Argh, what am I going to do? I have too many friend and family to buy presents for and not enough cash! This is the ultimate bind I always find myself in at this time of year and so I thought I’d let you in on a treasure trove of fantastic cheap/free ideas for gifts.
Firstly find out where your closest craft shop is. Spotlight, or an Emporium shop is going to become your best friend in your cheapie gift endeavours. And then just go browse! I consider myself a pretty average girl, but I have been told I have a good imagination and that helps when you are looking at bits and bobs to turn into a treasured gift.
Decorating a mirror or photo frame: plain cardboard or wooden photo frames and mirrors are available at spotlight, ranging in prices from $10 upwards. This may be out of your range – you have a cheaper option though. Have a good look at how the cardboard photo frames are made, and then buy some heavy cardboard from stationary shop (as well as some craft glue). Put a photo frame together yourself for a fraction of the cost – this way you can make them your own sizes and could even make 2-3 for the same price as a bought one.
Next is the decorating. Think about the person you are giving the frame to. You can use painted pasta! Beads or buttons, magazine cut outs – maybe even some old photos. You can papier mache shapes on the frame and paint whatever colour would suit. I like to buy bags of shaped confetti – you can get all sorts of things, angels, Christmas holly, words, numbers and even Winnie the Pooh. – you could go for a natural coloured frame, covered in golden Tiggers! You are only limited by your imagination.
Christmas Cookies if you are a dap hand at baking this may be the craft gift for you! Find a nice looking box – or even decorate one as above, and make fresh cookies! Here’s a good recipe – I’m an awful cook, but for some reason this one never fails!
Gingerbread Men Biscuit
1&1/4 tablespoons golden syrup
60g butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
1&1/4 cups plain flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 & 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
Pour golden syrup into small heatproof jug and stand jug in heatproof dish
or saucepan of hot water until syrup warms and softens. Cream butter and
sugar until light and fluffy, add egg yolk, beat well. Slowly add sifted
dry ingredients and warmed syrup and mix well. Knead mixture lightly.
Roll out and cut out gingerbread men. Place on very lightly greased tray and
bake in moderate oven for 10-15 minutes or until cooked. Allow to cool on
tray.
Be warned this recipe makes heaps of dough! Instead of Gingerbread men, why not make trees or stars and angels – frost with red and green icing. Places in your decorated box, or even in some nice cellophane – the perfect gift.
Christmas Ornaments You can make any kind of ornament you like really – cardboard stars covered in glitter, a hand-sown christmas stocking, but here’s a neat idea for a Christmas Tree hanger:
You Will Need:
1 green felt square
1 brown felt square
1 small piece cardboard
1 1/2″ yellow pom pom
11 1/2″ green pom poms
11 1/4″ multi-colored sequins
Craft glue
8″ green Pearl cotton floss
Scissors
Directions:
1.Cut two triangles (see pattern) out of green felt. Cut two tree trunk rectangles out of brown felt.
2.Cut one entire tree shape (tree and trunk) from cardboard.
3.Glue the cardboard tree shape between the two felt tree shapes. Between the tree and the cardboard, glue the two ends of floss to form a hanger. Glue trunk pieces onto front and back of cardboard.
4.Beginning at bottom of tree, glue first row of four green pom poms.Second row is 3 pom poms across, third row is 2. The fourth and fifth rows each have one green pom pom . One yellow pom pom is glued to top of tree.
5.Glue a colored sequin on the center of each pom pom.
Have a crafty Christmas girls!
Kym
