This year we did something different and decided to make the majority of our Christmas gifts. I didn't want to share them before in case the recipient should see this :)
These mugs were really fun to make, they went to Phillips siblings and their spouses. Michael's didn't have the pen I initially saw on Pinterest but Martha Stewart has a line of glass/porcelain paints that worked really well. I found the font I wanted, made a pattern, transferred it to the mug and painted it in. Then you bake them in the oven to set the paint and they are good go to! They're even dishwasher safe!
Next I tried my hand at painting;
Now I didn't say I painted well I just said I tried it! My newest baby cousin has a brown/pink owl themed nursery, the outcome wasn't too terrible but not what I had imagined.
These didn't exactly turned out as I had imagined either but I thought they were pretty cute. I also knitted them fuzzy scarves but forgot to take a picture of those.
Everyone also got a bottle of vanilla extract, by far the easiest gift to make! Split vanilla beans and toss them into a bottle of vodka, shake every few days for 3 months and you have vanilla extract! I was trying to calculate how much vodka I needed so I'm sure I looked pretty silly standing in front of a wall of vodka with a calculator.
I also made candy tins for the men in our families but didn't snap a picture of those. They were full of toffee, caramel truffles, potato candy, cheese straws, and rice krispy treats. Our nieces were really unsure of the potato candy but it's something my mom and grandma have always made so I think it's up to me to keep up the tradition! I looked into the origin a little bit and found out that it was a common candy during the Depression since potatoes and peanuts were able to survive the dust bowl and powdered sugar was inexpensive.
I also re-purposed some mason jars from our wedding and made and a Country Oatmeal Cookie jar mix, I think those turned out really cute.
Did you receive any handmade gifts this year?
No homemade gifts but I did suggest that them to my in-laws. My Dad used to make us potato candy, he called it poorman's potato candy. After reading your blog, which I LOVE btw, I now understand the name and origin!