Getting Ready for the holidays

[Guest guest]

So what has everyone been making for the pending holidays lately? This year I made up some new stuff. I got a bunch of little soapstone boxes (hearts and circles) and filled them with some of my solid perfumes. I didn't realize they held so much, there is enough perfume in there for a year or more. LOL

 

I made a couple new sets of card games for gifts this year. Of course I did the usual toiletries baskets (I think my family would ring me up if I didn't make baklava, toiletries baskets and chocolate candy each year now:) with lotion bars, shampoo bars, lip balms, bath salts, foot scrubs, hair packs, henna sets, heat pillows, foot soaks, bubble baths, body powders, milk baths, lotions, salves, and face masks. The men get something similar, except they get hand cleanser, aftershave, deodorant, chap stick, cologne, foot powder, body powder, and chap cream. Gotta keep the men in my family macho (even though I bet they dip into their wife's baskets).

 

I still have my cooking baskets to make. I'm going to put in some sand cookies and brownies (layer the ingredients like those sand jars), and some frosting mixes. I hope to add in some biscotti, and of course chocolate candies. Then I will put in some flavored chocolate coffee spoons (like raspberry, cinnamon, irish cream, strawberry, vanilla, cider spice, etc.). Stick in some hand made hot pads and pot handle covers, and casserole holder for the newer families. Some pasta mixes and spices for sauces to go with them, and a few bread machine mixes to complete the meals. And of course several bags of herbal teas, and flu teas.

 

So far I have all the toiletries made, and the cooking stuff at least planned out:) I just have to make the boxes. This year, instead of actual baskets, I am going to make fabric covered boxes with padded insides. Believe it or not they are amazingly easy. I got the idea browsing through Bath and Body Works at the mall the other day. I go there all the time for packaging ideas. One things I saw that I thought was so perfect, especially for craft fairs, was rather large plastic Christmas tree balls. They were clear and you could see that they kind of snapped together around the middle. Inside they had little samples of their products (one had a manicure lotion, a tiny orange stick, a little packet for hand soak and a mini bottle of nail polish). It was just enough for a one time thing, but they were gorgeous. They had them hanging on a tree with lights, then they had them tied to ribbons hanging from the ceiling. You could dress it up with a little bit of shiny curling ribbon or some glitter.

 

Anyways, I was talking about padded boxes:) About 8 inches square and about 3 or 4 inches high. The top is split into two even halves, like doors. A piece of ribbon on each side of the door holds the box shut. On the outside only the doors are padded, all of the inside is padded. First make your basic bottom box. Then make three sets of doors. And one set of the interior of everything but the doors. Cover the top sides with fabric lapping to the inside. Cut one big piece that starts on one door (about two inches in) goes down the side, around the back, up the other side and onto the other door. Glue it all on and you have an insta hinge:) Same kind of piece on the inside, lapping from side to door, doesn't have to go all across the bottom though (unless you don't want to pad the bottom). Then take all of your extra pieces, and place a piece of cotton batting (or several for whatever thickness) on it, cover it with fabric, wrap to the back glue and trim. Now you have the padded pieces to insert. For the outside doors you could glue on little motifs, add silk ribbon flowers, or embroidery, use old scrap, or special bits from clothing, etc. At BBW they had sequin flowers down in one corner. Oh, for a kid you could put buttons down one side, and little ribbon loops on the other so they could practice their button skills:). Anyways, before you put on the padded pieces, take some scraps of fabric or bias tape and cover all the edges and interior edges and corners.

 

With a fabric box, it would be real easy to spray them with scent too:) Ohh, all sorts of ideas. Peek-a-boo windows, using picture frames for the fronts, making a bunch of little doors with gifts hidden behind them, making it look like a book, making the top a tile or a hot trivet that would come off. Ahh I love brainstorming:)

 

Oh, and the other things I saw at BBW were clear looking candles. What I think they were were some sort of harder wax outside and then gel inside. But the outside edge was translucent. I wonder if it could be done out of glycerin somehow. They looked amazing, and were definitely mean to be glow type candles, with a softer inside.

