30 Days of Frugal Christmas Gifts- Mini Christmas Puddings

I can't take credit for this idea. At work some of us swap gifts at Christmas time - trinkets, trifles, small tokens, and this one came from my friend Nerida (who by the way is one of the sweetest people I know)

Nerida was kind enough to share her secret recipe with me last year and I made these for our family Christmas show. What I like about these is that they are so cute and so easy to do. Nerida wrapped four of these in cellophane for each of us last year and gave them as gifts (mine didnt even make it home -YUM) They look pretty darn impressive.

Nerida's Mini Christmas Pudding Recipe

You will need

1 store bought dark fruit cake (around 500 grams)

300 grams white chocolate melts

1 pack of glace cherries (cut into halves )

1 pack of spearmint leaves (lollies) or green jellies or jubes cut to resemble small leaves

1/4 cup brandy, Kahlua or Tia Maria

Cut the fruit cake into large slices and then crumble it into a large bowl.

Gradually add the alcohol mixing it well with the crumbled cake and then pop in the fridge for around 30 minutes

Roll the cake into small balls (about walnut sized) and place on baking paper to slightly dry out (this will also give them a flat bottom so they'll sit better )

Melt the white chocolate , and drop a small amount onto the top of the "pudding ". Let it slide a little down the sides so it looks like custard.

Pop half a glace cherry on top of the slightly warm chocolate and gently press in two leaves on either side.

Try not to eat every single one of these as you make them ... They look very classy in a white box  tied with red ribbon if you get them that far ....

30 Days of Frugal Christmas Gifts- Peppermint Candy Cane Bark

This is one that should be in everyone's "quick, easy and dirt cheap christmas gifts " repertoire.

Perfect for a pot luck, shared lunch, individual gifts, or just for the table as a pretty colourful addition to the festivities.

You will need

1 pack (around 12 ) peppermint candy canes

250 grams white chocolate

If you prefer you can make this with milk or dark chocolate as well, or substitute the candy canes for smarties or something similar. Candy canes are nice because they are so christmassy.

Break the candy canes into pieces and then put them into a bag and run a rolling pin over it. You dont want candy cane dust you want discernable but small pieces.

Melt the chocolate,  and pour onto a large lightly greased baking tray until it's around 2 mm thick. Evenly sprinkle the candy canes on top. Set aside until set or even pop it in the fridge.

When set break it into pieces and pop it on a serving tray, or into individual cellophane bags. Go here for  a picture of the finished result.  Gorgeous!

Total cost - $1.99 for the canes , and about $4.00 for the chocolate

You can check out a candy cane cake as well here. I love candy canes.

30 Days of frugal Christmas Gifts -Cookies in a Jar

"Things" in a jar are among my favourite gifts to give.

Last year I did cookies in a jar and they were a massive hit. I wish I'd thought to take some pictures but I didn't, and since Im not doing cookies in a jar this year you're just going to have to use your imagination.

These are fast to make even if you're doing a lot of them. I did three different types and everyone asked me for the recipes afterwards. You're going to need jars, basic cooking ingredients, some fancy ones if you decide to go that way , fabric and pretty ribbon.

Recipes are here , here and all the ones I made last year are here

I searched EVERYWHERE for cranberries here and couldn't find them , and we also dont have butterscotch chips here either which was kinda disappointing because I couldn't make those delicious cranberry hootycreeks or any of the butterscotch ones.

Donations of butterscotch chips will be gratefully received since I've found tons of recipes that use them. Just like that marshmallow creme fluff stuff I keep reading about. How come other countries have all the good food I want to try?

30 Days of Frugal Christmas Gifts - Let them eat cake

Or at least bathe in it.....

These soaps DO look good enough to eat !

Cute and kitsch. The size of a real slice of cake. And they smell like the actual cake they're made to represent. These are lemon meringue pie and coffee cake.

I got these ones from Darwin at a market stall called Dragonfly Lane, and they cost about $8.00 each. 

I can't bring myself to use them!

30 Days of Frugal Christmas Gifts-Sweets for the Sweet

I'm the first to admit I am no photographer. My second confession is that I'm not great at cooking. Thirdly I'll own up presentation aint my thing either. That being said I'm going to post this anyway!

Sweet treats are so easy to make at home and I don't know anyone who doesn't love confectionary. So this makes them perfect for Christmas gifts!

I did some experimenting today and came up with black treacle toffees , chocolate fudge squares and home made honeycomb. All from internet recipes.

You could try  coconut ice, rocky road, a fudge selection or hand made chocolates.

Go forth and make sweets !

30 Days of Frugal Christmas Gifts- Cheating Apron

I missed a post yesterday ...but I have a good excuse. We are experiencing the first ever recorded November heatwave in my state this week and it's damn hot. People are cranky , my blog posts are completely uninspired and I really dont want to go outside to set up and photograph anything because I'm not into being burnt to a crisp...

