Seems like we all are trying to cut back on the christmas thing and not buy so much. I would love to make things with my dd's was wondering if any of you had any good ideas. I always love getting homemade things they mean so much more and thought the grandparents might like it if came from the girls and homemade.
Christmas presents We have made a lot of food gifts. We've canned soup, chili, etc that the boys have made. We have made cookies and candy too. We made bookmarks and ornaments last year. This year the boys are going to paint designs, animals, etc. on rocks. Everyone we know has a garden of some kind and the painted rocks will be a nice decoration. Check out the library. I find lots of books with cool craft ideas there. Good luck.
Stepping stones are a neat idea- lots of people seem to be into them- and you can find easy directions online. One year I left Ashley draw lots of creations and framed them for all the family and friends. I took a black permanent marker and wrote something (individual) on the glass. The point was to replace the artwork every so often. Everyone loved them and they're still on display in several homes! (Very simple and cheap!) Have you worked with the fleece- making blankets and pillows? It's so easy- you don't have to do any sewing- just tying knots. There are so many simple creative things to do. I'm sure you'll get tons of ideas.
We are big picture people. At most craft stores you can find picture frames that can be decorated, some even drawn on - like a decorate your own frame. This year we are taking family pictures with our digital camera, printing them out, and then letting the kids decorate frames to put them in. A couple years ago my sister and I made candles.
One year I made soaps and bath salts - very easy although it can get expensive. This year I'm sewing gifts for family members. We are on an extremely tight budget and I have a lot of fabrics so it will be fairly cheap to do.
I had rather get homemade gifts. I think that is what Christmas is all about. I even love to pictures from my family. I really think Christmas is giving of you. I guess because God gave us himself (Jesus).
My kids make candy each year...chocolate covered raisins and pretzels. Also, take crushed pepermint, spread out on a baking sheet (cover with parchment paper if you use stoneware...I found this out the hard way!!!) and pour both white and regular chocolate over it, "marblizing" the chocolate as you go. When it hardens, you can break it into bite-size chunks. We get SO MANY compliments on that! We also dip pretzel rods in chocolate and add sprinkles, or the crushed pepermint, or drizzle with additional chocolate (white on dark, dark on while). Quilted potholders are also nice. Which reminds me, I need to get my girls started on them if I want them made for this Christmas!!! Fabric coasters are also easy.
If you are mailing the gifts you had better go with fabic gifts like pillows or in Family Fun magazine last year during the winter they had fleece hats kids could make. It would make a fun gift for a kid. I am sure it is still on the web site somewhere. They had a snowman, reindeer, etc. You can make hot choc. in a jar too. What about jelly and jams? A scrapbook for what the kids have done during the year with captions and art work is a very nice gift for grandparents if you live away from them or think they need to be more involved in the kids' lives. Or even cheaper How about a hand written letter with a promise to write a letter every other week (from the child) that would be good for grandparents who live far off. You could even send stationary with it for the grandparent to write back on. Even stamps if money allows for it. I have given some thought to doing a couple gift of a video store gift certificate($5), with a soft drink and a bag of microwave popcorn. That would take care of a brother and sister in law for about $7 or less.
We got a calendar one year from my niece and nephew. It had pictures of them with all of the other family members throughout it. It also had all the family birthdays and holidays typed in the dates that they belonged. It was one of the best gifts we have gotten!
Here are some of the craft sited I get ideas from: http://www.dltk-kids.com http://familyfun.go.com/arts-and-crafts/season/ http://enchantedlearning.com/crafts http://craftown.com/kids.htm http://michaels.com http://www.michaels.com http://www.joann.com/index.jhtml http://www.orientaltrading.com also here is a book you may want to check out at the library: 501 fun-to-make Family Crafts by better Homes and Gardens. this book is a really good one that gives you ideas for simple to elaborate (kind of) things to make with your kids and even gives patterns. Some of the ideas I think would be neat arepainted jars for keeping bolts, nuts, nails in. Or a simular idea for candle holders. Garlands. Plastic or glass clear ornaments that you decorate in different ways. Beaded bells. an elegant angel made with a strofoam ball and cone and coffee filters. And pop up christmas cards. Things to make not related to Christmas are: Triple-Deck bird feeder that is made with a 5,8 and 10 inch cake pan and decorative wooden dowels. A Cottage Birdhouse. Garden Plaques. Picture frames. Beaded Barretts. Cross stich Trinket box, made with plastic canvas. Also ideas on making your own wrapping paper. :razz: Also I am a big fan of the Foamies fun foam shapes (buy at Michaels or wal-mart) they have tubs of shapes you can use to make a garlands with or cute orniments. :grin: Also you can make picture-fans. You said you have lots of fabric, I have this fan frame, I used to make, I will need to find the patern but basicly you need some card board like from a cereal box cut in tear drop shapes, one large 2 smaller, and 2 smaller, and batting to cover them and fabric to cover that. you cut circles out of the large and two medium pannels, and those are your places to put pictures. you make matching pannels same sizes as the other ones, and do not pad them but cover them in fabric and they get glued on the backs of the padded ones. Then you glue all pannels in the bottom to make your fan shape. glue a large button top and a tassle if you wish. then you glue the edges of each pannel so they are stable. Add embelsihments around frame opening, and when you are glueing the backs makes sure you leave the ones for pictures open a little. I think these are hard to visualize but they are cute If interested I will get the patterns for you and send them out. I have not made them in a long time. But they are a very nice gift. You can also make them larger if you need 5 spaces for pictures.
