Homemade Christmas Treats: Stocking Stuffers!

As a mom with 3 kids, I know well how to stuff a stocking. Stockings are one of my favorite parts of Christmas. I love them so much, in fact, that last year, I decided to start collecting them. I hung them all over the living room. This year, I plan to dig out some suction cups, and hang a stocking of some sort in every main room window.

One thing I've been interested in, though, is making stocking stuffer treats from scratch. Something the kids will enjoy, and that doesn't come from the store. In my extensive blog, forum, and website browsing, I've come across a few interesting ideas.

Now... to limit myself to just a few, so I'm not fattening the kids up for 2010!

Fast & East Peppermint Marshmallow Kabobs- These are simple to make, and sound great. I know my kids and Nick will love these! Skewer mini-marshmallows on a wooden kabob stick (found in big packs at any department store for around $2), then cover them in melted chocolate, and sprinkle with crushed candy canes! Freeze immediatly so the marshmallows don't melt. Wrap individually, tie with a bow, and pop them into the stockings!

You'll Need:
Mini Marshmallows
Wooden Skewers
Meltable Chocolate (baking chips work)
Peppermint candies or candy canes
Cello bags
Ribbon

Candy Bar Snowman- So simple & easy, though the treat isn't homemade. The idea shows it using a Hershey's bar, but I think this would be cute with other candy bars, as well, such as a Twix bar. Wrap a candy bar with white paper, and add a cheery snowman face. Add a fleece scrap for a scarf, and make a tiny hat out of fleece scraps. These would take a bit more time with the small amount of sewing, but would be just adorable!

You'll need:
1 Candy Bar per person
Fleece Scraps
Markers
Sewing Machine


Rice Krispie Treat Pops- Simple & cute, and of course, easy to make! Make the treats according to the directions, then cut into squares. Add a popsicle stick to them, and dip them into melted chocolate. Add sprinkles to the top, then wrap in cello bags, and tie with a ribbon!

You'll Need:
Rice Krispies or Generic cereal
Marshmallows
Butter
Popsicle sticks
Meltable Chocolate
Sprinkles
Cello bags
Ribbon

Snowmen on a Stick- This is one a friend of mine on Gather did last year, which I thought was adorable! I even helped by giving her an idea on what to use for the scarves (fruit by the foot!). The link also gives other ideas on what she made to put into stockings. The article does not give instructions, so they are listed below the ingredients.

You'll Need:
Large Marshmallows
York Peppermint Patties
Reeses Bell's (These are a Holiday specialty- bell shaped Reese's cups)
Black piping frosting, thin- not gel!
Orange piping frosting, thin- not gel!
(The gel melts and runs)
Wooden skewers
Cello bag
Ribbon

What To Do:

Skewer 3 large marshmallows, leaving about half an inch of space on top. Skewer 1 Peppermint patty on top of the marshmallow, and pipe a tiny bit of frosting to the top, to help 'glue' the Reese's bell to the patty. Skewer the bell into place, making sure not to poke it out of the top of the bell.

Using Fruit by the Foot, cut a length off, and cut the edges to fringe, then wrap it around the 'neck' of the snowman, and knot it into place if you are able.

Lastly, pipe the arms, buttons, and face onto the snowman. Wrap in cello & tie with a ribbon!

Christmas Candy Train- Perfect for the little train lovers in your family! These have been around for a long time, and are pretty easy to make. If you would like, you can wrap the longer pieces in construction paper to hide the logo's and candy wrappers. Keep all candy wrapped up! Using just a small dab of hot glue, you can glue these into place without melting the wrappers, or having glue seep into the candies.

You'll Need:
1 package of stick gum, small, such as Juicy Fruit or Big Red. No Plen-T-Packs!
1 roll of live savers or breath savers
1 Hershey's kiss
1 wrapped Caramel
4 Round hard candies, wrapped
Glue

I hope you enjoyed these Christmas candy treats, and hope you'll share any ideas you have made in the past or for this year, as well! Comments are loved & appreciated!

My Blog

With minimal effort, I was able to find a totally cool background image, customize a banner, and make my own buttons for people to add to their website or blog.

The only part that gave me pause was adding the scroll box with the code to make it super easy for anyone to link back to me.

If you have a blog and want to link back to me, I would love to return the favor! Simply copy & paste the code from the scroll box for your own image link to my blog! It's quick & painless, I promise.

