Homemade presents (from dc) ideas needed please

[ChiefOwl]

Every year the dc make homemade gifts for family, but am having a blank at the mo, and can't think what to do. Just wondered what others are doing.

3 packs of oven-dry clay (different colours); encourage children to make (easily-recognised) animal/transport models. They go down surprisingly well.

Potted hyacinth bulbs - children can also paint the bulb pots.

Crafty friends have done painted t-shirts.

My DD's 3 and 6 months will be doing hand print pictures on canvas.

We got the canvases (sp) for approx £2 each from the range. There only small but my family will adore them.

Thank you have done handprints & plantpots before :) , should have said dc are 7.5 and 4.5.

Will look into the clay - do they still make fimo?

A photo frame they can decorate with sequins and glitter.
Tea towels or Aprons or tote bags they can decorate with fabric pens or paints.

Individually iced gingerbread men/stars/hearts wrapped in cellophane. Our kids did this a few years ago.

Rum and raison fudge :)

We made star shaped cheese biscuits in cellophane bags with christmassy ribbons. Used Nigella's Cheesy Feet recipe (in How to Eat)

Handprints on hankies.

Yellow Moon have some nice Christmas coaster & bookmark kits. My DS is 2.5, so I wouldn't actually want to eat anything he's made just yet (if Katie-I-Can-Cook had catfood added to her Strawberry Crowns, I bet she'd be a bit less chirpy )

I think homemade Christmas decorations are the best presents ever - My best friend's children gave me an angel and a star they'd drawn & decorated. I absolutely love them & can't wait to put them on the tree this year.

Other than that, could you make snowdomes? (Who doesn't love a snowdome?)

Ceramics cafe - mugs, plates, biscuit jar, photo frame?

Pottery baubles, painted by your DCs.

Candles, you can get moulds really cheaply on ebay and the wax and other bits are cheap too, I made christmas tree ones with my charges last year for family and to make 12 candles cost about £10 (could have been done cheaper though) everyone loved them.

We have also done

• handprints/footprints on coasters, plant pots, photo frames, canvases, bags, tea towels.

• decorated mugs and plates

I am making these with my DS, I didn't have any jumpers I could butcher so I bought a pair of hideous cream leg warmers from poundland

If you've got a laminator, you can just make good bookmarks and laminate them. My children have done this before.

Go to a pot painting place - our local one does Xmas decorations.

My DD made me a calendar last year , on the computer , and on each page is a different photo of my dog . Perhaps they could do something like that with a bit of help ,I love mine .

for grandparents - Get them to draw/paint a picture of grandparents and put in a frame.
Make homemade biscuits and put in a nice tin

I saved some rather pretty jars this week ( they had stuffed vine leaves in I think, or something equally poncey ) and my plan is to buy some glass paints and get the kids to decorate them, then put a christmassy smelling tea light in them.

coldcup we're doing that this week too. We're doing the epsom salts on them so it looks like snow, and I've got some extra strong glue to stick on some twigs, cones, and little bells and ribbon.

I agree with the Christmas decorations, this year we are making trees, snowmen and father christmases out of buttons. They look really good, are quite easy (using a large needle to put the thread through seems to be easiest), they can come out and be useful each year but the recipiant doesn't have to put it on mantle shelf each time you come over.

Love some of these ideas thank you!!!

Cheesy feet - genius! Off to amazon to buy cutters right now [hgrin]

Chocolate covered coffee beans? Get some coffee beans and chocolate. Melt chocolate in a bowl over hot water or microwave. Put coffee beans in melted chocolate (roughly a handful at a time). Stir to coat the beans. Put chocolate covered beans on parchment paper, not touching each other, to harden.

Not sure of the age of your DC, this would be more suitable for older children I guess (7+?)

Ooh, just seen that you did give ages of children. Possibly would be suitable with adult supervision

Slightly more expensive, but was nice - we got a drawing DD had done and had it printed on canvas bags for the GP, did some mugs too. DSD did some pretty flower drawings and we had some coasters made with it on.
DP did a calendar last year - used some online shop like Photobox, or maybe Jessops - which was lovely, he takes some smashing pictures.
Our GP are really hard to buy for but seemed to like these home made gifts.

Hama bead xmas decorations went down well a few years ago here