I had planned some chocolate and other food posts this week but with the weather chocolate is melting within seconds, and with cooking pretty much out of the question this post isn't very exciting either. Hopefully with more time over the weekend I'll get my gift blogging mojo back.

This is a "cheating" apron. The cheating part is it's not made from scratch. It's made from the front of a skirt that I unpicked at the seams and with side seams sewn back in. Then you just unpick the waist band , add ties (ummm those ties are made out of an old pillowcase) sew the waist band back down and voila ! All Done.  I made this one for around 3 bucks. I hear aprons are making a come back.....

30 Days of Frugal Christmas Gifts- Crafty Chic!

Day 9 of frugal christmas gifts already!

The perfect gift for someone who sews! Quick and cheap to make up but oh so cute!

I whipped up these chenille pincushions earlier this year and gave them as gifts. I had eveything I needed on hand , and they're made from chenille scraps . (The more I look at scraps and what you can do with them the more I fall in love with them ) These are stuffed with the guts of an old dacron pillow I had laying around, so essentially they cost me nothing but time.

You could use any type of material you had on hand , and they'd look terrific.

30 Days of Frugal Christmas Gifts -Spice it up!

A couple of years ago, while cooking a lamb roast in fact, I decided that buying lamb roast rub was getting too expensive and decided to make my own. The internet is a wonderful amazing place because you can type in almost anything and get an answer.

This was the year that EVERYONE we knew got lamb, beef , pork and other rubs in large jars for Christmas and such has been  my legend ever since that people are still asking me for more spicy goodness or the recipes.  Here they are:

Steakhouse Seasoning

Cajun Spice Rub Mix

Barbecue Rub

Mix up multiple servings at once and toss them into jars , pretty them up with handmade tags saying what type of rub they are and what type of meat to use them with and people will love you practically forever.

P.S. Spices are bought much more cheaply in bulk from Asian or Indian Grocery stores than from your local supermarket (unless that happens to be a multi cultural grocery store!)

30 Days of Christmas Gifts - Quilt It Up

This is a really fast and cheap quilt to make . Made from chenille, old jeans and cotton material, with no batting, you can bang one of these up in a day or two.

And the cuteness factor with the exposed rag seams which just get softer and fluffier with each wash is sure to make it a hit with the recipient.

These also make great dog blankets made from all denim and are virtually indestructable. You can get really creative with cutouts, fabrics and appliques. I've done stars , reverse windows and frog appliques with gorgeous multi coloured fabric. I've even done camo fabric for a boys quilt.

Old jeans : Free - start saving your old pairs!

1 x vintage chenille blanket - $3.00 from the op shop

Cotton Material - $8.00 on sale

Total cost of blanket - about $11.00 plus cotton and a rainy weekend.

30 Days of Frugal Christmas Gifts- Savvy Shopping

You know how you sometimes see something in the shops in June and think "That would be PERFECT for Aunt Gladys / Mum /The Neighbours / The Cat for Christmas"  

Naturally when December rolls around you find:

a) You can't remember what your brilliant idea in June was

b) They don't make them/stock them anymore

c) They stock them alright but they cost three times the price they did in June

Now you can go down the socks, chocs and jocks road, or you can get savvy and Christmas shop all year. Sounds simple doesn't it?  But how many of us actually do it?

I've managed to snag some really crazy bargains by shopping for Christmas through the year and stashing those gifts away. Some of those gifts are unusual , some were too good a price to pass up and some were perfect for the recipient. As an added bonus in December I can sit home feeling smug and virtuous as everyone else battles the Christmas shopping crowds (if they can find a car park. )

Here are some of the things I've purchased through this year waiting to be wrapped and tagged.

Baby Toys - brand name -  a few dollars each

Recycled Paper notebook / Cute Journal $8.00 for the pair

Purses. Purchased at last year's Christmas sale. Retail $60.00. I paid $19.95 for both.

Fun jewellery. Great stocking fillers! $5.00 each.

I also scored ( but am too lazy today to photograph )

Vintage Bunnykins Trio from late 1960's. Mint condition never used still in original box - purchased from a second hand store that was closing down. It was tagged $110.00 . They said make us an offer. $20.00 later I walked out of the shop with it.

A Vintage Staffordshire Tiered Cake Plate -for 8 dollars. Will look great with fairy cakes on it as a gift.

Happy Shopping!

30 Days of Frugal Christmas Gifts- Sew Easy

I made these placemats earlier this year for my friends Natalie and Nerida who were both celebrating birthdays.

They were made from my ever growing fabric stash, and they were a real hit. I made them using the flip and fold technique. Dead easy – straight line sewing. My kind of sewing!

I’m guess-timating here but I think they probably cost me about 10.00 for each set, including batting. You could do a Christmas theme or something that matched your recipients décor as I did. Pretty them up with gorgeous wrapping paper and a handmade gift tag and watch everyone tell you how clever you are.

Too bad I didn’t make myself some while I was at it! I am considering doing some for Christmas lunch which is going to be at my house this year.

