Note: This post was created on November 9 2012 so the kids look much younger. This is still a great post to do for a cheap and one-of-a-kind gift.

Are you trying to cut costs? Having Christmas presents to buy does not help with the already strained budget. What do you get everyone that doesn’t cost a lot of money?

What about a partially handmade (the decoration part is the handmade part) gift? My inspiration came from a Pin from Jodee Kulp on Pinterest, she posted about oven mitts that had been decorated by kids for relatives. Now that is a different gift that a relative would love and a cheap gift.

Chirstmas present making — The girls making Christmas presents

Now what is needed to do this craft exercise?

I used oven mitts and pot holders as they came in a set, I got them for $3 each, so that was lucky. Make sure to pre-wash whatever you are using as they might shrink and you would not want your work of art to be ruined after a wash.
Fabric Paint – I used Permaset
Apron for the kids. Kids in clothes that if it gets dirty it does not matter/or if it is hot enough they can just have the apron on and that will save on the washing. The bottle says fabric paint washes out with water, but I would be careful.
Make sure to put a cover on the floor as I kept on putting my foot into the paint the kids kept on spilling. Not good as I wondered why there was paint in the kitchen but it was due to me walking there.
Newspaper/paper to line the table so you just need to chuck out the paper and not scrub the table.
After paint has dried from the oven mitts and pot holders you just need to iron it or add heat so that it sets to the fabric paint. I would advise putting a tea towel over the creation and then ironing it. After this is done according to the paint instructions it should be good to be washed but wash with like colours.

One tip: Due to the material being raised and not flat, the hand prints did not come out as I imagined. Make sure to get material that is flat all over to ensure a better hand-print outcome.

The twins got messy and just had a great time with this activity. Just be careful when kids help create presents for Christmas, they cannot keep a secret. My girls were telling Nana (my mum) that they were making presents for her and describing what it was. I then explained it was a secret and then both girls realised. Maybe you need to talk before you start the project that it is a secret and no one can tell until the present gets opened on Christmas day.

How about trying tea towels or T-shirts? Why not try this using fabric crayons you can have a drawing by one of the kids put on a t-shirt or tea towel. I came across them when doing this post, have not found them but when I do will try them with the kids.

Do you make gifts for Christmas? If so what have you made?

Do the kids help you? If the kids have helped, have they shared the secret before the present was given? Send in your comments.

DIY Teacher Gifts

Are you stuck what to get someone for Christmas? Wonder what to get the kids teachers for the end of the year? Well I have you sorted! Yes, worry no more!

How about making something that will be super cheap to make that you will be amazed at the outcome and even happier with the fact that you have made a unique and personal gift as well. I wanted to give the twins teacher a little something but was wondering what to do. I wanted to get them something practical but also personal from the girls. I decided on creating tea towels with the kids hand prints on them.

Personalised home made tea towels for the twins teachers.

So how did I make the tea towels?

I purchased tea towel material from the local sewing shop. I only bought enough for two. As you will see the material I purchased has stripes down the sides. You don’t have to get this type. Pick whatever fits the project you are creating. I paid $15, for the fabric plus the fabric pen.
I already had fabric paint from an earlier project.
When I got the fabric I also purchased a fabric pen to write the name of the teacher, the year, class and also to have the kids sign their names.

Fabric paint on plates to make it easier for kids to put hands flat to cover the whole hand.

Process

I washed the material before use. This made sure to ensure that the tea towel would not shrink after I have done all this work to it.
Once tea towel material was dry, the kids had fun adding their hand prints to the material. Make sure to have a different colour for each child and to leave enough room top and bottom for your hems and edges.
I made sure to have a butter knife to allow me to spread the paint evenly over the girls hands. I got the kids to practice on a spare piece of material I did not care for so that they knew how the paint would go on the material and how much was needed to give the right effect.
Once the fabric paint from the kids hand prints were dry, I added the teachers names, year, and class for the girls. I added their names under the right hand prints and also got the kids to sign their names to each tea towel. It is a bit hard to write with these pens so you might need to help a little person with this.
Make sure to iron the fabric to set the fabric paint once all dry. The paint needs heat to set it into the fabric.

The fabric paint is drying, on our DIY tea towels for the twins teachers.

The stitch that I used was great for the edges. It looks pretty and as you will see from the below video goes over the edges nicely to make sure it is secure and will last a long time!

All wrapped up and with Panda cards. The kids are in a class called the Kinda Pandas so this was so cool I found this online.

I hope this gives you some ideas and tips on how to make a cheap gift for family or your lovely teacher. Have fun and don’t get paint everywhere!

Originally published December 11, 2014