What are some good homemade Christmas gifts?

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Alyssa

I'm running low on money this year, so I decided to try and make gifts for people. I'm looking for gift ideas for my friends and my mom and dad. I'm 15 so it can't be anything to childish, but it has to be something I can actually do by Christmas. Any ideas?
Thanks!

Answer
Make a laminated bookmark: find pictures or photos that they would like - animals, sports, flowers, favorite band, hearts, cars, pictures of family or you two - it can be a few small pics or just one, glue it to construction paper (you can make it two-sided), make sure you know how wide you want it to be before you start with the glue, then take it to Staples/Office Max, Office Depot or a store like that and get it laminated, then cut it. After hole-punch the top and put a ribbon or twine of some kind through the hole and tie it in a knot.

Make a 'love jar' and fill it with origami hearts, flowers and slips of paper with notes of appreciation written on them or 'I love you' written in different languages (on the back write which language it is).

http://www.ehow.com/how_2061320_fold-origami-heart.html
http://www.bloom4ever.com/HowToFold.php
Say I love you in different languages
http://www.links2love.com/i_love_you_languages.htm


Use an empty jar or soup can to make a pen/pencil holders - take the label off and wrap them in fabric or colored paper and decorate them with pictures the two of you or other pictures they would like.



Quick Banana Chocolate Chip Bars

1 Medium Ripe Banana, peeled
1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
¾ Cup Brown Sugar, packed
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
½ Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
¼ Teaspoon Salt
1/3 Cup Olive or Vegetable Oil
2 Tablespoons Milk
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 Egg
¼ Cup Chopped Nuts
½ Cup Chocolate Chips (or what feels good)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray small rectangular or 9x9 square baking pan with non-stick spray.

Chop or mash banana. Combine with flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, oil, milk, vanilla and egg in large bowl. Stir in nuts and chocolate chips to this mixture OR save them to add as topping, sprinkling on top of mixture after poured into the pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Isabellas (Oatmeal Cookies)

1 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cups flour
1 1/2 cups oats
Dash salt, optional
Powdered Sugar

Cream butter and sugar until light. Mix in vanilla, then flour, oats and salt. Chill thoroughly, about ½ hour in the refrigerator. Shape into small balls and place 2 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Flatten with a fork, crisscrossing. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-18 minutes (depending on your oven). Sprinkle with Powdered Sugar


Jumbles

3 large bananas, mashed
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup chopped dates
1/3 cup oil
Dash of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients, let set 15 minutes. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Spicy Oatmeal Crisps
Pepper may sound like an odd ingredient for a cookie, but it complements the other spices well (although you can omit it if you prefer).
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon ground allspice
½ teaspoon grated whole nutmeg
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (optional)
1 cup packed brown sugar
5 tablespoons butter or stick margarine, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
½ cup regular oats
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 7 ingredients (flour through pepper) in a medium bowl. Beat sugar, butter, and vanilla in a large bowl with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add egg; beat well. Stir in flour mixture and oats.

Drop by level tablespoons 2 inches apart onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 12 minutes or until crisp. Cool on pan 2 to 3 minutes or until firm. Remove cookies from pan; cool on wire racks.

What kind of Christmas gift can I get for my favorite teacher?

Markia Jon

We're really close and I consider her to be another mom to me(she doesn't know). I want to give her something really nice that shows how I greatly appreciate her. Gift ideas plz!!!

Answer
Starbuck's gift card
Mug with hot chocolate mix
Lotion/perfume/nail polish/etc.
Office supply basket (Expo markers, sticky notes, paper clips, etc.)
Cd
Pay attention to things that she likes or if she seems to need anything. A gift card would be fine because then they can buy whatever she needs/wants.


Answer mine? http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20111113195144AAgbfmg

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What is a good way to celebrate a 25th wedding anniversary camping?

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Beth N

We go camping every year--big family thing---about 60-70 people. One of my boyfriend's brothers is having a 25th wedding anniversay around that time and I offered to throw a 25th party while we are there. Informal of course, but what are some ideas for food/gifts/decorations? We're camping---so we have to keep it relatively simple/no frills. Ideas? Thoughts? He thought it was a great idea!

Answer
25th wedding Anniversary is BIG, it's the SILVER year! You can decorate in anything silver. If you can bring up a helium tank and get some silver and white balloons, you can decorate with them. You can get some silver and white streamers and put them around where they're going to be. Get some round, white, paper laterns, the ones with NO light in them and hang them around the party area.

What would look really nice, if you can do it is get some clear, stringed, Christmas lights and hang them all around the party and camp area where you're all going to be. The twinkling of the lights will add such a nice effect to the party atmosphere. Even just having them up without the balloons would look really pretty!

You can do the lights, the streamers, and then if you can, the balloons and lanterns. Bring up some white or greyish/silver paper tablecloths and then have white plates and white forks, knives, and spoons, etc. You want some things to be silver/grey. If you go to a party store or Costco you can get plastic silverware that looks like real silverware, they are silver and look metal, but they are plastic! You can bring up a box of them and it will wow everyone! If you don't have a Costco, check Sam's or BJ's and if you don't have a membership, ask someone who does if they can go and pick up a box. You can even use them your entire trip, there are hundreds of them in there, or you can put the rest of the box away for another occasion.