 

Oh, oh and the hot thing seems to be glitter in everything, well mica powder actually. They had soap with it, lotion with it, body gel, roll ons, lip balm, you name it, they had it with glitter added.

 

Okay, done rambling:)

Soseneda

[Guest guest]

Soseneda-

Well I feel exhausted reading what you have done, inadequate and

old.

Wake me in the spring.

Janet

 

So what has

everyone been making for the pending holidays lately? This year I made up

some new stuff. I got a bunch of little soapstone boxes (hearts and

circles) and filled them with some of my solid perfumes. I didn't realize

they held so much, there is enough perfume in there for a year or more.

LOL

 

I made a couple new sets of card games for gifts this

year. Of course I did the usual toiletries baskets (I think my family

would ring me up if I didn't make baklava, toiletries baskets and

chocolate candy each year now:) with lotion bars, shampoo bars, lip

balms, bath salts, foot scrubs, hair packs, henna sets, heat pillows,

foot soaks, bubble baths, body powders, milk baths, lotions, salves, and

face masks. The men get something similar, except they get hand cleanser,

aftershave, deodorant, chap stick, cologne, foot powder, body powder, and

chap cream. Gotta keep the men in my family macho (even though I bet

they dip into their wife's baskets).

 

I still have my cooking baskets to make. I'm going to

put in some sand cookies and brownies (layer the ingredients like those

sand jars), and some frosting mixes. I hope to add in some biscotti, and

of course chocolate candies. Then I will put in some flavored chocolate

coffee spoons (like raspberry, cinnamon, irish cream, strawberry,

vanilla, cider spice, etc.). Stick in some hand made hot pads and pot

handle covers, and casserole holder for the newer families. Some pasta

mixes and spices for sauces to go with them, and a few bread machine

mixes to complete the meals. And of course several bags of herbal teas,

and flu teas.

 

So far I have all the toiletries made, and the cooking

stuff at least planned out:) I just have to make the boxes. This year,

instead of actual baskets, I am going to make fabric covered boxes with

padded insides. Believe it or not they are amazingly easy. I got the idea

browsing through Bath and Body Works at the mall the other day. I go

there all the time for packaging ideas. One things I saw that I thought

was so perfect, especially for craft fairs, was rather large plastic

Christmas tree balls. They were clear and you could see that they kind of

snapped together around the middle. Inside they had little samples of

their products (one had a manicure lotion, a tiny orange stick, a little

packet for hand soak and a mini bottle of nail polish). It was just

enough for a one time thing, but they were gorgeous. They had them

hanging on a tree with lights, then they had them tied to ribbons hanging

from the ceiling. You could dress it up with a little bit of shiny

curling ribbon or some glitter.

 

Anyways, I was talking about padded boxes:) About 8

inches square and about 3 or 4 inches high. The top is split into two

even halves, like doors. A piece of ribbon on each side of the door holds

the box shut. On the outside only the doors are padded, all of the inside

is padded. First make your basic bottom box. Then make three sets of

doors. And one set of the interior of everything but the doors. Cover the

top sides with fabric lapping to the inside. Cut one big piece that

starts on one door (about two inches in) goes down the side, around the

back, up the other side and onto the other door. Glue it all on and you

have an insta hinge:) Same kind of piece on the inside, lapping from side

to door, doesn't have to go all across the bottom though (unless you

don't want to pad the bottom). Then take all of your extra pieces, and

place a piece of cotton batting (or several for whatever thickness) on

it, cover it with fabric, wrap to the back glue and trim. Now you have

the padded pieces to insert. For the outside doors you could glue on

little motifs, add silk ribbon flowers, or embroidery, use old scrap, or

special bits from clothing, etc. At BBW they had sequin flowers down in

one corner. Oh, for a kid you could put buttons down one side, and little

ribbon loops on the other so they could practice their button skills:).

