DIY Dryer Balls - more HomeMade Christmas

An amazing friend of mine is also onboard with homemade christmas gifts. This year she made dryer balls. As simple as they appear - I can only imagine the time commitment to make for multiple people!

Basically its a ball of matted wool - or rather four balls.

I have been using Nellies Dryer Balls for about a year and a half - they are recommended in the cloth diapering world. But they are starting to show some wear, some of the plastic nubs breaking off - which I have learned may be due to storing them in the dryer - which gets very cold in the winter and then when hard/cold plastic is banging around......they break. Also in comparison the felted ones are MUCH quieter than plastic.

I also got a small bottle of lavender essential oils to add to the balls - for those people who want/need their clothes to smell fresh and clean. I just added it and so far its a nice additional touch

There are lots of online tutorials if you want to make your own dryer balls or you can buy them on etsy.com.

Pros to using dryer balls
- decrease drying time
- decrease wrinkles
- reduce static
- safe for sensitive skin & cloth diapers (which recommend no fabric softeners etc which leave a coating on the materials)

Overall : Fantastic

- Lauren

Customized TeaTowels - Homemade Christmas Gifts

For the past few years our family has tried to do mostly homemade gifts. Its been awesome. This year it was a combination of homemade and 'your favourite things' (ie inexpensive things you love that you want everyone else to have)

Keeping gifts in the $10ish range made things much more creative and thoughtful. Some highlights include  bacon jam, franks red hot, minstrels and roses chocolates, norwex cloths, cookbook, natural soap, cosmetics bag, HP sauce, caramel popcorn, pens, crocheted dish cloths, painted initials for my daughters room door, and I am sure I am forgetting a few others...

I came up with a homemade idea before we decided to do the 'fav things' and so continued along with my idea following a online tutorial on spoonflower.com (a website where you can customize fabric).

Way back in september I asked my mom to handwrite a family recipe for me. She was a little confused since she knew I had a typed version but did so anyways without question. Then after scanning the recipe and creating a file to upload (took a little longer than I would have thought but in the end figured it out). Then I ordered my fabric and waited. I think it took about 6 weeks to arrive - this is the earliest I have ever started christmas projects!

Once the fabric arrived, I cut it up - 4 tea towels per yard of fabric. Folded the edges and sewed some straight seams. I also added a loop on the bag to hang from a hook.

This was super easy and everyone loved it. I think the total cost (with shipping) was around $7 each.

- Lauren

HomeMade Christmas - DIY Bath Salts

Hi. I am Grace and I am 12 years old.  I am Carrie's oldest daughter and Leah & Lauren's favourite niece, of course!

Today I am writing a guest post to show you what I made for Christmas Gifts this year.  This is the third year that our family has done homemade Christmas.   I have 'participated' every year and this is probably my best year yet.

In 2009, I made pin cushions with a cross-stitched design on top and crochet dishcloths. In 2010, I made chocolates with my sister  (we used moulds).

This year I made Vanilla Scented Bath Salts.

Here's the finished product!

Here is the recipe (it makes approx. 1 jar)

- 2 cups of epsom salts
- essential oils (not all oils are good for bathing in, try vanilla, orange, lemon, mint, or lavender or     rosemary)
- food colour (optional)
- a tea spoon of sea salt (also optional, I didn't use them the first time I made this)
- a jar with a lid

Mix all the ingredients together, making sure its evenly mixed and put into jar(s).
Enjoy a relaxing bath.

- Grace

Can You Keep A Secret?

Here is a sneak peak of the sweater/jacket I made my mom for Christmas!

(since my mom doesn't own a computer, I'm trusting that she won't see this post before Christmas :)
so shhh don't tell )

My Mom is shorter than me, and more petite in her frame.. so this sweater will fit her perfectly...(you will see its a little too short on me).

I used the Vogue Pattern V8756.  This was the first time I have used a lining on a shirt.  It was definitely harder to make with the lining, but it made all of the seams polished and smooth.

Also, this colour is SO my mom!  I cannot wait to give it to her!

I love the feeling of giving a really great gift to someone you love! :)

 

Whats the gift you are most excited to give this year?