Lorna, I really like that video store idea!!! I think my BIL and his wife would appreciate it. We have coupons to Blockbuster that's good for two movies, popcorn, and pop. That way, we got one for the whole family to watch, plus another Carl and I can watch after they get in bed.
Everyone has great ideas. We also have made cookies in a jar. Everybody thought that was a neat one. Avery measured the ingredients into the jars and then you put the lid on adding a pretty piece of material and ribbon. We also added a little card with cooking directions to the lid. We painted snowmen with snow scene on those little potpourri jars and other dishes. We painted little glass wall hangings (bought at a craft store). We have also done picture frames. Kids can decorate metal tins and put baked goods in them as gifts. You could also make liners for baskets and put baked goods in there. One last idea is to buy a packaged craft set for the kids to make. Oriental Trading and other craft stores sell sets of 12 or so. You pick the craft (easy or hard) and the child/children assemble it.
also here are two websites that I recently found, they have some really cute printables, the first one is http://alenkasprintables.com/free_printables.shtml here you can get things like gift in a jar tags, seed packet covers, tea bag covers, and juffy pop covers (if any one makes a movie basket). They also have the cutest little lunch box notes, (my kids all have a little mail box I put notes in sometimes) there are also scrapbook layouts and calendar and recipe cards. The next is: http://www.primdoodles.com/printables.asp they have gift bags, bag labels and bag toppers. (for cookies, and dry soup mixes and such).
I have made christmas tree ornaments with: salt dough, fabric, (paint) wooden shapes etc. refrigerator magnets: I just used precut wooden shapes and decorated them, but you could use bottle caps and all sorts of things. I work in a craft store, and my store owner gave me a bunch of bottle caps to use, I made ornaments, magnets, pushpins, decorated picture frames, christmas tree garland, a checker board with the caps as checkers, thats all I can remember off the top of my head. But one year I started a family scrapbook with blank page protectors at the end, the idea being that it was an "unfinished" album, and that I would add to it every year at christmas. hope that helps! elissa
You could get a lot of inspiration from teacher resource materials. The last couple years I had Tanner make ornaments for everyone. One was a snowman out of craft foam (many uses for that stuff) and the other was a green handprint that I turned into a Christmas tree-all I used was construction paper, paint, and glitter and then laminated it with clear contact paper. Here's a cute ornament idea...forgive me if I am not explaining it properly. Buy a small craft bear. I have bought mine from Wal-mart...they usually have red bows on their necks. Take the legs, arms, and head off of the body (I know, sounds gruesome, but trust me). Next, you get a round ornament bulb...I use clear or frosted (you can add glitter to the clear ones or fake snow). Take the top part off of the bulb(the part where you hang the hook). Hot glue the head onto that part. Hot glue the hands and feet where appropriate...if you haven't guessed, the bulb now becomes the bears body. If you position the legs just right you can get it to sit up. Now, stick the bulb top into the bears head. You will have to hotglue it into it so it stays, stick the wire ends into his head for extra security. Buy mini tree ornaments and hot glue them into the bears hands (I have used a present, wreath, and mini strings of lights). Hot glue some holly onto his head, and ribbon or lace around his neck. Decorate him up to your liking and then fasten a ribbon through the bulb head so it can be used as an ornament if the reciever would like to use it as such. I have gotten such awesome responses from these, and they are so cute and inexpensive to make especially if you make at least 5-6 of them at a time.
I had even thought more about the stationary I had mentioned and the kids could make the stationary instead of buy some for the grandparents too. Just use plain computer paper and makers, stickers, crayons, etc.
you could put together a little desk basket, let the kids save little cans, (I keep meaning to save the crystal light canister for the kids to make pencil holders) let them make a small calandar with family birthdays, (or at the $1 store find the purse size one) let them make a little box for paper clips, tacks, stamps etc.. note size paper (check out one of the sites I mentioned above) and larger stationary. Include a fancied up stick pen (use clay to make a candy cane twist or pom poms to make a furry animal--use hot glue. I even saw once where you get that really really sticky double sided tape, put on pen and roll in seed beads. You can also customize large paper clips.
