At this time of year, once you have spent weeks and weeks in the shops, wrestling the crowds and watching your bank balance dwindle, come Christmas Day , the ultimate pressure you put on any loved one unwrapping their gift can be so insurmountable that anything less than a immediate dance of joy can be grounds for a family feud.
2014 has been a challenge and with everyone needing to be a bit frugal - the word was put out in the family that handmade gifts would be just fine this year. After having a think about it, we realised that we had boxes of craft stuff collecting dust, so we decided to put the theory into practise and got to work - with gusto!
First task was the gift tags. After seeing this helpful post on making salt dough gift tags, Liz made personalised tags for all family and friends, that also double as tree decorations.
Then, remembering that we had a screen printing kit in the spare room, a ghost from a Christmas past, plus meters of blue denim picked up for a bargain at the Garage Sale Trail, we decided to make designer cushions.
Mason jars have become the flavour of the month at the moment and are easy to get from most of the chain stores for only $2-$3. Using thin wire, I fashioned a handle, filled with sand and the jar became a cute hanging lantern for the garden.
Coffee sacks were converted into carrier bags. A pack of four Mason drinking glasses were filled with chocolates. Bath salts were mixed with lavender from the garden to make a luxurious bath soak and........I made a wooden board!. By taking a part a old wooden pallet, joining the pieces together and sanding till smooth, these boards will be great for cheese platters or as a handy surface to put hot pans on in the kitchen.
Each home made hamper probably cost us about $10-$15 in materials and were a lot of fun to make.
Each home made hamper probably cost us about $10-$15 in materials and were a lot of fun to make.
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