Presents to make for GPs

[MegBusset]

Every year the DC (9 and 11) make a gift for the GPs ; needs to be quick and easy to make as I'm mad busy with work, but look nice, and not take up too much space!

Previously they have made:

• Painted stones
• Tea light holders from jam jars
• Chocolate bark
• Christmas tree decorations

Any ideas? Was thinking vaguely of bird feeders but they all seem to use lard or gelatine which I find a bit icky as a vegetarian. Or maybe a bookmark, but how do to make? Or something else??

Hi book marks are easy to make.

Either buy some plastic binker canvas and wool, cut the canvas into oblong shapes and DCs can embroider patterns and then just add a tassel on one end.

Or press some petals, leaves etc between two sheets of kitchen towel and leave in the pages of a book with a weight on it for a couple of weeks. Cut some card into an oblong, arrange leaves, petals into a pattern and then put through a laminator.

Or visit a pottery parlour and the DCs can paint personalised mugs, platters, bowls etc. etc.

Or DCs give GPs and IOU and they go round to GPs one afternoon with a cake and make them a cup of tea and enjoy an afternoon with them. Maybe an opportunity to look through family photos too.......

Book marks made with washi tape and ribbon are very effective. domesticallycreative.com/washi-tape-bookmarks/

Coconut oil is good for bird feeders

What about decorating a picture frame?

We have previously bought cheap wooden frames in Ikea and decorated them with shells brought back from holiday but you could use flowers, or paint or any crafty things you have lying about.

Put the children’s school picture in the frame and the GPs will love it.

Alternatively have the kids draw a nice picture and frame it.

What about Christmas sweeties? Peppermint creams are very easy to make and can be shaped into things like polar bears?

This year my 7yo dd suggested making tree decorations by doing a painting on a miniature canvas (we used 2.5x3.5inch) and adding a ribbon to the back. They have turned out pretty well.

Microwaveable heat pad:

Pair of Christmas patterned children’s tights. Knot the toes tightly and cut the end off.
Put leg into a pint glass or similar and pour in dry rice or barley adding drops of essential oil at intervals.
Tie off top with a tight knot and cut away the gusset.

Peanut butter bird feeder:

Spread peanut butter onto the inner tube of a toilet roll
Roll in bird seed
Thread string through and hang
(Not something you could wrap though!)

"Put the children’s school picture in the frame and the GPs will love it."
Sure? My mum hated school photographs with a passion and she had 9 grandchildren........

Decorating a cotton bag and cotton apron with fabric paint.

We went to the pottery parlour and did bowls and coasters.

Please don't give them anything they have to display or use unless you are very sure. Biscuits are always good. You can get cutters in absolutely every shape imaginable. Buy appropriate ones -initials, hobbies, favourite animal. The good thing about biscuits is everyone likes them, and you can decorate some or all or none depending on how much time you end up having.

Or decorate a plain cloth shopping bag. Cute, useful and won't clutter.

Use a hair drier to soften wax candles and press cinnamon sticks or larch cones in a circle round the base.

Or paint candles (tiger sell candle paint)

Or make beeswax candles by rolling sheets of beeswax

Beeswax wrappers to replace cling film. Easy to make. Cute fabric.

Could knit a dish cloth... not sure how pleased most people would be to get a dish cloth, but my DM is delighted by anything her DGC have produced!

I got about halfway through reading this before I worked out that you're not making gifts for your local doctors.....

Shortbread...homemade with Christmas cutters.

I thought doctors as well and this is what I gave mine last time in Lakeland special Xmas bags. It was much appreciated.

Just don’t go down my dd’s Christmas biscuit route.....

Actually thought you were super nice giving your doctors presents 😄

Sure? My mum hated school photographs with a passion and she had 9 grandchildren........

Bertand my mind is blown that a grandparent wouldn’t love a picture of their GC .

I can see that with nine grandchildren though you’d need a very large sideboard

Christmas in your family must be awesome (and I imply a full range of definitions of the word)

"Bertand my mind is blown that a grandparent wouldn’t love a picture of their GC grin. "
Oh she loved pictures of her grandchildren- she hated the posed school ones. Particularly the bigger ones one of my sils insisted on giving her.. She liked lots of snapshot type pictures she could rotate. Eventually she got a digital photo frame.

We use peanut butter for vegetarian bird seed cakes.

I have also just picked up some paint-your-one-mug kits from the works. They were £2.50 each and you simply bake them in the oven to seal the design. We did a similar one for DH last year, and it’s still going strong.

Dd has painted some plant pots for gps. They were a lot from hobbycraft.

I have a lovely flower brooch made from felt that was made for me by my 9 year old niece. I love it and wear it a lot.
They could make a felt keyring or bookmark for grandad if he wouldn’t fancy a flower.

A Christmas cake, decorated by them would be nice.

Pained wine glass?

A piece of cross stitch in a nice frame? I have a piece that my flower girl made for our wedding in a frame in the kitchen.

A kit not a lot

Buy some sprouted hyacinth bulbs in a pot nd transplant each one into a cheap Christmas mug, makes good teacher presents too.

Particularly the bigger ones one of my sils insisted on giving her.

There is definitely an optimal size for school photos.