6 have decorated some bowls & plates this week, she did plates to try out some new porcelain painter pens we got & then decorated some cereal bowls for a friends dc's birthday. They work really well, very handmade looking as used mostly by dd but if used by an artistic adult could do some fab designs. So am off to buy some cheap plain white mugs & tea pots to do xmas presents. They are Marabu ones, got them off ebay, just like marker pens & dishwasher safe on a low temp, don;t need baking to fix the colours but I did just to be on the safe side.

Did someone mention freezing truffles on here or sweets or something, I've looked back but must have missed it. Is there a particular recipe? I tried a microwave fudge recipe that didn;t work but I made a huge chocolate cake & used it for icing that & it was delicious!

So I have bought some material from the charity shop from an expensive supplier to make sil needle roll. But I need some help before I start it at the weekend. The material is an old curtain (was only 50p!) it's a woven thickish type and am going to line with a thin cotton. So obviously I need to wash it first, then iron? The pattern and cut, then iron any seems? Do I need to know anything about this thick material? Do I need to alter the machine in any way? It's the first thing I am sewing on my machine.

Also got a love felt bag with rudolf on for 50p, gotta love charity shops

Phew! I finally made it to the end of both the threads! You lot can talk!

Room for one more?
I'm a complete novice and have only started making, well, anything really, a few weeks ago. All thanks to the life stealing Pinterest! (my Christmas page is here if you want a look). I've followed you all as I've been reading along
Have got a few pictures on my profile of bits I've made. I've only done decorations and cards so far as this is the first year we're not travelling to see family over Christmas and staying at home so want to make it special

Expecting DC2 in January so we won't be spending much at all on presents, so this thread is a God send!

At the moment I'm planning on doing some simple little hampers for most people and tweaking them for each person's preferences. Contents will be: Gingerbread 'Truffles', Baileys fudge and cinnamon and honey butter for everyone. Then choices, depending on the person, of; Skittles vodka, mulling syrup, the ever so controversial(!) lemon sugar hand scrub and then . . . my mind goes blank!
Think I'm going to stick with that for now and see how I feel about it once it's done at the end of never.

I like your board bun especially because of its title! :o :o

Shirley the quince paste I made is I think supposed to go with manchego cheese (the paste is Membrillo in Spanish - if you type it into google you get lots of recipes). I had lots of quinces but the thought of peeling and coring them made me want to cry, so I ignored that part and just quartered them, boiled until mushy, and then sieved through quite a coarse sieve which let through the mush but not the hard part of the core, and then carried on. It looks great (texture of a fruit pastille) and tastes good too!

Thanks Flubba, I put a lot of thought into that name

LoveBeingAWitch - yes, I've recycled curtains (and duvet covers, and other things!) into stuff before. For curtains, take the header tape off the top (just cut it off), remove any weights in the bottom that help them hang, seperate the lining fabric if there is any (keep it, it's always useful for something!). Wash it all, and iron. Cut your pattern (ie a rectangle if you're making a roll). If it's thick you probably won't need to use interfacing, it should be stiff enough without the extra support. Check whether it will fray, you might need to be careful about the seams, or use a loose zigzag round the edge before sewing if it will.

Are you making a flap thingy at the top to fold over and keep the needles in?

You shouldn't need to alter your sewing machine, but shout if you have any problems and we can try and help :o

Brillant thanks for that. Yes to the flap, am making this one

Just poking my head around the door....

Shirley have you seen Nigellas Quince Brandy? this blog has recipe this quince chutney recipe also sounds good! I only have about a dozen quince though

Hope they help somebody...

OK Halloween aside here - hope you don't mind! I want to make these and I can't find long pretzels. I can find lots of Pretzel in circles and star shapes but no sticks - got any ideas??

ooh they look fun cartblanche - the only thing I can think of is breadsticks - dead boring but at least you can get ones. Or if you were serving them on a plate and the effect was what you were going for, you could line up a two or three chocolate finger biscuits (and you could get them in white choc to add to the spider web white effect?)

Would twiglets work carteblanche?

I was coming to say aldi or lidil or Costco if you have a card? Pretzils are an american/European thing so try shops of that origen?

another lurker popping in to say what a fantastic thread and wonder if you experts have any suggestions for gift items involving cooking apples (got tons...)

Have made: apple chutney; apple jelly; apple curd. Anyone any recipes for alcohol involving cooking apples? Or any other ideas please? (not cakes/crumbles which will need to be kept in the freezer as freezer currently full)

Carteblanche you can usually get stick pretzels in the Polish section of the supermarket - I know Tesco do them.

Right, shall follow up the Pretzel leads ladies - many thanks. Had another thought about it and thought would chocolate Matchmakers work (they are a blast from the past - I hope they still make them!!).

Having said that I am doubting my abilities now because I just tried to make these and made a right pig's ear of it. You're supposed to dip the lollipop sticks in melted chocolate and then re-sandwich the Oreo biscuit together to make your lollipop, then leave them for a few minutes and then dip them in the melted white chocolate. As soon as I dip the biscuit (fnnarr fnnarr!) the lollipop spilts open and I end up in a right old mess! I don't have a microwave and am melting my white chocolate (Milky bar white choc) in a makeshift ban marie (stainless steel bowl within a saucepan) - don't know if crap chocolate or crap melting method is at the root of my failings!

Sorry to digress once again off the Christmas path - I'll be back on track again once Monday is over!

PS Realises I have linked to my Pinterest board so browse away if you like!