Watch Your Wallet and Save by Homemade Christmas Gifts

Why spend a whole lot of money when there are plenty of gifts that you can assemble for all ages. Homemade gifts sometimes mean more to the person receiving than a bought gift. I have assembled a variety of homemade gifts in which to choose from.

Who on your list doesn't like pampering? Bath ideas are wonderful for Christmas. Bath salts are very easy to make. Here are two recipes I found for the bath salts. One of the recipes even have bubbling bath salts.

Bubbling Bath Salts:
1 cup Epsom Salts
1 cup coarse sea salts
1 cup fine sea salts
1 cup powdered milk
1 cup powdered dry bubble bath
ADD:
2-4 Tablespoons glycerin
4-6 drops of your choice of fragrance oils
MIX WELL
ADD:
3-4 drops of food coloring
Mix well
Fill nice container or bottles with corks with the salts.
To use pour 1 cup salts under running hot bath water

Regular Bath Salts:
6 cups Epsom Salts
2 Tablespoons baby oil
1/4 Teaspoon food coloring
1/2 Teaspoon of your choice of fragrance oil
MIX WELL
Fill in nice containers or bottles with corks with the salts
To use pour 1/4 cup of salts under running hot bath water

The next thing I am going to cover is called a milk bath. This leaves your skin nice and smooth.
Milk Bath
2 cups dry milk powder
1 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup fragrance oil of your choice
MIX WELL
Put into nice containers. When using add 1/2 c of milk bath to hot running bath water.
CAUTION:DON'T USE THESE RECIPES ON A BABY'S SKIN.THEIR SKIN IS TOO SENSITIVE.

Here are two recipes for soap that you can make. You will need a soap mold.
Apple Tart Soap:
4 oz clear,unscented glycerin soap
1 Tablespoon liquid soap
1 Teaspoon liquid glycerin
1/2 Teaspoon apple fragrance oil
2 drops red food coloring
1/2 Teaspoon ground cinnamon
Melt soap in small pan over low heat or in glass cup in microwave. Add liquid soap and glycerin. Stir gently but well. Add remaining ingredients.Stir and let stand enough to start to thicken. Stir again. Pour into molds. Allow to set completely (in or out of freezer). Wrap in plastic wrap or you can use cellophane candy bags.

Cucumber Loofah Soap
3 oz opaque soap
2 Teaspoons powdered loofah
15 drops of cucumber fragrance oil
1 Tablespoon aloe vera gel
Green food coloring
Shred soap and set aside. Boil 1/2 cup water over low heat. Stir in shredded soap. Stir well until the mixture becomes a sticky mess. Approx. four minutes. Remove from heat. Add remaining ingredients. Stir well. Spoon mixture into mold. Allow to sit for six hours or until hardened. Wrap in cellophane.

Next we have what we call bath fizzers. You put these in your bath water and they fizz and dissolve in the water.
Bath Fizzers:
2 oz coco butter
2 oz baking soda
1 oz citric acid
3 Tablespoons almond meal
5 drops of Crafters choice liquid color purple
2 drops of Crafters choice liquid color red
5 drops of your choice of fragrance oil
Melt coco butter in a double boiler over low heat. Remove, add baking soda,citric acid, and almond meal. Stir. Add color and fragrances. Shape mixture into small balls (use ice cream scoop). Allow to harden for 24-48 hours. Place in air tight container. Store in refrigerator. Do not let fizzers get warm, as they will melt. Use one fizzer per bath.

Everyone loves cookies. Some people just don't have time anymore to find the recipes and bake the cookies. This is why cookies in a jar are so popular. Here I will provide you with two recipes for them. It has most of the ingredients in the jar already and they only have to add a few ingredients.
Applesauce Cookies In A Jar:
1 cup brown sugar
2 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 Teaspoon baking soda
1/2 Teaspoon salt
3/4 Teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup raisins
3/4 cup chopped nuts
Combine flour,salt,cinnamon, and baking soda. Stir well. Place mixture in mason jar. Pack down tight so everything will fit in the jar. Add other ingredients one at a time, packing each layer down. As an added personal touch, make a label and tie a wooden spoon to the lid with a piece of ribbon. Print out the following instructions and tape card to jar: whip 3/4 cup butter until light and fluffy.Add one egg and 1/2 cup applesauce. Beat until well mixed. Stir in ingredients from this jar until well combined. Drop Teaspoon of dough on greased cookie sheet. Bake 8-12 minutes at 350 degrees.

Chocolate Cookie Mix In A Jar:
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 Teaspoon baking powder
1Teaspoon baking soda
1/4 Teaspoon salt
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
Combine flour,baking powder,baking soda,and salt.Set aside. In 1 quart wide mouth canning jar layer brown sugar, white sugar, cocoa, chopped pecans, and chocolate chips. Pack down firmly before you add flour mixture, it will be a tight fit. Attach a a tag with instructions:Preheat oven to 350 degrees.Empty cookie mix into large bowl. Blend mixture with hands. Mix in 3/4 cup softened butter, 1 egg slightly beaten, and 1 Teaspoon vanilla. Shape into balls. Place 2 inches apart on greased cookie sheet. Bake 11-13 minutes. Cool 5 minutes then remove.

For your child a good idea would be to make a memory book for them. Talk about the time they were born up until their age today. You could put in their favorite things to do, favorite toys, and favorite foods. Write about any funny memories that may have stuck in your memory.

What do children like better to eat than candy? Decorate a shoe box or any kind of box up and fill it with candy. Make it a variety of candy and very colorful. You can even make them their very own Christmas card and place it on top of the candy. You could add tissue paper for some color.

Coupon books are a nice thing to give. Make out coupons to do something for that person that they dread doing or just don;t have the time to do it. Some ideas would be a free car wash, free house cleaning, a free dinner delivered cooked by you, or a free babysitting coupon. Use your imagination to come up with ideas to make them personal.

Cut and tie blankets are very easy to make and will continue to keep them warm past the holidays. Measure your fabric depending on size of the bed. Get a design that matches their room. I usually get the velvet or furry material. Get a solid color to match up with the design on the front of the blanket. Lay your fabric out on the floor. Randomly pin the fabric together, making sure it's all even. Then you will cut through both materials about 5 inches up. After doing this all around the blanket, go to where you cut and tie the two fabrics together. Do this all around the fabric. You now have a nice warm decorative blanket.

I hope these homemade gift ideas have helped you save some money on your holiday budget. Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.