Pallet for Home

Ya won't find your grandma's slippers, mass produced like a trucker with Caffeine filled veins, on here, darling. We are kicking that box down & bringing a whole new respect for Hand made gifts this Holiday season. Thumb your nose at the hours in line, grouchy faced shopper crammed stores and get in touch with the TRUE meaning of gift giving from the heart.

Ingenious all in one Boot scrubber & scraper! With the look & quality of something you buy in a Gardener specialty store. Perfect for any home where mud or snow is possible. A door hinge for boot bottom scraper? Now why didn't I think of that..

Original source: *    http://www.maryjanesfarm.org/recipe-project/project-20110124.asp *

Perfect for a wide range of recipients. From a gardener, a farmer, Dad & the boys who romp about outdoors and the special little Lady who comes & goes from yard to kitchen. What about those with a camper or tent camp? You are bound to know someone whom would love your personalized gift. Keep this one in mind year round. Great as a New home gift! I would forgo any plastic handle brushes. They would just make your project have a less indulgent appearance. Wood top brushes range from $2 or more. For some they may even be a little more searching to acquire. But remember, Presentation is not just about the packaging. 

I advise against Painting. Seal/weatherproof the wood before screwing in the hinge/brushes. Do the same sealing on the wood handle brushes before assembling. This will seal out moisture & protect the wood for many years to come.

Be sure to include a How to use tag. " To use, Hold the Boot Scraper in place by stepping onto the "platforms" on either side while Scraping the opposite boot."

Why not SHARE that heirloom Doily with other members of your family! This is one way to share a precious memento hand me down with other members of the family whom would treasure a piece of past.
Do you remember Victoria Magazine, when they became AWOL for almost a decade? I LOVED that magazine and still have a few of my favorite editions from the early 90's. Talk about disappointment when I could not find anymore issues before I realized they closed down the press. Well they made a come back recently with a bit of modern flare. This is from their May/June 2011 edition. Sharing with us how Maggie Weldon, the creator & owner of Lace Pottery creates breath taking yet simple plates. You could easily make a platter, a bowl or on down the line to your desire. A simple hand woven Doily with the looks of an Heirloom treasure can be shared with many others.
 Ever so grateful to have found the tutorial being my issue containing this tutorial became a home for winter hibernating mice in the garage. Never should have left it out there...

Remember the Book cover sketch book in Part 4? And the Cant live without Cast Iron bread pans in Part 3? Well baby if you like those, then your gonna LOVE playing with this one.

Find an OLD hard back while shopping in the thrifts, the Library sales with this project in mind. Make a recipe card scrapbook they can keep adding to over the years! Just be sure to add some already filled in with favorites. Like taking photos? Why not add in a few photos of the food item to accommodate the card? Put pictures in plastic protective sleeves for that extra special "just for you" touch.

Complete tutorial over at  *Two Peas in a Bucket* .

Originally meant as a mini photo scrapbook. I saw the metal rings & instantly brought to mind a better use for storing those recipe cards. Now THAT is a kicker use for the love of Hard back book covers!

Despite a more natural approach with my own Hair, Panda has been rather flustered with hers. Not only did she inherit my smashing good looks, attitude & pretty much everything else. Poor thing inherited my exact hair. What once was fine baby black hair has transformed with her maturing into my ethnic texture strands. With haphazard annoying curls appearing in some sections. She began using the flat irons while at her friends homes and a year ago I succumbed with compassion to buying her one of her own.  Apparently the lower end brands do not give her the same results as those she found using her friends straighteners.

So I found the one she has been begging for priced 50% off {at Ulta Beauty}and even then it is far more then I would willingly spend but was met with "All I want this year is a Chi Hair straightener. Mom, I don't care if I get anything else.". Thanks to Grandma the super sale queen, I found one, even better then she requested.

The point of this gift is that MANY girls/women use the hot flat iron or even a curling iron on their hair. I do not know a single teen girl that I have encountered whom does NOT use one.This is a simple gift but can be combined with hair accessories such as a nice brand of hair protector spray or gift card for the local beauty supply which any Teen would be smiling about.

