D.I.Y Christmas Gift Ideas

Looking for some INEXPENSIVE D.I.Y CHRISTMAS gift ideas? Walking around town not knowing what to buy? Everything crossing right over your budget?

This season, we’ve got a whole lot of them. Sharing the joy and happiness with your loved ones, not having to spend a single penny on them AND still showing your appreciation can be done in several ways.

Photo Credits: The Happy Housewife

With the effort coming from your very own bare hands, loved ones will definitely appreciate it even more. Here are some ideas from the great Martha Stewart and Rad Megan:

Teacup Lights

Martha Stewart

What you need:

• Nested pans 
• Partially burned candles 
• Candy or candle thermometer
• Tongs 
• News wicking 
• Teacup
• Wick sustainers
• Wooden skewers

Step 1:

In a small pan, set over a larger pan of simmering water, melt down old candles; clip the thermometer to the upper pot, and keep temperature at about 185 degrees. Remove old wicks with tongs.

Step 2:

Cut a piece of wicking to the cup's height plus 2 inches. Clamp one end to a wick sustainer; tie the other end around a skewer. Dip wicking and sustainer into melted wax to coat them. Remove and stick sustainer to cup's bottom.

Step 3: 

Pour in the wax, stopping 1/2 inch below the cup's rim. Allow wax to set, about 1 hour. The candle will harden with a well in the center. To even it out, use another skewer to prick a circle of holes about 1/16 inch deep around the wick. Pour in melted wax until surface is 1/4 inch below rim. Cut wick.

Bath Tub Tea Bags

Photo Credits: Rad Megan

What you need:

• Extra Large tea bags
• Dried Lavender flowers
• Balt salts or Epsom salts
• Dried hyacinth flowers
• Bath beads (filled with fragrant oil)

*You can also use dried roses, chamomile, mint, etc

Photo Credits: Rad Megan

Step 1:
Place 1-2 cups Epsom salt into a large bowl and mix in 1/2 cup of the dried flowers and herbs. Add a handful of bath beads, and fill each tea bag with the mix.

Step 2: 
Once the bags are filled, fold the edges together as if you were wrapping a present (see above), and sew the bag closed. Fold the pointed tips of the tea bags down, and adorned them with embroidered hearts. Using the same colored embroidery thread, add a tea bag string that measured about 12-inches long (which hangs nicely from the bathtub faucet.

Photo Credits: Rad Megan

Photo Credits: Rad Megan

Candy-cane marshmallows

Martha Stewart

Ingredients:

• Vegetable-oil cooking spray
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• 4 packages (1/4 ounce each) unflavored gelatin
• ¾ teaspoon peppermint extract
• 2 large egg whites
• 2 teaspoon red food coloring

Step 1: 
Coat an 8-inch square pan with cooking spray; line bottom with parchment paper. Coat the parchment with cooking spray, and set pan aside. Put sugar, corn syrup, and 3/4 cup water in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until sugar is dissolved. Stop stirring; let mixture come to a boil. Raise heat to medium-high; cook until mixture registers 260 degrees on a candy thermometer.

Step 2:
Meanwhile, sprinkle gelatin over 3/4 cup water in a heatproof bowl; let stand 5 minutes to soften. Set the bowl with the gelatin mixture over a pan of simmering water; whisk constantly until gelatin is dissolved. Remove from heat, and stir in extract; set aside.

Step 3:
Beat egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until stiff (but not dry) peaks form. Whisk gelatin mixture into sugar mixture; with mixer running, gradually add to egg whites. Mix on high speed until very thick, 12-15 minutes.

Step 4:
Pour mixture into lined pan. Working quickly, drop dots of red food coloring across surface of marshmallow. Using a toothpick, swirl food coloring into marshmallow to create a marbleized effect. Let marshmallow stand, uncovered, at room temperature until firm, at least 3 hours or overnight. Cut into squares.