Homemade gifts?

[Stargirl90]

Im gonna be on maternity leave this christmas (first baby due 30th nov) so i'm hoping to do lots of handmade gifts this year for friends and family. I'm thinking boozy christmas cake for grandparents, homemade chocs and infused alcohol, jam/chutney, fudge? Things i can make ahead would be good, even non foodie things for my friends, or something new baby related? Like a personalised picture frame? No idea how to go about making one though

Anyone have any homemade gift ideas? Not too expensive if poss

Cost it out carefully before you get started. Chutney, infused alcohol, etc is cheap enough to make but if you have to buy jars and bottles it gets a lot more costly. And you do have to make sure that the jars and bottles have good seals to avoid poisoning your nearest and dearest . And even a cheap hamper basket will add another couple of £s

Christmas cake is very expensive to make, and something I would only make for someone who appreciates the difference between home made and mass produced.

Chocolate is tricky to work with and ideally you’ll need a sugar thermometer to temper it properly, and some food grade silicone moulds. Fine if you have them already, but it will add alarmingly to the cost if you don’t.

I’d suggest working on one or two things and learning to do them well. Good quality ingredients make a huge difference to the end result, so if possible try to spend your budget on those rather than on new equipment. Make in bulk to spread the cost rather than individual projects. And if possible work to your strengths.

If you cost it carefully you may find that the savings aren’t really worth the effort. People are generally understanding if you let them know you want to cut back on spending.

You also don’t know how you’ll feel with a new baby. I would have been too sleep deprived to take on craft projects with a newborn.

I don’t mean to sound so negative. I’m a huge fan of home made gifts (both giving and receiving) but I’ve also haemorrhaged money on craft projects.

I would be very wary of investing time and money into making homemade gifts after reading threads on MN about what people really think about them. A relatively small minority seem delighted about the prospect of recieving a homemade gift, some would be grateful if it was something specific that they liked whilst others wouldn't like it whatever you made. Unless you are lucky enough to have loads of family and friends in the first category then I would think long and hard about doing this and would be prepared to make lots of different things to suit different people. Afterall you wouldn't ever dream of buying identical things from a shop for people with totally different tastes and preferences.

I'd need to buy little bottles, but i've already checked ebay to get a rough idea on those. I've already got several chocolate moulds, ill need some little bags/boxes to put the chocs in though .

Me and my 3 friends have decided between us to do a 'homemade christmas' this year for a change, we all get together a few days before xmas and exchange gifts every year so their happy to receive homemade :)
Just thought i's maybe do some bits for family too while i'm making if for friends already.

I do get what you mean about the expensive ingredients for the cake, i made one a couple of years ago which turned out well and could make it well in advance which is good but will def figure out the cost first

I don't have tons of people to buy for, parents/1 set of grandparents/sister and bf/3 best friends/partner/small gift for 2x cousins

Partners family will get normal kind of gifts which partner mainly chooses as he knows what they like

Given that you’ll have a new baby, dishwasher vodka infusions and slow cooker fudge both give good results without needing to stand over them.

Mincemeat, puddings, Christmas cake and chutney are all good choices for making in advance as they benefit from sitting around.

Another vote for the easiest ever vodka infusions.

Crack a bag of Wether originals the hard candies, pour over vodka (Aldi's is good) and leave to make the most amazing liquor to savour neat or pour over ice creme. Cancel the holiday, stay at home and just enjoy the end product over good quality vanilla ice creme

Separate out skittles into same flavours , pour over vodka as above.

For maximum impact, work out a theme, say slice of cake to go with coffee, then work up the decoration , start with smallish slice of cake or brownie or bottle of vodka, take a few springs of greenery, bit of gold ribbon and cover the whole in a cellophane bag from Lakeside. Looks lovely, can be eaten and enjoyed, no big drama. Perfect

There is a lovely Nigella boiling fruit cake that is so easy to do. I did a few with the must demanding EBF baby in the world. Tasty and moist. They were for my DPs friend's who were all 'older' gentlemen who were very discerning munchers of fruit cake having expert cake making wives, who all declared it delicious. I'll try to find a link.

I can't link it- it's called Nigella's easy action Christmas cake

Home bargains are good for jars, boxes and bags. Personally i would love homemade body scrub, lip scrub and cupcakes or gingerbead men. Think ill try making some this year

Honestly I would rather be bought something very cheap than homemade. It’s not that I wouldn’t appreciate the thought, but I never ever use them (smellies or food/drink) and I know a hell of a lot of effort is involved. A lovely pair of socks or some other “token” gift is better

@FinallyHere great ideas 💡 thanks!! Sounds good i'll be making myself some of the werthers one for when i can drink alcohol again

Moonflower12 looking up that recipe now, thanks!

Are you planning on doing these after your baby arrives? Honestly will you have time or energy?

I am currently knitting Harry Potter scarves for my DS, and niece and nephew as they all love Harry Potter.

I made a picture for my friend for her birthday (like the attached) and am making similar for some family for Christmas. My friend loved it as she loves gifts that are thoughtful as opposed to expensive.

You have to know who would appreciate the gifts though.

I love how organised you are! I always make presents but only decide a few days in advance I've made different flavour truffles, gingerbread syrup for coffee and mulled cider.