Is anyone making something for Christmas gifts?

[dixie]

Last year a made Crosses out of 22 gage wire from Home Depot. Then added jeweled beads from Hobby Lobby. They turned out good.

So I am looking for other ideas to make for people!

Thanks for any info!

 

[geoand]

Yes, we are making calendars using an online service and all the photos will be supplied by us.

 

[sfwilshire]

My husband did this every year until he tired of thinking of new things. Not sure I can remember them all, but here are a few:

Windchimes from scraps of stained glass

Bible boxes from wood scraps

Stepping stones from concrete with designs made of glass

M&M dispensers

Angels from stained glass

Wooden teddy bear ornaments with hearts in their hands

Framed quilt squares

I'll add more as they come to mind.

Sheila

 

[falmouth3]

I usually make several varieties of candy. This year I'm thinking of making deluxe caramel apples. My sister bought some for us from a mail order place a couple of years ago and they were delicious. I think my problem will be finding jumbo apples.

 

[Liz Wolf-Spada]

I'd like to know more about the photo calendars.
Liz

 

[LUVourMarriotts]

My wife usually creates a photo calendar for her mom. She puts pictures of different family members based on birthdays, anniversaries, etc.

She does this very easily by using Snapfish. We have thousands of pictures on snapfish.

 

[jlr10]

For my co-workers I am making card organizers - A monthly organizer which permit people to sort their greeting cards by month and note the dates of approaching birthdays and anniversaries. I am also giving a small set of handmade cards to use in the organizer. I will also give them a small sampling of my Christmas cookies. I started the organizers and cards this summer and am half done.

For my nieces and my sister I plan on making a CD holder/small photo album out of chipboard and cardstock paper. Then I plan to place prints of the family photos that I 'borrowed' from my mother's attic when I visited her 24 years ago in the album. (They were sitting in a box and she still hasn't noticed they have been vacationing in California for almost a quarter of a century ) I will also place a CD of the pictures in the back of the albums. There are pictures of my great grandparents, grandparents (including their high school graduation pictures) our parents high school pictures, a wedding picture of my mother, pictures of the siblings as we were growing up. I plan to end it with my niece's high school and college graduation pictures. With the exception of my nieces graduation pictures most of the pictures are ones that my sister has not seen. So hopefully she will like it and my nieces will appreciate a slice of history from their mother's side of the family.

 

[Victoria]

I craft a piece of the nativity for each of our ten grand children. This year is a shepherd - piece number five in the set. I think I can spread it out to about twenty pieces. They know that when they receive the star, the set will be complete.

 

[Diane]

Oil paintings, some landscape and wildlife, mostly flowers. The problem is knowing who would like what and that when I am ready to part with one I think no one else would want it. Sometimes I do them with a specific person or place in their house in mind. That makes it easier.

Diane

 

[Denise]

Presents for the Deceased

I buy undecorated Christmas wreaths from Sam's Club, decorate/personalize for the family member and place them on the graves in early December. We used to hand make wreaths and grave mounds but given the cost of the materials (trees) and the time it took us to make them.....

 

[maggie]

I make fudge -- fantasy fudge with marshmallow creme and a lot of pecans. I also make cookies and give a plateful with an assortment of cookies that people can serve to guests if they want. Yeah, it's all very fattening but people seem to love it. Another fattening idea is to give a homemade cheesecake. I went to a dinner once where the hostess served a wonderful marbled chocolate cheesecake that had been a gift to her. She was very pleased to get something like that and so were her dinner guests. Another person always made a Christmas wreath-shaped coffeecake for each of her friends. She decorated it with holly leaves, etc. I always looked forward to it. It was beautiful and tasted great too. A lot of people seem to like food items because they can be shared with guests and because they can be eaten up and you don't have to find a place to put it.

 

[geoand]

I'd like to know more about the photo calendars.
Liz

We use Shutterfly. DW did the research and thought that their calendars were large enough to handle our photos (we wanted large photo above month). When the sale on calendars is announced we load our photos from her mac into the calendars. She then adds comments etc. Calendars can be previewed before final order. In the past, we have received the calendars within a week of ordering and if memory serves correctly each is placed in a large zip lock type bag by Shutterfly. We just ordered 20 calendars last night with 6 different sets of pics on the calendars.

 

[Debbyd57]

I plan to make soap for my co-workers as there are close to 30 and I cannot afford to buy for everyone. Debby

 

[Mel]

FIL gets homemade shortbread cookies every year, sometimes corn chowder. My mother and MIL get handmade photo ornaments every couple of years (square glass ornaments with the pictures glued inside and decorated with tissue paper).

 

[Passepartout]

I am trying to make some money so I can afford the usual gift cards I pass around.

Jim Ricks

 

[Dori]

I make homemade chocolates, both flat and filled, as gifts. I put them in fancy holiday tins or on pretty serving plates. I also make freezer jam. I often give this as a hostess gift for friends who don't do a lot of cooking/baking. One year, everyone got crocheted afghans, but that was too much work!

Dori

 

[summervaca]

Egads!! You are all frightening me I could never be so organized! I have to admit, I am very impressed.

 

[RDB]

We are up here in Michigan for two months to do remodeling on sister-in-law's house.
Along with various other things, I 'm rigging up 35' of water line through the kitchen cabinets, behind the dishwasher and range to the refridg ice maker. I'm attempting to do so a bit at a time without her knowing. Surprise!... when she finds no ice cube trays. Merry Christmas!

 

[summervaca]

RDB,

The funny thing is...that is exactly the type of thing I would love for Christmas!

 

[labguides]

My DH plans to make wooden puzzles for grandkids.. using a photo of the two of us.

I plan to use Shutterfly to make photo books for two young grandsons, who love to see pix of themselves.

I will make a quilt wallhanging of a salmon for friend who fishes in AK every summer.

My DH would like to make cribbage boards for our "kids", but I am willing to bet he doesn't get that done this year.

 

[sfwilshire]

RDB,

The funny thing is...that is exactly the type of thing I would love for Christmas!

Me too! I usually suggest something from the honey-do list that hasn't happened and ask for it as a gift. Last year, it didn't work too well. Most years it's pretty successful.

Sheila

 

[Holly in South Jersey]

I'm a quilter, so someone usually gets a quilt for Christmas. It can range from wallhanging to king sized, depending on who and what mood I'm in that fall.

One year all the teenage boys got denim and flannel quilts made from old flannel shirts and jeans- they still rave about them.

Holly

 

[luvsvacation22]

We are also making calendars through Kodak online. They are great and everyone loves them! We supply the pictures and they do the rest. My husband's 94 year old grandmother does not quite understand how we supply the pictures and Kodak makes the calendar, but she thinks I am very talented for making the calendar. Even though we explain it, she just thinks I am the best and most creative person! Thanks Kodak!
I also make cakes, cookies, brownies, and toffee for gifts! If I have time I may sew some things too! Of course I also purchase many gifts too! I can also make a great tamale that I learned from a great cookbook! I give those away too! I take my huge chaffing dish to my son's high school and make lunch for the teachers. I have had some teachers and parents run out after me in the parking lot because they had not had a chance to get some of my tamales! It is a lot of work, but well worth blessing the people in my life.

Dorene

 

[suesam]

Dorene,
I was wondering if you would share that tamale recipe. I know a lot of people who would like that as a gift!!

sue