The harvest has been plentiful this year which means we can get a lot of great produce at a reasonable price. This makes for a perfect time for canning a little extra to give as gifts this Christmas.
They are also great to have on hand to give as a hostess gift, in a basket as part of a bridal shower gift or even to take as part of a care package for someone who is sick.
These place-cards are great for dinner parties.
Because they are made with chalkboard paint they are re-usable.
Cut a hardwood tree branch at about 1/8 or 1/4 thick with a miter saw.
Make sure they are dry before you paint them.
Sand one side if you want to, but that is not necessary.
Use chalkboard paint (a quart goes a long way) and a small craft brush to paint on two coats, letting each coat dry completely.
Hop on over to Skip to My Lou and see how to make this cool bow and arrow. It would be good for someone who is not ready for a real bow and arrow. Make it as a gift or maybe make it with the kiddos.
I am all about being practical and I love gifts that encourage real life skills! Here is a great tutorial on how to turn an old desk into a workbench.
A visit to the thrift store, some creativity and a days work you can make this!
I love all the kitchen sets I’ve seen on Pintrest!
I will be making something similar to these for Peach!
Do you have any other DYI-Upcycle projects that encourage creativity and skills?
Here is a practical gift. Add a ribbon and a clever note and this would be a great gift.
Place a book of matches and add a lid on it and you’ll have about 40-50 hours of light. These can be made for less than $2.00 if you are buying new jars, but less than $1.00 if you are recycling jars.
You could sell these for $5.00 easily, especially if you market them as “emergency” or “survival” candles.
I can’t wait to hit the thrift store to find Scrabble tiles!!! Think names. This would be great not only for the tree, but also as name tags for gifts.
I think I will paint the backside rather than use paper.
Here are other frugal giving ideas!
If you have frugal Christmas gift ideas feel free to link up!
This is the best time of year to make some extra cash by selling sweets and other baked goods for the holidays. With busy schedules and so many people not wanting to be in the kitchen, it is the perfect time to strap your apron on and profit from people willing to indulge their sweet tooth over the next few weeks!
There are 13 states (Alabama, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, and Utah) that allow home-based baking and food processing for low-risk foods.
I LOVE this idea, let your imagination run! Think of keepsakes, small pictures, lock of baby’s hair, small map of a special place, special date, names, finger print, etc… Make them smaller for charms on a bracelet, to hang from a pin, or to attach to a ribbon as a bookmark. How about make them a tad bit larger as a Christmas ornament?
Change the size and shape up.
A question from one of our readers:
Can you offer any tips?
Thanks so much!
My reply:
To be real honest, it is HARD to sell handmade items online. If you are
wanting to make more than a few dollars here and there it probably won’t
be with handmade items. You would have to find an item or items that are
unique; and then the whole marketing thing is HARD! I’m not trying to rain
your parade, but I’m just being honest. :o)
Several years ago I saw a tote bag that was crocheted with plastic bags, it was SO COOL! My first thought was that it would be perfect for a beach bag because it could withstand getting wet and just shake it out if it got sand in it. It’s one of those projects that I keep saying I’m going to do, and now after looking at THIS website, I’ve just got to do to it!!! I’ll bet they work up fast because of the size of the hook (and bags) and that any pattern usable with yarn would work for plastic.
