This post could be good for those starting out and not overly confident in making things from scratch. It is really just taking a basic item and fancying it up. The results though can be amazing! Good packaging is what makes many things appealing and glamorous.
This can be really economical too. Something like buying a bulk pack of lovely candles then dividing them up into pairs and elegantly packing and decorating them.
Some things I have shown before fall into this category. Simply wrapping and decorating nice soaps ...
I added these to my earlier pink and silver ones. Mimi gave me the little cameo's which are perfect!
Other things I have "fancied up" are little note books...
I have decorated plant pots by painting them with chalkboard paint or transfers,
Added trims to pillowcases and tea towels.
Added glitter to votives for candles.
Re wrapped all kind of boxed things... I have these bon bons ready to give...
Another idea is to put names on each bon bon and tie a little trinket to each one. Then re pack and fancy up the box. That is a lovely family gift.
A couple of weeks ago I did this with a box of mixed candles which I have ready...
There are so many ready made things that can be re worked somehow. ie buying large packs of different flavored teas and using cellophane bags to divide them up. That way you would make little baskets of six different teas and add some homemade biscuits or a pretty cup and saucer. Think of all the things that could be purchased in bulk then divided up. A few years ago I only made Christmas cakes and Coconut Ice. So I bought giant packs of our local grocery store homemade style biscuits. The bakery makes them. I got four varieties and re packaged them into cellophane bags. This way each person got a little cake, coconut ice and four little bags of biscuits. It all looked lovely and it saved me that year! Last year I did this with Christmas lollies. I bought two huge packs and made them up into about 20 small pretty packs. These went into a lot of gifts and added some colour and variety.
Presentation is everything. A survey of a beautiful home wares store yesterday was a good demonstration. Chloe and I looked at each other and left to the local cheap store where we copied some of the ideas and in one case with IDENTICAL items for about one fifth the price.
For the South Australian ladies Neds has the nicest range of glass jars I have ever seen plus little brown paper bags with cellophane windows for homemade treats. Just amazing!
To craft gifts you don't have to make things from scratch. There are so many possibilities and ways to re work things, add, pretty up and re package. This can be a great help and very economical.
Last week Maria made the Christmas cakes! She sent me these pictures and it looks like they turned out wonderfully...
Maria used muffin liners to make small gift ones...
And she put bling on each pack! Respect.
Thank you Maria! They look great!
And also Sue asked for a printable mason tag image to make labels and tags. Lovely Sharla gave her a perfect link which was.... Clip Art Best. Thank you Sharla!
I also found this one which is the Blue Ball Jars, the same as Helen gave me! I just think they are lovely...
The link is Sweetly Scrapped. Hope that helps Sue and anyone who would like to make tags.
I hope you have a great week!
If you have easy ideas on re packaging, making up easy gifts etc. please tell me! We need easy, economical and fast thing things that look lovely! Many thanks! xxx
Thanks so much Annabel for showing my Christmas cakes ! I took the muffin size ones to my aunt and cousin together with flowers and a home made quiche , and they loved them and put away for Christmas. It was your bright enthusiasm that gave me the push,and I feel so pleased as I often have good intentions but then lag behind.
ReplyDeleteMore lovely inspiration here too.Love Maria xx
Dear Maria, Thank you! The bling you added to the packaging was just gorgeous. Now I will be copying you. A good example of a little bit extra makes things so much more special.
DeleteMany thanks! Love Annabel.xxx
Annabel, this year I am purchasing like items in bulk with the purpose in mind of wrapping them up individually to give as gifts. I am collecting different ideas for really making them pretty and festive. I'll be using some of the ideas you've shared for sure!
ReplyDeleteDear Patsy, I love buying big lots and diving things up. It can be a mass production line!
DeleteThank you so much. I see you are very busy today with sweet potatoes! With love, Annabel.xxx
Lovely gift wrapping, Annabel. I am in the Greyhound bus on the way to the airport to see the little bunnekins. Will be a busy week I think as well as hot! Might have to start having nanna naps :-) Have a great week.
