DIY Xmas
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Category: General Chat
Forum Name: General Chat
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URL: https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=30313
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Topic: DIY Xmas
Posted By: jazzy
Subject: DIY Xmas
Date Posted: 03 December 2009 at 2:39pm
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I have read some great posts about xmas pressies you can make to give.
Like baking, sweets & crafts, so thought it would be good to have a tread were people can add ideas & maybe some yummy recipes. I do little gift bags/ boxes with chocolates & nuts for teachers & family. So what do you do??? 
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Replies:
Posted By: caliandjack
Date Posted: 03 December 2009 at 2:43pm
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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). ------------- http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow">   [/url] Angel June 2012 |
Posted By: jazzy
Date Posted: 03 December 2009 at 2:48pm
mrsg1, fab ideas might do that also I am not the greatest cook so giving the ingredients would be better & fun for kids.
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Posted By: heaf3
Date Posted: 03 December 2009 at 2:56pm
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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. ------------- http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow"> 
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Posted By: kebakat
Date Posted: 03 December 2009 at 3:11pm
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I love those ideas, I wish DH would do something homemade and cheap for his brother but alas I doubt that will happen.
Kinda DIY - but if you have a friend or yourself with a good camera you can do your own photoshoot and give grandparents photos of the kids. Thats what we are doing for our parents this year. Umm we got Daniel to do some painting and got some frames from the $2 shop that just have glass over the artwork with little clips on the side for FIL to put in his office at work and he thought that was brilliant - we used that for a birthday but could be used for xmas. |
Posted By: lemongirl
Date Posted: 03 December 2009 at 3:13pm
| 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. |
Posted By: heaf3
Date Posted: 03 December 2009 at 3:23pm
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doing a painting on canvas
making a heat/ice bag: http://www.do-it-yourself-gifts.com/make-a-heating-pad.html this site has some great ideas too http://ecobites.com/green-celebrations/green-christmas-new-year/1239-christmas-a-time-for-green-giving ------------- http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow">
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Posted By: Turtle
Date Posted: 03 December 2009 at 3:30pm
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. |
Posted By: Manda08
Date Posted: 03 December 2009 at 8:01pm
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My DS is painting on Canvas... and then i will do the finishing touches with him of his hand print in glitter... and with some im going to put a picture in the middle! ------------- 
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Posted By: peanut butter
Date Posted: 03 December 2009 at 8:16pm
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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. |
Posted By: peanut butter
Date Posted: 03 December 2009 at 8:24pm
another thing I saw (again in treasures April/may) was handmade bath salts....they look in credibly easy...I just need some essential oils...that seems hard to find here.
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Posted By: emz
Date Posted: 03 December 2009 at 8:37pm
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) |
Posted By: Tastic
Date Posted: 03 December 2009 at 10:06pm
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we are making Shortbread, Truffles - they will have fruit mince in them and once rolled they will be decorated like Christmas puddings
also fudge and maybe a cake these will go with the calenders we brought through the boys preschool |
Posted By: Tastic
Date Posted: 03 December 2009 at 10:07pm
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nzpiper - can you post those recipes please
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Posted By: hannibal
Date Posted: 04 December 2009 at 12:20pm
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Go to marthastewart.com
She has some great ideas - just come up on her site this morning. |
Posted By: HoneybunsMa
Date Posted: 04 December 2009 at 1:51pm
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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. ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker"> 
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Posted By: caitlynsmygirl
Date Posted: 05 December 2009 at 2:21am
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Could people post their recipes pretty please ?
esp the fudge one 
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Posted By: caitlynsmygirl
Date Posted: 05 December 2009 at 2:56am
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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 -------------
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Posted By: caitlynsmygirl
Date Posted: 05 December 2009 at 3:20am
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Sorry for multiple posts
re hamper ideas, instead of a basket, you could use terracotta pots, you could even paint them white, then get your children to paint them for an even more personal touch Get a piece of drift wood and shells , drill holes in the top of shells , hang them on the drift wood and you have a sort of wind thingy -------------
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Posted By: lizzle
Date Posted: 05 December 2009 at 9:00am
| 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. |
Posted By: peanut butter
Date Posted: 05 December 2009 at 9:16am
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The Christmas Cakes (from ALison Holst I think)
For 2 small (10cm) cakes 1 cup sultanas 1 cup currants 1/4 cup flour 50g softened butter 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar 2 rounded household teaspoons of treacle grated rind of 1/2 a lemon or orange 1 egg 2 Tbs flour 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp ground cardamom 1/2 tsp ground allspice or pimento pinch ground cloves 1. several hours before you want to start making the cakes, wash the fruit in very hot water and drain well, leave until cool and dryish before using. When cool and dry, mix with first measure of flour 2. Cream butter, sugar, treacle and grated rind until light coloured, add remaining flour, spices and egg. Stir in floured fruit. spoon mix into two small tins (used, large tuna cans work well - I lined with baking paper and then put newspaper around the outside) and bake for 1 hour at 140C then at 130C for 30-60min or until a skewer in the centre comes out clean. Mine took an extra 40 min Then you can decorate them with either icing, glace cherries, nuts etc, wrap ribbon or fancy paper etc around them. I am going to then wrap them in cellophane. I made our first two....and we have eaten them already  The first one (on the first day) tasted a bit strong in clove and I made a mental note to leave it out next time but we ate the second cake last night and the clove taste wasnt as strong.
