It's time again to ask- What holiday gifts are you making this year? (2005)

**Kimberlina** · 09-13-2005, 10:28 AM

I know this question gets asked all the time, but I'm asking again.

I'm making or have already made:
~scented hot mats
~a denim quilt
~kitchen towels with crocheted tops (something I never in a million years thought I would make)
~strawberry-rhubarb jam
~apple-mint jelly
~Chipotle-lime salsa
~I embroidered the pattern Rhonda shared, but am not sure what I will turn it into yet
~hand-painted wine glasses
~beaded wine charms
~the sign post idea I posted the other day
~hot/cold packs (scented)
~calendar/ornament (12 sided "ball") w/pictures of Maggie from every month this past year
~bath salts
~sugar scrubs
~lotion
~soap (usually make my own, but saw a great idea yesterday using M&P with quotes on vellum in the center)
~embroidered pillow cases
~play dough and bean bags for DD
~grape jelly, low or no sugar for FIL

Other assorted gifts yet to be determined. DH is making a documentary about his family for them, and we are supposed to be making a video montage set to music for my family, but nobody has sent picture yet... ;(

**Darlene** · 09-13-2005, 10:42 AM

Wow, your right on the ball Kimberly, nice list!

Me, I'd like to make my dd and her fiance an afghan they can use on the couch to cuddle up in.

**pip** · 09-13-2005, 10:54 AM

Wow, you are doing great!

**cheapgeek** · 09-13-2005, 11:16 AM

I'll be making:
- a jar of cocoa mix for my brother's GF
- possibly some other homemade mix type stuff
- an herb garden kit for my brother
- probably M&M cookies, an old family tradition
- probably a random gift basket for my mom, maybe some homemade food type things, candles, notebooks... clutter-free because their house is tiny and cluttered
- Probably make my dad some kind of food item, but he's on a low sodium/potassium diet, so I'll have to run some recipes through nutrition software like www.fitday.com

**Michelle** · 09-13-2005, 11:24 AM

I'm hoping to make:

~Harry Potter lap quilts for the kids
~matching tops for Kathryn & her friend Brittany
~lounge pants for Dave (if I can ever find Incredibles fabric)
~quilted wallhanging for my brother
~sushi print cloth napkins in a fabric takeout box for my sil
~fabric bowl(s) for my mil and possibly the girls' teachers
~I'll also be making fudge, choc covered pretzels and other goodies to have on hand as hostess gifts and the like

I think that's it for me!

**sunshine** · 09-13-2005, 11:27 AM

Doing the 12 days of Christmas gifts from www.rubyglen.com for my neighbors.

Many afghans/quilts for close family

Hats/scarves/mittens for various people

baskets of homemade breads with jams and jellies (lavendar, dandelion, violet, corncob, etc.)

homemade mixes in small packets with decorated spoons for mass giving (like my coworkers, church family, etc.)

puppets and stuffed toys for the littlest ones

video tapes of family gathering for distant relatives

picture calendars for good friends and family

**MandiDawn** · 09-13-2005, 12:02 PM

I'm making cookbooks of my favorite recipies for everyone. I already have them typed out, just need to print and collate them.

**pita1213** · 09-14-2005, 11:31 AM

i've changed things a bit from what i was thinking back in august, but not much.
sister & her hubby, mom and dad and mil&fil will all get a kitchen basket. i am thinking of putting everything in a plastic colander. it will include:
crocheted dishclothsdone
crocheted hotpaddone
crocheted scrubby
some kind of kitchen gedget
squeeze bottle of dish soap
squeeze bottle of hand soap
and a food item
dsis will get brownie mix or hot cocoa
mom will get minestrone soup mix
mil will get something already made since she would never get around to using a mix

my sisters in law are each getting a household notebook. i wasn't going to do anything, but decided to make one more effort and give them something useful.

their boyfriends will both get a crocheted scarf.1 done, one to go

nephew will get some sort of toy, i haven't found anything yet that i want to get him, and probably a jug of bubble solution.

dd: crocheted ponchodone
craft box, i think

ds: new scarf and hopefully the never ending afghan will be done this year.crochected scarf done

i'll take cookies in to work and i always make goodies for us to eat that can always be made up into a gift bag for unexpected gifts.

