Holiday Craft Ideas

[Dace]

Yep, it is that time of year again! I know many of you are up to your eyeballs in garden chores and preparing to start canning soon....but it is time to start thinking and planning ahead for homemade holiday gifts.

Money is tight and my time is really tight Aug- Nov when our cheer season is underway (I coach my DD's squad) so I am trying to get plans in order so that I can begin buying what I need for extended family gifts.

For the kitchen:
Lavender sugar & Rose sugar

Seasoned salt...maybe lemon grass, lime or tangerine...or perhaps I will come across something more interesting.

Grill/dry rub seasoning

Homemade Vanilla Extract

For the Bath:
Salt & Sugar scrubs
Bath bombs
Soaps

I have 7 women and 6 men to buy a little something for so I figure if I start now then come the fall all I will need to worry about is my immediate family.

What are you planning for the holiday season?

 

[OkieAnnie]

I have started crocheting some kitchen items. I am trying a theme this year. I hope to make a few dishcloths and towels for each family as well as a large jar of home made hot cocoa mix and a crochetted animal for each of the kids.

We will see how it works out . . but I am thinking about Christmas now. If I don't, I will be overwhelmed come December!

 

[Dace]

I bought some dried lavender buds at the market and made two salt scrubs for us to test out. I made one with Vanilla and one with lemon EO and the lavender buds. Yum, I really like the both although the lemon overwhelms the lavender, so maybe some rosemary would work well with the lemon, but the vanilla lavender is heavenly!

I also bought some herbs de provance and added a bit of salt to make a seasoning salt/rub. Will be trying that out tomorrow.

Gave a little of each of my scrubs to my two teens and the scrubs and herb salt to a friend...eventually we will hit on some winners for the holidays.

Next week we are going to make some coffee scrubs ....yum!

 

[Aidenbaby]

We don't exchange gifts with our entire family as there are just too many of us. We do, however, have a family gift exchange. Last year, we drew out names of a couple and had a $25 limit for gifts. This year we rotate to decide who comes next. We did buy the kids individual gifts, as well. I'm not sure what I'm going to be doing for a gift this year.

 

[redhen]

Last year i made those super easy melt and pour soaps. I Just added special things to them like lavendar flowers or strawberry seeds, and for the guys i made hand cleanser ones(for when they get all dirty) I added clean play sand to the soap for extra scrubbing effect, for the kids i made soap/bath crayons (using old ice cube trays for the molds), etc.. My family all loved them. THIs year i want to make some real soap...some good goats milk soap or something. But that lye stuff scares me..

 

[Ldychef2k]

Last year, I made "quilted" totes and matching wallets for family, and small spa baskets for friends, with homemade bath salts, molded soaps and candles...all scented to match. The men had to make do with In and Out gift certificates. The kids got home made "Snuggli" blankets.

Not sure what to do this year. I have hundreds of small cloth bags I made when I was selling mixes, hot chocolate and spice rubs, and even more small pieces of fabric from last year's totes. I would love to be able to do something easy with them. Although I broke my sewing machine last spring and can't afford to get it fixed yet.

Not sure what to do. The list has 35 names on it.....

 

[Dace]

LadyChef...your answer seems quite obvious to me!...A little pint sized jar of jam and maybe a scone or muffin mix (the kind where they add the wet ingred,) Lord kows you are stocked up on canned goods

By the way my dear...I am headed over to your porch for a chat, I have a few questions for ya!

 

[Dace]

For the kitchen:
Lavender sugar & Rose sugar

Seasoned salt...maybe lemon grass, lime or tangerine...or perhaps I will come across something more interesting.

Grill/dry rub seasoning

Homemade Vanilla Extract

For the Bath:
Salt & Sugar scrubs
Bath bombs
Soaps

I have 7 women and 6 men to buy a little something for so I figure if I start now then come the fall all I will need to worry about is my immediate family.

What are you planning for the holiday season?

Glad this popped up again, it is good to see what others are up to!

So adding to my list will be the homemade Captain Morgans for a few of the guys and gals on my list.

My coffee sugar scrub was a bomb, so that idea is scrapped.

I bought some herbes de provance and added some nice course sea salt to it and it is quite good, so I will likely give that out as well.

I would like to crochet some little bath clothes/kitchen clothes as well...not very good at crocheting but I suppose I ought to give it a go now rather than later

 

[delia_peterson]

Last year, I made "quilted" totes and matching wallets for family, and small spa baskets for friends, with homemade bath salts, molded soaps and candles...all scented to match. The men had to make do with In and Out gift certificates. The kids got home made "Snuggli" blankets.

Not sure what to do this year. I have hundreds of small cloth bags I made when I was selling mixes, hot chocolate and spice rubs, and even more small pieces of fabric from last year's totes. I would love to be able to do something easy with them. Although I broke my sewing machine last spring and can't afford to get it fixed yet.

Not sure what to do. The list has 35 names on it.....

What is an "In and Out" gift certificate? Was it hard for you to make the gift bags? Totes? Thats sooo cool! I can not sew except for maybe putting on a button... But thats a start right? LOL!
I want to make some hot chocolate mix, and other things for gift baskets...I also will do some cross stitch hand towels, bread basket liners,etc.
I have about 4 people I will actually buy for and the rest are all homemade.

 

[Ldychef2k]

Oh, sorry...In and Out is a really popular hamburger chain out here. I forgot not everyone knows them !

The totes were super simple. I took three 9x3" strips of coordinating fabric and sewed them to make an almost cube. Then I "framed" it with strips of a coordinating solid. Cut a back to fit. Ironed on that thin batting, made a liner of one of the three coordianting fabrics, added handles either of the solid color or purchsed woven strapping, and sewed it all together, Turned it inside, sewed in the opposite direction across the corners so that it would sit flat, and that was it.

Wish I had taken a picture !