WONDERFUL * tutorial for the hot or cold storage travel case for their flat iron.  * Get a peek at the recipients flat iron. {they do vary in width. From 1/2 inch plates to 2" plates of the straightener. If for a younger female, simply ask "Mom" what the size is before you whip it up. Otherwise, you might have to resort to a bit of creepy snooping in their bathroom with that hidden in your pocket measuring tape. Your on your own there 'Sista!

Via Sew4Home*

'..You can pack it two different ways, depending on whether the tool is warm or cold. If the tool is warm when you need to pack it, put the tool itself in the inside tool pocket and loop the cord around to the outside cord pocket. This way you don't store the cord next to the hot tool."
https://sew4home.com/projects/storage-solutions/travel-accessories-curling-ironflat-iron-case

Gift #6
For the Gym, The local pool, sleepovers, or for that youth whom plays a sport. Panda played Cross Country this last season and always had a separate sling back bag for stuff. And due to the dirty shoes and sweaty uniform, had to be washed.. Often..This one is a great unisex gift. Do NOT let the circle grommets scare you. Truly they are the easy part if you have a problem with cutting straight lines.

*Via Sew4Home*

https://sew4home.com/projects/storage-solutions/make-fall-fabulous-shoulder-sling-sport-duffle

Can you believe just 2 more weeks to get your gifts done! Now that I put that down, I realize I better get a move on my list. I've been far to busy with winter cleaning and organizing this past week. I have only accomplished the back seat cover for the car since I've been spending as much time cleaning it from Moose Tracks as I am other rooms of the house...
Now Ya'll get moving. Time is closing in on us!
Sweetest Dreams,
~Tammie

Moose will be receiving one in neon orange being he's a large animal whose color easily makes him mistaken for a deer to a less responsible & eager Hunter.  Neon orange would also be great for those joggers and walkers. 

Do you knit?  I don't... sadly I just do not have the patience. But if you do, why not knit up a trendy Scull cap! I've shared with you *over Here* how to make one from a sweater and ball cap visor for us non knitters. This was in 2010 and it still looks great after multiple wash & dries! 

Over at Amanda Knits, she graciously shares her knitting pattern for this "code 88" scull cap! perfect for a wide variety of recipients and in one comment, it was said to take just 5 hours to knit. Perfect for that Ice Fisherman, Hunter, Teen and father! Heck, even the women of the house could enjoy one of these for a jaunt to the chicken house, a walk on the trails or for the lazy winter hair days doing outside chores..

It's One for the birds! The more grown up version of the birdseed pine cone feeder. Detailed tutorial shared by Stephanie Lynn. Complete with inspiration for various shapes other then a "do nut" wreath. Time to eye those never used jello molds and decorative tins. Remember~ Package & presentation! That ribbon makes this go from ordinary "Oh thanks" to "This is so cute!".Homemade with pro results. Your local fabric stores should have some major sales going on right now so go browse for the perfect cloth to make your "ribbon hang ties". Nothing cutesy like child style graphics. Take inspiration from this cute flannel plaid print.

Gift #6
This next one can be customized between adult or child use. Use multi fabrics or coordinate colors to their interests. Perfect for lounging outdoors under a tree reading or watching the kids play. Easy enough to throw in the trunk for use at a park, camping, out on the lake, sleep overs and so on down the list. Double use being perfect for indoor lounging. This is a bit more time dedication but makes a great way to use up the leftover fabric pile or those too small pairs of jeans you have yet to rid yourself of. Use your imagination for fabric upcycle! If giving to a child, this would be nice combined with a book either in a series they enjoy already or introduce them to a new one. 

http://www.shelterness.com/amazing-diy-jelly-roll-floor-pillows/

If gifting a book{s}, why not wrap them up with a natural twist? Brown craft paper or brown bag for the wrapping. A sweet stamped gift tag with a sprig of cypress, pine or other winter greenery. The extra effort will not go unnoticed :

This one with a back seems more to my taste & use. My favorite hence far, *MakandJill* but no tutorial.

