Impressive but frugal giftz

[baffledcoconut]

Would people be kind enough to share their amazingly cheap but awesome gifts.

I'm a bit over Christmas this year for many reasons so would like to make it cheap but lovely. Off the wall suggestions welcome. Handmade or otherwise. I'm fairly nifty with DIY/crafts. All ages, inlaws, outlaws ans all sorts to be catered for :)

Someone made us, as a wedding present, a framed origami stork out of beautiful white paper. One of those ikea square wooden frames. Utterly beautiful.
Someone else gave me a piece of bark, varnished, in a similar frame. Again, really beautiful.
Kind of depends on the recipient and their tastes. My hart tends to sink when I get home made Christmas bunting because I know I'll never use it, but I also know lots of love and effort has been put into it.
How about origami boxes with a food gift, e.g. Homemade caramel? (I have a vg recipe if you'd like)

Get picking sloes & blackberries and make a HUGE batches of sloe gin and blackberry vodka, go to a car booty and buy some kilner jars and bottles, job done! Or bake some Christmas cookies for kids

I've just done my Christmas chutney, it's lovely on leftovers round Christmas and you could put a nice mini hamper together with posh crackers and cheese

Well I would love to receive anything home made but usually get given something from M&S 😂 I went on a freestyle quilting course and would ideally love to make / receive a quilt made of vintage kimono fabric. ( got any of that knocking about? ) or failing that one made of just nice fabric! I love those blankets made with massive needles ( like broomstick) or a big knitted scarf that you can wrap around a couple of times. Other than that I'm not sure,.... what have you made before?

I have made preserves - jams and bottled fruit.
I have gone around second hand shops and bought old battered enamelware or old China and potted it with plants and wrapped up beautifully.
I have also baked.
I think Christmas is far far too commercial.

Funnily enough I have some vintage sari fabric hanging around that I thought I may make a kantha quilt from.

Good idea about the sloes. That'd be perfect. I do love sloe gin. And I've got a box of Kilmer jars....

Great great ideas. Would LOVE the caramel recipe. Love the origami idea.

Things I've made before... handbound books, bit of wood work. Knitting. Sewing. All sorts!

Was wondering about some paper white daffs and planting up some pretty pots. Perhaps take cuttings of indoor plants too.

I must do sloe gin, or failing that, blackberry and apple gin

This will be our first year as parents and my first on maternity pay so we are trying to cut costs for Christmas gifts so will be watching this with interest!

I am going to try salt dough Christmas ornaments, cheap as anything. We are going to attempt hand and foot prints of our DD and maybe some other Christmas designs.

We used to decoupage shoe boxes with magazine pictures to put our home made presents in

I’ve got loads of those little glass “gu” pots - ramekin dishes.

I’d be glad of any ideas on what to do with them.

I thought about putting oasis in and some small flowers or making shaving soap?

Likewise mini Kilner jars used to sell pate...

You could try homemade candles in Gu ramekins?

Question for anyone that knows, how much does it actually cost to make Sloe Gin? I assume the main cost is in the Gin?

I've gifted pottery we've done with DS, an amaryllis potted in a plant pot he decorated and a book full of photos and happy memories for my granda who was early dementia at the time. They've all been really well received

I made Hawthorn jelly one year it is delicious and perfect for small kilner jars.

www.eatweeds.co.uk/hawthorn-jelly-recipe

I have made some cherry vodka and blackcurrant vodka. I have small bottles 250mls and will decant it into those. I have ordered some wooden snowflakes from Aliexpress (1.89 for 10) which I will decorate and tie around the bottle with a handwritten cocktail recipe. Perhaps a packet of cheesy cocktail umbrella or swizzle sticks. The snowflake can be used as a Christmas decoration afterwards.