Anyways, before you put on the padded pieces, take some scraps of fabric

or bias tape and cover all the edges and interior edges and corners.

 

 

With a fabric box, it would be real easy to spray them

with scent too:) Ohh, all sorts of ideas. Peek-a-boo windows, using

picture frames for the fronts, making a bunch of little doors with gifts

hidden behind them, making it look like a book, making the top a tile or

a hot trivet that would come off. Ahh I love brainstorming:)

 

Oh, and the other things I saw at BBW were clear

looking candles. What I think they were were some sort of harder wax

outside and then gel inside. But the outside edge was translucent. I

wonder if it could be done out of glycerin somehow. They looked amazing,

and were definitely mean to be glow type candles, with a softer

inside.

 

Oh, oh and the hot thing seems to be glitter in

everything, well mica powder actually. They had soap with it, lotion with

it, body gel, roll ons, lip balm, you name it, they had it with glitter

added.

 

Okay, done rambling:)

Soseneda

My Pictures of Aromatic Plants and Exotic Places In Turkey

http://members.home.net/chrisziggy1/triptoturkey.html

 

 

[Guest guest]

Hehehehe,

Okay, here goes, in a nutshell .... some of what I have been up to .... since

you asked ...

I've made up a whole bunch of new goodies for my scent theme sets ... like

rose ... chamomile .... lavender .... jasmine (coming this week) - they include

powders, milk baths, champagne baths, solid day perfumes, soaps, etc ...

.. Also I have gotten together little themed gift sets - like a Turkish Coffee

and Tea Gift Set, a Pampered Feet Set .. a Lip Balm Making Kit .... and others

..... Been making the bath cookies and will sell the bath cookie mix too -

just add two eggs and bake I've gotten several varieties of salts to use

for making salt scrubs - a gray salt, a pink salt, a red salt, dead sea salt,

etc .... I've started making holiday bows with purdy ribbon .. I am doing

the ones that are the style like you'd see on the back of a fancy Ginny Sax

dress for a little girl (I don't know the "official" name for that kind of

bow). I have well over a dozen varieties of soap from scratch made ... I

am making gold, frankincense and myrrh glycerin soap with a gold leaf composite

that has real gold in it Yule incense/potpourri .... There's more *LOL*

... Well, back to work!

 

*Smile*

Chris (list mom)

 

http://www.alittleolfactory.com

 

Soseneda wrote:

 

Message

So what has everyone been making for the pending holidays lately? This year I made up some new stuff. I got a bunch of little soapstone boxes (hearts and circles) and filled

them with some of my solid perfumes. I didn't realize they held so much,

there is enough perfume in there for a year or more. LOL

 

I made a couple new sets of card games for gifts this year. Of course I did the usual toiletries baskets (I think my family would ring me up if I didn't make baklava, toiletries baskets and chocolate candy each year now:) with lotion bars, shampoo bars, lip balms, bath salts, foot scrubs, hair packs, henna sets, heat pillows, foot soaks, bubble baths, body powders, milk baths, lotions, salves, and face masks. The men get something similar, except they get hand cleanser, aftershave, deodorant, chap stick, cologne, foot powder, body powder, and chap cream. Gotta keep the men in my family macho (even though I bet they

dip into their wife's baskets).

 

I still have my cooking baskets to make. I'm going to put in some sand cookies and brownies (layer the ingredients like those sand jars), and some frosting mixes. I hope to add in some biscotti, and of course chocolate candies. Then I will put in some flavored chocolate coffee spoons (like raspberry, cinnamon, irish

cream, strawberry, vanilla, cider spice, etc.)

.. Stick in some hand made hot pads and pot handle covers, and casserole holder for the newer families. Some pasta mixes and spices for sauces to go with them, and a few bread machine mixes to complete the meals. And of course several bags of herbal teas, and flu teas.