 I did find a slew of various DIY dining chair bench tutorials through *Scrap Hacker.* A trip to the second hand stores or other resourceful spots for a few old dining chairs will range as little as free up to $15 per chair. Personally, I would never go higher then that and even then it better be drool factor worthy used dining chairs.

Part 4 of this series will end with one of my top favorite DIY gifts. Small enough to tag along on your hikes and car rides. Creative & Pretty enough to indulge your admiration for old book covers. Start searching for those local used Book sales such as the ones held by your local library. This one is a must on my DIY list.
Gift #10

http://cosmocricket.typepad.com/cosmo_cricket/2012/05/diy-activity-book-fabric-giveaway.html

I picture this one with many creative possibilities. Shown here as a sketch book kit, it  can easily be  transformed into a child's travel coloring kit. A "secret Journal" stash or car ride crossword puzzle purse.

This one one you DO judge a book by it's cover.

Sincere gratitude to *Cosmo Cricket for sharing the Tutorial.*:

 Now I'm off for a little R&R before I belly up the sewing table.
Keep watching for Part 5 of the Gift DIY series. A little bit of everything with plenty more kick.

Sweet Winter Dreams,

~Tammie

I stress now & can not stress enough... Packaging & Presentation.  You MUST NOT skimp on these with your homemade gifts. Yes, what is on the inside counts but your presentation/packaging hold their attention. Intrigue, pulling them in with desire & appreciation for the time & effort you put into a gift JUST for them. It is what sets your gifts apart from the rest. 

 Think local & natural for a theme in your gifts.

 I came across an *article sharing "More than three-fourths of the honey sold in U.S. grocery stores isn't exactly what the bees produce", according to testing done exclusively for Food Safety news.

Food Safety News decided to test honey sold in various outlets after its *earlier investigation* {Honey Laundering} found U.S. groceries flooded with Indian honey banned in Europe as unsafe because of contamination with antibiotics, heavy metal and a total lack of pollen which prevented tracking its origin.

YIKES! And that is just with Honey.Once you have had Raw, unprocessed honey from a true bee keeper, you will forever be spoiled to the taste, color and texture.It is DiViNe! Either buy from a LOCAL beekeeper, or if you have your own hives, PACKAGE them up GOURMET STYLE! Truly people. The simple method is fine for selling to keep cost down. But should you GIFT them... Put more effort into it. If you from a local, there is nothing wrong with making a more gift worthy label. Just be sure to add the beekeeper information in respect to their work as well as giving the recipient a way to seek out where their gourmet honey can be purchased.

I LOVE the amazing Graphic Fairy and all she shares of antique/Vintage graphics. I pieced together bits I found on her site to create my own Gourmet Honey labels to adorn the Hexagon jars I grabbed up at The Flower Factory {12 jars for less then $7!}. The labels were finished up in Pic Monkey after a simple edit program for combining. Printed out at the local office supply store which I had done on the white linen resume paper, costing twice the normal printing cost for colored. Great for gifts but the not so much for paper labels in LARGE quantities. I found a natural twill cotton ribbon but do not favor it's thickness. It leaves me not so thrilled. It will do for now, but I am on the hunt for a cotton ribbon less "bulky".

  I discovered some great gift & special occasion recipes from a book entitled *Gifts from the Kitchen by Annie Rigg.*

I'm eyeing the Limencello recipe for an after the New Year treat. {This is a lemon infused vodka ,only the outer zest is used to produce the lemon essence. Have storage containers handy so as not to waste the excess lemon juice.- I highly recommend using a nice smooth Vodka. I have tasted many varieties from low to high end and have found Seagrams Extra Smooth Vodka with the dark blue label to be very fine.It is distilled 5 times from the finest American grain . My preferred cocktail Spirit. I pay $10 for the 750 ml- 80 proof bottle.}

 My kids LOVE Nutella. Personally I had never heard of this chocolate hazelnut version of Peanut Butter.  Thankfully Aldi's has their own {much less in cost} version. Now if I can only find a local source for Hazelnuts, I can eliminate the store version ingredient questionable's. This is not a healthy food. It is an indulgence of taste best for occasional eating.

