I alluded to our ideas for Christmas gifts last year.  We decided to give handmade and homemade gifts that could either be eaten or enjoyed and re-used.

We had great fun buying candle making supplies (Chris’ project) and buying up cute little cups and containers from the thrift store to put them in. In addition, we made several “Cookies in a Jar” gifts as well as home-made bread and preserves. 

We made a list of family and friends to whom we wished to present these gifts and eagerly went shopping for baskets. It was my desire to buy baskets for no more than $1.99 each and I was fairly successful in this as I shopped the thrift stores (full price at Michaels started at $10.00 each!)

I bought fabric ends from the Royal Inland Hospital Thrift store in Kamloops where I discovered one metre ends were selling for as little as $0.50! 

The girls and I made candy cane bark (see previous post).

I wish I could say that we were more successful in our attempt.  We seemed to be pouring candle wax into teacups the night BEFORE we were seeing family to hand off our gifts.  We did enjoy it very much and still have 10 or so baskets that will probably become Groundhog Day Gift baskets and Easter Baskets and Canada Day baskets. Perhaps next Christmas we will start just a bit earlier!  I’m not sure exactly what the price of each basket came to (or will come to) but my gut feeling was about $12.  For those we gave out this year we attached a neat little card that asked for the basket and jars to be returned so that we could continue to give gifts throughout the year.  As long as our dear family and friends help out out here, the “recycled” baskets filled with different goodies, would cost $8-9 each.  If you count our time and effort…priceless, especially because we spent a whole lot of time together!

Here are a few photos of our attempts at baskets…in no particular order.