# Homemade gifts from toddlers



## Mummoth (Oct 30, 2003)

Roland is nearly 3 this Christmas & I've been thinking up projects for us to do together to make gifts for family from him. He's *crazy* about his grandma & is going to be thrilled to make something to give to her. I was wondering what everyone else is doing with their toddler?

We're going to make Christmas Trees. I bought styrofoam cones, and painted them green, and glued a big sparkly pompom to the top. Roland is going to decorate them with toothpick speared gumdrops, and wrapped wire with sparkly stars on it.

We'll probably also do some baking... maybe sugar cookies? He's already asking when "Finger Claus" is coming... so we may as well keep bosy & make the wait exciting & fun!


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## ctdoula (Dec 26, 2002)

We often do hand made thank you gifts & gifts from dd.

If you get plaster of paris at the craft store, you can make hand prints (i use old containers for the mold & press her hand it). When it's dry you can paint it. Also, if you poke a hole in (or put a skewer in it while drying) you can hang it.

I also bought a bunch of ceramic ornaments on clearance last year. Dd has a blast painting them & then adding glitter. They're going to be gifts from her to several people. You could do the same with spoon rests, cups, etc (I think you can get blanks at the craft store).

Dd loved helping me with the xmas cards - she added the stickers & stamps to the envelopes.

You could also get blank/plain picture frames and have your child glue things around the edges (buttons, sequins, beads,etc). Fridge manget frames can also be painted/glittered.

Have fun


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## spero (Apr 22, 2003)

When my kids were younger, we made salt dough ornaments (cut out w/Christmas cookie cutters, baked/dried, painted) and gave them as gifts.

I found a really cool ornament idea a few years ago. Now I save all my stamps, and we make one or two more every year (it takes quite a few stamps to cover the entire area).

Stamp Ornament

You cut a simple shape out of two pieces of cardboard. One piece gets covered w/stamps, and the other w/tissue paper & sequins, glitter or whatever. Mod Podge both pieces....one coat is good, but two are better (let dry between coats). Glue the pieces together, adding gold rickrack and a hanging ribbon (between the layers, so there are no raw edges and everything is secured).

It's really very pretty.


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## Ravin (Mar 19, 2002)

When my niece was 3 I was babysitting her and we made a handprint for her mom for mother's day with homemade playdough (the flour/salt/water kind). Then she painted it with food coloring/instant pudding fingerpaint. It was a big hit and such a project would be great for a grandparent as well.


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## chie96 (Apr 2, 2003)

My DD is 3 and this year we are going to make "sand art" brownie mix in a jar. Not as personal as I would like but she is having a great time helping me layer the ingredients.

In the past we have done
*plaster handprints, painted a light pink with felt backs for paperweights or to hang

*painted handprints on cardstock with the verse:


> These little hands will never grow,
> They will always stay just so.
> When I am grown and far away,
> These little hands with you will stay.


*bookmarks which I printed and let DD "color" (scribble, really), then laminated and added a tassle from yarn

* the following poem printed on cardstock with DD#1's fotprint on the left and DD#2's on the right, framed:


> FOOTPRINTS
> 
> "Walk a little slower, Daddy," said a child so small.
> "I'm following in your footsteps and I don't want to fall.
> ...


Hope this help! I get most of these ideas online fom various sources, including http://www.dltk-kids.com/


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## charmarty (Jan 27, 2002)

skellbell~ do you have a recipe for the salt dough?


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## spero (Apr 22, 2003)

Actually, I remembered that we liked this recipe better....it makes true white ornaments that are easier to paint than salt dough:

In a medium saucepan, mix 2C baking soda with 1C cornstarch and 1-1/4C cold water. Stir mixture constantly over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes, or until it's the consistency of mashed potatoes. Do not overcook!

Remove mixture to a plate and cover w/a damp cloth until cool enough to handle.

Use the "clay" to make 3D shapes, roll and cut w/cookie cutters, whatever. (When making 3D objects, dampen & scratch surfaces when pressing 2 pieces together.)

Dry ornaments overnight on a wire rack, or
To quick-dry, preheat oven to lowest setting, then turn it off. Place ornaments on a cookie sheet & dry in oven for 10 to 15 minutes.

When completely dry and cool, ornaments can be painted with poster paints or acrylics. When paint is completely dry, finsh with a coat of clear nail polish or clear acrylic finish.


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## Laurel (Jan 30, 2002)

We just made soap ornaments tonight. You grate a bar or two of Ivory soap with the small side of a cheese grater. Then mix it with enough water to be workable (abt 1/4 c. per bar of soap) and add some food coloring. We also put in some peppermint essential oil to cover the soap smell (though it didn't last). Pack the soap mixture into Christmas cookie cutters. Poke a hole in the top with the end of a straw. Let them dry overnight and then remove the cookie cutters. When they are dry we will put some ribbon in the top to hang them with and then wrap them in netting.

