Credit Crunch Gift Ideas

[Jillyreeves]

Loving this thread - got some fantastic ideas.

Enjoyed the James Wong series and would love to make some of the bath bombs - could I please have those recipes Kirstyb?

Lavender bath bomb

5-6 fresh lavender sprigs
1 tbsp citric acid powder
3 tbsp bicarbonate of soda
10 drops lavender essential oil
1 tsp plant-based oil (vegetable or almond oil)
1. Heat the oven to 180C. Once it has reached that temperature, turn it off and place the lavender, hanging upside down, in the oven to dry for about 2 hours. When dry, remove the flowers from the stalks and set aside.
2. For the next stage you need to make sure that the bowl you are using, and your hands, are completely dry - otherwise the bomb will start fizzing. In a glass bowl, mix the citric acid and bicarbonate of soda together. Add a few drops of lavender oil and 1 tsp dried lavender flowers, along with the vegetable or almond oil. Mix everything together with a metal spoon.
3. Place the biscuit cutter on top of a sheet of baking paper. Put the mixture into the biscuit cutter and press down with the back of the spoon. The oil now needs to evaporate so the bomb can set as a dry, hard block - leave for a minimum of 30 minutes and preferably overnight.

STORAGE: Store in tin foil to keep out moisture.
VARIATION: If you are making this with kids you can add 1/2 tsp of edible glitter into the mix to create an even more dramatic effect.

If any one wants any of the other recipies from the series just ask

[Jillyreeves]

Heres another one to try

Herbal body scrub

50 g fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
50 g fresh eucalyptus leaves, finely chopped
50 g fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped
1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
Peel of 2 lemons
300 ml olive oil
400 g sea salt (fine-grained)
4 tsp vitamin C powder
Extra eucalyptus leaves and slices of lemon peel, to decorate
1. Place the chopped herbs, black pepper and lemon peel in a pan, then add the olive oil. Place on a medium heat and stir, then leave for 2 minutes with the lid on. Place the paste in a piece of muslin over a sieve and squeeze out all the oil into a bowl below.
2. Mix the sea salt and vitamin C powder in a bowl. Add most of the oil (reserving a little to seal the jar) and stir well. Place the mixture in a sterilized Kilner jar and press down well. Decorate the top with a few eucalyptus leaves and slices of lemon rind. Pour a layer of the remaining oil on top of the salt scrub to keep it airtight.

USE: Apply to wet skin in the bath or shower, when needed. Scrub, then rinse off well with warm water.
STORAGE: Keeps for 6 months, or 1 year in the refrigerator.

[Jillyreeves]

There are more but most are not suitable for prezzies :-) Unless you know otherwise, who would want acne cream or athletes foot powder????

Cucumber Eye Gel

1 small cucumber, chopped
1 aloe vera leaf
1 sachet vegetable gelatine
50 ml distilled extract of witch hazel BP
1 white tea teabag
3 drops peppermint essential oil
1. Roughly chop the cucumber. Peel and slice the aloe leaf to extract its gel. Put the cucumber and aloe gel into a blender and process until smooth. Strain the mix through a sieve to extract the juice. Measure out 100 ml of the strained juice and set aside.
2. Add the witch hazel to a pan, whisk in the gelatine and add the teabag. Gently heat the mixture until it just starts to thicken. As the mixture cools, take out the teabag, then whisk in the cucumber and aloe juice mixture and the peppermint oil.
3. Bottle up the gel in a sterilized, airtight pump dispenser.

USE: Apply to the eye area before bed, then wash off in the morning.
STORAGE: Keeps in the refrigerator for up to 6 weeks.

[Jillyreeves]

Earlier in the year I potted up my strawberry runners, planning to make up a planter for my MIL and my SIL with them :-)

[Jax]

Chocolate fudge gifts


Method...
Break up the chocolate into a microwavable dish. Microwave the Chocolate for 1 minute and stir, repeat again. If the chocolate has still not melted microwave for an extra 20 seconds and stir. Repeat the 20 seconds until the chocolate has melted being careful not to over cook the chocolate.

Then add the tin of condensed milk to the chocolate, stir in well. You will feel the mixture thicken.

Pour into a tin foil lined tin, spread evenly and smooth the top. Allow to cool for a couple of hours.

Take the fudge out of the tin and peel off the tin foil. Cut in to small mouth sized chunks.

Your chocolate fudge is now ready to eat or put into a little box if you are giving it as a gift.

One batch is enough to make two gifts

[Glutton4...]

Chocolate fudge gifts .... One batch is enough to make two gifts

Or a quick snack LOL

[di]

I really do need to get a trip to the dentist sorted before Ch*!$£^@$.

[Jax]

Im gonna make up a batch when I get the shopping delivered just to try and ummmmm make sure its okay to eat! So ya think I got away with that one teeheee

[Glutton4...]

im gonna make up a batch when i get the shopping delivered just to try and ummmmm make sure its okay to eat! So ya think i got away with that one teeheee

nope! Lol

[Jax]

oh well the diets gone out of the window completely as I made a really sim ple toffee today and over the next few weeks am gonna trial a load of sweets and sauces etc to give away.

And yes the toffee was scrummy. Suprising as it was only sugar and butter :P

[miffy]

I volunteer at a charity shop for the homeless every saturday morning and i will be definitely be getting all my Christmas pressies from there. There are so many really low cost, practically as new gifts and it is a double gift as the money you pay goes to a good cause too.

[annacruachan]

For my son and his girlfriend I'm making a chilli growing kit: six small pots plus small bag of compost and seeds from my own chillies as well as two others that I already have seeds for from Real Seeds. Instructions for growing and saving seed for the following year have been printed up in colourful type as the inside of a card made from parchment paper (had it for years!) with a photo of my own Brazilian Rainbow chilli tree on the front. All will be contained in a decorated recycled box.

[northepaul]

Thanks for all the wonderful suggestions!!

This one is probably something that everyone will scoff at, but my little girl whose 6 (Nor infact) likes to make little things for her grandparents, aunties etc.
This year we have been saving margerine tubes and covering them with either old recycled birthday/christmas paper or newspaper and them painting them. After dried,Filling with some light compost and putting bulbs in.
I know its really simple but its a perfect thing to entertain kids and they feel so great when they have made it themselves.

[lettucegrow!]

Why have I not visited this thread before - all these fantastic ideas. Everyone's getting bath bombs this year full of glitter!!!!

[kirsty b]

Chocolate fudge gifts


Method...
Break up the chocolate into a microwavable dish. Microwave the Chocolate for 1 minute and stir, repeat again. If the chocolate has still not melted microwave for an extra 20 seconds and stir. Repeat the 20 seconds until the chocolate has melted being careful not to over cook the chocolate.

Then add the tin of condensed milk to the chocolate, stir in well. You will feel the mixture thicken.

Pour into a tin foil lined tin, spread evenly and smooth the top. Allow to cool for a couple of hours.

Take the fudge out of the tin and peel off the tin foil. Cut in to small mouth sized chunks.

Your chocolate fudge is now ready to eat or put into a little box if you are giving it as a gift.

One batch is enough to make two gifts

How long does it keep for? providing it doesn't all get eaten?
Am donating a basket of homemade goodies to the ward's xmas raffle and am trying to think of stuff to add to the preserves, bath bombs and sloe gin.