Homemade Christmas Gift Ideas

Pocket Pack Baking Kits

Approximate Time: 10 minutes

Supplies

• 1 Christmas dish towel (linen is best)
• 1 cookie (or cake) mix
• cookie cutter or foil star cupcake pans
• wooden spoon or rubber spatula
• yarn or ribbon
• sprinkles
• writing gel

Instructions For Cookie Kit

1. Using a dish towel with a design similar to the one shown, open towel and place cookie mix on the inside.
2. Fold bottom two-thirds up over mix to meet Rudolph's head to make pocket.
3. Fold excess neatly and secure along edge of pocket. Tie in Back.
4. Tie yarn to top of kit around "antlers."
5. Place cookie cutter, spoon, sprinkles, etc. in pocket.

Instructions For Cupcake Kit

1. Remove cake mix from box. (Cut instructions from back of box and include in kit).
2. Tape foil pans to back of cake mix bag, leaving top of cake mix bag free.
3. Place inside dish towel.
4. Fold bottom two-thirds up to snowman's middle to form pocket. Secure with yarn and tie in back.
5. Tie yarn around snowman's neck. Finish with bow.
6. Place spatula, writing gel, and sprinkles in pockets.
7. This project would also work well with a Santa applique on the towel and a brownie mix could be used in place of the cake mix.

By Cindy from Waynesburg, PA

Santa Soap

Time to Make: 10 minutes
Cost: About $3.

Materials:

• 1 bottle bubble bath, spray foam, shower gel, or liquid hand soap
• 1 red hand towel or wash cloth (single hand towels in red are easier to find)
• 1 white bath mesh sponge
• 3 rubber bands, red is best
• ribbon scraps for trim and tag
• 1 red pom pom
• 1 scrap red card stock
• black marker, tape, tacky glue

Instructions:

1. Attach mesh sponge to front of bottle, about half way down, with rubber band as shown for Santa's "beard."
2. For his hat, fold hand towel in half and wrap around top of bottle, placing the fringe at the top and leaving about 3 inches below for Santa's face. Secure to bottle with second rubber band as shown in photo.
3. Gather fringe and secure with third rubber band.
4. Draw eyes on bottle and attach pom pom for nose with tacky glue.
5. Attach wide ribbon to cover rubber band on bottom of hat with masking tape.
6. Cut out a gift tag and punch a whole in the top. Write: "North Pole Brand Santa Soap".
7. Tie thin ribbon over rubber band on top of hat, leaving 4-inch tails. Attach tag and tie a bow.

By Cindy from Waynesburg, PA

Christmas Book

Materials and Equipment:

• a large garbage bag or several sheets of newspaper
• craft glue
• glue spreader or foam brush (choose a larger size if making a larger book)
• a lid from a used plastic container (such as a yogurt container)
• ribbon
• a blank canvas-covered book (available at craft or art supply centers)
• several pieces of decorative paper (slightly larger than the cover of your book)
• a piece of corrugated cardboard (slightly larger than the cover of your book)
• a beautiful Christmas card or embellished placard (smaller than the size of your book)
• a ruler or straight edge
• scissors or Xacto knife cutting tool
• a thick piece of cardboard or plywood as a cutting surface

Instructions:

1. Before you start, clear the table and cover it with newspaper or a large garbage bag to avoid getting glue on the table.
2. Place all your supplies on the table in front of you. The first step in this project is to decorate the cover of the book. Before cutting your papers, layer them over the cover to get a sense of which papers you want to use in your cover design. I like to place corrugated cardboard on the cover first to provide a backdrop with three-dimensional visual interest. Next, I layer one or two other lighter pieces of patterned paper over the cardboard. Then I add an embellished placard from a craft store or a pretty Christmas card I received last year and couldn't bear to throw away. (Refer to photo.)
3. Once you have decided on your design, cut the paper and cardboard (if you are using it) to the sizes you need.
4. Pour a small puddle of glue onto the plastic container lid.
5. Spread a thin layer of glue on the back of the piece of paper that will be undermost in your design. Press the paper firmly over the cover of the book, smoothing out any wrinkles as you go. Allow this layer to dry completely.
6. Repeat step five for each piece of paper you have incorporated into your design.
7. Glue or stick on the embellishment of your choice. Allow to dry.
8. Repeat your paper design on the back of the book or simply glue on a sheet of paper that matches one that you used on the front. Allow to dry. You can also opt to leave the back uncovered.
9. Tie a festive ribbon around the book and start scribbling that holiday gift list!