Ds also made a picture frame to go with some Christmas photos I took of him. I found a thick, wide cardboard frame, plain white (I think it's actually called Make-a-Frame or something like that). Then we sponge painted on it with red paint. I used a candy-cane shaped sponge. I'm going to embellish it with some thin red ribbon.


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## TiredX2 (Jan 7, 2002)

We're (DS 3, DD 5 & I) are making "treasure boxes" to go in stockings this year. We got cardboard boxes at the Learning Supply store and DD & I painted them. Next the three of us are glueing things (letters, sequins, pom poms ...) to them. They are really cute (gave one to a friend for her 4th b-day).

Before we have done painted wooden ornaments (very easy, cheap at craft stores), bookmarks, one year I made "angel" DDs (made and angel cut out and glued DDs picture on), last year we made tree cards: I cut trees out of carstock & the kids added sequins, starts, glitter, etc to decorate them.


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## charmarty (Jan 27, 2002)

I LOVE these ideas!

Thank you so much for the recipe Skell! I am going to do it tomorrow.

But, I need to be a PITA







My granny is driving herself







s trying to remember that recipe (salt dough) so she can come down and do it with my girls( she did it with me when I was thier age) No other recipe will do. She just simply can't remember....Would you mind posting it for us?


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## spero (Apr 22, 2003)

*Salt dough*

2 cups all-purpose white flour
1 cup salt
1 cup boiling water

Combine boiling water and salt in a bowl. Mix well. Slowly mix in 2 cups of flour. Place dough on foured work surface and knead until smooth. If dough is sticky, continue adding small amounts of flour. Bake ornaments at 200° until completely hard and dry, about 2 hours. Let cool completely.


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## Mummoth (Oct 30, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *skellbelle*
Actually, I remembered that we liked this recipe better....it makes true white ornaments that are easier to paint than salt dough:

In a medium saucepan, mix 2C baking soda with 1C cornstarch and 1-1/4C cold water. Stir mixture constantly over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes, or until it's the consistency of mashed potatoes. Do not overcook!

Remove mixture to a plate and cover w/a damp cloth until cool enough to handle.

Use the "clay" to make 3D shapes, roll and cut w/cookie cutters, whatever. (When making 3D objects, dampen & scratch surfaces when pressing 2 pieces together.)

Dry ornaments overnight on a wire rack, or
To quick-dry, preheat oven to lowest setting, then turn it off. Place ornaments on a cookie sheet & dry in oven for 10 to 15 minutes.

When completely dry and cool, ornaments can be painted with poster paints or acrylics. When paint is completely dry, finsh with a coat of clear nail polish or clear acrylic finish.

We're going to do this one! We bought baking soda & corn starch at Costco I-don't-even-know-when, so I've got *tons* of everything I need! (DH shouldn't be allowed in that store, he doesn't understand that sometimes the quantities are INSANE there!)

The stamp ornament reminds me a bit of ornaments we did with my grandma. We'd take wrapping paper & cut out a circle where the picture looked nice, and glue it to a ring (like a curtain rod or showercurtain ring) When it dried, we'd paint it with varnish, and the paper dries a but transparent & hard. Then we'd decorate it with rick-rack or pipecleaners. These ones look especially good if you place them on the tree infront of a light, so it shines through.

We also made Snowmen out of coffee cans covered in cotton batting, and a styrofoam ball for the head. We decorated them with a bunch of stuff.Grandma shops at second hand stores & picks up ratty old decorations to take apart & use the peices from. She's got a huge stash of great stuff!!

Thanks for all the great ideas!


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## charmarty (Jan 27, 2002)




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## gardenmom (Apr 9, 2003)

I found some 'fabric crayons' at the store the other day. Supposedly you can color onto a blank white piece of paper and then transfer the drawing onto fabric, so I've been giving dd her 'special' crayons and letting her make pictures for her grandparents to transfer onto a plain tote bag and blank canvas 'craft organizer' one item for MIL and one for my Parents. I also have some photo transfer paper, and may try to add a few photos with dd's scribbles...we'll see how enthusiastic I get!

skellbelle, thanks for the stamp ornament idea--love it! I'll be steaming my stamps off the envelopes this year!


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## spero (Apr 22, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *gardenmom*
skellbelle, thanks for the stamp ornament idea--love it! I'll be steaming my stamps off the envelopes this year!









I just put mine in a bowl of water and soak them off....works like a charm and doesn't hurt the stamps at all! Less bother than steaming.


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## gardenmom (Apr 9, 2003)

That makes sense!--it's not like I'd be saving the stamps for a valuable stamp collection or anything like that...thanks for the tip!