- Leah

DIY Outdoor Christmas Arrangements II

So you may remember from here, that I have been working on early Christmas presents. Its been fun to do, and each one is a little different (no fun all being the same!)

Check out some more arrangements that I have done:

Some people have asked me where I got all my supplies - here are a few of my tricks, I have been trying to be as frugal as possible.

I had a curly willow tree in my front yard, it was planted 3 years ago and had grown the height of our house, so it was cut down this year, I am sure it will grow back again but I didn't want it to get too outta control plus you can buy this exact same stuff in the stores. I spray painted some of it orange, and some I left natural

Birch, it looks so much more impressive than other tree branches (which I also used). Some birch was from my parents house (who's tree needed alittle trimming) and I also bought some from Sobeys (3 for $15 - which has recently been reduced to 3 for $10. This is substancially cheaper than some I have seen for up to $50 for one piece. I guess it depends where you buy it from but also how long and fat the piece is.)

I bought fake berries for most arrangements from Michaels (on sale of course!) and I bought some dried eucalyptus too, I wasn't sure how that would last in the elements, but it seems to have done better than the berries. In one arrangement the plastic on the berries burst open showing white, and in another they turned purple.

For the foliage, I used some blue spruce for 2 which was also trimmed from trees at my parents house. Some I bought (also from Sobeys, 4 bunches for $20) but a trick I realized last year and just remembered after completing most of my arrangements is that you can buy a whole Christmas tree for $20 (mine was from Home Depot) and then i cut some branches off !

(I only wanted a small tree anyways, but I could have used the whole tree in arrangements and still bought a full size one for in the house).

I used pine cones in a lot of the arrangements, and its ridiculous how expensive pine cones are..... I just kept my eyes open while out for walks and picked them up. Essentially I figure I am helping the landscaping people because I am sure they don't agree well with a lawnmower! I also thought about knocking on peoples doors if necessary, I can't imagine people would mind.

I also bought some shiny Christmas ornaments from a second hand store, some were old and discoloured - which was perfect for being outside - and I have no experience how they will be in the cold weather.

Unfortunately, I think I got a little bored by the time I did my own planters, because they are the least exciting but still do the trick.

Anyone else doing any outdoor decorating?

Remember to check out our first ever giveaway! You could win a copy of Better World Shopper!

- Lauren

Gift Ideas

This isn't so much a wish list for myself but a list of great gift ideas if you still have gifts to buy and have no idea what to get.

As we have mentioned before on the blog, our family does 'make your own' christmas. This drastically reduces the number of gifts I buy.

But here are some ideas...
One tip that always helps - is to think whether its something you would like. Not everyone is the same, but its a good starting point.

I love consumables, lets face it, we don't need more 'stuff' to fill our homes. (unless someone has specifically asked for it)...

Plants, potted plants, orchids, cut flowers, herbs. These are a variation of my christmas gift. And they are great any time of the year. One thing to keep in mind is to think whether the recipient is a plant person - or will it just die? If so, then cut flowers are the way to go.

Chocolates.  We all love chocolate, but we don't always treat ourself to the really nice stuff, or the imported stuff. Whatever you do, stay away from the cheap, seasonal stuff (think $1 easter bunnies - do you really want to eat that? it tastes like plastic, sure its a good deal but......)

Tea or Coffee.  Depending on your recipients taste, you can buy some specialty loose tea, or fancy coffee. Think about buying local and organic.  Think about something you might not always buy yourself.

HomeMade treats  If you are a baker, then home made goodies are great - but one thing to think about is 'can it be frozen'? Since so many of us get tons of goodies, its hard to eat them all right away, and if they must be eaten within a few days then they might go to waste. So lately I have been thinking about freezable homemade treats. Cookies tend to work great - and so does zucchini bread.

One of the best gifts we got after our daughter was born - was meals.  It can be weird but if you agree to bring a meal over on a specified date - then its a day your recepient can look forward to enjoying a meal. You have to be pretty close to the people to do this though :)

Magazines.   I love magazines.  If you are sure of one, then a subscription is a great idea. Then they get to enjoy your gift all year long.  There are so many out there, and I think most people enjoy relaxing and reading.

Gift Certificates.   These can be touchy, since they can come across as a last minute "I couldn't think of anything" but I think they can also be thoughtful if they are for a specific store (instead of the whole mall) or for a service like a manicure.  Just make sure you think of the person, and what might be a treat for them.

