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Angie Mc
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I need you, creative ladies! Please help me to prepare to give the best Christmas gifts possible for under $20.00. These will include handmade gifts, gifts of service, etc. I'm looking for all categories...adults and children...men and women...married single...within my own family and outside of...
I've noticed that when I look to increase frugality, I bump into trouble with creativity  . Also, these types of gifts often take more time and energy to prepare in order to make them special. HELP!
Love,
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Angie Mc
Maimeo to Henry! Dave's wife, mom to Mrs. Devin+Michael Pope, Aiden 20,Ian 17,John Paul 11,Catherine (heaven 6/07)
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MacBeth
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How about framed photos of Arizona's landscapes or flowers? One year I gave my friend a set of three photos in bright red frames. The frames enhanced the wildflowers in the photos. Total cost? $17.
We also bought a glass and wood frame and decoupaged it with magazine photos (of food, mostly) that reminded us of a friend, and framed a picture of her in it...total cost? $6.
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MacBeth in NY
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Kim F
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I saw a lovely candle project - two actually. One was to take a small votive in a glass holder and place a fancy letter sticker (scrapbook section of Michaels) as a monogram. Looks really sharp! I would do a Times New Roman type capital sticker in black or gold.
The Sparrows Nest has lots of crafty ideas. She has a candle project there. You fill a glass sugar shaker with a wick and candle beads. Then close the lid and add a decorative ribbon. sugar shaker candle
Actually ck out this link of hers also tea party favors Several inexpensive but thoughtful ideas!
christmas ornaments are always good options.
handmade Victorian Christmas
Fabric balls and
the pic
I saw a lovely ornament made from a vintage style card. They decoupaged it onto something firmer and hole punched the top sides. Then ran floral wire through the holes to hang it.
Altered composition books are way cheap. If you get some patterned paper and surf you can copy designs. They can be journals or recipe books or almost anything.altered composition books
Ditto for altered checkbk covers
altered ckbk cover just paper, scissors, glue and a good idea to copy : )
Kim
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Rebecca
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I like MacBeth's decoupaged frame idea. I have been making decoupaged vases for several years, some I have given as gifts to go with a home's color theme. I'll have to try the frames.
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JodieLyn
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I often put together food baskets on a theme..
One year I found a decent inexpensive wine.. and combined it with a quart of home canned (no meat) speghetti sauce, a package of speghetti noodles and some dessert things. I think I figured out my actual cost to be around $10.. and it was special because the sauce and desserts were home made.
Another time I did home canned soup with a home made biscuit mix and some home made jams
This year for one BIL and SIL I found a plastic tray and "glasses" with roosters on them (she loves roosters).. and while they probably don't need them inside I thought they'd make a cute entertaining outdoors type of gift.. so I was thinking about maybe some homemade linens (like napkins the kids can help me trim or such) and a home made cold drink mix.. some variation of a lemonade type drink probably.. maybe cookies.. something like that.
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Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
-Sir Walter Scott
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Betsy
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+JMJ+
The best gift you can give anyone is to have a Mass said for their intentions. Usually you can have one said for $10.
Some Saints have said that a Mass said before ones death is more profitable than many said after.
We usually do this for Birthday and Christmas gifts for nieces/nephews and god parents as well as the "hard to buy for".
Betsy
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stefoodie
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I put together mixes, usually as part of themed food baskets.
Some combinations I've done:
pancake mix (with instructions) with maple syrup, plus coffee or tea.
same thing as jodie lynn -- i've done puttanesca sauce, canned it (refrigerated), then added pasta, a chunk of romano cheese, and some red wine (every week starting in september or so i buy one bottle of red wine that's on sale, today my find was a $10 bottle that was selling for $4) -- if the person's extra special and i have time i include my homemade salad dressing
scone mix with tea
bean mix with instructions on how to make into a soup, plus a loaf of brown bread
homemade orange marmalade with a loaf of freshly baked challah or other bread - i just got jars (50 cents each) and the organic oranges were on sale too.
in the past i've also baked starting the day after thanksgiving, one or two kinds of cookie per day, then we freeze them, and right before Christmas package them in individual boxes or tins, so each family is getting anywhere from 10-20 different cookies.
an uncle this year will get gardening tools (bought on sale at the end of the gardening season) and a $2 gardening book.
3 aunts will get mah-jong bracelets -- $4 from a jewelry supply catalog. after Christmas i put a new gift list in my planner, write down ideas of what i'm giving them next Christmas, then i shop year-round while i'm doing regular shopping so i don't make extra trips, usually the clearance aisles. by Christmastime the only people i really have to shop for are immediate family.
hth,
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stef
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Sarah
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Check out a novelty food item or wine that's local. For example, we have a local BBQ sauce, made here, that comes in different flavors. I'm going to put a basket together. They have nice jars and funny names like "Haugwash."
Surely there is something local. My MIL used to live in Arizona and always gave "Chip & Salsa" bowls as a gift.
