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I've been trying to think of things to do as well!
Two years ago I made hot cocoa powder mix and put it in mugs that I bought in bulk. The only problem was transporting them. If I did it again, I'd put it in a Ball jar that had a secure top. Obviously you can do this with cookie mix, etc. We did it with pet treat mix for FSIL and FBIL who run a cat rescue.
Photo scrapbooks; scrapbooks with memories, phrases, history of year the person was born; journals, get inexpensive notebooks and decorate the front of the books w/ any kind of paper/design you like, and personalize the cover; paint mini flower pots and provide them a packet of seeds
I'm making our own gifts too!! I'm already making some scrapbooks, sachets and muffin mixes. I also want to make a wine cork wreath for my SIL and a quilt for the MIL, but those are going to take some time (and drinking!).
I posted some ideas and DIY links on my blog:
http://runninglawyer.blogspot.com/2009/10/gift-guide-diy.html
We are trying to do this a bit too!
Fiance is an artsy man so he is planning on doing a piece for his mamma and papa, as well as something for our new little nephew. I sort of ruined the suprise, but I offered to take some family photos for my mom, stepdad, and youngest brother since they have none of the three of them on display.
We are on a very tight budget, but there are things we will get in stores, but you could easily make:
Christmas ornaments (for my 4yo bro and our nephew)
photo album
frames
My fmil does soup mixes in ball jars and bakes a whole bunch of bread for everyone. One of fiance's aunts makes homemade egg noddles for people.
i LOVE all of your DIY xmas gift ideas, and will def be using for my and FI's families this Christmas...
last year, i also printed out family pictures on my computer and bought cute stackable frames from wal-mart for $2 each and gave them to my aunts and uncles with a handwritten card. they LOVED it :)
I always daydream about making wonderful holiday gifts from my own kitchen. I would love to do lots of edible things ... truffles, nut/toffee bark, cookies and cakes and pies and yummy stuff. I have yet to do this though!
Like MHR, I also make edible stuff - bark, truffles, etc. I also make the DIY magnets Miss Lamb (I think it was...) posted about recently. They're super easy to make and I just cut the pics out of old magazines that are laying around.
I have been thinking about making vanilla extract - I guess I better get on that in time for Christmas giving!
I am going to make homemade tamales for the fam this year. I envy those who make homemade candies - my cooking abilities don't sem to translate to desserts and baked goods!!
Also making stained glass picture frames for all the parents, and framing one of our engagement photos. May also make them a scrapbook of sorts with our engagement photos.
@gabrielle - doesn't the vanilla take forever? I really would have loved to do that for a few people, but I thought it took 6 months or so?
@Mshymanroth I agree! I like to bake and think it would be great to make some holiday treats :)
I think I will make some cookies in a jar with pretty bows and baking instructions :) And maybe a nice fleece tied blanket for my future hubby...I just don't know what design he'd like?! hmmmm
I also want to bake Christmas cookies for my associates like I did last year but that isn't really a gift! hehe
Food sounds like a really awesome gift!!! I'd love to do peanut brittle perhaps for everyone in little tins? Or in the little baggies that I make.. That would be a nice unexpected gift.. or some other edible type of gift.
Like gabrielleelise1981, I'm making vanilla extract. I started mine about a month ago--from what I've heard it's about 3 months so I think I should be good to go for Christmas.
But if you still haven't started your vanilla--you can always stick an actual bean in the bottles you give--and put a cute tag that says something like "Best Used After 2/14/09" or whatever.
I'm also making vanilla bean pound cake to give with the vanilla extract.
We traditionally did a "goody basket" of baked goods for local friends and family - on top of gifts! This year the traditional stuff will get done: gingerbread, truffles, trail mix, and a few kinds of cookies, but we'll be going on a much bigger scale. (Since that's all they're getting, haha)
You guys, as always, have GREAT ideas. Keep 'em comin...
@lilyfaith - the "recipe" I found online says to store it for 2 months (at least) - so it would be cutting it close if you started now...but I really like HannaT's idea of putting a tag on it telling people to wait a bit before using it. I had forgotten it took some time...for some reason, I was thinking it was a few weeks, not months. I better get on that! :)
Are you and your husband good photographers? FI and I have given photographs as Christmas gifts - he has a great eye for photos.
Recipes are fantastic too - what about making your own DIY cookbooks? Put together some of your best recipes and give them to friends and family.
On the subject of baking, you can also make ornaments from baking, like gingerbread men. Cinnamon sticks and dried oranges also can be crafted together to make some lovely ornaments. You can also use inspiration from nature - fallen pine cones, whatever!
My DIY is terrible so I stick with pretty easy stuff:
Girlfriends, Aunts, SIL's, etc are getting small jars with scented bath salts. I find cool containers wherever I can for cheap. I buy a huge 6lb bag of Epsom Salt at CVS for like $5.00, mix it with dried lavender or a few drops of some kind of essential oil and fill the jars with it. Sometimes I use a glass etching cream to personalize them, or use a rose design if there's rose oil in it, etc.
