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Need Christmas present idea..I'm stumped

Posted: Dec 19, 2011

Because of having to change jobs, there is no extra money to buy my parents anything for Christmas. Besides that, they are the hardest people to buy for. If they want it, they buy it, which leaves the rest of us scratching our heads anyway.

I am needing a very low cost option for a Christmas idea for my parents. I have 2 children (11 and 5) so I'm thinking something handmade, but not cheesy, from them. Anyone have ANY ideas as I have totally drawn a blank. I am an amateur photographer so I could take some type of pictures for them, so if there is any idea of something there I am all for it, something other than a "photo book", they get one of those every year with ALL of their grandchildren in it.

Thanks for wracking your brains with me.

;

How about a calendar? - Trampled underfoot

[ In Reply To ..]
My niece always does this for my mother with pictures of the grandchildren. My mother loves it!

Correction - Great-grandchildren n/m - Trampled underfoot

[ In Reply To ..]
NM

how about letting kids decorate a photo frame sm - mt3

[ In Reply To ..]
and put a picture of them in it? You can usually get cheap plain wood frames at the craft store for $1-2 and then they can paint them or decorate however they decide. Very personal and I am sure the grandparents would love it.

LOVE THIS IDEA - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
I gave my in-laws a photo collage of their 2 boys last year, some together, some separate, and it turned out amazing. You can print photos in an hour and 8 x 10s are cheap. You could do an 8 x 10 and a couple of 5 x 7s.

I do photos every year for someone. So personal and highly cherished.

Cookie "gifts in a jar" - What I am doing this year.

[ In Reply To ..]
Like you, money is tight. For my adult friends I am giving cookie "gifts in a jar." (For those not familiar, dry ingredients for cookie dough are layered in a mason jar, recipe tag for wet ingredients and baking time attached). Along with this, I am adding a bag of cookies from same recipe and packets of tea, coffee and/or hot cocoa depending on recipient's preference. Unfortunately, time is running out, so you may not be able to get everything on sale.

OP..just had an idea, now need some help making it come to life. - jj

[ In Reply To ..]
I just brainstormed and had a GREAT idea!!! My parents love their photo boxes. (My mom works in the photo lab at Walmart for the past 15 years and she loves her pictures.) She keeps her photos in photo boxes instead of books these days. I would love to do some type of thing on a photo box that would be permanent. I'm not sure what it is called where you put pictures on a surface then cover them with a clear glue or something. Like I said I'm not even sure what it's called. I would love to collage cover a box with pictures of our family. How cool would that be? Is that even possible. Anyone done anything like that and can give me an idea how to do it?? Thanks so much. You guys always have great ideas.

One word....Pintrest.....sm - Old Woman

[ In Reply To ..]
Go to www.pinterest.com They have a board for crafts and DIY type stuff and I have seen this type of craft on there. It is called decoupage, and it is done with a product called Mod Podge, which is kind of expensive, but you can also find a recipe there for making your own Mod Podge out of stuff that is probably already in your kitchen.

I think this is a fantastic idea. Good luck with it.

make sure you seal the pictures with s/m - sereneone

[ In Reply To ..]
some kind of spray-on sealent otherwise they may run and smear when you you put the Modpodge or whatever else you use on top.

thanks for the advice sm - jj

[ In Reply To ..]
Going Friday to get the supplies to do Friday night, hoping it's good and dry Sunday when we leave town.

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