Whip this up {double/triple etc to your needs} and use spring latch or unusual shape jars with lids for packaging. Add some *Homemade Graham Crackers* ,maybe *Raising Janes {Mary Jane Butter's daughter} recipe here* English Muffins, a small similar shaped tin of homemade nibbles or pretzels for dipping into the spread to the top of the Jar{s}.I LOVE me some Alton brown and recommend  should you wish to make some impressive Hard pretzels, try *his recipe here*. No need to make them into sticks. Just play with twisting to fit in a smaller tin. Secure your jar & tin with a pleasant ribbon or natural twine. Don't forget the label as well as all their recipes so they can make more themselves!

Makes One - 1 pound jar

1/2 Cup Blanched Hazelnuts

3 1/2 ounces DARK chocolate{72% cacao content}, chopped

1/3 Cup & 2 Tablespoons sweetened Condensed Milk

1-2 Tablespoons Hazelnut Oil

pinch of salt

3-4 Tablespoons Hot Water

Preheat Oven to 350 {F} degrees. Place Hazelnuts on cookie & toast 5-7 Minutes until pale golden color. Remove & let nuts slightly cool.

Put warm nuts into food processor & chop until almost smooth Paste texture.

Gently Melt Chocolate, condensed milk & hazelnut oil in saucepan over low heat.Stir until smooth & ADD TO the Hazelnut paste in food processor.

Add pinch of salt & blend. Add hot water & blend again until thick & spreadable consistency.

Spoon into Sterilized/clean Jar{s} & let cool. Place on lid & store in refrigerator.

This will keep in the fridge up to 2 weeks.

Do you prefer something long lasting? Maybe your just not feeling crafty. Then I HIGHLY encourage you to buy up a few of these* Cast Iron bread pans*. The exact same ones My Captain bought for me a few years ago. I'm not sure if they offer the custom engraving for the bread pans as he had done for my cast Iron Pie pans. But if they do, why not have it personalized while your at it. I refuse to bake my breads in anything else. What a difference they make and once you try it, you'll know why I'm hoping for a few more under the tree this year.

Sportsman's guide* is where their at. For under $17 each. The Captain LOVES buying from them and if you become a member {for $30 a year which gives you lower prices & optional payment plan for your purchases- no hidden or additional fees}. Very nice for budgeting gifts. Back to those pans.

Before I head much further into the human gifts, I would like to dedicate Part 2 of my series to the Family Dog{s}. In Honor of our new addition, which hence forth, will be referred to as "Moose". As in, he is just 9 months old and already a Moose, seen here with Frog on her 7th birthday last week:

His Mum is a large Full grown Saint Bernard and dad was just a young Black Mouth Cur pup. Moose came to us very well trained for his age and has made a most amazing and appreciated Intelligent addition. Overjoyed we found each other.

Now back to those gifts. I have begun making instead of buying dog treats. I found a slew of Dog food  recipes that are grain free, which is the route we are heading with our Moose. After some research, book reading & recipe searching I came up with a Grain Free Dog treat using inexpensive ingredients with healthy & tasty results. Buy a few pumpkins while they are still available for making Pumpkin flour and grab up those in super sale 25 cents a pound sweet potatoes as well. You make flour with them for inclusion in the dog treat recipes. They can be stored in freezer bags as one would with Flour for keeping bug free and longer "shelf life".You can make your own pumpkin or Sweet potato flour by peeling, slicing  thinly-think potato chip- such as with a Mandolin.  Drying via Oven at 200{F} degrees or in a Dehydrator. Then grind in Mill or blender until powdered. It's that simple. Now to the treat recipe.I have included some Nutrient packed ingredients so the treat is not Junk but the dog will beg for more.. 