In the mean time, back to having frugal fun! I've been itching to make some felt Christmas ornaments, but here I sit, felt-less. I do have fleece and batting, though, so maybe I'll go super frugal, and craft from my supplies at hand.

Frugal Family Gifts

This year for Christmas, I am focusing on gifts the entire family will get use out of, as opposed to gifts for individuals. The kids are still going to get some of their "own" small things, but for the most part, I'm doing family gifts.

Here are some ideas on things that can be gifted to a family:

*Family Passes*: Museums, Theme Parks, Zoos, Aquariums, and more! Family passes can be pricey, but they give you a "free" activity you can do any time you want. And, to sweeten the pot, so to speak, many family passes can be used at multiple places.

For instance, buying a zoo pass at John Ball in Grand Rapids will allow me to take the kids to Potter Park in Lansing, or the Saginaw Children's Zoo in Saginaw- and get me in half price at the Detroit Zoo & Binder Park. It will also get us in for free or discount at over 100 other zoos nation wide. That's great come vacation time! And, it'll cost me just $50.

*Family Game Night*: Board games are coming back in style, probably due to the economy being pretty low right now. Keep the overall ages of the kids in mind. If you have 3 little kids, Candy Land & Chutes & Ladders will go over well. If you have 1 little kid, 1 9 year old, and a 12 year old, you may have to get a bit more creative.

For us, we're getting 3 board games, so the kids will each get their own game, and then a 4th game to give to the parents. The games will be put with all the games, so that we can all enjoy them. Additionally, I'll be giving the kids each a snack item and some soda (both treats for them) to use for the first Family Game Night with the new games.

*Family Movie Night*: Pick up a family friendly movie, a box of microwave popcorn, some popcorn seasoning, and a box or two of movie theater candy, and you have the makings for a fun night snuggled up watching a new movie.

*Night Out*: I'm not sure yet if we're doing this one. For this, the kids will each be getting a small gift card to some place for dinner, probably fast food. They will also each be getting a gift card for a matinee to a movie. We can eat out, and see a family movie, which can be pricey otherwise. This way, it's a gift to them.

*Dinner Time Fun*: I am not sure I'll do this yet, but here are some ideas. Find or make an apron for each person of the family with their name on it if it's plain, or use a fabric that really kind of shows who that person it. Add in their own silicone spatulas, measuring spoons, and maybe a mixing bowl. For a gift to the whole family, get a cookbook. Then, have the kids take time to mark down which recipes they want to try. Every week, designate one night to be
Family Dinner Time Fun. Either alternate who picks from their list each week, or have each kid pick something from their list each week, for a larger meal. Have the kids help with the preparation!

*Reading Night*: Pick a book that the kids will enjoy, such as Harry Potter, or Eragon, Super Fudge, Babysitters Club, Chronicals of Narnia, etc. Something you think will appeal to the kids, though, and capture their attention. Give the book (or books) to the family for Christmas, and maybe the movie if it's one that has a movie. Then, schedule a night to read together as a family.

You could take turns reading, and helping the younger children read. Include some construction or drawing paper, crayons, a notebook, and a pen or pencil. Each night when you've finished reading a chapter or two, have everyone just write down their favorite parts to keep in the notebook. When the book is finished, have everyone draw something from the book for an art project.

*Puzzle Night*: Buy a puzzle or 2 at the dollar store, and then, find a place to set them up at, and take your time as a family putting them together.

Good luck! Many of these ideas are both fun and FRUGAL!

The Gift of Time

Last year, I was active on a website that is sort of a mix between a blog, a forum, and a social network, called Gather. Actually, I'm still active there. Last year, people were concerned about Christmas. Many people were laid off, or hours were cut, and a lot of people around the nation found themselves worrying about how to deal with the costs of the upcoming holidays.

This is a post I made last November on Gather, which I still feel is a great gift to give, The Gift of Time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This year, many people have lost their jobs. Many have had to take cut backs in income. Even those who haven't are feeling a pinch with the raising costs of living, and the failure to accommodate the income accordingly- though, it goes hand in hand with the economic crisis. In a few years, maybe we can all look back on these lean times, and smile that we got through it, and learned to be a bit more resourceful and frugal at the same time.

But that's the future, and this is the here and now. In the hear and now, many people are struggling on how they will survive Christmas as frugally as possible. More and more people are looking to cut back their list of gifts, by excluding people, participating in gift drawings instead of all out exchanges, and many other solutions.

The list of people signing up for help is outstripping the prior years by a lot. More and more people are in need of assistance, and because of the longer lists, and less people being able to donate, people won't get nearly as much help as in years past.