 

So far I have all

the toiletries made, and the cooking stuff at least planned out:) I just

have to make the boxes. This year, instead of actual baskets, I am going

to make fabric covered boxes with padded insides. Believe it or not they

are amazingly easy. I got the idea browsing through Bath and Body Works at

the mall the other day. I go there all the time for packaging ideas. One

things I saw that I thought was so perfect, especially for craft fairs, was

rather large plastic Christmas tree balls. They were clear and you could see that they kind of snapped together around the middle. Inside they had little samples of their products (one had a manicure lotion, a tiny orange stick, a little packet for hand soak and a mini bottle of nail polish). It

was just enough for a one time thing, but they were gorgeous. They had them

hanging on a tree with lights, then they had them tied to ribbons hanging from the ceiling. You could dress it up with a little bit of shiny curling ribbon or some glitter.

 

Anyways, I was talking about padded boxes:) About 8 inches square and about 3 or 4 inches high. The top is split into two even halves, like doors. A piece of ribbon on each side of the door holds the box shut. On the outside only the doors are padded, all of the inside is padded. First make your basic bottom box. Then make three sets of doors. And one set of the interior of everything but the doors. Cover the top sides with fabric lapping to the inside. Cut one big piece that starts on one door (about two inches in) goes down the side, around the back, up the other side and onto the other door. Glue it all on and you have an insta hinge:) Same kind of piece on the inside, lapping from side to door, doesn't have to go all across the bottom though (unless you don't want to pad the bottom). Then take all of your extra pieces, and place a piece of cotton batting (or several for whatever thickness) on it, cover it with fabric, wrap to the back glue and trim. Now you have the padded pieces to insert. For the outside doors you could glue on little motifs, add silk ribbon flowers, or embroidery, use old scrap, or special bits from clothing, etc. At BBW they had sequin flowers down in one corner. Oh, for a kid you could put buttons down one side, and little ribbon loops on the other so they could practice their button skills:). Anyways, before you put

on the padded pieces, take some scraps of fabric or bias tape and cover all the edges and interior edges and corners.

 

With a fabric box,

it would be real easy to spray them with scent too:) Ohh, all sorts of ideas.

Peek-a-boo windows, using picture frames for the fronts, making a bunch

of little doors with gifts hidden behind them, making it look like a book,

making the top a tile or a hot trivet that would come off. Ahh I love brainstorming:)

 

Oh, and the other things I saw at BBW were clear looking candles. What I think they were were some sort of harder wax outside and then gel inside. But the outside edge was translucent. I wonder if it could be done out of glycerin somehow. They looked amazing, and were definitely mean to be glow type candles, with a softer inside.

 

Oh, oh and the hot thing seems to be glitter in everything, well mica powder actually. They

had soap with it, lotion with it, body gel, roll ons, lip balm, you name

it, they had it with glitter added.

 

Okay, done rambling:)

Soseneda

[Guest guest]

Do you have more hours in your day over there than I do here? or are you just super energetic?

Thanks for some of those ideas

 

Regards

Ann - Scotland

 

 

So what has everyone been making for the pending holidays lately?

[Guest guest]

I think that's a good idea!

 

Ann - Scotland

Wake me in the spring.Janet

[Guest guest]

And there's another - oh! I feel so tired just reading it (and I've only just rolled out of bed!

 

Regards

Ann - Scotland

 

Hehehehe,Okay, here goes, in a nutshell .... some of what I have been up to .... since you asked ...

[Guest guest]

Awww c'mon you two - you make me feel guilty for liking to have a good 8 hours

sleep a night ;-)

When I'm not sleeping, I've been making body butters & body soaks - the best

part is having the bath to test all my new ideas !!

time for some cullinary inspiration now though - I'm hungry !!

*hugs*

Jane :-))

 

 

Christine Ziegler wrote:

 

> Hehehehe,

> Okay, here goes, in a nutshell .... some of what I have been up to .... since

> you asked ...

>

> Soseneda wrote:

>

>> So what has everyone been making for the pending holidays lately?

>

[Guest guest]

What do you have in the tea gift set????

