Thrifty Gifty 2010 #5: Serving Tray (and Linky Party)

This is one of those projects that I knew I was going to use, but wasn’t sure exactly how.  I quickly came up with something tonight, but I’ll also share with you other ways you could go.

I got this serving tray at a garage sale a couple of months ago for about $2.



For this project, I decided to just Mod Podge some cute paper to the tray surface.  I spray painted the edges first, then spread on a layer of MP…



…then spread some cute wrapping paper on top, and did another coat of MP.  Most of you are probably way more experienced in the use of Mod Podge than I am.  I didn’t spend a lot of time trying to smooth out the wrinkles, so mine’s a little “textured”.  If I was really giving this to someone as a gift, I would put a little more effort into it.



Serving trays of various shapes and sizes aren’t too hard to find at thrift stores. Even a silver tray would work. You could do the wrapping paper, or use a pretty fabric, or the ever-popular chalkboard paint.  A monogram is always lovely, and if I had a Cricut, I would have done one in black on top of this paper.  It would probably be a good idea to put some kind of clear water-resistant top-coat on the whole thing.

Package it up in cellophane gift wrap with a couple of mugs and teas, coffees or cocoa mixes for a co-worker, hostess, or neighbor gift.

If you have an inexpensive handmade gift to share, I’d love for you to link up with the post!  I’ll leave it open for a few days, until Wed. Dec 15 at 11:59 pm.



You know the drill!

• you must link back to me in your post (I can’t find the button code, so if you want to include the button, use it like a photo, but still include my link)
• link to your specific party post, and not your general home page
• please be polite and visit several other participants and leave a nice comment
• I will delete entries that don’t link back to me or do not fit the party theme; I don’t want to be a meanie, but we gotta play fair

For the Christmas Cookie Gift Boxes, please visit this link.  For some reason the code to the specific post was deleting the linky list.

Thrifty Gifty 2010 #2: Canning Jar Soap Dispenser

 

Lest anyone is mistaken, I need to say from the outset that most of my Thrifty Gifty ideas are not original with me.  So just think of me as your Thrifty Gifty dissemination center.  That being said, I saw this one in Country Living magazine.

You’ll need a mason jar with lid (preferably one of the old zinc lids), and a soap pump.  All of these are pretty common at thrift stores.  You might have a little trouble finding a zinc lid if you’re doing this last minute, but they are easy to find and don’t cost much on ebay.  The project takes about 2 minutes to make, so even if the lid arrived in the mail the night before the gift-giving event, you’d have time.

I bought this soap pump for $1 at Goodwill, just for the pump part.

I have several aqua Ball jars with zinc lids that I got for $1 each a while ago.  However, they are quart jars and too big for this project, I felt.  So I used a newer pint jar (also from the thrift store, about 25c) and one of the old lids.  The old lids fit the new jars!  Now that’s great planning on the part of the Ball jar co.

Drill a 1/2” hole in the middle of the lid. Trim the pump if needed. Put it all together.  Done.

Much nicer.  I don’t have a problem using dish soap for washing my hands, plus this is supposed to be the “hand renewal” kind.

 

You could give this with a basket of other kitchen items, like cute dishtowels and fancy ruffled rubber gloves (you could probably make those yourself, too).

Country Living used an vintage aqua jar, and I would have if I had a pint-sized one, though I think I would want white or clear dish soap for that.

And just because it doesn’t merit a post of its own:  a few months ago, you may remember, I won a gift certificate to CSN Stores.  I used it to get this pendant for over the sink to replace the boob light that was there.  Love it!  And if you think my sink area is always this tidy, I’ve got news for you.

Thrifty Gifty 2010 #1: Monster Pillow

All right, here we go!  I’m being a little less strict with myself for this year’s TG series.  If I want to skip a day and do a post about something else, I will.  My goal is at least 5 TG posts.  I pretty much had to go into therapy after last year’s series, and I’d like to avoid that burnout this year.  So let’s just have fun!  BTW, there are at least 15 TG posts from last year that would still work as gifts this year!