Co-workers get lots of cookies or breads - sometimes in a cheap cookie jar. I usually give my boss a nice bottle of sweet red wine with a nice box of chocolates. I buy the chocolates from the grand central market but I could prolly make them if I knew how. He loved it the 1st time I gave it to him & when I switched it up the next year he said he was looking forward to the wine & chocolate again. Haha!
I was thinking of coffee bundles too -- 2 coffee mugs, beans, scones & make those chocolate covered spoon things?
I often do photos for various events because i do a bit of photography. I feel badly doing it too often though because how many photos can a person really use? :) I also make quilts for people... that doesn't save that much money though really because fabric is kind of expensive!
Homemade candles. I am making candles for my mom they are easy, fun and after you buy the basics cheap! You can make 10-15 medium size candles for the price of one from a store in the mall.
www.candlescience.com (cheapest I have found)
You can also buy a kit with pouring pitcher, thermometer, votive molds, wax, color, and scent (mine didn't smell very much) for $22.00 at craft stores and if you have a 40% coupon awesome!!!
Wow - I've just been reading through the recipes on the Skip To My Lou site and am wondering which one I'll try first...Oreo truffles...yum...
Should not have looked at this while at work and no where near a kitchen!
I am trying to think outside the box with Christmas gifts this year to save money, but I don't want to do food... hmm... Keep sharing ideas!
@Laylabelle: Do you have a recipe for bark that you can share? I die for Williams-Sonoma chocolate/peppermint bark around the holidays!
Baking can get expensive... at least here it can. 1 stick of butter at my grocery store is a little under $7. Yep, you read that right. $7.
I'm loving the Cowgirl Cookie Mix from Bakerella!
http://www.bakerella.com/mix-things-up/
You could totally substitute green and red m&m's for a Christmas touch :)
@RB you could totally do the vanilla extract more feasibly then! Or make your own liqueurs--that's what I'm doing. Limoncello, chocolate, coffee, peppermint... they're all online! Or cheat a little bit, use a flavored extract in a bottle of vodka and repackage it as your own. No one will know the difference :)
I actually am making Limoncello!! You totally reminded me... it's sitting in my mom's basement. I made a batch in late September after reading a post for italian wedding favors on WB! I have to add the syrup & let it rest before Christmas! I don't know if I'll end up giving it out though b/c I loooove it. so. much.
I have NO IDEA how to package it. How are you packaging your liqueurs in cinema?
I bought crafty things like suncatchers for my sister (she's a college student and can't paint her walls) then painted them. I made my sister a scrapbook...it's not much, but it's started. I realized I don't have many pics of her and I together, or a lot of pics of anything to do with her...so it's mostly a scrapbook of our family immediate and extended. Dunno if it will be a Christmas gift or if i will save it as a bridesmaid gift. Making blankets for our neice/nephew, haven't picked anything for MIL yet (their family does a drawing so we only have to buy for 2 people.) I have been buying little things here and there all year. not everything is DIY, but everything has been pretty much planned. Good luck on all your ventures! They sound fantastic!!
This might seem conceited, but we're framing a few of our engagement photos and giving them to close friends and family. I thought it might be a little weird to say "Here's a picture of me for your wall. Merry Christmas!" but I think people will like them. They wanted copies anyway, right?
I found some inexpensive vintage lockets on Etsy (like 3 for under $5, etc) and I got a bunch of those. I'm going to give them to the women in my family with pictures of people who are special to each recipient... I hope it will be a hit!
I'm also gonna be relying pretty heavily on the homemade edible goodies...
I've made homemade apple butter, strawberry jam and blackberry jam for gifts. I give homemade jelly every year and people have come to look forward to it. You can never go wrong with gifts of food!
Also, I'm having some old family movies converted from VHS to DVD for my parents and making copies of family movies for FIs brothers and sisters. It's not costing me much and I really have a feeling that everyone is going to love them!
@Abilee - I'm sure they'll love it! Last year we scanned all teh family pics and put them on disc as part of our gifts for my immediate family, and made a short slideshow that we watched after Christmas dinner. It was a massive hit and one of my favourite Christmas memories ever. :)
Last year I made my sister BF a blanket, my sisters calendars of my son, my mom an ornament of my son, and a framed picture of me and my dad hunting for my dad. I spent like no money!
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Hi Hive!
With FI still out of a job and the holidays fast approaching, we've decided that ALL of the holiday gifts leaving our house will be DIY/Homemade. We're making lots of yummy kitchen stuff and I might possibly be trying to sew (a straight line is about the top of my skill list) We get tons of inspiration from various blogs. One of my favorites is Skip to My Lou.
Just wanted other ideas from the hive - things to make and do. So far on the list are:
Any great ideas? What are you doing to save money on your holiday gifts in this economy?
What say you, Hive?