By Christine Weber

Christmas Gifts from My Kitchen

Homemade Christmas Gifts

My Frugal Life - Homemade Christmas Gifts

What do you buy the people who have everything? I knitted afghans for everyone, one year. Another year, I made homemade throw pillows. I always include a homemade Christmas tree decoration.

Another gift I do for my parents and did for the siblings and their spouses a couple of years, was go to the grocery store, buy 5 or 6 small packages of different cheeses I know they like and different crackers and turkey kielbasa. They loved it.

This year, I've knitted each recipient 4 dishcloths, and am in the process of finishing four kitchen handtowels that attach to the oven handle for each. I'll include dish soap, dishwasher soap also for the sister and a few other goodies as well as the homemade Christmas tree decoration. One year, my sister went to the dollar store, got a pair of hand towels for everyone and knitted fancy edging and sewed on. Beautiful!

It's not the amount of money, it's the love behind it. Remember Jesus is the reason for the season.

Tanya from Oshawa, ON

Do you have a frugal story to share with the ThriftyFun community? Submit your essay here: http://www.thriftyfun.com/post_myfrugallife.ldml

Start Holiday Crafts Now

By Carol from Massachusetts

Homemade Gifts Bring Greater Appreciation

Homemade Gift Ideas and Packaging

Inexpensive Gifts for Friends

Materials:

• plain glass ball ornament from craft store: 50 cents each. (I bought 32, so $16.)
• 2 large bags of potpourri in a pretty color (mine were shades of rose): $4.97 for two at Wal Mart
• glue gun and glue sticks ($3.00 for glue gun and 1.00 for five sticks at Joann Craft store)
• three spools of narrow ribbon in colors to compliment potpourri (about $1.50 total at Wal Mart)
• 4 yards of narrow ecru lace at Joann ($1.00 on spool)
• small paper flowers in shades to compliment potpourri (mine were pink and off white)
  They come about eight to a small card at Wal Mart for 77 cents a card in the craft dept. Total for these: about $4.
• length of narrow decorative pearl edging, found at Wal-mart in craft dept.
  Three yards at 28 cents a yard, so $1 total.

So, for under $33, enough to make 32 ornaments.

Instructions:

1. Take top off the glass ball and cut the hanging string off. Replace string with ribbon to hang ornament.
2. Fill glass ball to top with potpourri. I cut the larger pieces of potpourri with scissors. Cut or tear them unevenly for a natural look.
3. Place a narrow band of glue on top of ornament and replace top.
4. Glue lace around the top. I overlapped it a bit to make it look ruffled.
5. Glue a small length of the pearls or some ribbon all around the top over the lace (along the top of the lace).
6. Glue some paper flowers on top as well, arranging as desired.

These are easy, but require some time. The finished product is elegant and expensive looking.

To wrap mine, I bought white tissue paper for 97 cents at Wal Mart and gold curling ribbon for 97 cents. I will wrap them in the paper, tie with a ribbon, and place in Kraft style bags with Christmas motifs bought for cents each at Wal Mart. I will give each person two.

Once they are in the bags, I will punch the tops with a hole punch and thread some curling ribbon through. I will finish with gold-edge gift tags attached to the front (40 for 1.97 at Wal Mart) Total for wrapping: about $4

So, there it is. I hope this helps someone. These are an elegant, thoughtful gift.

Kateb from CT

Fleece Blankets for the Winter

Fleece doesn't ravel, so you need only get the store to cut all 4 sides straight. You can cut the sides for fringe or sew designs on if desired. For fringe, just cut 1 inch wide as long a length desired all the way around and that's all.

This is a good gift as well as useful in your home. And if you live in a very cold climate, put 1 or 2 in the car in case of problems that might cause you to be stranded with no working heater.

Wash in cold water, alone or only with other fleece to prevent early pilling and use only powder detergent. Never put an iron on it, it will melt and leave a mess on the iron.

By Jeane in TX

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Making Dinners for Busy People

By Theresa

Cookie Cutter Poem and Gift