Home made Christmas presents

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Between our three generations (2 in each - D.C. are 11&8) we’ve decided to give each other things we’ve made, rule is you have to make something unique for each person (so not 5 of the same present) and the the older generation has limited suitcase space. Any good ideas for the D.C. to do? Have come up with usual edible stuff but trying to think outside the box - decorating a photo frame style stuff?

Throw me all your excellent ideas please

Sock puppets

Fudge. Really easy and you can dress it up in pretty boxes.
Handmade soap?

Decorated plates or anything similar with ceramic paint, candles in jar, lip balm, phone cases, fridge magnets, keyrings.

Tree decorations - salt dough/cinnamon and apple sauce dough/ white salt dough using cornflour and glue. Or buy clear glass baubles and fill. Or plaster baubles and paint (we’re going to give marbling a go this year- swirl oil paint in water then dip and roll the bauble)

Candles- you can buy a kit, and make a scented candle in a tea cup. Easier still to buy sheets of beeswax (watch lidl for these), warm with a hair drier and roll. We’ve made these and pressed dried orange slices in and wrapped with jute and they looked lovely.

Candle holders- painted glasses or jam jars. Stick paper silhouette to jam jars. Modge podge scraps of tissue paper for a stained glass effect (you can cut overlay black cutouts too). Glue rock salt for frosted effect.

Candy cane lollipops: get mini candy canes and arrange two to make a heart. Soften in oven for a few mins and press together. Press a lollistick in. (Very careful as sugar burns are serious. Definitely an adult job). When cool pipe chocolate into the heart and sprinkle with crushed candy canes.

Google Mary Berry Stained Glass Cookies

Make jazzies (choc and sprinkles) in a Christmas themed silicone mould. No matter how messy, once popped out of the mould they look amazing.

Gingerbread men. Dip their toes in choc orange.

A gingerbread house made from a kit.

Decorate tea cakes with a little white choc and make “holly” from green and red fondant for mini choc puddings

Fabric markers and a plain canvas bag to make a personalized shopping bag

Bookmarks - lots of ideas on Pinterest (for everything else too)

Tea bag wrappers - we’ve made these with quotations on them for our Irish grannies who live on tea. We’re going to make some with herbal tea for an aunt this year.

Smyths sell a paint your own set with a vase, trinket box and photo frame that you could paint. Or you could go to one of those places where you can paint a piece of pottery and they kiln dry it.

Ds made a lego candy dispenser for dh last year but then reclaimed the lego in January You can find instructions online if you have a dc that is willing to part with their bricks!

You can buy magnetic and sticker photo paper for printers and print photos or other artwork to make things like fridge magnets, book plates (this book belongs to —), etc

Over the summer hols my DC did lots of tie dying...tie dyed T-shirts, dresses, babygros and bags and they came out beautifully. They were great fun to do too (if a little messy!)

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

Last year we made tin can lanterns and key-rings
kidscraftroom.com/homemade-gifts-tin-can-lanterns/
mypoppet.com.au/makes/diy-gift-idea-fun-fruit-keyrings/
interior-decorations1.blogspot.com/2016/04/craft-tips-how-to-make-handmade-cool.html

We've also made Hama bead bowls meaningfulmama.com/day-202-plastic-perler-bead-bowls.html
Tea light holders theimaginationtree.com/jam-jar-and-tissue-paper-luminaries/
Pen pots thecrazyorganizedblog.com/pringles-can-turned-pen-holder/

I'd like to try these bath bombs this year www.redtedart.com/bath-bombs-recipe-gifts-kids-can-make/

Love the hama beads bowl - great idea.

I have also successfully made Hama beads themed Christmas tree decorations. Very effective and easy for children to make.

I would shy away from photoframe type things, the recipient might not want to display them in their home...

Have you tried making beeswax wraps? Easy and practical.

What about a diary photobook (does that count as made?!).

Love the book mark suggestions too.

These are all great! I think a mixture of basic paint a plate or hodge Podge a vase through to making their own candles and tie dying are great

I’m going to probably stick clear of edible items just because we’ll do loads of that just together as a family anyway but I love the ideas

Bath bombs are a doddle and lovely!

Barbarara,

Wow! What a great list. Are you a former Blue Peter presenter or something?

Painted glass bottle lights

Lego (themed?) Snow globe

Pinterest is your friend here.

Badges are good fun, you can pick up cheap second hand making machines. Then images of favourite tv/music stars, slogans etc.

Egg cosy/teapot cosy, embroidered teatowel, decorated diary or notebook, decorated pencil case...

Painted pebbles as paperweights or for the garden?

Small blank canvas from The Works, to paint a picture on.

Book of vouchers for free things... babysitting, afternoon out, trip to the park etc..

Great ideas on this thread!

Great suggestions! I got a stone with a fox painted on it from my bf and I absolutely love it. It's on my kitchen window!

We are making tree branch candles and drift wood planters

My DD is obsessed with Hama beads so getting lots of ideas using them

Hama bead Xmas decorations for tree personalised for nana, aunt etc
Fridge magnets made with air dried clay
My personal favourite is home made sloe gin in a pretty Xmas theme decorated bottle
Home made soaps
Decorated canvas shopper bags or tea towels using permanent fabric pens

Blackberry vodka. If you start now it should be ready for Christmas (for the adults only, obviously!)
Flowerpots personalised and with a little bag of seeds or bulbs to plant up.
Nice photo album with photos in that are personal to the receiver. (my kids did me a lovely one of our old dog...sobbed like a baby over that one).

How do you make blackberry vodka?

If you have a sewing machine little lined pouches with a zip are very easy to make!

Flavoured gin. Cloves, mixed berries, bay leaf. Make it now and leave it to infuse! Cute bottle and kids design a label

Favour box- child writes favours on little cards (eg walk the dog, Cook dinner- they have to be things he doesn’t already do). Puts them in a nice box and decorates it. Recipient can then present the tokens back to the child throughout the year.

I used to make something funny as a child: little mice made of walnuts! Paint a half walnutshell grey (or white for that matter) and glue some plastic mini eyes on it and paint a black little nose and glue some whiskers on the face too. You can paint the ears on it or make some out of paper or felt. Make a small hole in the back and stick a thread trough it: voila, there is a tail too!
Cute as decoration on its own or you can buy a cute box and glue one or more on it as a keepsake box with some home made Christmas cookies in it for example.