Homemade gifts!

[Ea134]

Hello

i know there’s always mixed opinions on homemade gifts. 🙈however, obviously this year is going to be a tough one!

I am thinking of making my own candles and wine as gifts for people. I have a cricut so can make lovely labels for it. Just wondering if anyone has done similar or has any other ideas that could be made?

😊

Are you opposed to buying those little bags online?

I make fresh foliage wreaths for close friends and family, I have some fir and pine trees in the garden so I can forage to keep the costs down and supplement with eucalyptus etc from the market.

Not especially cheap but I love making them up, and they (in my humble opinion) florist shop worthy, and everyone looks forward to receiving theirs.

I take a long weekend at the start of December to make them up and spend an inordinate amount of time planning the accents to suit each recipient.

special brownies??

Candle maker here. Pretty easy but you need a fair amount of equipment. Make sure to heat the jars and keep them far away from each other (not all close together on one tray) when setting for best results I find x

I crochet, but too bloody slowly to make gifts 🤣

if someone was wanting to make me a gift I'd love wrist warmers, scarf, sloppy hat fingerless mittens, bag, basket, little pot for 'bits', cushion cover, lap blanket,....

BUT if they were going to put that much effort into it, I'd hope they'd choose a colour/colours they know I like. Making me, say, a purple scarf would make me sad that you don't 'know' me at all & that you've put so much effort into something I'd really struggle to use.

if you want to make something smaller, one of my favourite Christmas presents a couple of years ago was a small crochet Christmas tree decoration - just a very basic tree with a pretty ribbon.

What from all of your friends & family or just one in particular?

I can think of one friend I wouldn't choose edibles from.

One friend I'd assume her toddler had probably helped, but meh?! he slobbers all over me anyway,

everyine else I'd happily eat at their home so why woukdnt I want 'edible gifts'?

I don't buy homemade edibles from fundraisers anymore though. 🤢🤮

I agree, non edible stuff is the way forward. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I've appeared utterly thrilled with homemade truffles, rhubarb gin, wild strawberry gin, chutney...and it's always been binned. In reality, no one is ever going to tell you this, but a lot of people don't want edibles that we have no idea if they've sat on the side in your kitchen for a bit too long, or that kind of thing. The gin, both times, we tried, winced and poured away. Frustratingly, for politeness sake, when the bearers of these gifts have asked if we enjoyed them, we of course say how lovely they were and we get more of the same every year. Neither of us have ever given any prior indication we even like gin, pickles, chutneys, yet this is what we get.

Please, gift/make what people would actually like...not what you've decided you want to make. Would you buy twenty pots of jam and give them generically to everyone you know? Bit like the blanket christmas gift that everyone gets handed out in a workplace.

We've had crocheted things for the babies, which were a lovely and personal gift. We've had photo collages, also really personal and much appreciated.

I haven't really thought it through, just thinking out loud, but could you gift a kit of the thing you are planning on making? In a pretty hamper, with the ingredients still sealed, make the instructions look beautiful with your cricut, for the person to then make themselves?

This sounds wonderful!

One of the reason l don’t like cookies and stuff, is we already have too much of that kind of stuff at Christmas. I don’t want any more.

l don’t buy lots in the first place as it just gets overwhelming. I honestly tend to throw homemade truffles, cookies , brownies etc away.

I just used the BBC recipe which is one of the first that comes up if you Google it. We have damson trees in our garden so I think I used 1.5kg damsons to 3l of gin and 750g caster sugar. It lasts for up to a year and improves with age - it's particularly lovely mixed with champagne!

There are a few good recipes out there too for Christmas pudding gin - you add things like cloves and nutmeg and cinnamon and orange peel. I am quite keen to try that at some point.

I disagree with PP who don't like edibles - I'd much rather have a batch of truffles or jam or gin than a hand knitted tea cosy or whatever that I have to give house room.

Great post @TwinsAndTiramisu - crafters always say ‘people loved them…’ - yes of course people will say that. What else can people say? But homemade gifts - unless really superlative or prestige - are more for the benefit of the hobbiest than the recipient. Ok for a neighbour or a work colleague, but generally not a very thoughtful gift for anybody closer.

@TooMuchToDoTooLittleInclination no not particularly but was hoping to get some small boxes if possible. I am want to make some for my grandmother so thought boxes might be easier.

Re everyone with hygiene comments I normally only give jams/chutney etc to parents, brothers, family etc people who generally have/eat in my home so know I keep a clean kitchen.

I think, on balance, if I knew a friend was struggling financially this year, I’d rather they sent/gave a lovely card and we maybe went out for coffee (or just spent an afternoon hanging out at home). Homemade gifts often costs more to make than you’d expect.

I have a friend who makes me sloe gin every year and I always look forward to that.

I can't be bothered with candles, jams etc.

But homemade gifts - unless really superlative or prestige - are more for the benefit of the hobbiest than the recipient

This is what l think. I can knit, sew or crochet anything. But l never give it as presents unless specifically asked for and patterns/yarns chosen in consultation.

Peopke are allergic to lots of different yarns and fabrics, so l akways give them the choice of yarn/design/pattern.

How about homemade flower bouquets?

OP- have you made wine before? I'd be cautious of trying it out as a Christmas gift, unless you are experienced in it.

I've never given it as a gift per se, but shared by own stash when we have people around at Christmas. Far easier and less hit and miss is sloe gin or variations on this. No fermentation, you are simply letting the fruit steep in the already made (shop bought) alcohol, usually with added sugar and sometimes added spices/herbs.

• chilli vodka (just add a chilli that has been pricked into the vodka bottle)
• Plum brandy. I picked victoria plums, washed and halved then put into a very basic brandy from aldi and added sugar. The fruit was delicious with ice cream and the liquor was lovlely to sip
• Prune brandy- similar to plum brandy above

Last year I made a snood for MiL and some cotton face cloths. A scarf for FiL and a ear warmer headband and cup cosy for SiL.

Sloe gin

Brilliantly put, @TwinsAndTiramisu - I think people who give edible gifts have to accept the risk that the recipient will exclaim over them, thank them profusely, and appear delighted, when in reality, the gift will go straight in the bin. For me, it's the potential health and hygiene issues (I very much doubt all the home bakers out there have obtained their food safety standard certs!) as the givers usually have children that "helped", dogs, cats etc. running about, and honestly, eating the product just does not appeal at all, no matter how nicely presented it is.

Homemade non-edibles are great, though - candles, soaps, crocheted items are all lovely and very much appreciated.

I bought a resin kit last year and make quite a lot of gifts from about £20, and it's surprisingly easy

I'm intrigued by people worrying about hygiene - don't you ever eat at someone else's house?

Lakeland do nice bags for fudge printed with Christmasy things.

For Damson gin
Take a 250g coffee jar, or equivalent size and then fill with damsons, pricked with a needle, up to thé shoulder. Cover with castor sugar and then fill to the brim with gin. Add a few drops of almond essence. You can also use the little round plums.

If you crochet I made some of these and put them together in a sort of hanging thing , they didn't take long at all

attic24.typepad.com/weblog/birdie-decoration.html

Also these are nice and quick and the recipient loved them

attic24.typepad.com/weblog/attic24-mandala-wheel.html

Another quick make is a scarf or a cushion cover from chunky yarn. Choose a simple pattern. If you have more time you could do a blanket, but after the stress of finishing one in time for last Christmas- never again!