Being creative is something not everyone is familiar with. Working online is helpful- very helpful when you can earn even 1 or 2 gift cards from Gather or other places, but it still takes more than that.

One of the most frugal, but most appreciated ways to provide a holiday gift this year is by simply giving of yourself- give the gift of time.

Here are a few ideas on things you can give through the simple gift of your time-

• Parents: Offer to babysit for friends or family with young children. Two or three hours of babysitting can easily run parents $20-30 these days. That's daunting enough to make a simple trip to the theater not doable. Or even just to let them go to the grocery store together without the kids.
• The Elderly or Sick: Offer to help transport back and forth between doctor's appointments. Sometimes, they don't have transport themselves, or don't want to drive in bad weather, and those appointments can be very important.
• Anyone: Offer to spend an evening or afternoon cleaning their house up- maybe limit it by rooms or hours.
• Anyone: A get together with a friend or family member- a night of playing cards together, or watching a rented movie, or taking the kids to play, etc.
• Anyone: Offer to make dinner for someone
• College kids, or people living on their own: Offer to send them a small baked goods care package when they want it
• Dog Owners: Offer to walk their dog for a week, if they live nearby
• Pet Owners: Offer to pet sit for a week- going over and feeding, watering, and letting dogs out, or cleaning litter boxes, etc.
• Anyone: A shoulder to cry on- offer an over worked parent, or a stressed friend a quite night and a shoulder to cry on when they need one.
• Women: An at home 'spa'. Bring buckets for warm water to soak your feet in, nail polish, soft music (or upbeat if you like!), a cucumber, and some scented candles. Relax together, paint your nails together, and giggle and talk.
• Anyone: A car wash when it's nice out
• Anyone with a yard: A lawn mowing when it's nice out
• A Teen: A ride to the mall to meet up with their friends, or a ride to the movie theater.
• Your Child: A free day off from chores
• Your Child: An afternoon of 1 on 1 time

The possibilities are endless- there are so many wonderful things you can do just by providing your time. And to a lot of people, your time is worth far more than a gift card, or a trinket, or a new sweater. It's priceless to the over worked, or lonely, or sick.

Sure, there are people who won't appreciate it, but those are the people who are far too materialistic for their own good.

I hope in reposting this, it will give some of you out there an idea. I think time spent with someone is far better than money spent. The memories can last a life time.

Dollar Store Craft Day!

Inspired greatly by all the wonderful frugal craft sites I've found over the past 18 hours or so, I decided to take a quick trip to Dollar Tree for some supplies today. I had certain craft projects in mind when going in, and picked up a few other ideas after looking around.

In total, I spent $13 on supplies at Dollar Tree, and $1.97 on ribbon at Walmart. Here's what I got:

4 Decorative Towels
1 2-pack of Pot Holders
2 1-pack of Pot Holders
1 2-pack of Dish Cloths
1 pair of knee high socks
4 knit scarves

And here are my ideas.

Fancy Ruffled Scarf

What You'll Need:
2 lengths of fleece, or 2 premade scarves
Scissors
Thread
Sewing machine, or needle to sew by hand.

1. Cut the lengths of fabric or scarf into squares. The blog I found them at suggests 58-64 4" squares, but said that it came out very long. She used cut up old leggings, but found the pattern herself in a book suggesting using t-shirts. I wanted a practical scarf, so I bought 4 knit scarves premade.
2. Once the squares are cut, turn them sideways, and layer them on top of one another in a diamond, or argyle type pattern.
3. Sew straight down the middle. When it's done, the scarf should form natural ruffles along the sides. My hope is that with 4 scarves, I can make 2 decently sized fancy scarves. One to keep, and one to gift away.
   

Fingerless Gloves/Arm Warmers

What You'll Need:
1 pair of long socks
Scissors
Sewing Machine or Needle
Thread

1. Cut the sock right above the heel, and set the foot portion aside. I have no immediate crafts for them, but I'm sure something can be found!
2. Roll the cut edge inward, and sew a hem along it, to keep it from fraying.
   
3. Measure them on your arm, and cut a slit where the thumb will go.
4. While they are on, use safety pins to pin the fabric between each finger- you may need help doing this.
5. Remove the gloves, and use the sewing machine to tack the fabric together in between the fingers, where the safety pins are.
   
6. Embellish the gloves however you wish! On the blog I found them on, she used a little velvet ribbon and a single pearl bead. I'm not sure yet what I'll do. I may make rosettes out of the left over sock material.
   

