DIY Xmas

Something I've seen which I'd love to try, is giving someone a recipe this can be for kids, too. Type up the recipe on a card and include all the dry ingredients pre-measured flour, sugar, baking powder etc, and a baking tray/muffin tin, spatula and an apron and wrap it all up and give as a gift. You can do one for kids with cookie cutters etc such a great idea.

I'm doing fudge and chocolate chippie biscuits this year, and if I get time lemon honey (which I might include with a recipe for tarts). 

GREAT IDEA JAZZY!!!

i'm having a home made christmas this year, can't afford to go and buy things.

so i'm going to make up christmas hampers for people - shortbread / baking, fudge, chocolates.......any other suggestions what i could include? our plums off our plum tree will hopefully be ready by then so maybe i could try my hand at doing something with them?

also thought about making some calendars up..you know print off the blank calendar and put a nice photo on top.

mrsg a cool idea similar to your baking one would be for a mini vege garden thingy ( i know its not exactly home made) but if you gave someone some seeds and some seed raising mix and a nice planter they could make their own vege garden.

For something really christmasy try [rul=http://www.millies.co.nz/millysKitchen/index.cfm?35666F61-E018-8BD1-32BB-28FD2FA1844C&sitemode=normal&obj_uuid=052378D4-E018-8BD1-32BC-0D9BB3920392&stCurrentCat=005C7DD2-E018-8BD1-329B-ABC3F6C91CA7]stained glass[/url] cookies. Barley sugars work best in the middle.

I am doing little bags of coloured meringues, florentine tarts and mulled wine biscuits.   But all the recipes are at home, not with me now
I've done the recipe with the tin before. Another similar one is to give some one a couple of cocktail glasses, a bottle of bubbly and a mini bottle of peach juice to make bellinis.

I have just made a couple of the little Xmas cakes in the latest treasures mag....so simple and they taste pretty good. I used tuna cans as they suggested (so I have a lot of tuna to use up now) and I was worried about a lingering tuna flavour but nope, they are ok....just a bit heavy handed on the cloves so might be more careful in the next batch.

I am going to make parcels up with cakes, stained glass biscuits and truffles (all from treasures). If I get my A into G I might also put in a DVD of the kids photos from the year. I just have to choose some music to back it.

Lost my post

Did a painting of one of DH's tribal tattoos on a piece of wood from out the back, doing a painting of Dad's Jeep for his workshop, making a wheatbag for my sis and BIL and giving photos of the kids

That's about as far as I'm going as far as DIY goes this year. Although I did recycle a wooden garage (those ones for Matchbox cars) by painting it with house paints we had left over. Got it for free so ended up costing me nothing instead of $50 at the shop (although granted its not like new these days)

nzpiper - can you post those recipes please

Make salt dough and do foot and hand prints with the kids, or get them to make little ornaments using cookie cutters and stuff then paint.

I'm going to try and do this with DD although last time we tried with plaster she screwed her foot up but we think that was because of the texture, also doing this then its not that expensive, and if it doesn't work then I will just use cookie cutters to make xmas ornaments or something.

      If you have a family member who writes letters use your computer to print off some nice writing paper with pictures along the bottom of things they like and their name and address already done on the top. Buy a packet of envelopes and you have a gift for about $3, add some stamps and do up with a bow.


I stole that off a site, but I thought it was quite cool

Our kids this year are making snow globes. get old jars. print off some pic of the kids and have them laminated. stick them to the lid with waterproof glue. fill jar with water/oil and some glitter, put lid on and voila. we are going to add a picture to the back as well.