Crafty Christmas

I really enjoy this blog. She basically is a "best of" where she gives you links of craty things. Lots of great ideas!
http://thirtyhandmadedays.blogspot.com/
here is a link for the Christmas section
http://thirtyhandmadedays.blogspot.com/2008/07/day-19with...
And a link for the gifts Kids can make
http://thirtyhandmadedays.blogspot.com/2007/11/getting-cr...

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This site has an abundance of holiday craft ideas and handmade gifts. There are some very creative ideas, and they all seem pretty simple.

http://www.skiptomylou.org/handmade-gift-ideas/

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Here are 2 things I"m doing this year:

From the dollar tree: purchase baby oil and those plastic holiday themed containers...get brown sugar from Walmart (the kind that has big granuals sp.)...HOMEMADE SUGAR SCRUB...add around 2 cups brown sugar, 1/2 bottle of oil into container..leaves skin silky and smooth (this takes 2 mins to make)

Picture Blocks: get wooden blocks (approx 4 inches, my hubby is going to cut them for me for a 2x4)..paint blocks (I'm doing black)....take pics (copy black and white)...spray an adhesive onto block mount pic and spray a varnish all over... (this takes around 15 mins to make plus time for the paint and varnish to dry) here's the link:

http://www.etsy.com/view_transaction.php?transaction_id=8...

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There is a website that provides all sorts of things to do with children. A lot is based on food, but they do crafts and activities, also. It's 'Family Fun Recipe News' and the website is: ____@____.com

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Have I got a web site for you!!!! Visit my website, let me know what you think by e-mail leave me a phone number and i can get in touch with you. Oh my, I am an Enabler from way back. www.jaynuts.journey.myctmh.com Take a look ...

I have a catalog that has tons of ideas for small quick books, recipe swaps, cards, scrapbooking, calendars, clocks, personalized note cards, you name it, it's endless!!! I look forward to hearing from you T.!
J.

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Hi T., last year I asked everyone in mine and my husbands family, kids included, for their favorite recipe. It could be something they cook or something that somebody else cooks for them. I put them all together with some cool Christmas graphics on each page and printed them. I then took them to the local print shop and had each one bound with a plastic spiral for about $4 each. I gave each family one to share and each teenager one to keep for when they move out. I also have one printed for each of my kids to take when they leave home. Everyone loved the cookbook and still talks about what a cool gift it is.

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I just bought the Martha Stewart holiday magazine at Whole Foods last night, and it has a ton of little crafty gifts that you can make for family/friends. Check it out. It looks to have some great ideas!

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What I am doing for family members this year (I did it last year also) is doing photo calendars. I buy the calendars from Lillian Vernon they have each month decorated for that month. Then you add your pictures to the calendar for each month. It does take time and work to get the pictures organized (especially if you do a bunch of them like me!). However, family members love it! In addition, they have more pictures of your family that they can take out of the calendar afterwards and add to their picture collection. They get to see pictures of you each month. Lillian Vernon does have a online catalog and you can receive their catalog by mail also.

We also did a table centerpiece and gave that to family members. It was a fall centerpiece where they could put flowers in. We got the idea/directions from Southern Living Magazine. You might check in Southern Living. I know Family Fun magazine has lots of crafty things for kids/families to do. You might check Family Fun magazine.

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I don't know about crafty but I'm a photographer and my fave gist to give to our families are matted & framed photos of our kiddos, bound story books are also sooo inexpensive now and are great for fam members who live out of state/town; I do this for mine & my hubbies grandmother so they can feel a part of the whole year and each season w/our 2 kids. And i have to say each year a HUGE part of my clients orders around the Holidays are ordering additional prints for Christmas gifts for family members. It's a timeless,thoughtful gift and the recipient will DEFINITELY love love love it!! We also love having our 4 yr old son make ornaments and I tie these onto the outside of the wrapped gift we give. HTH!!!

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I love www.instructables.com. Some of the ideas are very tech-y, but there are plenty of low-tech projects with good photos and step-by-step instructions. I've made a fleece lap robe with a handsleeve for a friend who was going through chemo, and I've made fleece hats for my daughter and her friends. The instructions and photos made it easy to understand how to do each project.

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Try brightideas.com, Martha Stewart's website. I have a tradiditon of baking cookies every year. I started it when we didn't have a lot of money for Christmas presents. I baked all kinds of cookies a bought plastic christmas bins for them and gave them as gifts. The next year we had some money so I didn't do it, all of my family asked where their cookies were, so I do it every year now! I look forward to it, and last year I bought colored lunch bags and let my boys decorate them with christmas stickers. It was a lot of fun! One year I made potpurri jars out of mason jars. You fill them with potpurri and cover the top of the jar with tulle, leave the seal off, and put the lid on it. You can add a small strand of white lights and when you plug it in it warms it up just enough to help the smell linger more. You can also get recipes online for homade cookie jars. Those are alot of fun, and don't have to be eaten right away. You can even make homemade hot chocolate and add a coffee mug with it. Just some thoughts. I could go on and on. Good luck. I've found if it comes from the heart, it is loved and appreciated more. Merr Christmas!

