Easy or homemade gift ideas for the kids
I am not gonna make this fancy or anything, just a quick page to get some ideas from other mommies up here to share. If you have any ideas for me to add please email me. Thanks seamour
Handprint/footprint shirt
I have done tshirts with handprints on them (use fabric paint, get help if you have real little ones to help hold them and lock up the dog before hand!). Then you put Worlds/States/whatever's Best Dad/Grandpa etc HANDS DOWN. Another cute one is have the kids walk in paint and then over a t-shirt, do front and back (of course letting it dry in between), then write My kids/grandkids walk all over me !
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Handprints on a tile
Purchase inexpensive ceramic tiles from a hobby shop or a home improvement store and a couple of tubes of the bake-on paint (which becomes permanent after you bake it.) Let the kids contribute their sweet little handprints onto the personalized tiles. This cut gift beats any store-bought item, and is really extra special if its given to first time Grandmas and Grandpas!
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Painted Ornaments (thanks Connie for this one!)
I have made these with kids as young as 2 1/2 and they look beautiful.
Get clear glass ornaments and take the top off of them, drip different colors of acrylic paint onto the inside edge & let the kids swirl it around in there...there is a hint, when the inside is covered, TURN THEM UPSIDE DOWN in an egg carton type container...if the paint pools in the bottom it turns brown.
We did these with green, red and gold and it was very pretty. Put the top back on and tie a plaid bow around it...your set!
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Personalized picture frame (thanks Gina for this one!)
I took a picture of my son, got a frame and a wide matting. Stensiled on it I love my Nanny & Poppy and let him rubber stamp it. Put it together and volia.
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Gifts In A Jar
Need some ideas for involving your kids in gift giving this year? Gifts-in-a-jar are easy, fun gifts for kids to make. Here's how it works. In a large jar, you layer the dry ingredients in your favorite cookie, brownie, or even bean soup recipe. You attach the instructions for completing the recipe and cover the jar with a circle of colorful fabric and ribbon.Here are a couple of Web sites that include specific recipes well-suited for gifts-in-a-jar. This site:
http://www.holidayorganizer.com/gifts/giftsjar/index.html
includes printable gift cards with recipes--complete with holiday graphics. All you have to do is print them!
For a variety of cookie recipes suitable for jar gifts, go to
http://www.cookierecipe.com/cat/jar.asp .
There's an especially yummy-sounding one for M&M cookies that would look festive layered in a jar!
Gifts-in-a-jar will be much appreciated by anyone who enjoys home cooking but has limited time.
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Cinnamon Treasures
by Brenda Hyde
Cinnamon is not only easy to craft with, but its smell reflects the
warmth and charm of a cozy winter home more than any other. These gifts
can be used as additions to baskets filled with homemade breads, muffins
or cookies. You can also package them alone for small gifts to give
teachers, friends and house guests.
Mulled Tea Bags
Ingredients:
* 5 tsp. loose black tea
* 4 whole cloves*
6 whole allspice berries*
2 tsp. coarsely crushed cinnamon stick
* 1 tsp. grated orange rind
* 1/2 tsp. grated lemon rind
* fine-mesh cheesecloth
* Cotton stringCut two five-inch squares out of the cheese cloth. Place half of your tea
ingredients on one square, and the other half on the second one. Bring the corners together and tie into a bag with the string. Place the teabags into a mug, with these instructions:
To brew place one tea bag in a mug and add 1 cup of boiling water. Steep 5 minutes and enjoy!
If you wish you can also include a small jar of honey, an antique spoon
(easily found at a thrift store), 2 cinnamon sticks for stirring and a
novel to enjoy while drinking.
Santa Cinnamon Sticks
You will need:
* 1 6 inch long cinnamon stick
* red, peach or cream, black and pink
acrylic paint
* small paintbrush
* tiny stiff paintbrush for textured paint
* "snow" textured paint
Paint Santa's hat on a 1/2 inch space at the top of the stick, using
textured paint for ball and trim. For face, paint 3/4 below the hat using
peach or cream paint, paint eyes black and cheeks pink. Lastly use
texture paint and the stiff brush to paint eyebrows and the beard.
These make charming gift toppers or additions to gift baskets and flower
arrangements.
Cinnamon Christmas Ornaments
Two recipes, both simple, for making these neat ornaments that can also
be used as package toppers. If making ahead, I would put each one in its
own plastic bag and store in a cool dry place.
You will need:
* 4 ounces of ground cinnamon
* 1 tablespoon ground cloves
* 1 tablespoon ground nutmeg
* 3/4 cup of applesauce
* 2 tablespoons of white craft glue
These are not edible because of the glue. Mix together well, roll out and
cut your shapes. Poke a hole at the top of each one for hanging before
they dry. Put them on a wire rack for about a week and let them dry,
turning them over about once a day.
