crafty christmas, part iii

• You know those recipe cards I mentioned? Expand on those hand-written lovelies by including a nice dish towel and a wooden spoon, all tied up with raffia.
• Make your own soap. Buy clear glycerin soap and soap molds at any craft store. Use photo editing software to size your favorite picture to fit the soap mold, then print it on a transparency and cut to fit the mold. Follow the directions to melt down the glycerin. Layer the mold: half glycerin, transparent image, remainder of glycerin. Let the soap set up and then pop it out of the mold. I made a bar of soap with an image of my daughter for my mom. I thought it was a practical gift, but I don't think she's washed her hands with it even once. :o)
  Another spin on this clear soap is to insert pressed flowers instead of an image. For kids or teens, tightly wrap a $5, $10, or $20 bill in saran wrap and pour the glycerin around it! Make 'em work for that money!

• Share a plant. I have a common houseplant that grows like mad and is very durable (trust me, I can nearly kill a plant just by looking at it). It's called Devil's Ivy (Golden Pothos) and doesn't require much maintenance at all. As if that isn't reason enough to keep this guy around, you can cut and generate a new plant lickety-split. If you have a similar plant, consider cutting a vine, propogating it in water and planting it for a gift.
• Gift baskets don't have to cost an arm and a leg. Browse clearance bins, the $1 section at Target and Michael's, or even the Dollar Tree with a keen eye. For $10 you can create a gift basket. Michael's has stationery goods for $1 each - note pads, pens, magnets candles, and more. The Dollar Tree is a great place to create a hair goodies basket for a little girl. Fill a basket or pail with a pack of combs, a brush, barrettes, name-brand shampoo and pony tail holders. If the packaging is the only thing from holding you back from a cheap purchase, unwrap it. Who says you can't give loose pony tail holders and combs? For one, loose goods make the basket look fuller and two, the stuff isn't screaming "SHE'S CHEAP!" just because there isn't a popular name brand attached to it.
• It's been a number of years since I cross-stitched anything and I have projects left undone. Charts can be costly, so make Google your best friend. This site, Alita Designs, has some of the best free charts I've found (you'll find a lot of cheesie stuff before you find good stuff when searching online). The cost of fabric and floss won't seem so bad if you find a chart for free. Now to just find the time ...
• Smelly sachets always make a woman smile. Find a good-smelling potpourri (come on, y'all know not all potpourri actually smells good), and a piece of scrap fabric. Cut the fabric into two squares (about 3x3 will do) and turn them with their right sides out. Stitch three sides (trust me, these are cuter the more primitive they look) and fill with potpourri. Stitch up the final side and voila!  Make two more, tie a pretty ribbon around them and you're all set.