Experiences.  Spend a day or a weekend together.  My sister has previously spent weekends at Great Wolf Lodge, and I know other friends who have spent a day and taken their kids to the Toronto Zoo. We are currently planning a winter cottage weekend with my husbands siblings.  It's a great way to create memories and worth so much more than a sweater from the mall.

And now here are a few that are probably less generic and maybe only I would want them...
Gardening gloves, or clippers. (I think my husband would also be happy to receive work gloves at any occasion) A Kreg jig for wood working projects. Red oven mitts, red & black tea towels (for our hopefully soon renovated kitchen). A pastry hand blender. Sometimes its hard to come up with a wish list, since we all have so much stuff and are fortunate enough to be able to buy what we want from time to time.

Even a phone call to catch up with people you haven't talked to in a while.  It reminds people that you are thinking about them.

-Lauren

Appetizer Exchange

Last week, I went to my first ever "Appetizer Exchange Party".  My friend, Christa organized it and hosted it.  It was amazing.  I totally recommend doing it!  Essentially it was a food exchange party where appetizers became the main course. There were 6 couples invited and each couple arrived with 6 servings of frozen appetizers and one appetizer serving all ready to eat.  It was a fantastic evening of savoury food, cocktails, wine, Christmas music and laughter.  At the end of the evening, each couple left with six parcels of frozen, homemade hors d'oeuvre ready for the holidays.

I made Minature Bacon and Leek Quiche.  Delish.

Here is the bag I received at the end of the evening.  Not only was it full of frozen appetizers, but the recipes were attached to the bag with my initial.  So lovely.

I'm already looking forward to doing this again next year :)

-Carrie

DIY Holiday Wreaths

I made a typical Christmasy wreath a few years ago and its done me well, but I decided this year I wanted to try something new, something that would last longer than just Christmas, and my plan is that I can continue to change it with the seasons. I made a grapevine wreath. Its pretty simple and minimalistic. It might get some additions but currently I am happy with it and I love that I can also see it inside through the glass window.

(Please excuse my slanty photography skills). The other thing that excites me about my new wreath is how easy and how cheap it was! I used a 40% off coupon from Michaels (you can print them from their website if you don't get their flyers in the mail) and the wreath cost $2.70 including tax!!!! I already had the ribbon and the berries left over from other projects! I looped the ribbon over the wreath and used a tack in the top of the door. EASY and FABULOUS!

I still had my 'old' wreath hanging around, so I hung it on my garage.

I noticed that you can buy basic wreaths made from fresh pine branches - I think I will have to try that one year - you would smell it every time you walked in the door!

Do you have a wreath? Get a new one every year? Have the same one up all year? Think you might make one this year?

-Lauren

Cookie Exchange

Today I participated in my first ever cookie exchange. Check out my loot!  Its awesome, now all I need to do is stop myself from eating it all in one sitting.  I remembered to take a photo just before putting most of it away in the freezer. The plan is to pace myself so that I can enjoy it between now and Christmas.

There was eight of us participating, all from the same prenatal/mom & baby yoga class - and we all have babies under 1 year. We met this morning to drink coffee and exchange goodies, my contribution was half a loaf of chocolate chip zucchini bread (made with frozen, shredded zuch from my CSA this summer). The plan is that to also exchange recipes soon too.

Anyone else doing a cookie exchange? Its not too late - get some friends/co-workers/neighbours/family together and make it happen!

-Lauren

Its beginning to look alot like Christmas.....

This is the earliest I think I have ever started decorating for Christmas. The past few years our family has decided to make gifts instead of buying them. This adds so much more creativity and fun. We don't have hard 'rules' but like to encourage creativity. Sometimes its personalizing something you have bought (The stencilled hotplate in the previous post was a gift from my brother last year - and its used very often!).

This year my gift is outdoor Christmas decorations. I had decided this in the spring and since I want people to enjoy my gift through the Christmas season, I have started early with hopes to have them all done by December 1st.

Here are pics of two so far, one was done in October - which was enhanced last week to be more wintery with some blue spruce.

Anyone else started decorating early or working on Christmas projects?

- Lauren