Make my own Christmas gifts

The last time I was helping AnnieDee with some work on her house I noticed this potpourri lid on a flimsy little glass bowl. I took the hummingbirds back with me and found a nice piece of spalted pecan to use for the bowl.

This is a pen that looks like a rifle shell. The antler is from a discarded rack that my BIL gave me many years ago (he found it shed in a field).

Family/friends gifts:
pen from an antler
pepper mill
mantle clock
jewelry box x 2
knife/sheath
wall clock
wooden jewelry
candle box (storage for candles)
potpourri box

Employee gifts
pens
desk clocks
paperclip holders
bottle stoppers

The neat thing about what I want to make for my parents is that they are both projects that my father had started/planned before he could no longer do woodworking.

I’ve decided to make goodies for my coworkers, the volunteers I supervise, and my boyfriend’s sister. When I went to a fudge shop last month I bought these amazing chocolate covered coconut clusters that were just dark chocolate and coconut flakes and they were just PERFECT, so that’s what I plan to make – along with some sort of cookies and maybe a yummy bread too. I’ll make up little gift bags to give out the week before Christmas.

Family
Mom – chore coupons
Dad – TARDIS desk organizer box
Cait/Eric – ?
Nat – ?
Grandma – dinner

Friends
Martina – doctor who (ten) doll
Emily – feather earrings
Callie – Grey puppet
Jess – Grey puppet
Kristin – stationary & dreamcatcher
Abby – journal? scarf?

Candy: Tom (probably the rest of the department, too); office people; maybe alumni friends (Jeanette, Timber, Chelsey, Molly); Cait/housemates, if Cait & Eric don’t come to NJ for christmas

I might make sock monkeys for some of my teammates (Emma, Amanda, Sammie…)

I’m 1/2 done a baby blanket and am really pleased w/ it.

That this would be super cool. I just need to figure out what I can make. I made gifts last year for Yule for Chrissy and Cyndal, but not for every one. Maybe I can bake some things, or make candy canes or nut brittle or knit something. I’m excited to start thinking about it though. There are a million things you can make that are easy and cute. If not bake cookies and shove them in a box :)

We just found out that we’re going to be having a new niece or nephew arrive so I’ve started a baby blanket. I think it’ll make a nice Xmas gift :)

Family
Mom – chore coupons
Cait – ?
Nat – ?
Grandma – dinner
Eric – ? not sure if i’m going to make him something or not.

Friends
Martina – doctor who doll, or TARDIS jewelry box
Emily – feather earrings
Emma – scarf? or maybe knit animal of some sort
Gwen – bath stuff
Callie – Grey puppet
Jess – Grey puppet
Kristin – stationary & dreamcatcher
Abby – journal? scarf?

Candy: Tom, office people, maybe alumni friends, maybe Cait/housemates

So I was sitting here thinking to myself, maybe I won’t make everyone Christmas presents… Maybe I’ll just buy stuff for my parents and closer people, and then just make candy for everyone. I ended up making so many presents last year I didn’t even have time to do candy.
So then I sat down and was like, let me make a list of people I would make things for if I was making stuff to see how bad it would be. I looked at it and thought, yeah, that’s too much, I’ll just do candy for everyone and maybe buy stuff for a couple people. But then I started having good ideas for most of the people and I got sucked in again.

So anyway, here’s the list… I may still back out of it, or just make stuff for some people – I think a lot of my problem has been that I take the all-or-nothing approach, because I feel like some people could be hurt or something if they get something store-bought while others get handmade things. But some people just are hard to make things for – my dad, for instance, probably doesn’t have much use for a skirt, or a purse, or a journal, which is mainly what I make.

Oh right. Here is the list.
I was thinking of channeling my 4th grade self with my mom’s & grandma’s gifts… did anyone else use to give their parents coupons that were like, “good for one clean bedroom” and that sort of thing?

Family
Mom – chore coupons? more likely for stuff like manicure/pedicure/massage
Dad – i have an idea for something store-bought for him that I know he’d like a lot, so probably not making anything
Cait – ?
Nat – ?
Grandma – certificate for dinner with me (since I’m the bad granddaughter that never spends time with anyone), cooked by me and cleaned up afterwards by me
Eric – ? not sure if i’m going to make him something or not. might depend on if he & Cait end up coming home for christmas or not.

Friends
Martina – doctor who doll
Emily – jewelry? dreamcatcher?
Emma – neon multicolored random-pattern scarf?
Gwen – bath stuff
Callie – bag?
Jess – dinosaur
Kristin – journal and/or stationary
Abby – journal?

Also I want to make candy for my advisor, Tom, and probably my other set of grandparents, at the least, if I don’t end up making a huge batch for everyone. And hopefully have enough to mail some to my closer friends who have graduated. (Jeanette, Timber, Chelsey, & Molly). I guess if Cait & Eric aren’t home for Christmas, I could just mail them & their housemates a bunch of candy. Ohhh and I forgot about my boss and the other office people too.

Anyway, mom’s & grandma’s presents would help lighten the load because they don’t really need to be prepared ahead of time (I mean, I would probably make nice-looking coupons in Photoshop or something, but still). If I go with the scarf for Emma, I can take the yarn to school and work on it during the fall. Bath stuff for Gwen is quick to make, and I already have all the supplies for it. Martina’s present would be the most difficult and time-consuming, but I think it’d be worth it.

I feel like I should make something for my dog too, since she never gets anything. I’d be afraid of accidentally using materials that aren’t pet-safe though.

Oh shoot, I had forgotten about my idea from last year to make puppets of Jess/Callie and some of our other friends. Maybe I will do that for them this year… Haha, I just had an idea for the creepiest (but totally appropriate) present – make both of them puppets of our one friend Grey.