Help me, crafty wise women!

[clicksab]

My wonderful family has decided we will all do homemade gifts this year for Christmas. Great, awesome, I bet most people would kill for families like mine! Problem is that I'm not crafty! My mother and sister have craft rooms. My SIL can do crafts AND bake the best Christmas cookies ever. I suck.

Any suggestions? I'm creatively challenged. Think of something that a little kid in craft 101 can do. I'm pretty good at following directions though...if there are maybe websites you can suggest that would give me step by step instructions, I would be thrilled. I really have absolutely no ideas, so I'm wide open.

Basically I need presents for 3 couples (my parents and my siblings w/ spouses), a five year old, and a 1 1/2 year old. Help!!!

[TSomm]

Last year we gave out bird seed ornaments. Basically, go outside and collect large pine cones. Tie a pretty ribbon around the top - we did ours within the first row or two of the cone. Find an internet recipe for the goo (I think I got mine from MarthaStewart.com - it was suet, seed, and peanut butter). Popped the junk in the microwave, rolled my pine cones in it, and let dry. Put them in clear xmas themed cellophane bags and tada! We're done.

In previous years, we folded our own moravian star ornaments. For you, I'd recommend just buying the kit than cutting your own paper:
http://shop.moravianbookshop.com/browse.cfm/4,120.htm

You could melt some chocolate, dip some pretzel sticks halfway in it, and roll them in sprinkles.

One year we made some home made jam that didn't turn out right and was really runny and more like syrup. Canned it in small jars and paired it with a homemade pancake recipe. We provided the dry ingredients for the pancakes, recipe, and runny (syrup) jam as the gift.

I guess Christmas is getting close and I should start thinking of what to do this year!

Try MarthaStewart.com and look for some craft ideas. Some of her stuff is surprisngly easy yet looks like it took more time.

Good luck!

[TSomm]

Or how about this....

Take mini marshmallows and repackage them as snowman poop. They'll decide never to do crafty chrismas again!

[caiesmommy]

I say to do "themed" baskets like...
-an italian dinner for two-canned homemade pasta sauce, some different kind of pasta, a bulb of garlic,
-chocolate basket-homemade cocoa mix, homemade chocolates, chocolate covered pretzels, chocolate covered spoons
-movie night basket-big popcorn bowl, w large size candies, flavored popcorn, cheap movie or g/c for rental place

[PiesandAbrosmama]

making scented bath salts is super easy!!!
http://www.allfreecrafts.com/giftina...th-salts.shtml
You can make "spa" theme set.
I just found how to make recycled sweater leg warmers i'm totally doing for my girls and my sister.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Recy...d-Arm-Warmers/
i'll come back with some more ideas, hubby wants to watch a movie.

[clicksab]

Great ideas already ladies, keep em coming!

[feminist~mama]

These are great ideas!

I'm thinking....!

[zech13_9_goforgold]

Right now, I'm looking at the "Taste of Home" Holiday mag. It has lots of ideas for homemade gift foods and even some simple crafts.

Do handprint crafts for the grandparents- wreaths or trees.

[Gailsbeeb]

Craft Blogs

You might find some ideas here:
http://alwaysarting-colorcolorcolor.blogspot.com/
or here:
http://belladia.typepad.com/crafty_crow/

I am getting ready to start making holiday gifts soon--when I do I will post them to my blog (the first link). Good Luck!

[SpunkyMama]

Framed family portrait. You can decorate the frames, too.

[Callimom]

Some ideas:

Martha Stewart tied scarf

Try making homemade soaps (try the soap maker's companion for good instructions to start - its really pretty easy) and do a basket with home made lotions, scrubs etc.

What about a dinner of the month club - bring them dinner once a month.

Make wine (start now!) and then make some home made red pepper jelly, pesto, bread dipping mixes, savoury almonds and put it all in a basket.

Got any old home movies you could covert to dvds - add intro and voice overs, combine w old family photos etc?

What about making everyone a family calendar with family photos?

What about tie-dyed shirts or freezer paper printed bags or shirts - make them on a theme for everyone?

Printed napkins and table cloths?

Refinish an old window into a mirror?

For kids:
the Long Thread felt board

If you are making for a girl there are lots of no-sew/tied versions of tutus (throw in a cd of ballet music and some pretty barrettes - one tutorial here - and you are good to go)

Write a story, print it out and bind it so s/he can illustrate her own book - or you illustrate it and let him/her colour it.

Make a puppet theatre - a simple tension curtain rod and a pillow case which you cut open to use the edging as the sleeve for the rod. Use iron on seam glue if you don't sew. Decorate the pillow case with fabric markers. Put together a few sock puppets (tutorials here and here) and a kit of things to decorate the puppets with.

What about a knitting kit? You can make knitting needles out of dowelling, and drop spindles out of simple wooden pieces from craft stores. Add some roving, some plain white wool with dying instructions and koolaid and a book.

for the baby you could try ribbon rings (get a round wood or metal ring about 6 inches around and tie ribbons all the way around - fun to shake and dance with.

Needle felting is super easy and you could make a few nice felted balls or wet felt some balls and make some bowling pins out of plastic water bottles - swirl paint on the inside and glue on the lids.

Eye spy bottles - find a nice bottle, fill it with rice or beans and tiny trinkets. Add a list of clues for what needs to be found.

You can order wooden blocks from places like this and paint or decorate them, or use pictures from an old book to collage them which turns them into a puzzle as well.

Good places to look:
One Pretty Thing
Craft
Instructables

hth
Karen

[rere]

If you have a big craft store in your area you could just go have a look.There are lots of kits or even areas in the store where all the stuff needed for a project are all together.It might be less intimidating to have it all laid out for you.Or maybe you'll just find some inspiration.

[clicksab]

Just thought I'd update all of you on what I decided!
For the little girls I went with the no-sew tutu...I'm planning on using pink, purple, and blue tulle with coordinating ribbons interspersed. I'm awaiting waist sizes, then I'll get to work!

For the adults I'm doing several different paper crafts. My Bro and SIL are getting coasters made from old magazines. I haven't decided exactly which craft I'll do for my parents and sister, but I'm planning on picking something from the book "Home, Paper, Scissors: Decorative Paper Accessories for the Home" by Patricia Zapata. I found her blog through a link from this thread!

Thanks for all the help ladies...you really helped save my Christmas (and my pocket book!) I never thought there was stuff out there that I could make that anyone would actually want