Lat minute Christmas gifts to make-- please post yours!

**sunshine** · 12-19-2005, 09:52 PM

Fleece scarves--- I got the fleece in the rement bins at Walmart and
JoAnns. I cut it across from selvage to selvage- making the scarves
60" long. I cut them 12 inches wide.

I added some ribbon trims, and yarn fringe that I had in my scrap
bins. Voila! Easy, elegant gifts in a matter of minutes!

I made up dip mixes (ranch, bacon, etc.)-- wrapped them in aluminum
foil, them place the packet in the bowl portion of a plastic spoon. I
wrapped the bowl part of the spoon with colored Saran Wrap, and tied
with curling, metalic ribbon.

Very easy, cheap - but nice gift. I added tags that explain how to mix the dips.

Root Beer Reindeer

Here's what you need:

six pack of IBC root beer (in the brown glass bottles).

brown pipe cleaners (antlers)

small red pom-poms (Rudolph's nose)

green felt (scarf)

googly eyes (not sure what these are called, but they're the little
black and white eyes that you can glue on)

Okay, for one bottle, you need 3 pipecleaners....one of them cut in
half. Take the smaller pieces and twist one onto each of the longer
ones, forming 2 3-prong antlers. You attach them just under the
bottle cap, simply by twisting them on. Then you glue the eyes and
nose on the bottle neck. Finally, cut a piece of felt into a strip
to form a scarf. You can make "fringe" on the ends by cutting. Tie
on the scarf, and you're done Smile

We gave these as teacher's gifts last year. You could give 1 bottle,
or you could do a 6-pack.....for the six pack I would do 5 brown pom-
pom noses and 1 red one for Rudolph Smile

Purchase inexpensive kitchen towels, and attach this:

The Ordinary Towel
At first glance, one looks at a kitchen towel and thinks, "Wow, a
towel... I needed a new one. The old ones are getting stained and
worn." But have we ever stopped to think that for years, even
thousands of years, the towel has not just been used in the kitchen,
but for a variety of reasons? Take example the mother who wipes the
tears of a child to soothe the physical and emotional hurt, the
physician who binds the wound of a bleeding patient, the woman in her
home, wiping her hands as she moves from task to task, the weary
traveler who wipes his sweated brow. Some other examples would be the
manager of a boxer who "throws in the towel" to save the life of his
protÃ©gÃ© or the young man wiping the grease off his hands as he fixes
his old jalopy. Notwithstanding all of the above examples, perhaps the
most significant use of the towel was about two thousand years ago
when our loving Brother took an ordinary towel in his hands and dried
the feet of the disciples only hours before his crucifixion. Sure, the
towel is a handy item with a myriad of uses, but it also has deep
symbolic meaning when seen in the hands of the Savior doing a work of
kindness for His fellow men. So take this towel, knowing it is given
with love, and do works of goodness with it, as the Savior worked
goodness with His so many years ago. With love,

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* Bread *

Just a humble loaf of bread,
But 'twas once a bowl of paste,
Which, if I left in that condition
Would have surely gone to waste.

But, when kneaded, it was changed
Into something good to eat.
By some kind and loving hands
And an interval of heat.

We, like that loaf of bread,
Must be "needed" to become
What the Lord desires of us
Ere we return back home.

But we cannot "Need ourselves"
We must all serve one another
With kind and loving hands,
Just like our elder Brother,

So that when we are subjected
To that interval of heat,
We'll be like the loaf of bread;
Warm and smooth, and smelling sweet.
- unknown

And some bread recipes too!