**forestdale** · 09-14-2005, 03:23 PM

there are some great ideas here. I want to make at least some of my Christmas gifts but I haven't thought of any yet. This thread has inspired me to make a list up today. I do want to make a quilt for my DS1, if my sister comes to stay, I'll get her to show me how to do it.

I'd like to make soap too. Kimberly, is it a difficult thing to do?

**pita1213** · 09-15-2005, 05:35 PM

rhonda, melt and pour soap is really easy to do, but i haven't tried lye soap yet.
somewhere on here there are some good threads about making both types.

**AmyMCGS** · 09-15-2005, 06:50 PM

Originally posted by sunshine
Doing the 12 days of Christmas gifts from www.rubyglen.com for my neighbors. 

I did the 12 Days theme for my homebound grandma last year and she absolutely loved it.  I had a site with printable poem tags-- if I find it again I'll post a link.  It was a lot of fun.  Now I have to find something else fun for her this year!

I'm making...

photo calendars for DD's grandmas  (the easy kind-- $2.95 from Oriental Trading, just slip photos into monthly sleeves)

cookies/candy for various family members

 

And I don't know what else yet.  We've cut our list way down this year since DH will be on sick leave and we'll be on an extremely tight budget by then.

**AmyMCGS** · 09-15-2005, 06:57 PM

OK-- I'm back.

Here's the version of the 12 days that I used, complete with cute printable tags: http://www.theideadoor.com/Christmas...hristmas%20Box

(There's a PDF link for the tags.)

**Kimberlina** · 09-16-2005, 09:57 AM

Rhonda, as Pita said, the melt and pour is just well, melt and pour- very simple. The idea I saw was really witty quotes (think Dorothy Parker) printed up on vellum sheets and half the soap poured, allowed to set for a few minutes, place the vellum, then pour the rest. Easy.

Lye soap, on the other hand, can be quite tricky. It isn't so much difficult as it is just very, very exacting. If one little thing isn't right, the soap won't turn out properly. However, if you follow the formula exactly, it is usually pretty straightforward.

If you are interested in making lye soap and hav time to read, there is different information at each of the following links

http://www.teachsoap.com/recipes.html
http://www.fromnaturewithlove.com/resources/creator.asp
http://purelysoapin.com/lyechartinstruc.html
http://www.eaudrey.com/basic2.htm
http://www.tlcsoaps.com/tlcsoapcalc.htm
http://www.colebrothers.com/soap/oils.html
http://waltonfeed.com/old/soap/soap.html#set

**homesteadmamma** · 09-16-2005, 10:27 AM

Its wonderful to see so many making homemade Christmas gifts. It takes me back in time when thats what Christmas was all about, celebrating the birth of Christ and handing out homemade gifts. Everytime we read Little House on the Prairie and read about their Christmas, I'm reminded of the fun Christmas can truly be, without having to spend hundreds of dollars to try and make it fun.

I'm making:

quilts (for 4 grandkids and one for dd)
pj's for the kids and grandkids
jar mixes for the dil's
afghan for my mom

Dh is making:
wooden toys for the grandkids
something for the sil and for the boys (not sure what yet)

I may get him to make a dozen Christmas ornaments for each of the older kid's homes.

**Mamaw** · 09-16-2005, 10:13 PM

Well, I have good intentions but probably lack the follow through for this. Plus I have a new grandchild coming and will be helping at their house quite a bit so who knows. But...time permitting...I would like to make

~Jelly, several kinds to put in nice baskets as gifts
~A Steeler football "brick" to throw at the TV when your team is
not winning
~ Hooded bath towels for the babies and DGD
~ Counted cross stitch bibs for new baby
~ swaddling blankets for the new baby
~ Christmas stocking for Morgan, my DGD
~ fabric book also for Morgan
and the assorted breads, cookies and perhaps some candy.

But next year, Ah next year, I will be organized and will make counted cross stitch holiday pillows, wall hangings and quilts. Now if I could just find my follow through