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful trip and time with everyone! I love sleeping if I can while traveling. I think there will be a big welcome when you get there! xxx
DeleteAnnabel, everything is just beautiful! I'm so pleased you could use the cameos! I love it all! The trinkets inside bonbons is so good. I found some super cute keyrings last week for exactly that purpose. You just wiggle them inside the end of the bonbon! Anything pretty or coloured inside jars and bottles is good too. I just did a post on Unicorns breath, and that's a good example. Like you say, it's the presentation. A bottle filled with lace and sequins is not that interesting (well it is to some of us, but you know...), but call it Unicorns Breath from a Winters Evening, and it's magical! I've bottled Conversation Hearts, those little pastel coloured lollies, and called them Love Language, and tied a big fat pastel lavender bow around the top of the jar with a silver heart dangling from it. You just have to be a bit creative. That gift cost about $10, and my friend still has it as an ornament in her kitchen. She couldn't bear to eat them...lol! Lovely ideas from you as always. Love, Mimi xxx
ReplyDeleteDear Mimi,
DeleteI loved the cameos and have used them in several ways but on black velvet they are perfect! They are lovely. Also I keep meaning to tell you how much I love that beautiful ribbon and how handy that has been!
Presentation is everything! Your wrapped chocolates for instance ... you have to remind everyone of them for this Christmas. With many thanks, love Annabel.xxxx
Always such wonderfully beautiful gifts. Annabel I was wondering what your coconut ice is? This week is pay week for my husband and plan on picking up a few extra items for making my soup in a jar. I have found a few new ones I want to try out first. I am actually getting excited about Christmas.
ReplyDeleteDear Tealady, ooops I replied and it has appeared one comment down... Im sorry, its the link to coconut ice.... Love Annabel.xxx
DeleteCoconut ice is pale pink and white, very pretty and yum! This is the link..
ReplyDeletehttp://thebluebirdsarenesting.blogspot.com.au/2013/11/coconut-ice.html
It keeps a couple of weeks.
I am getting excited about Christmas too! It is really lovely and doing things each week and inexpensively there is no stress, just the good stuff!
The soup mixes in a jar sound great. xxx
Hello Annabel , thank you for another beautiful blog post, I have been following with interest and I am getting the Christmas feeling already which I did not think I would get this year . I love the idea of giving Bon bons in a decorated parcel and I think the mini cake idea of Maria's is absolutely brilliant. I might have to give more gifts than usual so I can use some more of these beautiful ideas. Thanks again Annabel. Barb
ReplyDeleteDear Barbara, I am so glad you have started to anticipate Christmas! I give a lot of gifts and it is only that I make so many that I can give this many. A lot of them are only very small gifts. But so many people have it tough, dont get visitors, are lonely etc. I give to the checkout girl at the supermarket that is always so lovely, anyone who has helped us in any way during the year, the neighbors, ladies in a nursing home plus one special one we befriended as she has no living relatives. Andy has gifts for homeless people he meets. Even little gifts astonish a lot of people. Last year Andy had a box of bagged up lollies I had done plus homemade biscuits. He saw a very old couple and they were out on pension day she he guessed they were on a pension and their shopping in their trolly looked pretty meagre. So he wished them Happy Christmas and gave them biscuits and lollies. They were so thrilled. The think is it made Andys day also!
DeleteSo I better get busy on the cooking again in December!
Truly, giving to extra people will give you the best Christmas ever. With love Annabel.xxxx
Hello Annabel, great post. Although I must say that today for the first time I read the bit at the bottom where you appreciate comments etc and I was absolutely shocked that you even had two rude comments. What the??? you are so generous and kind, I don't get it. Obviously it's not a huge worry for you I was just completely stunned.
ReplyDeleteOk, ideas? Well I had wanted to do cookie in a jar mixes for last Christmas but noticed that Aldi bought them out, mind you I think they were $14.99. but decided to let them cool a bit and do them in a couple more years, cos they are always nice. I do agree about cellophane bags, that glamourises things well.
