Lights are made from shotgun shells
Posted on 09/29/2009 1:39:06 PM PDT by combat_boots
Adding to the Survivalist and Self-Reliant work of to nw_arizona_granny; Delawhere and so many others, I would like to start a decorations and gift thread ideas for these folks' benefit (and all comers). Please add to this list.
So, I thought I would start a thread for the really old school inexpensive things to do for autumn and Christmas holiday season.
The post following begins this set of suggestions, including having something for your kids or younger relatives to do. These are mostly really old school things.
1. Make a clove orange for the closet ( 1 orange and a box of cloves. Insert cloves with a thimble.)
2. Decorate a box of round glass ornaments with family names. (Elmer's glue, and glitter needed in addition to the ornaments).
3. String your own garlands with popcorn, cranberries or construction paper.
4. Using a toilet paper roll, make a decoration (with rags from old clothes, felt or beads. Can make an easy Santa or Reindeer from this).
5. Make a sleigh with toothpicks (I did this for a project once. Made a Roman chariot and the ends of curlers [which I 'borrowed'. Then I spray painted it with gold. You could also make a Nativity scene given time and planning. This might also work with a box of pasta, but the cutting up might be difficult).
6. Using bread and eggnog, make French Toast. It'll be sweet.
7. Learn to make cut out ornaments from plain paper, folding it and snipping the design (from, say, a snowflake).
8. Get a rock and a little can of paint. Make those saying stones (Joy, Love or a saying) yourselves.
9. Cut out the bottom of a clean tin can. Design a toy soldier or house (or something else) and poke holes in the can (or the lid) to match the design. You might need to put the dots for the design on the can first with a pen or marker. This can be hung on a tree or under a lamp.
10. Get a box from paper reams. Cover it with old wrapping paper or Christmas/greeting cards to give as a box.
11. Get a few small baskets and spray paint them green. Fill with floral grass or straw and little figurines.
12. Make your own stationery or cards. (Find some autumn grasses or Queen Anne's lace (or other small, interesting flower). Flatten and dry them in a phone book with a couple of books on top. Then, using wax paper and 2 parts water with 1 part Elmer's glue, place the dried items between 2 pieces of wax paper and iron them. Cut paper to match the size of the card you are making, perhaps ripping the wax paper and plain paper with a straight edge.) Give as a set of 5-10 cards.
13. Learn to carve animals from wood.
14. Make your own door 'ducks' from old pieces of clothes. Fill with sand or beans (needs heavier fabric).
15. Make a macrame design, purse, sleigh (will need bells). May need bandaids for knuckles. (Plenty of websites on these, and can be really wonderful).
16. Make pipe cleaner angels, turkeys, etc. (Will need pipe cleaners).
17. Buy 1 square of a floor sample, design a scene and decorate. (will need markers or other materials). Hang it.
18. Using an old shoe box, make a diorama (will need dried twigs, grasses, glue and/or figurines).
19. Make your own Christmas food. (Example: Using a 58-70 cent box of corn meal that only needs water and some syrup (like a strawberry or chocolate syrup, that you can drizzle into holes.)
20. Make your own carved soap using Ivory soap or a plain bar.
21. Make a coupon book for family members to 'cash in.'
22. Practice caligraphy and write out something like the Declaration of Independence or the Nativity Story or a Prayer. (Can use wood and a hot/soldering iron).
One year, #11 and a tin of cookies WAS our gift to friends and neighbors.
Lights are made from shotgun shells
Free range pet rocks are far happier and healthier than farm raised ones.
Fun for All Ages and Easy...
Make Your Own Stickers
4 Tbsp. hot water
2 Tbsp. flavored gelatin
1. Blend together water and gelatin
2. Brush mixture onto the back of your own pictures.
3. Let dry, then lick and stick.
OR
Tasty Jello Stickers
Tired of spending all that money on stickers? Let your kids make their own!
Materials:
1 T jello (any flavor) ....or ( 5 teaspoons is another recipe
2 T boiling water
Paint brush
Once the jello has cooled down a bit, have them brush some onto the back of each sticker
Let dry. Now they’re ready to lick and stick!
More Ideas
Glue two perfectly shaped triangles together to make a six pointed star. Cover with macaroni, glitter or both.
Glue star mint candies to lid of jar. Fill jar with candies for parent gift.