This wasn’t announced previously, but I’m going to do an impromptu linky party today.  Add a link to your post with your inexpensive homemade gift idea.  If you want to use a post from last year so as not to reveal this year’s gift, that’s fine.  I’ll also have another TG party next Monday.

Today’s idea is perfect for children of all ages.  The original idea came from an older Family Fun magazine.  Skippy saw it and wanted one, so I whipped one up for him.  Meet Germie (as named by S.), the monster pillow.  He’s cuddly, tactile, cute, and each one can be unique.  You could tuck treats or notes in the pocket, and use it when the tooth-fairy visits.



This was totally free for me because I found some old corduroy pants that had seen better days, a scrap of denim, my button stash, and used the stuffing from an unwanted throw pillow.  You could go buy fabric at the store, which would give you more choice, but cost more.  Or you could find usable clothing items at the thrift stores.  A bag of polyfil for stuffing would cost around $5, and be enough for quite a few of these.

I was really free-flowing with this and didn’t use a pattern or anything.  I just cut out a random shape, front and back.  Make sure to make it at least 1/2” bigger than you want it all the way around for the seam allowance. It’s easiest to cut them out at the same time, but you need lay the fabric layers right-sides together when you cut.  You just want to end up with two mirror-image pieces.

Note:  the following step needs to be done before you sew the front and back together.

For the pocket/mouth, cut out a big U-shape of a contrasting fabric.  Hem across the straight edge with the sewing machine.  Then pin it to the front of one of your body pieces.  I hand whip-stitched around the curved edge to attach it, but if you want to machine sew it, you can.



Now sew the eyes on.  I layered buttons.  If this is for a young child who might potentially choke on buttons, you could embroider the eyes.



Next, put your front and back together, with right sides together, and pin around the edges.  Sew all the way around, leaving about a 3” opening to that you can turn it right-side out and stuff.  It can be helpful to use a chopstick or something like that to get the stuffing in all the corners.  Once it’s stuffed, hand-stitch the opening closed.

I didn’t know I would be posting about this, so I don’t have any in-progress photos.  Family Fun still has their instructions available if you need further visuals.  (For reference, Germie is about 11” from top to bottom…naturally, you can make yours whatever size you want.)

You may very well be able to make a Germie pillow for free.  If you have to buy clothing articles at the thrift store, it will cost a few dollars, but you should be able to make more than one pillow out of an adult pair of pants.  Even if you go buy the materials at the fabric store, I think you could get two pillows out of 1/2 yard of fabric.  My point is, it’s cheap to make!



If you have an inexpensive handmade gift to share, I’d love for you to link up with the post!  I’ll leave it open for a few days, until Wed. Dec 8 at 11:59 pm.

You know the drill!

• you must link back to me in your post (I can’t find the button code, so if you want to include the button, use it like a photo, but still include my link)
• link to your specific party post, and not your general home page
• please be polite and visit several other participants and leave a nice comment
• I will delete entries that don’t link back to me or do not fit the party theme; I don’t want to be a meanie, but we gotta play fair

Thrifty Gifty #15—Last Minute Gifts and Linky Party

Linking up with The Inspired Room and Funky Junk's Saturday Night Special, and Frugal Friday at the Shabby Nest.

Click on the button to see all 15 Thrifty Gifty posts. There's still time to make a few if you still need some gifts!

Okay, guys, as I hinted at yesterday, I’m suddenly in a Christmas crunch…I don’t know how it always sneaks up on me like this! Plus, my creative well is running a little dry at this point. So I’ve just collected a few quick ideas for gifts from the kitchen.

Always popular, gifts of food can be very economical as well as delicious! I’ve never heard of anyone saying “rats! another plate of cookies/truffles/cinnamon rolls!” Well, maybe fruitcake, although I don’t know, has anyone really ever eaten fruitcake?

