Pleasantly surprised this Christmas time!

[Nomada]

I had a bash at making some gifts this year, I often make gifts for some of my friends that I know will appreciate them but certain members of my family are...I don't want to say materialistic but to them, stuff is always better when it comes new from a shop. I even offered to make a cowl/snood thingy for my nephew and one of those chunky scarves a hood and with pockets on for my niece when shopping with my mum and sister and she wasn't even remotely interested. Just wanted to pay a tenner each for them.

I did make some food gifts, hot chocolate on sticks with marshmallows (set teaspoons or some sort of stick into the chocolates), gingerbreas christmas shapes and apple and ginger jam, plum and mulled wine jam, cranberry sauces and Christmas chutney with a lot of ingredients for the preserves coming from the allotment or from foraging. There's also some elderberry vodka in the photo, but that's mine, all mine, mmwaahahah.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/45920418@N05/5300100411/

Then I made this little guy for my mum. He's from a book called wee wonderfuls by Hilary Lang (she's also got a website with loads of free patterns and tutorials).

http://www.flickr.com/photos/45920418@N05/5294320842/

And she loved him! So did my niece and I've got a request for a female one with a tutu for her next birthday! And my hard to please sister and brother in law loved the food gifts, especially the chutney and cranberry sauce! Shock of my life! But a nice one...

I also wrapped things using stationery I already had, some brown paper and a roll of old computer labels my dad brought home from work jazzed up with stamps and a roll of ribbon that was in a 50p bargain bag in the fabric shop.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/45920418@N05/5300146715/

[MuddyWitch]

What lovely gifts & I bet your home smelt really xmassy!

MW

[Keaniebean]

They all look great, I really like your paper. I'm going to save paper throughout this year and try the same next Christmas.