Homemade Christmas Gifts For Everyone On Your List
By Stephanie Gallagher, Fri Dec 9th

Is your Christmas list starting to look like a telephone book?It's time to consider making your own gifts. Here are severaleasy ideas for wonderful homemade Christmas gifts.

* Winter Warm-Up Baskets with Homemade Marshmallows and HotChocolate

You can purchase hand-crafted marshmallows in a gourmet storelike Williams Sonoma, for $15-$18 or simply make your own. Therecipe can be found at Homemade Christmas Ideas for Everyone on YourList

Place 4-6 marshmallows into a clear plastic bag and tie with adecorative ribbon. Put the marshmallows in decorative fortunecookie boxes (found at your local craft store) or put them in adecorative basket with gourmet hot chocolate and holiday mugs.

Voila! You have gorgeous homemade Christmas gifts that look likethey came from an expensive gourmet shop.

* Homemade Picture Frame

Buy an inexpensive plastic picture frame from your local craftstore. Gather or buy plastic Barbie doll accessories, beads,jigsaw puzzle pieces, scrapbooking embellishments and otherdoo-dads that represent the interests of the recipient.

For example, for the gourmet cook, you could use plastic dollcookie sheets and rolling pins. And get some cookbook andbaking-themed scrapbooking or card-making accessories from thecraft store.

Using hot glue or glue dots, glue the items around the border ofthe frame.

Then put a special poem or message in the frame. Now you've gota show-stopping homemade Christmas gift without the extravagantprice tag.

* Soup in a Jar

Get several clear mason jars and fill them with this layeredsoup recipe:

Minestrone Soup in a Jar

1/4 cup red lentils 1/4 cup green split peas 1/4 cup barley 1/3cup boullion powder 2 TBSP parsley flakes 1/4 tsp. pepper 1/4tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. thyme 1 tsp. basil 1/4 cup small pasta(macaroni, alphabet pasta or orzo)

Layer the ingredients in the order given (lentils on thebottom). Put a decorative ribbon around the jar.

Attach this card with directions for making the soup:

Combine soup mix and 8-10 cups of water plus 1 28 oz can crushedtomatoes in a large pot. Add 1 cup diced carrots and 1/2 cupcelery. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer for anhour or until vegetables are tender.

For more easy homemade Christmas gift ideas, see The Shopping Mom's Guide to Baby Gifts.

About the author:Stephanie Gallagher, a.k.a., The Shopping Mom, is the author ofseveral parenting books and Editor of The Shopping Mom's Guideto Baby Gifts, http://www.gifts-babies-love.com

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