Skirty's thread about Hen's sweater reminded me of how much I love creative gifts for Christmas, not just store bought gifts. I like to make up gift baskets with different treats like cookies (obvious one) and home-made sugared or spiced nuts. I can get nice large bags of nuts at Costco and it's economical and everyone loves them! I put the different nuts into cellophane candy bags and tie them with Christmas ribbon. I buy some items from the store, like herb teas, flaxseed chips and organic salsa. I also love to make paperwhite gardens in lined baskets or a tall vase or other unique container as long as it is waterproof. If you want them to be in bloom for Christmas, start them in water about December 5th. Keep them in a cool location, they flower in 21 days. I'd love a couple new ideas for this Christmas.
Daily Kitten Chat Forum » General Chat
TDKers Creative Christmas Gift Ideas
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One year when I didn't have a job and had to get creative with gifts, I borrowed a camera, took some pictures, and made photo albums for my mom and my grandmother. I gave my aunt a poem that I had written, and I made 'notebooks' for my mom and my sister. The notebooks had my poetry, thought sheets, drawings, and what I refer to as graffiti sheets. They were just like the notebooks I always carried around with me to do my writing in, but these all had stuff that I picked out instead of the random stuff in my personal notebooks. Everybody liked the gifts because they were getting a piece of me.
Last year, I found a bunch of old family photos and gave them to my aunt in a really nice photo album. I also give photos I have taken - I pick out the perfect frame for them. Most people love the photos too.
For my roommate, I sometimes make cds full of stuff for his computer - usually they have games, software, videos, and whatever else I think he will like. Last year, I found a bunch of free cartoons and movies and made him a 'box set.' He loved them.
Another gift idea I had for two of my friends last year was address labels. I made coca-cola address labels for my friend Jackie, and Winnie the Pooh labels for her son. Of course the labels weren't their main gift - just something to go with their gift which was a gift card to a restaurant they liked.
Posted 3 years ago by owlwatcher_974 #
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I do beadwork keychains some years with christmas theme's like snowflakes, santa, snowmen, candt canes!
Posted 3 years ago by Momma to 2 MaineCoons #
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I love all these ideas and this thread KK. I was in the same boat as Owlwatcher one year and what I did was make up a bunch of gifts and put them all in one box but they had to be opened in a certain sequence so each package had a rhyme that gave a hint as to which package they should open next. First a bottle of cheap red wine, then a package of bread sticks, then a package of spaghetti and the final one was a jar of home made spaghetti sauce.
Another time I went to a craft store and bought the makings for a picture frame. I chose the favorite color of the recipient for each frame (they were covered in fabric) and then I found a baby picture of them and put it in the frame. Everyone really enjoyed that one.
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These are awesome ideas! They give me a new outlook on Christmas gifts. I have never liked "Christmas Shopping". Believe it or not I really wasn't finding much online either. OW, your idea reminded of one I did for my Mom and her "significantwhatever". I would buy a calendar and fill in all birthdays or other important dates with pretty stickers and write with colorful sharpies. For the children I would put which birthday it was for that year, (3rd birthday or whatever) and it made it a lot easier when she bought birthday cards for so many kids. It was a very economical and useful gift. Making ceramic ornaments sounds very nice SM. Are they fired in a kiln or is there such thing as an oven-baked clay? Beaded keychains would be pretty too, I would have to find a way of gluing them somehow though. I do not know how to do beadwork. Good ideas everyone!
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The shopping I did today was for materials to make some advent calendars for my brothers.
Every year, my bedstemor makes us really fun advent calendars: little boxes that have the date on them, and each day we get to open one and there's a little surprise inside. This year, I didn't know if she'd be up to it since my Bedstefar has just recently passed away, but my brothers are still young enough to really miss the tradition. So I decided to make my own version of an advent calendar: but much simpler.
I took blister packs of gum (you know, the ones with the foil and you punch out the gum), and covered them with christmas-y looking scrapbook paper. Then, on the backs, I wrote the numbers 1-24. Each day they get a little piece of gum! It's actually a lot nicer looking than it sounds. I'll take some pictures and post them! They were so cute that I made ones for my mom and dad as well.
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These are the images of the advent calendars:
The bigger ones for my Mom and Dad are little booklets that open up to reveal the packs of gum. The smaller ones for my brothers are just the two blister packs back to back, held together with a little band of construction paper.
http://e.imagehost.org/view/0484/DSC04408.jpg
http://e.imagehost.org/view/0631/DSC04399.jpg
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I would love to do something like this for Wayne but I am so not creative...I love these ideas though. :)
Posted 3 years ago by cricketsmama #
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Skirty, those are so cute, and packaged so nicely. What a fun gift!
