Handmade Christmas

I've always enjoyed making Christmas gifts. It's just something that I do - and have done for years. I do it mostly because I enjoy it. I get a true pleasure out of creating something for another person. I go back and forth as to whether or not the people who receive the gifts really like them or not. I realize that it would be so much easier to just go to the store and buy something. I think it depends upon who you give the gift to. Some people really don't "get" homemade gifts while others do appreciate them and think they are special. Either way - I still went ahead and made some gifts. This year I decided to make fudge. I'm not an expert fudge maker by any means. I found an easy recipe on-line and gave it a try. Here is a picture of the fudge before cutting- in some Pyrex (of course). It looks so pretty!

I decided that it would be nice to package the homemade fudge in vintage containers to give away. The container would be part of the gift. I've collected so many vintage items over the years that I have plenty to spare. Here is a gift that I gave to one of my daughter's teachers packaged in Pyrex. I know I would love to receive something like this. I think it looks so much prettier this way than in a disposable container - plus it saves me the expense of buying something new by using what I already had. I didn't have a lid for this one so I slipped the entire piece inside a cellophane bag and tied it with ribbon.

Another thing I make every year at Christmas for gifting is bread - in these vintage star tins. They always turn out so cute. This year I made banana bread. I just used a recipe that I always do but something about making them in a shaped mold makes them so much more festive. Two of these stars and a little bag of coffee make a great present for some one. (I don't give these with the mold. Instead I pop them out and wrap with plastic wrap.)

I also made some crafty things other than food. This year I became obsessed with making Pom Poms. I've seen so many cute things on Pinterest that are made with homemade Pom Poms. I tried making a few using an old Susan Bates Pom Pom maker that my grandmother had in the 1970's. They took forever to make - which is not fun at all. Luckily I discovered THIS pom pom maker by Clover. I bought mine at Michaels. I was able to whip out several pom poms over a few evenings in front of the television. I made this wreath for a co-worker who likes the colors pink and purple. Not sure how she felt about it when she opened it. {like I said above - it does depend upon who you give the gift to if they will "get" the whole homemade thing} Oh well, at least she will be the only person around with a wreath like this. You certainly can't buy something like that at Walmart!

 

Hope you are enjoying the season and finding time to do something that you love.
KayteeJane