My husband is sitting here saying: petrified wood from the petrified wood forest there, cactus flower jelly, some little cacti to grow.
Of course, if the people you are giving these to live in AZ, it might lose its novelty!?
Betsy was right about the Mass--you can also enroll people in varios yearly or perpetual Catholic organizations and some give you really nice booklets & things to give to the person.
Another thing we did last year was give through Heifer Int.. You "buy" a goat, bees, a cow, or something for the poor in the name of the recipient. Make sense?
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booklegger
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[QUOTE=Betsy] +JMJ+
The best gift you can give anyone is to have a Mass said for their intentions. Usually you can have one said for $10.
Some Saints have said that a Mass said before ones death is more profitable than many said after.
We usually do this for Birthday and Christmas gifts for nieces/nephews and god parents as well as the "hard to buy for".
My SIL does this for us every Christmas. I love that she does that.
Food baskets are nice, my favorite to receive one year had H/M scone mixes in cute cloth bags with the handwritten recipes. The recipe cards became keepsakes and are special to me. It had a small sampler of jams included and was nice to have on hand for hectic holiday mornings.
Good thread,lots of great ideas!!!!
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Rachel May
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I've been thinking about giving home printed shrink art of the saints or some other fun images with free clip art. I keep meaning to ask at the local craft store about this because shipping would make it pricy.
Someone gave my kids these last year and the 7 sheets (one image per sheet) were plenty for them.
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Rachel
Thomas and Anthony (10), Maria (8), Charles (6), Cecilia (5), James (3), and Joseph (1)
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ladybugs
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Can you crochet? I bought a large size crochet hook last year and made some lovely scarves!
Instead of gifts can you throw a party?
One of the traditions of when we lived in CA when I was a girl, was that one of our neighbors would bake zillions of Christmas sugar cookies. We would then gather every night for 3-4 nights and we'd all just decorate them and spend time together. It was like an open house with a cookie decorating party.
I've done cookie decorating parties 3X now and they have been memorable and a hit with everyone...
Just another idea....
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Maria P
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guitarnan
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I knitted one of those long, multi-colored fluffy scarves (that cost $20 at craft shows) with yarn from Wal-Mart for just about $5. I'm no champion knitter, but it didn't take too long to do. You could get a "how-to" book from the library, or look at the Michael's website. They have tons of scarf patterns.
My dd, age 8, LOVES her fluffy scarf!
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stefoodie
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Just found two lovely books at the library that you may want to check out:
Autumn by Susan Branch, and
Homemade, by Judith Choate
Lots of lovely ideas. I've got several books that have similar suggestions, but I'm always looking for something new. -- the illustrations in the Branch book is particularly beautiful.
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stef
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anniemm
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I'm going to be giving the vast majority of families on my list (friends, DH's co-workers, etc.) Nativity magnets with maybe a tin of homebaked (by me and my oldest dd) cookies/treats.
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Andrea
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humanaevitae
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We made salsa and jams
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TracyQ
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This year, my sister in laws (and I have 8 or so  ) will be getting homemade peppermint hot cocoa mix, with a pretty printed label with instructions on the jars with a square of fabric cut with pinking shears (so there's no raveling on the edges) and tied on the lid.
I will find a homemade cocoa recipe, then crush peppermint candy canes in them. My friend did this for me one year, and it was really yummy, and made me smile every time I had some.
For other people, I may do this as well, and bake up some meringue or sugar cookies, sprinkled with some red sugar on top, but we'll see.
I want to also either write a poem about "sisters" to hang from the ribbon, or a Scripture verse, or Saint quote, or something meaningful.
For Mother's Day last year, we bought a pretty small pillar candle, and a nice, but inexpensive plate or tray (could get at thrift store), and then bought pretty pastel colored pins (the pins had pastel heads I mean of different colors). Then we pushed the pins in, scattered around the candle. They gave these pretty candles to their Grandmas for Mother's Day, and they turned out beautiful! 
I'm looking for some inexpensive ideas this year too!
Hope these help some!
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Tracy Q.
wife of Marty for 20 years, mom of 3 wonderful children (1 homeschool graduate, 1 12th grader, and a 9th grader),
 homeschooling in 15th year in Buffalo, NY
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marihalojen
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TracyQ wrote:
| For Mother's Day last year, we bought a pretty small pillar candle, and a nice, but inexpensive plate or tray (could get at thrift store), and then bought pretty pastel colored pins (the pins had pastel heads I mean of different colors). Then we pushed the pins in, scattered around the candle. They gave these pretty candles to their Grandmas for Mother's Day, and they turned out beautiful! |
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I saw candles like this at a wedding, they were very lovely. The pins were in the wedding colors and a ribbon was bound about the bottom. At Christmas craft stores carry straight pins in red and green, I think...
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4Real Forums : Tea and Conversation
Topic: Best Christmas Gifts under $20.00
