Homemade Christmas Gifts For Everyone On Your List
By Ruzica Milevska

Is your Christmas list starting to look like a telephone book?
It's time to consider making your own gifts. Here are several
easy ideas for wonderful homemade Christmas gifts.

* Winter Warm-Up Baskets with Homemade Marshmallows and Hot
Chocolate

You can purchase hand-crafted marshmallows in a gourmet store
like Williams Sonoma, for $15-$18 or simply make your own.  

Place 4-6 marshmallows into a clear plastic bag and tie with a
decorative ribbon. Put the marshmallows in decorative fortune
cookie boxes (found at your local craft store) or put them in a
decorative basket with gourmet hot chocolate and holiday mugs.

Voila! You have gorgeous homemade Christmas gifts that look
like they came from an expensive gourmet shop.

* Homemade Picture Frame

Buy an inexpensive plastic picture frame from your local craft
store. Gather or buy plastic Barbie doll accessories, beads,
jigsaw puzzle pieces, scrapbooking embellishments and other
doo-dads that represent the interests of the recipient.

For example, for the gourmet cook, you could use plastic doll
cookie sheets and rolling pins. And get some cookbook and
baking-themed scrapbooking or card-making accessories from the
craft store.

Using hot glue or glue dots, glue the items around the border
of the frame.

Then put a special poem or message in the frame. Now you've got
a show-stopping homemade Christmas gift without the extravagant
price tag.

* Soup in a Jar

Get several clear mason jars and fill them with this layered
soup recipe:

Minestrone Soup in a Jar

1/4 cup red lentils
1/4 cup green split peas
1/4 cup barley
1/3 cup boullion powder
2 TBSP parsley flakes
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. basil
1/4 cup small pasta (macaroni, alphabet pasta or orzo)

Layer the ingredients in the order given (lentils on the
bottom). Put a decorative ribbon around the jar.

Attach this card with directions for making the soup:

Combine soup mix and 8-10 cups of water plus 1 28 oz can
crushed tomatoes in a large pot. Add 1 cup diced carrots and 1/2
cup celery. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer for
an hour or until vegetables are tender.

About the Author: Stephanie Gallagher, a.k.a., The Shopping
Mom, is the author of several parenting books and Editor of The
Shopping Mom's Guide to Baby Gifts,
http://www.gifts-babies-love.com

Source: http://www.isnare.com

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