Poppy Seed Bread
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup butter or margarine
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
3 cups flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. salt
Preheat 350 degree oven. Combine sugar, butter, eggs, and extracts. Mix
on medium speed, scrape bowl often until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.
Add remaining ingredients. Beat 1-2 minutes more until mixed. Pour into
bundt or tube pan. Bake 50-65 minutes until done. Cool 10 minutes.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Slice into medium thin pieces and place on
serving plate for guests.
~*~
Pistachio Bread
1 yellow cake mix
1 box instant pistachio pudding
1/4 cup oil
1/2 pint sour cream
4 eggs
1/4 cup water
Mix all ingredients with a mixer until blended. In another bowl mix
these ingredients:
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup crushed walnuts or pecans
1 tsp. cinnamon
Great Breads
This makes two loaves. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter pans. Start
with a layer of the bread mixture, then sprinkle on the nut mixture,
another layer of bread mixture, and at the end sprinkle the top with the
nut mixture and marble it all with a knife through the batter. This does
not have to be exact as far as the layers as long as you distribute it
in both loaves and then marble. Bake for one hour; or when toothpick
comes clean.
~*~
Coconut Bread
1/4 lb. butter or margarine
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. coconut extract
8 oz. sour cream
1 cup coconut
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
Cream together butter and sugar. Beat in eggs and extract. Mix in sour
cream. Add coconut and mix well. Stir flour, baking powder, and baking
soda together. Add to batter, mix well. Put batter into lightly greased
loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes until done.
~*~
Milk and Honey Bread
1/2 cup honey
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons melted butter
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
3/4 cup chopped pecans
1 egg, beaten
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter loaf pan. In medium saucepan,
combine 1/2 cup honey and milk, Stir over medium heat until honey
dissolves. Stir in melted butter. Set aside to cool. Sift flour, sugar,
baking powder and salt into large mixer bowl. Add pecans and toss to
coat. Set aside. Whisk egg into cooled milk mixture. Add to flour
mixture. Beat at medium speed just until blended. Pour into pan and
smooth top. Bake for 65-75 minutes until toothpick comes clean from
center. Cool on rack 10 minutes, Remove and cool again on rack.
~*~
Applesauce Date-nut Bread
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup chopped dates or raisins
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup applesauce
3 tablespoons oil
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
In large bowl, mix nuts, dates, baking soda, salt, applesauce and oil,
and let stand 20 minutes. Add the flour, sugar, eggs and vanilla and mix
well after it rests. Pour batter into sprayed 9x5 loaf pan, and bake 1
hour or until knife comes clean. Cool 10 minutes and remove. Make 1
loaf.
7 grams fat, 17 milligrams cholesterol.
~*~
Herb Bread
1 1/3 c. water
3 Tbsp. dry milk
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. sugar
3 Tbsp. shortening
3 3/4 c. white bread flour
1 1/2 tsp. each dried basil, oregano and thyme 2 tsp. yeast
Measure ingredients into pan in order given for your bread machine
instructions. Put on the 2 pound setting.
~*~
Cheese and Chive Bread
Makes 1-1/2 pound loaf
2/3 cup (5-1/2 ounces) water
2 tablespoons oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese 2 large eggs
3 1/2 cups bread flour
1/4 cup powdered milk
2 tablespoons dried chives or 1/4 cup fresh snipped 1/2 teaspoons salt
2-1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
Put all the ingredients in the inner pan in the order your machine calls
for. Select 1 1/2 pound setting.

Flower Pot Gift

Here's a little pot
in which to plant a flower
For now, enjoy the candy
(I hope it's not too sour)

When the candy's gone
put some soil in the pot.
Then you add some water
be careful, not a lot!

Put a plant into the soil
or some seeds, just 2 or 3
And when you look this way,
you'll always think of me!

Paint a small flower crock, fill it with sour candy. Anchor a plant poke
with a pkg of seeds (Forget-Me-Nots or Daisies, etc) and attach the above
poem. Tie a pretty wire-edged ribbon or sweet country-type raffia bow
around the pot.

http://www.allfreecrafts.com/christm...-snowman.shtml

Wash cloth snowman-- cute!

Rice Heating pads

http://www.allfreecrafts.com/christm...-snowman.shtml

Wash cloth snowman-- cute!

French Memory Board

http://organizedchristmas.com/article83.html

**YankeeMom** · 12-20-2005, 08:26 AM

I usually whip up a few crocheted or knitted cotton dishcloths, throw in a loaf of sweetbread, and maybe some homemade apple butter in $1 store baskets to have on hand for unexpected gift giving

**Pepper** · 12-20-2005, 12:55 PM

I love these quickies!

I loved the Ordinary Towels....I will definitely be using that one!!

I also have a premade stock of crocheted dishclothes, scarves, etc to make up a quick basket!!

**Mom23boys** · 12-20-2005, 02:45 PM

Thanks for posting these quick ideas! I like the dishtowel saying too. I packaged some Christmas dishtowels for DH's gradnmother. I should have included that saying. I will have to print that out and put it in my Christmas box for next year.

I forgot about making bread. I need to get going on that. I want to make at least 3 loaves for different gifts.

**Missy** · 12-20-2005, 02:50 PM

love these ideas!

**pkellyc** · 12-21-2005, 09:33 PM

I bought some nice apple spice scented liquid hand soap in a pump bottle and the matching hand lotion in a pump bottle. To go with this, a couple of nice white hand towels.

I am thinking that if you wanted to save some money on this you could look for a couple of glass pump bottles in the dollar store and fill them with what ever kind of dish soap and lotion that you choose. I just liked the smell and look of the (red) apple spice with the white towels. It is also a gift that everyone can use.

**guest32** · 12-21-2005, 10:05 PM

My new favorite last minute gift are the marble magnets

I can't remember if it was posted here or on another site I visit, but I got the idea from notmartha.com. Great ideas there. These are so quick and easy and can be made to match anyone's interests. You just use those flat clear marbles found in the floral section of the craft store....cut little pictures from magazines/catalogs and put a round 5/8" magnet on the back. Also, at Joanns they have the bigger 1 1/2" flat marbles...they work really well for photos and larger images. I did this for a MOPS craft too...everyone loved it. You can make about 40 magnets for under 10.00. And 8 little ones fit into an Altoids tin for a nice stocking/basket stuffer.