Cinnamon Ornaments
You will need:
* 3/4 cup applesauce
* one 4.12-ounce bottle ground cinnamon
Mix together to form a stiff dough. Roll dough to 1/4-inch
thickness. Cut
with cookie cutters. Make hole at top of ornaments on rack to
dry. Let
dry 1-2 days or until thoroughly dry, turning occasionally.
Hang with
decorative thread, ribbon or natural raffia. Makes 12-15
ornaments.
Table Decorations
You will need:
* cinnamon sticks, 4-5 inches long
* natural raffia
* dried flowers of your choice
* glue
To make a centerpiece glue together two cinnamon sticks, then top
with
two more, gluing the four of them together. Glue dried flowers to
the top
of the sticks to decorate, but not overwhelm. Tie a few pieces of
raffia
around the middle of the sticks and flowers to form a bow with a
few ends
hanging slightly off the piece. Place one in front of each place
setting
during your holiday meal. Guests can then take home their
cinnamon craft.
Cinnamon Stick Candle Holder
You will need:
* 1 clear glass votive candle holder
* about 20 cinnamon sticks
* transparent tape
* scissors
* hot glue gun, glue sticks
Measure the height of your holder, and add 1/2 inch. This is the
length
you will need to cut your cinnamon sticks. Cover the holder
completely
with tape. Hot glue does not adhere well to glass, so this will
give you
a good surface to glue to. Glue each stick vertically to the
holder,
making sure they are placed evenly, until the entire surface is
covered.
Use like this, or decorate with raffia, or other small holiday
decorations.
_______
Brenda Hyde is a wife and Mom of three, a freelance writer and
editor.
Visit her for more old fashioned holiday crafts, recipes and
traditions
at http://OldFashionedHolidays.com
or subscribe to Holiday Tidbits by
sending a blank email to: mailto:oldfashionedholidays-
subscribe@egroups.com
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I borrowed these off the shoestring budgeting board
thanks smileyfaced for sharing this one
A cute one a friend of mine made last year was ornaments out of light bulbs. She painted them white, sprayed adhesive on them, rolled them in white fuzzy stuff (not sure what it was). Turned it upside down (buld side down). Drew a snowman face on it and put a scarfe around the part that goes in socket. Then attached wire to the top. There were great! You could always customize them for the kids.
thanks tonyaah for these
My SIL got a few decorative patio bricks from Home depot, painted them white and put sticks on for the arms to make snowmen. She then got a yard of polar fleece and made hats and matching scarves. After painting on the face and using a clay carrot for the nose, they were VERY cute!
Other ideas: You can make 'fancy' bath salts. Check the net for instructions. Then take baby food jars, melt some wax and pour it into the jars. Add a wick and you have bath candles. You can also put votives in baby food jars, too. Just add granulated wax to the sides to stablize it and make it look pretty. Add a set of new towels and you have a gift any lady would love! Just make sure that it all matches the bathroom!
thanks lula.ga for this one
last yr one of my sisters did this for all of her nieces/nephews - she took a small bath towel (about $2 at walmart or a dollar type store) and appliqued the child's name and something that they like... for my dd she put her name on it and a butterfly. she bought a solid color towel and print colored material that she cut the applique out of. she folded the towel around a bottle of bubble bath and tied it all together at the top. it was really cute and my dd still loves it.
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Thanks for Deb from the Junebug board for these
For mothers day she painted on this 4x6 pressed paper with an embossed image of a flower on it. She just added all kinds of colors all over it and it looks like a water color painting
The second thing they did was for father's day: The kids glued three paper rectangles on top of each other. The largest one was cut from oatmeal cardstock type paper (you know the fancy kind that you use for backgrounds in scrapbooking) the next one was a little smaller and was dark green, and the top one was oatmeal again had the following poem on it:
"These are my fingerprints tiny and small,
to place in your heart Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall,
They are here to remind you the whole year through
That you are the best Dad, and I LOVE YOU!"
Then the kids stamped their fingerprints one in each corner and she wrote their names and dates on it. Then the kids put a magnet strip on the back. I was thinking about changine the poem to say "Grandparents" and make a magnet for each set.
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Check these websites also for more ideas
The shoestring budgeting board website http://www.geocities.com/shoestringsite/Christmas.html has some great links too
(thanks shell for the links ! )
www.first-school.ws .....................................................www.dltk-kids.com
www.learningpage.com ................................................www.perpetualpreschool.com
www.abcteach.com ....................................................www.atozteacherstuff.com
www.theideabox.com .................................................www.preschooleducation.com
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Also remember to check magazines like Sesame Street Parents and Family Fun. You can always check out back issues at your local library for free.
Check out the Shoestring Budgeting Boards webpage for holiday gifts for more ideas http://www.geocities.com/shoestringsite/Christmas.html
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