Christmas gifts...

[faerieevaH]

I was wondering if any of you had some original ideas to share for christmas gifts. In my group of friends/ close family, gift giving has been turned into a sort of art form. It isn't at all about how much you spend, but more a sort of... trying to be atuned to what would make the other smile. Little inside jokes are played out, original ideas are tried, home made gifts are enormously apreciated, gift wrapping becomes a serious crafting effort...

Anyone any ideas for home made, original or funny bought gifts?

 

[Aaron-Aggie]

what ever jumps out at me usllay

 

[faerieevaH]

*laughs* Just an example... while I was shopping one of my favorite kitchen stores, I found (for a bit more than a dollar), a small bag of mustardseeds. Something inside my (admittedly slightly warped) mind, and I had to think of the passage of faith as small as a mustardseed. I looked around and found some tiny, tiny glass containers (actually personal table salt shakers, for big dinner parties, they're about the height of my thumbnail). I bought three of them. Now I'm going to fill them up with mustardseeds, add a label on which I will write with a gold ink pen: "For days when you need to move a mountain".
The gifts come to less then two dollars each, and they're sure to lure a smile from people.

 

[Aaron-Aggie]

cute

 

[3toraiseup]

Scented Sugar -- for those who need a little sweetness. Fill a see-through airtight jar with sugar and scatter edible scents (dried orange peels, rose petals, vanilla beans) throughout. After sitting for a few days, the sugar becomes infused with the scent. Good for aromatic tea or coffee or whatever you like to top with sugar.

 

[faerieevaH]

ohhh! that's a good one. I have some storebought cinamin sugar. Could indeed infuse it with some things myself! Great idea!

 

[AveMaria]

I love the scented sugar idea! I think I'll use that idea for a few of my friends!

I've also done a lot of homemade gift baskets of homemade cookies and fudge and truffles. I have a good friend who is diabetic, and I'm going to make him a sugar free gift basket of goodies.

I'm giving a few of my friends from church a set of Liturgically Correct coffee mugs - it was actually fairly inexpensive to do. I bought a set of green mugs, a set of red, a set of purple, etc, and mixed up the sets and I'm working on making cute labels for the lids of the gift boxes. (This definately qualifies as an inside joke sort of gift, we're the sort who will actually debate whether the current Advent paraments and vestments are too violet or not).

 

[faerieevaH]

That's an absolutely lovely idea as well: the liturgically correct coffeemugs. In my new studio I don't have an oven. *groans* So baking for now is out of the question.

Another hint: a friend of mine is, like me, a LOTR fan, with a special preference for the character of Boromir. We could discuss him and the way it was acted in the movies as oposed to the books, etc. etc. for hours. I went to a cheap store and bought a plain, grey sleeping shirt. Then I used golden glittery textile marker (that will be washing machine proof after ironed) to very carefully write the name 'BOROMIR' on it. It was the first time I have actually done this, but I'm so VERY pleased with the result I'm sure this is going to be a technique that will be used again. Just try it and think of the possibilites also for yourself: a beautiful black shirt with 'adoration' on it, could be made from a simple black T shirt and beautiful writing on it. If you don't really have a beautiful handwriting yourself: Find a nice font, make it on the computer, trace it with an iron on pencil, then colour in the iron on pencil, or use iron on textile paint. ((I'm using marabo at the moment, and for a total crafts clutz I'm getting wonderful results.))

 

[faerieevaH]

*bump*

 

[faerieevaH]

Gifts in a jar: find a nice jar (I have found one with nearly the shape of an old inkwel), fill it up with something silly or cute. In my case, a mountain of tiny, wooden 'ladybugs'.
Total cost: less than 7 dollars. (the lady bugs were the expensive part of five dollars and change. You can find other things: nice buttons, etc.). Total working time: about 15 minutes.

Holy Cards: the perfect gift, made extra special
Find a normal box a bit bigger than the holy card. This can be any sort of cardboard box, but jewelry boxes of boxes that already have a nice shiny outside are best. If not: try glueing metalic paper to it. Have the holy card laminated and lay it on a bed of fabric (again: organza or illusion are perfect choices).
Add a personally written prayer or message on thicker paper, then dress that up (burning the edges for a parchment look, making it into a special shape with a crafts knife or scisors, etc.). This gift is made much more special with a spiritual bouquet. You could also add a home made chaplet rosary of ten beads and a crucifix.
Total cost... less than five dollars. Working time... about one hour.

 

[epiclesis]

here's how original and creative i am.

so far, i have two shirts for my dad. some socks and trouser socks for my mom. (she wanted them!)
i think i'm going to get my mom a cd that she wants. and i dont know what else to get for my dad. he's hard to buy for.

 

[faerieevaH]

You can do fun things with socks... *G* Tube the socks, tie a ribon on it tightly to set a 'head' apart from the rest. Add two eyes with only one stitch each, so you can easily pull them out without scicors. Wrap a vest or something from an old doll around the 'body' part.

Another silly gift idea. I play, as I've probably mentioned quite a few times, medieval roleplay. Through the setting and four years of playing I've been adopted by the 'king' in the play. One day when one of the other players was grumbling about yet another member... I tried to make a joke and told him to be in a better mood since I now was princess and I wanted to see people smile. He was truely in a bad mood and grumbled 'he'ld kiss my tiara another day', then hugged me anyway. *L* Guess who'se getting a plastic tiara with a lil note this christmas?

 

[Addaperle]

Hmmm... we're doing "Avent Angels" in our house this year (each of us has someone we pray for and give little gifts to during Advent)... I've just being giving random things like the most random sweets I could buy and a really minging little angel statue... I've got some nice things, but the more random the better...

Clare xx

 

[faerieevaH]

oh... advent angels... I like that idea as well!

 

[Aaron-Aggie]

I still go the random shopping method myself

 

[faerieevaH]

*looks at Aaron and just shakes her head* You're STILL a nice guy anyway. *W*

 

[Aaron-Aggie]

*looks at Aaron and just shakes her head* You're STILL a nice guy anyway. *W*

hey I am realying on the spirit to move me

 

[faerieevaH]

*chuckles* That's close to what I tell people: that their gift just "called their name to me". *G* Those are the bought gifts of course. I do buy some. But then I spend a lot of time packaging it, and adding cards etc to make it more personal still.

 

[Aaron-Aggie]

wraping is not my strong suit what so ever

 

[faerieevaH]

Almost everything looks good, wrapped in fabric!