I bought the items needed to make 2 more of my Dish Towel Angels. This time, I'm making more of a harvest colored theme, as at least 1 person I am going to give one to has a darker colored kitchen.


And lastly, I bought the material to make 2 of the Inexpensive Children's Aprons. This is the reason I bought a spool of white ribbon for $1.97. In total, it will cost me about $3 to make each apron, though that's dividing the cost of the ribbon between 2, and I know I'll have plenty of ribbon left over afterwards. I'm planning to give one apron to my niece, who is 2, and I think the other apron I'll gift away here, on my blog.


Not a bad little haul for $14.97 total! I'll be able to make 2 aprons, 2 angels, 2 scarves, and a pair of fingerless gloves!

Gifts in a Jar

Gifts in a Jar have been popular for enough years, that even the stores are cashing in on this by selling pre-made gifts in a jar now. Yes, really! By now, we all know what a gift in a jar is- a large jar with layers of different dry ingredients in it, and a recipe attached to the jar.

Tonight, as I sit here sleepless at almost 2am, I did a web search for frugal homemade gift ideas. Of course, Gifts in a Jar came up quickly.

Did you know, though, that there are gifts you can make in a jar that don't require the person to cook something? Here are some ideas.

Family Movie Night

What You'll Need:
Popcorn Kernels
Candy
Movie Store Gift Card
Jar

Keep the popcorn in it's own bag, or put it in a smaller baggie, and tie it off. Insert the gift card, then pour candy in around it, so the card is hidden. Wrap with black tissue paper, and add a 'recipe' card to it that reads like a real recipe.

Ingredients:
1 Air Popper or Oil & Pot for Stove Top Popping
1 Free Night
1 Trip to Video Store

Steps:
1- Go to the video store, and pick out a (or more, depending on the value of the card) movie, on us.
2- Pop the popcorn
3- Start the movie, and enjoy the candy, popcorn, and time together!

The cost of making this gift is dependent on how much you get the gift card for. I would recommend seeing what the cost of 2 brand new releases are, and making the card out for that much. If they pick older rentals, they might get 3 or 4 rentals instead of just 2.

Game Night in A Jar

What You'll Need:
A Deck of Cards
Poker Chips (or, raid Goodwill for old games, and put fake game money it it!)
Dice
Card Game Book- This wouldn't likely fit in the jar, but would be a nice addition to the gift.

Fill the jar with the items, and on the attached card, write out something like:

Have a Fun Family Game Night
Just Add The Family!

Sewing Kit, for someone you know who likes to sew

What You'll Need:
An assortment of thread
Thimbles
A packet of new needles
Ribbon
A pair of new scissors
Fabric- this is to cover the top- it should be a round swatch about 2" wider than the jar lid.

Simply fill the jar with the 'ingredients'. Cover the lid with the fabric, and tie off with a ribbon.

Gifts in a Jar are limited only by what will fit in the jar- if you have any other ideas, please let me know! I'd love to share them!

Make It Yourself- Gag Gifts

One thing many people worry about during the holiday season, is who they are buying for, who they can afford to buy for, and how much to spend.

I come from a large family. I'm the second oldest of 4 kids, with divorced parents. My mom is the oldest of 4 kids. My dad is the youngest of 11 kids. My step mom is smack dab in the middle of 7 kids. My husband is the oldest of 2 kids. His mom is the oldest of 3 kids.

All said and done, we usually hit more than our fair share of holiday parties each year, and I've always bought for a few select people, and tried to come up with something small for the rest of the people. Last year, my 'something small' was "Snowman Poop".

I got the idea on Budget101.com. It's easy to do, and costs pennies to make.

Snowman Poop

What You'll Need:
Mini Marshmallows
Glitter
Plastic Baggie- I used ziplock, because that's what I had, but it would look nicer with sandwich bags, tied with ribbon
A small note pad, or a printer with paper

First, put a small handful of mini marshmallows in the baggie, then sprinkle in a touch of glitter. Hold the baggie closed to shake it, then use a ribbon to tie it off. Please make sure to note that the snowman poop is NOT edible, due to the glitter.

Attach a small note with a poem:
Santa looked at his list,
Even checked it twice.
And he has seen that you
have not been very nice.
Since coal's so expensive,
Here's the scoop,
Santa's filling your stocking
with SNOWMAN'S POOP!

There are a lot of fun ideas at Budget101.com for similar, easy to make, cheap to make, fun gag gifts.

