Christmas is coming...

[ntiva]

So, I know it's only September, but I've been doing some thinking. I want to try to save some money this Christmas by making gifts for people. I'd love it if you could spam me with some ideas. So far, I've thought about handmade card/stationery sets and homemade soap. I'd like to to be something that lasts a while, rather than food or baked

Comments

[donnajean2277]

I love love love the coasters you made that one year! I use them all the time. And I still want to make some for my friends too!

Table linens? Do you sew? Oh! And that photo album you made me too! Dang! You are HANDY! I always have great intentions to make nice gifts for people, but I never get past the point of gathering ideas.

[ntiva]

Well, I already made the coasters for most of the people I want to make for this year. Evans', Vogels, Pintos, etc. But I could make those for my new playgroup friends. Those really were nice, weren't they? ;)

Table linens. Good idea! I have a sewing machine. As long as it's simple stiches, I can do it.

And photo album? I don't remember making you a photo album! LOL

[donnajean2277]

Nope, I'm pretty sure it was you. It was padded and had a brown patterned fabric with a felt angel on the cover. It was waaaay early. Most likely before you guys were married.

And I say table linens because I am currently obsessed with them. It's pretty much all I bought on our honeymoon. And really, can you ever have too many tablecloths or napkins? And they're like the easiest things in the world to sew. And then you can embellish them with little bits of embroidery. Or get patterns to make nice quilted runners or...Ok, I'll stop now ;)

[jeney]

I've found the most effective way of saving money on gifts during the holidays is to pick fights with all your friends and most of your family. Make it a good one and be sure to end it with, "don't expect anything from me this Christmas, you loser!".

[ntiva]

Helpful. As always. :P

[jeney]

soap is fun, because there's always the thrill of "will i blow up my kitchen this time?".

[ntiva]

I know! Haha. I got my books out and started remembering the fear I always had each time I made a new batch.

[violentmae]

Do you knit or crochet? If so little hand/face cloths would be nice. There's also marble magnets, or that type of thing (picture under glass, with magnet on back.) As I think of others, I'll let you know, it's a good idea!

Oh! My mom used to make my teachers herbal bath mixes. You get dried herbs, put them in a ball canning jar, then include instructions for putting them in some nylon stockings, or metal tea strainer thing, or include those things, and run under hot water. I bet you could find instructions online for this type of thing, my mom was so popular because she gave these out!

[violentmae]

Something like this! Well the bath ones.

[violentmae]

Er This. Stupid HTML.

[ntiva]

I don't knit or crochet. I want to learn how to, but that won't help me for this year. :)

I like the magnets idea.

Good idea on the herbal bath mixes, too! Thanks!

[posthaste]

OMG that's totally what inkedmama and i are doing this year too!

let's see...i'm going to give knit gifts and hopefully a couple of quilts. and i'm also thinking of doing some soap for my mom. i'm sure jaims will comment but i think she's planning on sewing pajama pants for people (dude...she made me some last year and they are *so* comfy!)

[ntiva]

If only I could knit... Maybe next year I'll be good enough to knit gifts for people.

Pajama pants! What a great idea! I wonder if it's an easy pattern.

[inkedmama]

absolutely it is. it's a simplicity pattern, i think. wait a minute... Simplicity "It's So Easy" 4429. i've made loads of the pants (even for my dads). you can use any kind of fabric & the sizing is generous for a good fit for lots of body types. i honestly think each pair takes about 1.5 hours from pattern cutting to finished pair.

for the dads, i made them matching pants & a pillow just for fun. it was cute though & they loved it. or you could sew a little matching bag just for fun & cool gift presentation.

i'm embroidering now too (way cheap to start & learn - see sublimestitching.com), and you can do tons of cheap projects. i'm making the dads placemats & napkins - well, embroidering on pre-made placemats & napkins. i'm also embroidering on kitchen towels - way cheap & cool in a retro way.

[inkedmama]

forgot to mention that the embroidering is quick too. the towels take about an hour from start to finish & they look wicked cute.

[misskerri]

I love to cross-stitch, but a decent-sized cross-stitch project will take months and months to complete (the last major project I gave as a gift took me 10 months, and I didn't have a kid back then, so I was able to devote hours at a time, plus all my lunch breaks, to stitching).

How about, for the people who have children, offering up a night of babysitting and a pair of movie tickets? The movie tickets would be fairly inexpensive, and the night of babysitting: free but priceless. :)

[ntiva]

I love cross-stiching, too. But yeah that takes a lot of time. I could do smaller ornaments or something, though.

I don't really want to do babysitting. I've got my hands full with my own, thankyouverymuch. :) I'm thinking for my playgroup friends to do something like bath salts or something like that.