Now what to do with all the tuna???? Apricot and coconut truffles 500g dried apricots 1 tin condensed milk finely grated rind of an orange 1 cup coconut 1/2 cup brown sugar extra coconut for rolling Chop apricots finely (food processor) In a bowl, mix apricots, condensed milk, orange rind, coconut and brown sugar. Shape into balls and roll the balls in extra coconut. Keep in fridge. So I probably just breached every copyright rule.
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Posted By: Tastic
Date Posted: 05 December 2009 at 10:21am
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Kelly - there are a couple of threads on fudge's in the food section here at ob
thats the recipes Im gonna use thanks for the cake recipe! |
Posted By: jazzy
Date Posted: 07 December 2009 at 5:04pm
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Thanks for all the great ideas ladies.
I went through my Foodtown mags (thanks to MIL) & found some yummy stuff there. There was one for just plain biscuits & you cut them out with xmas cookie cutters & poke a hole in the top then bake, ice & then you poke a ribbon through it so you can hang on tree, I am going to do them without the ribbon as don't want to hang food unwrapped on tree (flys & kids, yuck) Off to the warehouse to get cookie cutters this week, had a look on TM, some really cool ones there. |
Posted By: AandCsmum
Date Posted: 07 December 2009 at 9:24pm
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A simple very cute recipe!
Marshmellows white chocolate spearmint leaves lollies Jaffa's put a bit of melted white chocolate on top of the marshmellow, then put on one jaffa & 2 leaves (or one cut down the middle) Looks like little christmas cakes ------------- Kel http://lilypie.com"> 
A = 01.02.04 & C = 16.01.09 & G = 30.03.12 |
Posted By: xLUCKYx
Date Posted: 08 December 2009 at 11:17am
| Oooh along the same lines of your idea Kel you can do the same using a mallowpuff biscuit - drizzle with white choc and a jaffa on top and spearmint leaves - so cute and easy! |
Posted By: HoneybunsMa
Date Posted: 08 November 2010 at 2:28pm
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Just thought I would bumpity bump bump this thread as I'm sure we're all thinking about christmas presents and what to do on the cheap ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker">
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Posted By: nathansmummy
Date Posted: 08 November 2010 at 10:58pm
Oh I love that idea!!!! If I wasn't giving everyone photo books then I might just do it!
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caliandjack wrote:Posted By: nathansmummy
Date Posted: 08 November 2010 at 11:03pm
| Ahh just finished reading through - I want to keep this thread forever it's so great, I love creative DIY ideas like this! |
Posted By: jazzy
Date Posted: 09 November 2010 at 6:11am
gee I forgot about this one, I am going to try the marshmallow one with the mallowpuff biscuit, saw a pic in a mag but thought it looks hard  lol mmm
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Posted By: crafty1
Date Posted: 09 November 2010 at 3:59pm
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Dress ups! I'm clearing out my fabric stash and making dress ups for the boys. I'm doing a swap with my friend so i'm making a cowboy one for her boy too and she's making a magician cape for mine. It's not much harder to do an extra one exactly the same.
Also making them a library book bag each and personalising it. And a stocking for DS2 who hasn't had a xmas yet. For DS1 we are building a bookcase for his room with 3 boxes on the bottom to put the dress ups, cars and animals in. This will also be a gift for me as it should make tidying up his room easier. Making some xmas decorations and a wreath for front door. Saw some great ideas on etsy.com and felt.co.nz for these. Am making some knitting rolls for a few friends to give as gifts too. And will do some baking for the neighbours, librarian, playgroup organiser etc. Jeez - better get off the blimming internet then aye! ------------- http://lilypie.com">  
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Posted By: BriAndOlisMum
Date Posted: 07 November 2011 at 11:44am
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bump -------------  http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker">
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Posted By: jazzy
Date Posted: 07 November 2011 at 12:42pm
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wow good to see this again...lol...7 weeks to go
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Posted By: TheKelly
Date Posted: 08 November 2011 at 7:54pm
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ALMOST bumped exactly a year to the day that it was bumped last year haha...we get to the 7th/8th of November and we start needing all the christmas stuff ;-) -------------
http://lilypie.com"> 
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