Yikes!! It’s December 4th! We are entering the home stretch people! I thought I would squeeze in one more Handmade Gift Ideas post before it’s too late! (See Part One, Two, Three, Four, Five, and Six here.)
I was inspired by the gift bags I have been putting together for our first annual One Good Thing By Jillee company Christmas Party. :-) I thought it would be fun to include some “Jillee Favorites” in the bags, so I’m including Semi-Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix, Roasted Almonds, Honey Butter Ambrosia, and something NEW! Hot Chocolate Stirring Spoons.
Since I am pressed for time this week (the party is tomorrow!) I decided to make a semi-homemade version of this popular food craft idea.
I was at the party store yesterday and my sister spotted these cute wooden spoons. Since I was already planning on including the Hot Chocolate in the gift bags…I thought a couple of Stirring Spoons would be fun to throw in too. Originally I was going to make them using silicone molds…but then I realized you can buy already “molded chocolate” in the candy aisle! All the work has been done for you! :-)
The tricky part was figuring out how to get the spoon and the chocolate to come together as one.
First, I tried heating the spoon and pushing it in the chocolate. Ummm…wooden spoons really don’t HEAT up that much. STRIKE ONE.
Second, I tried heating the chocolate pieces, ever-so-slightly, in the microwave and inserting delicately into the chocolate. Ummm….flattened chocolate is not that attractive. STRIKE TWO.
Third, I decided that if I couldn’t actually get the spoon INTO the chocolate….I could at least ATTACH it with chocolate. SUCCESS! (Whew…STRIKE THREE was too close for comfort!)
Here is how I did it:
Melt about a 1/2 cup of chocolate (chips or some of the candy) in a microwave safe bowl
Dip just the end of the wooden (or plastic) spoon into the melted chocolate and then carefully attach it to the top of the piece of chocolate candy.
At this point I applied gentle pressure and a sort of a rocking back and forth method to get the tip of the spoon embedded just slightly into the chocolate candy. This helped the spoon to stand up until the “glue” (the melted chocolate) hardened.
Once I had attached all the spoons to the pieces of chocolate, I set them all in the fridge for about 15 minutes to let them harden. Then I bagged them in cellophane bags and tied with some twine!
All ready to go in the gift bags!
And here are the rest of the Simple Handmade Gift Ideas I’ve rounded up for this 7th installment:
Pretty DIY Storage Boxes
from Nicest Things
Tissue-Pack Cover
Scraps of bright print fabric are perfect for hiding unsightly tissue packs. Make them to match your room, your car, or your office.
DIY Marshmallow Shooters
Adorable Baby Blocks
Can’t forget the Canines…..Carrot & Banana Natural Dog Treat
from 17 Apart
L.O.V.E. Bookends
from Pinterest
Multicolor Can Candleholder Set
Made from chipped and rusted paint cans. Not a tutorial, but looks so simple I decided to add it.
Crafty Pin Cushions
Shrink Your Favorite Books!
from Small World Land
Decoupage Pencils
DIY Surprise Card
DIY Duct Tape Gift Wrap
Chalkboard Paint Mugs
DIY Dollhouse Bookshelf
That’s all folks! Hopefully something there will spark a creative idea….because let’s face it….it’s time to get serious! There isn’t much time left ’til Santa’s Clause comes! :-)
Looking for MORE inspiration? Check out “Simple Handmade Gifts” – Parts 1 through 6! :-)
Be sure to check out the new
One Good Thing By Jillee FORUM!
Start a conversation…meet a new friend…discuss an idea…or just hang out!
See ya there!
The flower pin cushion is very cute . I have an old quilt that can’t be used on a bed any more . But I couldn’t bear to toss it . This is a good use for it. Problem is I didn’t see directions on the link . I hunted the web a little and found 50 pin cushions ideas on a posting of Tipnut. She also had a link to the Flower pin cushion.
So I thought I would save others the trouble of looking and give the link .
http://lovetocrochetandknit.blogspot.com/2006/07/flower-pin-cushion.html
Deb
Thanks for doing the research for us Deb!
I think yesterday’s luminaries are a great gift especially for kids to give to grandparents/relatives. We actually sold a bunch of those and a few other crafts I found ok this site at our church St. Nicholas Faire. The kids made them (with help) as a fundraiser for youth activities.
I get “you 404′d it, Gnarly Dude” errors on the links to installments 3 through 6 :( Specifically it says:
“YOU 404’D IT. GNARLY, DUDE.
Surfin’ ain’t easy, and right now, you’re lost at sea. But don’t worry; simply pick an option from the list below, and you’ll be back out riding the waves of the Internet in no time.
Hit the “back” button on your browser. It’s perfect for situations like this!
Head on over to the home page.
Punt.”
Sorry about that Sarah. Should be fixed now!
Hi Jill,
thank you for the link! So I discovered your blog in my statistics and I’m so glad about it. Full of creative ideas and inspirations, I love it!!
xxx
Vera
Thank you Vera! I absolutely love your storage boxes….which is why I put them first! ;-) Thanks for taking time to leave a comment!
I LOVE your blog!!! These are such cute ideas!! And affordable! ;)
My family makes fun of me because most of my sentences start with “From Jill’s blog I made….”, or “I saw on Pinterest today…”
They tease me, but my husband LOVES the body butter I make from your site!!
Awww Antoinette….thank you! It’s been one of “those” days….and this just made it a WHOLE lot better! :-)
Ohhhh that ever so versatile twine. Great ideas! Like the spoons– I think I’ll use Lindt Chocolate balls–before I eat them all ;-) Guessing the chocolate is soft enough to press a lollipop stick inside, secure with melted chocolate & douse with sprinkles or crushed peppermint (make up your own to Chai spices to sprinkle on a white chocolate version) before the chocolate sets.
Love the tissue holder too. I recently bought some Vera Bradley napkins because they were on clearance and now I know what to do with them. How pretty in the purse. Thinking they would be great for my No 2 son’s wedding shower (of course he’d have to get a girlfriend first). What do you want from me– I had boys and never got to do a Hope Chest.
PS CINNAMON LOVERS ALERT
Found this incredible recipe– what a cookie. Great tutorial too. Might could be even made gluten-free?
http://chickensintheroad.com/cooking/cinnamon-bun-cookies/
Lindt! Why didn’t I think of that!?? :-) Great idea CTY!!
Oh dear Jillee,
You are such a life saver. I know it’s only the 4th, but the days are going by so fast. I have Altoids to make today and little ribbon German stars to fold tonight. And I’ll make the chocolate spoons in between. Since I’ve found you, I’m now accumulating a nice supply of things to make home made gifts, from my heart….and yours! I see I need to find some clear bags for this one, but I have the pretty butchers twine now. Thanks for taking time to help out so many people. You are a blessing indeed. I so look forward to your postings very morning.
Again with the TWINE!!!!!! LOL!!!!!!
Gnashes teeth!!!!! Shakes fist at IKEA web site which failed to provide twine to the string deprived!!!!!!
Looks very cute tho!!!!!!!!!
And the other ideas are very clever!!!!!
Hi Jillee,
I’m living in Eastern Europe and i stumbled across your site, you see the thing is i’m a farmers wife, too houseproud and i love your blog! You make my morning when i read your blog, it helps me wake up at four in the morning when i have to milk cows in the freeeezing cold! Keep up the good work and thanks for all your great advice :)
P.s In Bulgaria they make everything out of nothing here and i might just get a new trend going with all your crafty ideas and recipes :D x
Thanks so much for including our marshmallow shooters in the list! :)