[Wayside]

I knit, and I have a box next to my knitting chair that I put finished items into year round. Then when Christmas comes around, I pull things out of it, wrap them up, and give them as gifts. Mostly hats and scarves, so I don't have to worry much about sizes.

I also bead and make jewelry, so I have given some of those things as gifts as well.

One year I made horse cookies for my trainer, and that was a big hit, too. Generally I find horse cookies easier to package and transport than people cookies, since you can make them a little drier for horses than people find palatable, but there are plenty of people who manage to to a great job with homemade people cookies, too. I just like mine on the soft side so I tend to smoosh them and get them stuck together when packaging

[knightrider]

Dance...I know lye is kinda dangerous...so curious how you mix that? And are you heating everything up to a certain temp? Thanks for the recipe!

[Dance_To_Oblivion]

This website is a great resource for soap making questions:

http://www.millersoap.com/

I am just careful with the lye, keep the windows open in the kitchen and don't get it on your skin. Some people with wear gloves or safety glasses but I don't.

When you add the lye to the water the water gets really hot so you actually end up waiting for it to cool down to the correct temperature. The oils however you do heat up, I have a specific pot I use for that and just put it on low on the stove until everything melts together and then watch the temperatures of both the fats and the lye until they are about right.

[rivenoak]

...some not-your-grandmother's cross stitches..

Do you have any faves or good sources? I do needlework, but none of the cutesy or country stuff...

[PeteyPie]

I make rum cakes and cookies for most of the men on my Christmas list, and get a good response. I find most men hard to shop for, and consumable stuff is always a good gift. If you love it, you use it up, and if you don't, you can share it with others. Also, it doesn't stay around like an unwanted knick knack, tie, or sweater, to be hastily trotted out when the giver shows up.

[lovey1121]

Jennywho, Moodymaretoo, ACP, here ya go:

http://www.imbibemagazine.com/Apple-...aramels-Recipe

Super easy even for a first time candy maker, other than fudge, but you must have a thermometer. First time I made them I didn't use a thermometer and slightly undercooked them. Flavor was there - delicious, but they puddled unless at least refrigerated. Since then, they are easy peasy.

[Heinz 57]

Chocolate covered pretzels are my mainstay this year, along with the usual cookies and loaves of bread. It's a low-budget year for us.

[Gray Horse H/J]

I am not the world's craftiest person, but last year I painted wine glasses for just about everyone. (It helps that practically everyone I know drinks wine! ) It was a lot of work because I started the project pretty close to Christmas, and I'm not really very artistic, but I think they turned out pretty cute.

The link should work:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...1&l=df273d32fc

I only did names (or words - the Naughty/Nice one was my fav!) and polka dots since I'm not really artsy enough to do anything else. Everyone loved them, so I was happy! Each glass was $1 at Dollar Tree and the paint was a few dollars per set at a craft store, and I did not have to use much paint per glass at all.

The link only has 3 of the glasses I did, but I painted about 20 total. It was a great way to do a lot of gifts for very cheap!

[EponaRoan]

I am not the world's craftiest person, but last year I painted wine glasses for just about everyone.

Cute! That would be nice for a shower/party type favor too.

[OTV]

I make homemade vanilla extract and then put it in pretty bottles with bows. I did it for the last time last year and it was a big hit. It's a great present for everyone - bakers or not - and relatively easy to do. You just need to start it early so it can be used by the time it's received!

[Wayside]

Chocolate covered pretzels are my mainstay this year, along with the usual cookies and loaves of bread. It's a low-budget year for us.

I love making (and eating!) chocolate covered pretzels. When my son was little, I would do the dipping, and he would put sprinkles on them. Peppermint bark is also pretty easy, and relatively inexpensive to make. I grow currants and make jelly, too, so I've been known to give that as a gift as well.

[mercedespony]

One of my girlfriends has started making wet felt pictures, and I think they are the cutest things ever..

Check out this video on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nACg8...e_gdata_player


Sent from my iPad

[iechris]

I decided to knit fingerless gloves for my barn friends, plus cowls for the ones I ride with the most. I'm also planning to make a shawlette/scarf for my trainer, three other shawlettes and a few more pairs of fingerless gloves plus a few other random things. I knit fast and most of the projects are little but I just realized I have 13 more things to make before Christmas. Yikes! Do have the things done for the college students at the barn so I can get them to them before they leave.

[War Admiral]

Not for everyone, but for some - or at least I'm giving it a try this year for the first time in quite a while. Ass-uming they come out OK, office is getting homemade cookies & decoupaged Xmas ornaments. A COTHer is getting.... something else!

[tabula rashah]

I do depending on how much time that I had that year. I've handmade baskets, done portraits, did starter scrapbooks for friends with horses, and every year my DH and I make candies- buttercreams, caramels, brittles, barks, etc

[Rubyfree]

Do you have any faves or good sources? I do needlework, but none of the cutesy or country stuff...

If you go to etsy.com and search for cross stitch patterns, there are tons of very inexpensive downloadable patterns available. I did a few off of there last fall, including bill murray's face . The quality & clarity of the patterns is great and all the sellers I worked with were super helpful if I had any questions. These days I'm sort of just free handing phrases & little pictures, and I bought some printable iron-on transfer paper to do some more intricate things of my own design.

[MissIntent]

For the past few years, I have made 5-ish different types of cookies, cakeballs and fudge and put them in pretty tins with red and green paper. DH is planning to supplement that with home brewed beer this year. I buy presents for immediate family members, but this way we can give gifts to many friends as well.

[Gray Horse H/J]

For the past few years, I have made 5-ish different types of cookies, cakeballs and fudge and put them in pretty tins with red and green paper. DH is planning to supplement that with home brewed beer this year. I buy presents for immediate family members, but this way we can give gifts to many friends as well.

Oh man...if someone gave me cakeballs, fudge, AND home brewed beer I'd die a happy person!

[EponaRoan]

My mom used to make kahlua for her co-workers. It was quite popular.

[Bicoastal]

I am really itchy to craft! I made two dog crate covers for friends and now I'm hooked, googling craft blogs for inspiration.

I need to supply a feminine gift around $25 for a white elephant exchange. I was thinking a decorated tote bag or decorated glasses. What do you think?

I'm a very good baker though now limited to a toaster oven.

In my web hunt, I learned about the vanilla extract gift. A couple sites said you needed to start 4 weeks in advance to get the right flavor and color. This true?