Another great treat for the dog{s} are new toys you can whip up using heavy duty canvas their teeth will not shred in minutes. Make these *Squeaky Bones* {Thank You to Laura Griffin for this Fab Tutorial} in accordance to the dog's size. Enlarging via photocopy machine for the right adjustment. For larger dogs I would switch out the Fabric "strings" to rope. I found some "tug of War" style knotted dog rope at our Local Dollar Tree stores. I went with the single piece with 3 knots. This will be the "stuffing" for the canvas bone. I do not like batting/stuffing in dog toys. They somehow get a hole and it ends up in their stomach as well as the floor. 

Just fold a Rope piece in half, at least 8-10 inches total length,if you do not have inexpensive rope toys in the pet department. Sew in place with the Canvas construction.

 Have an old Pair of Duck Cloth/ Canvas pants? Recycle them for dog toy fabric after soaking in vinegar water 20/80 for a day or two  before washing so as your "scent" is removed. Why do that? let's NOT encourage your dog to chew on something with your scent embedded. Just not a good idea.

Both items above would be great as a bundle gift for a new dog owner. A nice Dog treat Tin for storing in the fridge would be perfect! Don't forget to include the recipe for the dog treats so they can continue the healthy snacks and encourage healthier dog habits producing more years worth of memories together.

You all know how I LOVE making Homemade gifts for the holidays. A few years back I began my

* Straight from the Farm winter holiday gift baskets *. Each year our family makes something different to go into these. The items are created throughout the year with our Loved Ones in mind. Being we do not exchange gifts amongst the adults, we do this as a family gift. Sharing with others what we grow & make for ourselves. A few additions thrown in but ALWAYS home & handmade.

 In this series, I will share & hopefully inspire your Hand & Home made Holiday gift baskets beyond the average perishable cookie & bit theme.

 

These DIY inspiration's are non edible. Versatile enough for everyone.

First up is Concrete candle holders. None of that dixie cup crudeness.

How about a cool dozen of these square low boys to line a deck side, a drive or walk path. Even the porch railing would benefit from their soft glow. Inside, a flight of stairs would be stunning.
 Collect small to medium waxed cardboard cartons {like whipping cream,milk, half & half, etc} to create the shape.Even jewelry gift box or other small containers can be utilized. Lay container on side, cut hole on top candle side, using your tea light metal base as the pattern. Seal all excess openings with wax paper/duct tape. Scoop cement mixture,{using Fine concrete & not rocky} into the hole you cut. An old funnel would work well too. Once filled 99%, insert tea light with metal base into hole. Let sit 2-4 days until dry before removing the waxed cardboard container.

 

 

 Painted Coasters @ Positively Splendid

 Mini Polaroid Necklace @ Polish The Stars

Vintage Fabric Notebook @ Homework

 Make Mustache and Lip Suckers @ The Idea Room

 Geography Love Pillow @ In Between Laundry

 Hexagon Quilt @ See Kate Sew

Personalized Gifts @ She's {Kinda} Crafty

Stamped Washer Necklace @ Fancy Frugal Life

 Play Swords @ Simply Homemade

Magnetic Necklace @ A Creative Princess

 Mini Cherry Pies @ Homespun with Love

 Fabric Baby Blanket Cake @ 2 Little Hooligans

 Photo Blocks @ Our Lil Blessed Nest

 Painted Plates @ Show Tell Share

 S'more Fun Gift Toppers and Printable @ My Insanity

Braided Rhinestone Bracelet @ Miss Lovie

Baby Name Embroidery @ Lines Across My Face

Dimensional Magic Necklaces @ Artsy Fartsy Mama

Carved Wood Plaque @ The Little Giggler

Rosemary Tomato Pesto @ Nifty Thrifty Things

Peach Cobbler in a Jar @ Life is a Party

And come link up YOUR projects and enter to win -- 8 Piggy Paint colors plus chemical-free nail polish remover {$64.99 value}!! 

 

xoxo 

PS -- Fall is almost here!! I'm sharing 

12 Great Decorating Ideas using PUMPKINS 

at Babble's new Home Ec today!!

PPS -- Thanks to everyone who applied for my helper opening. I have been overwhelmed with the response and am still going through the emails and resumes. I will update you soon!!