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## Nik's Mommy (Nov 28, 2002)

Last year, we made tea towels for the grandparents and Godparents. I bought plain, beige teatowels, and fabric paint. Nik put his handprints on the towels, and I painted Max's feet and made foot prints (since he was only a couple of months old). Those were a big hit!


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## zaftigmama (Feb 13, 2004)

I found iron on transfers that you could draw on with crayon, and then transfer the image to a shirt or bag or apron. We made cute gifts one year with a drawing Halle had made. But, the image comes out reversed, so letters don't work - found that out the hard way. Just thought I'd mention it since someone had a similar sounding project going on.

I love handmade gifts, esp. from kids. This thread has a ton of great ideas!


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## FireWithin (Apr 29, 2004)

Mu 20 mos old is helping me make wrapping paper. We are putting his hand prints on a long white sheet of paper and I am later adding green Christmas tree, and red stocking stamps to it. It is a lot of fun for both of us. (warning though, our paper is not opaque enough - I need to add a plain underwrapping) We received an end-roll of paper so this has been fun and economical.

Now that DS is becoming an expert on handprints, we will be making stationary cards for the grandmas. A handprint on the front, and on the back a comment like "an orginal by Sam - 20 mos" I think they will like it.

For the long sheets of paper:
I tape down a sheet the length of the bathtub on the bathtub wall, and strip DS down to his dipe. It is much easier to clean.


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## Seasons (Jun 10, 2004)

My 2yo glazed mugs at a paint-it-yourself ceramics place, then added her handprints (in a darker glaze) as if she were warming her hands on the mug. Inside we put a bag of cocoa mix, with a handmade label (including her photo) and the logo: "[dd's name] Cozy Cocoa Mix." We wrapped it up in wrapping paper we made from glossy white paper stamped (with handprints & potato stamps) dipped in tempera paint.

Not free, as we had to pay for the mugs, but pretty inexpensive, and nicer than the simple homemade ornaments we gave as smaller gifts. For those we made more giftwrap by taking a square of paper towel, folding itt into a triangle, then dipping each corner into a different bowl of food-color-tinted water. Unfold & dry on laundry rack. Looks like tie-dye.


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## gardenmom (Apr 9, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Nik's Mommy*
Last year, we made tea towels for the grandparents and Godparents. I bought plain, beige teatowels, and fabric paint. Nik put his handprints on the towels, and I painted Max's feet and made foot prints (since he was only a couple of months old). Those were a big hit!

This sounds nice--I actually have 4 vintage flour sack-type towels that are just plain white. I've been wondering what I could do with them. This is a great idea! Great Grandma will like this a lot!

Thanks! Add fabric paint to my list of Christmas craft needs!!


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## TortelliniMama (Mar 11, 2004)

Daddy's Christmas gift is going to be a bulletin board (2'x3' or so) spongepainted by ds (with some help from me so that our carpet doesn't match it ). It's for his office, so he has a place to hang pictures of ds and papers with his drawings.









Lisa


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## hjohnson (Mar 2, 2004)

The boys are making footprints in clay for their 3 sets of grandparents and 1 set of Great-grandparents. The boys provide the footprints, I am going to do the baking, and then my 2 year old is going to paint them with washable paint.


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## Penticton mama (Mar 6, 2004)

-You could do stars out of cinnamon sticks and add some little things to glue on. You just glue the sticks with a glue gun and the kid and decorate it.
-Bird feeders are always nice. The pine cone covered with peanut butter and rolled in the bird seed. Then you can gift wrap it in nice see through paper.
-The foam ball with the fabric squares poked into in. You cut little suares of fabric and use a pointed thing to push them into the ball. You push the center of the fabric so it folds inward. Do a bunch all around the ball so you can't see the ball anymore. This is hard to explain but really easy to do. I hope you get the picture.

I love the idea about the hand prints and the little saying
*These little hands will never grow,
They will always stay just so.
When I am grown and far away,
These little hands with you will stay*

I'm going to use that one! Too cute!

Good Luck
Erin


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## Aaudreysmom (Aug 20, 2003)

2 1/2 yo dd and I decorated regular christmas bulbs with glitter. We strung a pretty christmas ribbion on to hang them with and I wrote her initals and year on the bottom. This was a lot of fun for us both.


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## Persephone (Apr 8, 2004)

You could also make ornaments out of cinnamon dough.

You just buy ground cinnamon in bulk, and add enough applesauce to it to make a dough, and cut out shapes, or do anything with it that you can do with playdough, and the smell stays with it for a long time.


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

reindeer handprints

make a brown handprint of your child's. Flip it upside down. The fingers are the legs and the thumb is the head. Draw on horns, mouth, eye and a little red nose.

I tried this on heat trnasfer paper but the paper doesn't work with paint. so if you want it on fabric, scan the reindeer into a computer or use fabric paint.

For words just write mirror style or on most paint programs on the computer you can simply flip them.

courtney


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