Spicy Cookie Garland
create a spicy cookie garland to hang over a doorway, on a mantle or anywhere else it fits. To create a garland, roll your cookie dough, cut out shapes. Place shapes on baking tray and using a toothpick, poke two large holes at the top of the cookie (the holes should be side-by-side). When the cookies are cooled, string ribbon from the back of the cookie through one hole and then push it through the other hole, proceed to string all the cookies on the ribbon, then hang your garland. Cookies don’t even need to be iced to be decorative.
One year early in our marriage, I got some boxes of the styrofoam Christmas balls that were red and green, some cheap thin ribbons from a craft store and decorated the balls. I still have them. They are great, don’t break, and look just as fancy as the glass ornaments on the tree. My hubby thought I was a bit nuts, but he has said over the years how those were the best ornaments we have bought. And they are safe for cats and young ones.
Hussein’s Depression is so bad that most of us will be lucky to afford pipe cleaners to make little gifts.
“Remember when Bush was President and People Actually Had Jobs?”
Easiest and most simple of all? Remember what the season is al about. Dp spmething for someone else, if you must decorate try a simple candle or construction paper wreath. Hang out with family, enjoy life, thank God for all of it....”God bless us everyone”
“pipe cleaners to make little gifts.”
Yeah. Pipe cleaners are their own thing. However, one of the fondest memories of working on something with my father was making santas and angels from yarn. We also used macrame and knots with little plastic rings to make snowflake ornaments.
My high school geometry teacher who always word suits and thing ties taught us about shapes and equations using yarn designs threaded through shirt paper and poster boards.
Save for later. Just took a $35,000 annual pay cut, gonna need the cheap ideas. Obama’s stimulus plan is SO successful...NOT!!!
“Remember what the season is all about.” True. Maybe a teacher can give credit for students that visit shut ins and/or go caroling/volunteer for something.
In college, I actually took a class that included making our own paper and writing out a children’s book, e.g., the Nativity story (or your family’s history). Easy credit I suppose, but it was work, and about the only thing I remember doing in that class.
SB “wore suits and thin ties.”
Apologies to the forum.
Would also like to suggest making something from old buttons. The Warther museum has a button collection along with carvings that are amazing.
Christmas decorations are going to be allowed this year?? /s
I've got some of those, LOL! Also have shotgun shell garland and I put a cowgirl angel with a dress made from lace and a red bandana on top ; )
Went out and gathered up pine cones one year and made trees over wire. Spray painted with gold, broke up multi-colored garland bead by bead. Glued the individual beads on the individual ‘leaves’ (or whatever they are).
Also took branches (soaked) and made my own wreaths that were backed with wood. Family put a big candle in it. Still have those things.
For something a little more expensive, put 3 vanilla beans in a cheap bottle of cognac and give as a gift (for use in baking. Note: must ‘steep’ for months).
If you know someone who has one, press your own apple cider and leave it to turn hard.
Use cut out yogurt cups covered with foils to make a votive. Or, learn to make a whirligig. Or a handmade lamp pull (need wood or bead to decorate or carve.
My sainted mother learned to paint the inside of a teacup, make sugar cubes that were decorated and to make jewelry from shells (cleaned and soaked in equal parts lighter fluid and baby oil—need clear fishing line and other doo dads for earrings and such).
Cover your light switches. Or paint with a design.
Make a profile and frame (good for families).
Could learn Japanese Bunka yarn craft (you brush the yarn with a little metal brush after you’re done and put the design in a homemade shadow box frame—I always wanted to drill a hole in the glass to rub my finger over it, but I resisted).
Learn to make a basket. Fill with cinnamon soaked wood chips or cedar.
The Christmas tree lots usually have a good bit of the trimmings from the stem of the tree. Use twine to make wreaths and pine cones with glitter to decorate.
Also, my mother’s side of the family has decided we are not giving gifts at the family gathering but having a Christmas cookie decorating party instead. Everyone to bring a batch of sugar cookies (just the tube dough is fine) and a bit of sprinkles or icing or whatever and we will use food coloring to color the icing and candy, etc... It’s really fun to decorate a Christmas tree shaped cookie with M&M’s as ornaments and that glitter sprinkle as garland.
Oh and that’s our dessert for after the ham dinner!
The 99 Cent Only stores have great decorations for only 99 cents. You can’t even make anything that cheap.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.