30 Days of Frugal Christmas Gifts - Casserole Heaven

Here's last weeks casserole dish/garage sale find filled to the brim with casserole bases and stocks to give as a gift for busy hungry people.

Total cost of this gift was under $15.00, but I used 7 packs of casserole bases and two stocks, so if you wanted to go super frugal you could halve that and the cost of the gift would come down to under $10.

30 Days of Frugal Christmas Gifts - Tea Party

In the olden days when people were civilized they used to stop and have high tea in the mid to late afternoon.

You can pick up beautiful old china at thrift stores and garage sales for a few dollars a set. Ideal for people who collect old china  or want to revive the civilised custom of afternoon tea.

Fill them with exotic or flavoured tea sachets and wrap each cup individually in cellophane finishing off with a big bow. For bigger impact you can pop a couple of individually packaged biscuits on the plate next to the tea cup before you wrap it up. You can give them individually or in pairs. I did a set of six different trios for my sister a few Christmases ago and went to the trouble of dating each vintage trio and writing a history for each set which I popped in the box I wrapped them in.

These two cups filled with sachets of teas worked out at $11.50. If you’re really keen to go with a tea party theme the teapot was $3.00 and the cookie jar was $2.00 from thrift stores.  I know they don’t match but isn’t that part of the beauty?

30 Days of Frugal Christmas Gifts- Skullduggery Jam

skull·dug·ger·y

Crafty deception or trickery or an instance of it.

I first became acquainted with Skullduggery Jam many years ago through a book I was reading. I can’t recall what the book was now but it was hilarious.

Skullduggery Jam is right up my alley. Fast, cheap and cute.

Go buy as many jars from the thrift store as you plan to make jars of jam. If you’ve been collecting jars all year then so much the better (and cheaper) Unusual shapes or decorative jars are good, but plain will do if that’s all you can find because you’re going to gussy them up a bit later. Wash and dry the jars so they sparkle.

Go to the store and buy the same number of jars of cheap but edible jam as you have empty jars to fill. You can spring for the good stuff but basically most people won’t know the difference. (or at least nobody I know does )

Come home and spoon the jam into the jars you bought at the thrift store and screw the lids back on.

Cut a circle of material from your fabric stash that is about 1-2 inches bigger in diameter than the jar lid. Place this on the top of the jar and wrap a ribbon round the jar to make it look pretty.

Create a label saying “Skullduggery Jam “. For a touch of authenticity you can add the date you packed the jam, which will lend credence to the idea you actually made it yourself. I stress here you’re not saying you made the jam and you aren’t responsible for others making that assumption.

Voila you’re done! I made my two jars for less than $3.00. (But  I didn’t make those scones. I can’t make scones to save myself. My sister makes excellent scones and she won't share her recipe)

If you're worried about people thinking you're a cheapskate and /or a fibber  I suppose you could bake some scones to go with the skullduggery jam as part of the gift....personally I think we all worry too much about what others think.

30 Days of Frugal Christmas Gifts - Frame Up - Day 1

Here’s a nifty and easy Christmas present that looks more expensive than it is and would be great for someone who has a console table or space to fill.

Buy frames from your local discount store in a colour theme and fill the frames with things that match your colour or subject theme. I used things I had laying around the house. This collection includes scrap-booking paper cut to size, material off cuts from some potholders I made and black and white family wedding photographs.

The entire collection cost me under $15.00 (and half of that was for the silver scrolls middle frame- but I figure it kind of makes the rest of them look more classy) and would look beautiful with the frames individually wrapped in tissue paper and popped in a box with a big ribbon for presentation.

Tip: Be creative with your theme to make sure it matches the décor of the house and the interests of the recipients. My black and white frames were made for a black and white French guest room boudoir.

News Flash...... 30 Days of Frugal Christmas Gifts

I am going to take the plunge and commit to something big here. If I don't announce it publicly I'll find an excuse not to do it.  (You know how it goes- insert whiny voice here "I dont have time ", "My ideas suck " "Nobody reads my stuff anyway" )

In honour of frugally fun November, and the  gorgeously frugal Christmas I'm having this year, I've decided to have "30 days of Frugal Christmas Gifts " where I'll post gift ideas - one per day until we reach 30! 

Please feel free to use the ideas or vary them to suit your own themes and budgets. The possibilities are endless and I'd love to hear your ideas too!

To kick off the frugal-fest and to help finish wrapping your gorgeous gifts you're gonna need gift tags! How frugal and beautiful is it to print your own? Individual hand crafted gift tags and all for free!

Check out the collective genius on the  Bella Dia blog (Who says idle web surfing is a waste of time?) which has links to almost every free gift tag site ever heard of.   You can check it out here  and print to your hearts content! And Sew Mama Sew also has more free gift tags here  and they're all so sweet!

Happy Printing!

Small confession....I ate 5 Monte Carlo biscuits  while typing this post ....ugh ...I think that's a personal best in the piggy stakes.