Here are a few ideas that are perhaps a little more unique than the usual:
How about pretty jars of homemade granola? Melissa at 320 Sycamore posted a recipe her whole family loves.

country living

These Cran Crackle Bars from BHG have pretzels and salted nuts in addition to dried cranberries and chocolate chips. I love a sweet-salty combo!



Soup mix in a jar would be appreciated on a cold evening. Here is a list of about 2 dozen soup-mix-in-a-jar recipes.

source

Here’s one of our family favorites: my grandma used to make gumdrop cake every Christmas. It’s pretty, it’s delicious, and mini loaves would make nice gifts.

Grandma’s Gumdrop Cake

1. Cream together 1 stick of butter and 1 c. sugar
2. Add 1 egg and combine
3. In separate bowl, put 2 c. small spice gumdrops, 1/2 lb white raisins, and 1 c. pecan halves (which have been fried first in a little butter)…set aside
4. Sift together 2 c. flour, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp ground cloves
5. Put about 1/2 c. flour mixture over gumdrop mixture…stir well to coat
6. Add remaining flour mixture, alternately with 1 1/2 c. applesauce, to creamed mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture…add 1 tsp vanilla extract
7. Dissolve 1/2 tsp baking soda in 1 1/2 tsp hot tap water and add to batter
8. Fold gumdrop mixture into batter
9. Pour into well-greased or lined loaf pans and bake @ 275 for 2 hrs

My recipe says this makes more than 2 regular loaves; I’m not sure how many mini loaves. You may need to adjust baking time for minis. I personally skip the raisins, but must have the nuts!

This picture is from MidWest Living; we don’t make it in cans, and I can’t vouch for their recipe, but gumdrop cake photos were scarce.

Last chance to link up!
Please follow the linky party rules. If you don’t I will have to delete your link, and that makes me feel like a big meanie. MckLinky will be open until midnight Sunday

1. use the code on my sidebar (upper right) to put my button in your post
2. your post must be an inexpensive (let’s say under $10, approximately) DIY gift idea or something you made using one of my ideas
3. link to your specific post, not your home page

Second Weekly Thrifty Gifty Round-up and Linky Party

This week, I presented freezer paper stenciling…

Washer necklaces…

Making a hat and mittens from a sweater…

And my personal favorite of the week, hand tinted vintage prints.

I decided to do an impromptu mini giveaway today. The prize will be a washer necklace “wardrobe”, which will include a leather cord and two 1” washers with a different decorative paper on each side (so 4 different papers).

For one entry, leave a comment and tell me which Thrifty Gifty out of all 12 is your favorite.

If you join the linky party with a post of your thrifty gift idea, or something you’ve made using one of my ideas, I’ll give you 2 extra entries.

Please follow the linky party rules. If you don’t I will have to delete your link, and that makes me feel like a big meanie. MckLinky will be open until midnight Sunday

1. use the code on my sidebar (upper right) to put my button in your post
2. your post must be an inexpensive (let’s say under $10, approximately) DIY gift idea or something you made using one of my ideas
3. link to your specific post, not your home page

Infarrantly Creative is having a party too!

The Inspired Room

First Weekly Thrifty Gifty Round-up and Linky Party

I'm also going to join the parties at The Inspired Room and Pennywise Presents at Infarrantly Creative.

In the first week of December, Homebody gave to me…

Four cozy pillows…

Two apothecary jars…

One sweater stocking…

Three framed artwork….

One rice heat pack….

Nine jeweled magnets…

Two monogrammed vases…

And one recipe card holder.

And spent about $23 total for the whole lot! Beat that, Santa!

I can’t wait to see your stuff! Join the party, and show us your own thrifty gift ideas, or your version of one of my ideas. Mr. Linky will be open until Sunday at 11:59 pm.

1. use the code on my sidebar (upper right) to put my button in your post
2. link back to my Thrifty Gifty post
3. link to your specific post, not your home page