Grinch Farts

What You'll Need:
Green M&M's, Skittles, or other round green candies.
Plastic Baggie- I used ziplock, because that's what I had, but it would look nicer with sandwich bags, tied with ribbon
A small note pad, or a printer with paper

Fill the baggies, tie off with a ribbon, and add the following poem:

The Grinch went down to Who-ville
And loaded up his sleigh.
He couldn't resist the yummy smells,
And sampled along the way.
His tummy started to rumble,
Then it began to shout.
Just when he thought he might explode,
He blasted these mighty "toots" out.

The Perfect Man

What You'll Need:
Gingerbread Man Cookie, decorated and ready to eat
Baggie
Ribbon
Note pad or printer & paper

Bag each cookie individually, tie with a ribbon, and attach a note with:

He's quiet, he's sweet,
And if he gives you any trouble,
You can bite his head off!

The website has a lot of gag gifts, and not just Christmas oriented. Some of these would make fun stocking stuffers, or office gifts, or even just gifts to pass out at family parties for some fun.

Here's one I give to kids before Christmas Eve.

Magic Reindeer Food

What You'll Need:
White sugar
Red & Green Decrotive Sugar Crystals
Raw Oatmeal
Glitter
Baggie & Ribbon

I mix a small amount of the sugars, oatmeal, and glitter together in a baggie, and tie it up. When I give it to the children, I tell them that while Santa delivers his gifts, the reindeer get hungry, too. The magic food in the baggie will help them fly fast all night long. We sprinkle it on the front lawn on Christmas Eve.

These little gag gifts are fun, festive, and best of all- easy to make, and cheap to make. Even the kids can help you make these!

Christmas Dishtowel Angel

This year, I'm concentrating on making items for gifts, instead of buying them. Here is my first attempt- A Dishtowel Angel.
You'll Need:
Ribbon (I've made 2 so far- one using wide, pretty, wired ribbon, and one using curling ribbon. The curling works better, the pretty ribbon looks better)
1 pot holder
1 dish towel
1 dish cloth or wash cloth
I shopped for supplies at Dollar Tree, and had decent luck. Almost all of their pot holders come in a 2 pack, as do their dish cloths. So far, though, I have not found any dish towels that came with more than 1, so that's the expensive addition at $1 each, instead of $.50. The total cost for this angel is $2 to make, if I don't count the cost of the ribbon, which is pennies since I can use it for quite a few angels.

Step 1: Fold the dish towel accordion style, length wise. I try to make sure the end edges are
folded towards the back, not the front. If you use a patterned dish towel, that is the "front" side. (See above)

Step 2: Fold the dish towel in half, and tie a ribbon around it near the tie, to create a
rounded "head" for the angel. (See above & below)

Step 3: Next, fold the dish cloth accordion style as well, also length wise,
if it's more rectangular than square. Set this aside without tying it. (See above)

Step 4: Pinch the pot holder semi-accordion style in the middle. Try it from
different angles to see how you like it best. (See above)

Step 5: While still pinching the pot holder, place the folded dish cloth on top of the front of the
wings, then tie them together. It should resemble a bow. (See above & below)

Step 6: Set the angel's body on top of the wings, and using a criss cross pattern,
tie the wings to the body. (See above)

Step 7: Last, gather the dish cloth "arms" together in front of the body, and tie them both
together near the ends of the cloth, so that they resemble two arms with the
hands clasped together in front of the angel. (See above)

I have not tried it yet, and likely won't, but you can use a chenille stem (pipe cleaner) to form a halo to go over top of the angel's head. Simply create a longer 'stick' on the end of the halo, and secure it between the wings & arms, and the body, so it rests over her head.

I think I may pick up some small flowers of some sort to add to the 'hand' part. When putting these together, keep in mind that they are a functional gift as well, so don't glue or cut the items to add things, unless you do not care if they are functional items still.

Here are some poems I have found on various websites that you can print out and attach to your little angel.

I am your Kitchen Angel
I'll watch over all you do,
Baking all those goodies,
And snitching one or two!

And if you ever tire of me,
Or some help is what your wish is,
Just untie my little ribbons,
And I'll help you with the dishes!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

An angel in the Kitchen
Watching the stew
Blesses your cooking
And all that you do.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

These angels are just adorable, and only take about 5-10 minutes to make. For $2, you are able to give a functional gift set, that looks unique, and not like just another store bought gift. Sure, it really is, but the presentation is so much nicer!