 

Helaine

[Guest guest]

I'm working on beaded xmas ornaments w/ austrian crystals, quilted baby booties, and a design for a "cool & functional" diaper bag.. I havent' found one yet that doesn't make me cough up a furrball, run screaming, or turns out to be just plain useless ( getting so sick of returning stuff). Why do these companies assume that after you become a mother you will suddenly reval in the idea of carrying a giant bag with cute little duckies on it?

~*~ hawke~*~ ( who is currently using a backpack, sans duckies)

[Guest guest]

Ditto!!!!

LindaRed Barn Enterpriseshttp://www.geocities.com/redbarnenterprisesCandles & Metal Home Decor

 

-

Ann

Monday, November 12, 2001 2:25 AM

Re: Getting Ready for the holidays

 

I think that's a good idea!

 

Ann - Scotland

Wake me in the spring.JanetMy Pictures of Aromatic Plants and Exotic Places In Turkeyhttp://members.home.net/chrisziggy1/triptoturkey.html

[Guest guest]

YUP- my "diaper bag " is a hemp backpack!!

 

hows the boy sleeping?

 

Im trying to not nurse during the night and last night he was MAD and screaming at me several times....takes him awhile to settle down to a back rub...

 

Michelle

 

-

moonflowerhawke

Monday, November 12, 2001 12:36 PM

Re: Getting Ready for the Holidays

I'm working on beaded xmas ornaments w/ austrian crystals, quilted baby booties, and a design for a "cool & functional" diaper bag.. I havent' found one yet that doesn't make me cough up a furrball, run screaming, or turns out to be just plain useless ( getting so sick of returning stuff). Why do these companies assume that after you become a mother you will suddenly reval in the idea of carrying a giant bag with cute little duckies on it? ~*~ hawke~*~ ( who is currently using a backpack, sans duckies)My Pictures of Aromatic Plants and Exotic Places In Turkeyhttp://members.home.net/chrisziggy1/triptoturkey.html

[Guest guest]

Do you have more hours in your day over there than I do here? or are you just super energetic?

Thanks for some of those ideas

 

Regards

Ann - Scotland

 

 

No, I just get ready for Christmas and Yule all year round. I keep a big box in my closet for gifts (birthdays and other holidays too), whenever something goes in it it gets s little tag thing if it is for a specific person. Things like the pieces for holiday baskets I just make enough extra whenever I make them during the year and put them in the box.

 

I started talking about it the other night because I pulled my box out and looked through it to see what we had for gift giving.

 

 

Blessings,SosenedaQuidquid Latine dictum sit, altum videtur.ICQ# 47264444AIM: SosenedaA: Soseneda_ArianrhodLooking for herbs and other witchy supplies?Many wonderful handmade items from Twining Vines available at The Town Market TheTownMarket

[Guest guest]

What do you have in the tea gift set???? Helaine

 

Well, a lot of teas:) I make the tea blends myself from dried herbs, and bag them up in little muslin tea bags. Then the bags have little string that come off of them with little tags that have the tea name and instructions and ingredients on one side, on the other are poems or thoughts or meditations to go with the tea.

 

Then there are a couple of tea cups, usually full of biscuits or scones. Several little tea lights:), in mini tea cups (check the doll toys at dollar stores). I try to include a tea brick if I can get a hold of enough of them. I keep my eyes out for them at garage sales, occasionally I find some at dollar stores. They are like little coasters/trivets with an indentation in the center to set the tea cup in. You put them in the oven to warm up, then set your tea on them to keep it hot.

 

Then I add a book of poems or a little journal I make to read or write in while drinking the tea.

 

If I am feeling especially inspired, I make a table cloth (just hem the edges) to be the base and filler for the basket, but that honestly doesn't happen too often

Blessings,SosenedaQuidquid Latine dictum sit, altum videtur.ICQ# 47264444AIM: SosenedaA: Soseneda_ArianrhodLooking for herbs and other witchy supplies?Many wonderful handmade items from Twining Vines available at The Town Market TheTownMarket