I pick up my new machine tomorrow so I am going to make some things with that. Today I had to go to the accountant and he is just near (well not near, but I tell myself he is "near" Spotlight) so bought a great pile of material and some hand towels as well. my daughter in law likes the hand towel bibs I made before he was born as he wants to 'help' whilst eating. the afternoon I minded him he even had pumpkin in his eyebrows, so I know what she is talking about. I'm going to embroider some disney characters and his name and I thought one of the white ones I would do a Christmas picture and his name. She loves clothes etc with his name so I know they will go down well. Also another thing I will make is Christmas serviettes. I bought white fabric with red stars on it, small stars about the size of a small fingernail. I will machine embroider each persons name on it, then each Christmas hopefully I'll just get them out and iron them again. I've made soap and I will wrap that, some maybe in cellophane bags, but it can be prone to getting a bit hot, so if not, then like yours in paper.
I thought I'd make some shortbread this year as well. Spotlight had a set of four white plates with a black moustache on the centre. I think they were $14.95 originally, they were marked down to $5.00 and then a discount again and I got the four plates for $3.75. So something will go on the plates maybe shortbread, maybe some coconut ice. I usually do little mince pies as well. That makes four bases for food gifts to sit on and the moustache thing is quite trendy. My partner made up some timber boxes for me and I'm doing succulents as well. I've made a polar fleece rug with the tied edges, some bibs for the grand baby and I've also made a wrist pin cushion for my partners step mum, she loves handmade things. It's just a band with a velcro closure and a padded pincushion on top. Also made her a bamboo handled shopping type bag. That's it so far. I find you and the other ladies who post on here are motivating me. Hugs. Fi xxx
Dear Fiona,
DeleteThe plates sound great for your food gifts. I love the timber boxes! That is a beautiful idea. I always like the look of wine crates and rustic boxes.
You have got so much done! You are already well ahead.
Machine embroidery is going to give you a lot of possibilities. My mind boggles actually. I have a whole pinterest board for monograms!
In my life Spotlight is ONE THE WAY to everything :) amazing that is.
The ladies here are just gorgeous and I am so blessed with the friendships I have made. Everyone on social media is kind of at risk of someone having a go at them. Overall Ive been pretty lucky.
Have fun with that new machine. With love, Annabel.xxx
Annabel, I've just wrapped up 12 of my homemade rose soaps. I used small cellophane bags and recycled ribbon. They all look beautiful. I'm taking them to my cleaning client as she wants to buy one for her daughter to use. She thinks her daughter might want to buy some to give to her friends for Christmas. If I take them all, I'm hoping she'll see all the beautiful ribbons and be tempted to buy a few. Those that aren't sold I will give as presents to my family.
ReplyDelete.
Dear Wendy, They will look beautiful! Your rose soaps are gorgeous. I am watching out for such nice moulds.
DeleteI hope you have success selling some. As you say the rest will be lovely gifts.
I bet you are planning more soaps! What a success!
With love, Annabel.xxxx
Yes I'm planning more as I bought a mould that makes bars of soap. Might even try a new recipe. Cath suggested adding crushed rose petals to make it look pretty.
DeleteExcellent ideas Annabel! You do such a lovely job! Here are some more easy gifts that can be made with what you have at home ~
ReplyDeletehttp://strangersandpilgrimsonearth.blogspot.com/2014/11/make-your-own-gifts-lovely-list.html
Happy gift-crafting! :)
Dear Jes, thank you. I think I will link to this list next Monday. I particularly love the Peter Rabbit collection and the gift baskets. So many lovely ideas.
DeleteThere is no end to what we can make. Time is a big factor and starting early is the thing! With love, Annabel.xxx
Excellent ideas Annabel! You repackage and reuse so very prettily! Here are some more ideas on easy gifts to make ~
ReplyDeletehttp://strangersandpilgrimsonearth.blogspot.com/2014/11/make-your-own-gifts-lovely-list.html
Happy gift-crafting! Love, JES :)
I am really enjoying this series of posts Annabel(I enjoy every post actually). This morning I saw some soaps wrapped as Christmas Soap in a local clothing boutique, didn't go inside to check the price as it is an expensive store. But these soaps were not wrapped as exquisitely as yours and as the wrapping stated it was soap there wouldn't be the same anticipation when unwrapping it.
