Originally Posted by albertabound

I can bake ok though.

Originally Posted by mandymoochops

Seeing as things are a little tight for a lot of people this year, I thought it would be nice to start a thread about gifts that you can make yourself - I for one love these because it shows effort and thought!

So my idea is as follows, for stocking fillers for everyone. They are salt dough personalised tree decorations.

You need

Greaseproof paper
Paper clips
Paint
Yacht varnish (needs to be waterproof as the dough cannot get any moisture in it once cooked or it will go soggy)

2 cups of flour
1 cup of salt
3/4 cup of water (maybe a tiny bit more)

Mix the above together in a bowl until a dough (like a bread dough consistency) is formed.

Take a chunk off and roll it into a long sausage about 1cm in diameter.

Mold it into whatever letter of the alphabet you want!

Press a paperclip into the top of the letter so that when it is cooked, the paperclip serves as the hanger for the ornament.

Place on a sheet of greaseproof paper and cook all letters in the oven on a low heat (200) for about 6 hours or until the letters are solid.

Take out and cool, then paint, varnish and bobs your uncle.

Heres the ones I made today - some painted traditionally, others tailored to whoever they were for. I shall be going to the dollar store to buy some small gift boxes to put them in - but you don't even need to do that, wrap them in tissue paper and put a bow round the top.



Looking forward to hearing everyone elses

Originally Posted by Chookie

I do lots of knitted gifts - anything from dishcloths and socks to mittens and scarves.

Another good one if you can bake is to make some cookies or gingerbread men and package them in a pretty tin.

Another simple one is to buy those sheets of coloured beeswax at Michaels and a roll of candle wick. You lie a strip of the wick against one edge of the wax and then roll it all tightly up around the wick. Make several (you can cut the wax into smaller pieces if you want to make smaller candles) and bundle a few together and tie with a pretty ribbon. Everyone I have given them to seemed really pleased with them.

Originally Posted by Oakvillian

bleeuch - homemade tomato chutney I can cope with (actually, despite my reservations and the kids' ever-helpful "but Grandma, aren't green tomatoes poisonous?" it's pretty good) but you can keep your beetroot. We had a whole load last year, some of which went into some soup, some of which went on the tablecloth, and the stain is still there. Two-year-olds and root vegetable soup do not mix well.

Originally Posted by Oink

With all due respect to your creativity and effort, but most people don't really want a hand made gift. Just go out and get them what they want. Put your hand in your pocket and get them something like an ipod, ice skates, a bottle of malt, but not a homemade paper paper doily wind chime or pine flavoured nut crunch oatcakes.

Originally Posted by ann m

I was waiting for this kind of post - and Oink, you didn't disappoint

mandy - your dough letters are gorgeous.

Anything sweet and edible - I would say thank you very much; especially cranberry loaves with almond bark!

Anything knitted or crocheted, I probably wouldn't appreciate all your hard work

Originally Posted by ann m

I was waiting for this kind of post - and Oink, you didn't disappoint

mandy - your dough letters are gorgeous.

Anything sweet and edible - I would say thank you very much; especially cranberry loaves with almond bark!

Anything knitted or crocheted, I probably wouldn't appreciate all your hard work

Originally Posted by Oink

With all due respect to your creativity and effort, but most people don't really want a hand made gift. Just go out and get them what they want. Put your hand in your pocket and get them something like an ipod, ice skates, a bottle of malt, but not a homemade paper paper doily wind chime or pine flavoured nut crunch oatcakes.