Posted 3 years ago by paulajeanne #
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Skirty, I grew up with advent calendars, too. My mom would pack up 24 presents for my brother and I and each morning we'd unpack something. It was never anything major - a new eraser, a lolipop, a pretty pencil, a toy car for my brother, that kind of thing. We loved it. It's nice that you're carrying on your family's traditions :)
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Thought I would bring this out for MS. I am also trying to get my Christmas gift ideas in order now because I will be too busy and too broke once school starts! I bought this years Christmas cards on sale after Christmas in January and I start addressing the envelopes in October to save time in December. It is too hectic after Thanksgiving to start thinking about Christmas gifts so if anyone has gift ideas let's hear them now, 4 months from today is Christmas Day!
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This is something that is easy to do for friends with wood burning fireplaces - I make "fire starters" with dried roses and pine cones that we find during the year. Melt whatever you have left of scented candles and dip the roses and pine cones in the wax - how ever many times you want to dip them - I usually dip about 5 to 10 times, letting them cool in between so the wax sticks better. It smells so good when you use the fireplace. The roses do better if they are still in "bud" shape, but work well even if not. Then just put them in an inexpensive basket or decorative tin and give your gift.
Posted 1 year ago by KarenCentennial #
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Thanks KKat, some great ides here. I hadn't seen this thread before.
Posted 1 year ago by Moonshadow_NZ #
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CAPPUCCINO MIX
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1 cup powdered creamer
1 cup instant chocolate drink mix
1/2 cup instant espresso granules (or 2/3 c. instant
coffee crystals)
1/2 cup sugar1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Combine all
make a serving, add 4 tablespoons of mix to
hot waater and stir well. (Makes about 3
cups dry mix, about 12 servings.)
.
..
Cappuccino Mocha Mix
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Makes 2 1/2 cups of mix (enough to 10 servings)
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6 tablespoons plus 2 tespoons instant expresso
coffee powder
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa
1 1/4 cups powdered nondairy creamer, plain or
Irish cream
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tespoons ground cinnamon
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In a medium bowl, stir together espresso coffee
powder, cocoa, nondairy creamer, sugar and cinnamon.
Store tightly covered.
.
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For a 1- cup serving:
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2 tespons instant expresso coffee powder
1tespoon unsweetened cocoa
2 tablespoons powdered nondairy creamer
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Dash cinnamon
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In a cup or plastic bag, stir together espresso
coffee powder, cocoa, nondairy creamer, sugar and
cinnamon. Store tightly covered.
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For the gift label: "For each cup of cappuccino,
measure 4 tablespoons mix into a coffee mug and stir
in 6 oz. of boiling water."HOT COCOA MIX - by Heloise (Janet's favorite mix)
(makes exactly the amount to fill 16 oz. Coffee
Mate jar, if Equal is used)
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2 c. dry milk powder
1/4 c. cocoa
1 c. powdered sugar (I use 7 1/4 t. Equal .. more is
too sweet)dash salt
2/3 c. (FatFree) Coffee Mate (recipe says 1/3 c.)
2-3 T. malted milk powder, optional1 1/2 t. espresso powder, optional
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blend until smooth in blender or food processor
(optional, but makes it easier to dissolve quickly)
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Measure 3-4 T. mix into a mug and stir in 6-8 oz.
boiling water.Posted 1 year ago by WillowandWindismom #
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i love these ideas.. i am not crafty but i think i can do some of them and they may turn out 1/2 decent !!! does anyone know when the christmas list with addresses comes out? i have to get a jump on it early.. last year i did horrible... can you believe the stores have christmas stuff out allready? yikes !!
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The fireplace starters are a great way to use up votive leftovers and it will make a nice fragrant gift as well. That sounds really pretty KarenC. WWM's Cappuccino and Cocoa's will also be a good combination with homemade vanilla extract and some vanilla sugar. I'm thinking it would be pretty in little mason jars with Christmas gift wrap on the covers and the instructions tied on with Christmas ribbon. Put them all together in a basket with some Christmas cellophane and they will make such nice gifts! Last year I got very nice baskets at the crafts store and rolls of nice wide cellophane with holly and snowflakes.
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Great ideas! Maybe as a gift I could get together the Bach flowers essences that most people use,The Rescue Remedy,Rescue Sleep and Rescue Pets. Also some ginger candy and special teas from a health food store. Arranged nicely in a little basket with frilly bows and whatnot.
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I have just made a calendar for my sister's 60th birthday. I trawled the old photos box and found lots of pictures of her as a baby and young child - one picture per month. I scanned the photos into the computer and printed out the twelve months. Then I bought a cheap photo frame and put the twelve sheets into the frame. Each month she has to open the back of the frame and get out the next sheet. She loved it, although she HATED one of the pictures I had chosen .......................
Posted 1 year ago by Pollys_Mum_in_UK_2605 #
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Bumping for Metsa.
Posted 1 year ago by KarenCentennial #
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BUMP!
Posted 1 year ago by Moonshadow_NZ #
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Cheri, wouldn't that be wonderful :) I used to knit many years ago, never could get the hang of crocheting though. My daughter started this past year along with all her office mates.
Posted 1 year ago by AZDEBRA 5/27 & crew #
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