ReplyDeleteLike Barbara, I am thinking of increasing my gift giving list so that I can make more gifts.
Dear Maggie,
DeleteThank you very much! If you have time read my reply to Barbara as I wont repeat everything but giving extra gifts at Christmas is wonderful and possible by making lots of little things. It means a lot to people as a gift of thanks or kindness, even random kindness. Plus it really gives that Christmas feeling! I like that I can be impromptu too and give as I have things on hand. There is a lot of joy in this and wouldnt be possible without lots of making things!
Thank you for your very kind comment, with love, Annabel.xxx
My frugal sister in law buys gift type items at Dollar Tree here in the USA and takes them out of the cheap store looking packaging and puts them in a nice gift box with pretty tissue paper before wrapping. It makes those $1 items look like so much more.
ReplyDeleteI do need to do some soaps. Friends are always asking about the soap we use but do not want to buy it in 55 bar lots like we do. It is handmade organic safflower oil soap and I pay $2.10 a bar for it because I buy it in quantities. That is a pretty inexpensive gift!
I have a Zojirushi bread machine that makes pretty loaves of bread so that is one gift that I give year round. It is always appreciated.
Dear Lana, I have not heard of your type of bread machine but this sounds fantastic! Also the soaps you buy in 55 bar lots... exactly what I mean! So many ways to give them packaged up. Lovely gifts.
DeleteHow is your new bedroom? I hope you are enjoying it being wallpaper free! With love, Annabel.xxx
Our new bedroom is lovely. It makes me happy every night that I do not have to look at that awful wallpaper anymore! Thank you so much for asking. It is so sweet that you remembered little old me. :)
DeleteLana, I have a Zojirushi bread maker too and it is real workhouses. Our Zojirushi rice cooker is at least 25 years old and still going strong!
DeleteAnnabel, Zojirushi is a Japanese company, they make very high quality appliances. I got my bread maker on Amazon
ReplyDeleteAnnabel the Ball company makes jars in green and purple also. You can find them on amazon. My sister gave me some as a birthday gift. I'm using them to store dry items.
Blessings!!
Sue
Dear Sue,
DeleteI love the purple! My Mum would like the green. What a nice gift from your sister. Something to keep forever! Thankyou for this, love Annabel.xxx
I'm not good at packaging, so thanks for the cute ideas!
ReplyDeleteDear Hannah, Pretty packaging helps so much. The cellophane bags are my most helpful thing ever. Many thanks, Annabel.xxx
DeleteOh Annabel, you have the sweetest ideas and such pretty photographs!
ReplyDeleteMy husband is making some Christmas gifts- big knives with carved cedar handles and leather sheaths- for the males on our list. I am so proud of him!
Dear Rhonda, I think the knives sound amazing! They will become heirlooms. Love this! With love, Annabel.xxx
DeleteAnnabel you know i love all your packaging, since finding you and reading everything i've been looking more and more at every day items to re-use and re-package, i have quite a few things put away to get re-vamped and the first one is beetroot tins lol I just made my first ever little christmas cakes in those tins and then decorated one up to see how it would look, practise first lol
ReplyDeleteIve just put them on my blog but i dont know how to add a pic in here, sorry :)
Your inspiring me to look first before i throw anything out so thankyou xoxo
http://www.karenericksons.blogspot.com.au/
Dear Karen, The beetroot tins are a perfect size! I love how you decorated the little cake. I think you did a fantastic job. If ok I will add the photo next week for everyone to see and add a link?
DeleteWith love, Annabel Xxx
Annabel,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the wonderful ideas for gifts and pretty ways of wrapping them.
This year due to a wet spring (very unusual in my area) our blackberries produced a bumper crop. I juiced them and froze it for making blackberry jelly. Then I remembered reading that you often say something about using what you have. So, I'm thinking of gifting the jelly (tied with a mason jar label) and a homemade potholder. My favorite gifts to give are cute, useful items that won't clutter the recipient's home.
I'm really enjoying your series on getting ready for Christmas.
Dear Sharla, This sounds like a great gift! Yes, use what yoy have!
DeleteThank you so much. Getting going early really makes Christmas lovely, with love, Annabel.xxx