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I have received and enjoyed food items - loaves of holiday bread (e.g. pumpkin bread, pumpkin rolled log with cream cheese frosting or baskets of cookies). Also, you can make food items in a jar, that the recipient then bakes themselves. For example, Sand Art Brownies:
1/3 cup cocoa
2/3 cup white sugar
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup vanilla chips
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 cup plu 2 tablespoons flour
2/3 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (enough to fill up jar)

(1 tsp. vanilla, 3 large eggs, 1/2 cup vegetable oil)

Using a spoon, layer the dry ingredients in a quart jar, adding in the order listed. Tap jar slightly after each addition to settle ingredients. Attach the following instructions to jar:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix contents of jar with 1 tsp. vanilla, 3 large eggs, and 1/2 cup vegetable ooil. Put mixutre in greased 9x9 pan. Bake for 25-35 minutes. If using glass or enamel pan, bake at 325.

You can make a decorative holiday covering for the jar lid. There are different types of these foods in a jar that you can make.

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www.originalworks.com Our support group did this for a fundraiser...it was really cool!

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Hello,
we do this every year around christmas. We have made Christmas wreaths to ornimates and so forth.This year we are going to make Shadow box picture frames. my mother has every trinket imaginable, she has bought boxes full of them at auctions and garage sales for hardly nothing. We just hot glue on as many trinkets as you like(depending on the person and what reminds you of them. they are very beautiful and easy to make, Gardenridge and hobby lobby sell the frames they vary in price from 4.99 to 20.00 each we always choose the one's for 7.99 to 9.99.

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My favorite website for crafts/decorations/ party themes/cakes ideas has always been www.familyfun.com I also subscribe to their magazine and pore over every page! Good luck and have fun creating!

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Wow, you've gotten lots of advice! I'll be brief since you've read alot already :)
www.allrecipes.com for all cooking needs - cookies, dry mix gifts, etc.
www.betterbudgeting.com has great homemade, inexpensive ideas including homemade craft supplies
Local Library - the simply handmade series of craft books (by better homes and gardens I think) are awesome. They will also have lots of others as well as issues of all the magazines recommended to you so far by others.
Hope this helps!
Merry Christmas!!

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T.,
I will prob. spell everything wrong so bare with me. Here is an idea i have done before and plan on starting again. I make Christmas wreath and give them out as gifts. You can get the straw wreaths and some fabric scraps (Christmas kind). All you need is a screw driver. place fabric on tip of screw driver and push into the wreath. do this all over the wreath, Front, sides, middle. leave back un touched. you can add bells with a glue gun or other decorations between the fabric. Kids love making these because they are easy to make. Also you can get stryofom balls, or other shapes, tiny glass beads, sequience's and pin needles to hold all in place. just put the needle in what you want to stick to the ball and continue all over. Take some small ribbon to make a hanger and there you have it. a decoration they will cherrish for every. These are kid friendly. I have many more ideas, I used to teach kids craft classes and also use to teach adults. hope this helps.

Have you been to Quiggly's Clay House in Richardson? They have awesome Christmas gift ideas.

One year, I blew out eggs, hand painted them and turned them into ornaments. It was a lot of fun and everyone loved them.

This is a great web site with a lot of good ideas. I do not buy the products all the time; I look at the pictures and get ideas.
www.orientaltrading.com

Check Crayola and websites of parenting magazines. Also look at Wal-Mart, they have craft and Christmas ornament kits that can be made by your children.

www.marthastewart.com

attend the local arts/crafts shows.

This week I got a notice from JoAnn's fabrics that they were offering classes on Christmas crafts. I can't remember when as I deleted the email. But try their website.

D.

Pictures is a great way to go. i have gotten several pics taken of the kids at walmart($4.99-$799 special) and i am going to go to the dollar tree and get frames(they have all kinds different colors shapes they have one for family ie i love grandma daddy angel best friends ect.) and i am going to put their pictures in the different frames in give them as gifts. you can also get photo albums cheap at the dollar tree and just fill it with pictures of the kids kinda like a mini scrap book let the kids help. you can also get wood framed picture frames and have the kids paint them or put little sticky jewls on them. one time i used the nail jewl they have them at the dollar store and they stick real good. you can also make orniments get clrear balls and you can decorate the out side with paint or glitter or you can put a small amount of paint in side roll it around untill it is coated how you like then you can put a picture inside it or u can not paint the inside now to get the picture in it you need to use a wallet size and roll it up so the picture is showing on the out side so when you put it in and the picture unrolls the picture will be showing out ward. or you can find a different way. good luck and have fun