For food, do whatever is the couple's favorite food. Being your going to be camping I would keep it simple. If they love bbq, do that, if they love chicken, do that. Whatever you know of their favorite food that's doable while camping, do it! It's their anniversary and their party, have what they like and make it about them! If they like pasta bring up a pasta dish and then reheat it there, if they like chicken cooked a certain way maybe it can be done before going to the campsite and then reheated there. Do what they like, or you can just bbq and make it fun for them. They know they'll be camping and I'm sure they're just going to be happy that they're with their family and they're going to be SO happy you're going through all this for them, that's going to mean SO much to them! I'm sure they're not expecting anything and it's just going to mean a LOT to them! They're probably thinking they'll just do dinner when they return home, and that they're happy they're with their family. You can do burgers, hot dogs, and grilled chicken with some salads, and then do some sides. Maybe another family member can do the sides and another do a pasta dish, and then rolls, etc. I would keep it simple being you won't have access to a kitchen and cooking the way you would if you were home, and I'm sure no matter what you do, they're going to LOVE!!

You can also do a cake for them. You can do a tiered cake and then a sheet cake so that there's enough for everyone. You can ask someone else to do the tiered cake so you're not doing it all. Or have it made somewhere. You can do a round cake or square with 2 layers, and then do it like a wedding cake. You can get a number 25 for the top of the cake, and then have that cake and the sheet cake which should be enough for everyone. You can even get the sheet cake at one of the warehouse stores like Costco, or Sam's, or BJ's and then make the main cake, or order that one too.
You can even do cupcakes if that's easier and ask someone to help you, you can make the cake part of them and then ask someone to help decorate them when you get to the campgrounds. I'm sure the teens or older kids would LOVE to do that and it would be a great way for them to pitch in and help! You can do chocolate and vanilla cupcakes and ice them in white icing and put some silver accents on top, those little nonperils, and then pipe some designs, the kids would love doing that, let them decorate them!

For gifts, you can go and get one of those collage frames, the one that is one frame, but has lots of openings for pictures. You can put pictures of the two of them in the frames, from their wedding to now, but leave 2 spots blank, one to write Happy 25th Anniversary with the dates and then one to take a picture on their actual anniversary and put the up to date picture in the frame. They would love having something where they can see pictures of just the two of them through the years, and hang it on their wall, it's a scrapbook of their lives in a way.

You can also get them something silver being it's the silver anniversary, silver candlesticks, silver picture framed engraved with their names and the date, you can get them a gift card to their favorite restuarant, etc.

They're may feel what you're doing for them is gift enough! You're doing a lot for them putting together this party and it's going to cost you a lot to put it together, the little things are going to add up, the cost of the napkins, and paper goods, the food, the condiments, the decorations, if you do still want to do a gift you can either do something with the silver theme to go with the silver anniversary, or get them something that either you know they would want, or have talked about it, you can send them to a dinner cruise or dinner theater, you can get them something for their house or yard, you can get them a bottle of wine or champagne from the year they were married, etc.

I hope some of these ideas helped and that you and your boyfriend have a great trip and that the party goes great too!! I'm sure they are going to LOVE the party and anything that you do for them, it's the thought and being you are putting so much thought into making this perfect for them, they are going to LOVE the party!!

How do I throw a 30th Birthday Party for my single friend?

Help me ou

My single girlfriend is turn 30 this year. Does anyone have an clever ideas for decorations or a theme?

Answer
I'm single and also turning 30 this year. Hey, maybe you're my friend and this party is for me! ha! just kidding... ;)

If she's anything like me, and dreads turning 30, the last thing I want is to have people rubbing my new age-bracket in my face. Who wants to be reminded of how old they are getting when they're still single? So forego any "Over-the-Hill" type of decorations, or anything referring to "Old Maid" (I absolutely HATE that term!!!) Here are some parties that she may like:

-Honestly, I think a dinner party with her closest friends would be the best. Make reservations at her favorite restaurant and make a fun night of it. Take pictures!
-If she hates the thought of turning 30, do a "Happy 1st Anniversary of turning 29" party. Have 29 pink candles and 1 white candle decorating a white-frosted cake.
-Decorate the party like the 70's since that was the year she was born and have everyone wear 70's attire and play 70's music. Have 70's style posters decorating the room and maybe a history board of pictures of her growing through the years.
-Or if she's a fan of the 80's, throw an 80's style party, same idea as the 70's version...
-Or perhaps if she's a movie buff, have a party of "Big Movie Hits of the Last Three Decades". Have everyone dress up as their favorite movie character over the last 30 years.
-Maybe have people bring inexpensive gifts in thirty's. Thirty candy bars, thirty birthday cards about turning 30, a mixed CD with 30 songs on it, etc. Let your guests be the creative ones too.
-Murder mystery parties are awesome.
-Perhaps if you and her close friends can afford it, go on a road trip somewhere and celebrate. Vegas, Atlantic City, etc.

I don't suggest strippers or strip clubs. To me, that's fun in your early 20's. Turning 30 is a big step and the party shouldn't be reduced to something silly, unless she would like that...? *shrug*

***The most important part: Whatever you decide to do, invite men and women. If any of your guests have any potentional, great single men, bring them along! The more the single men, the merrier, right? ;)

Good luck! I'm sure she (and everyone else) will have a blast! And how thoughtful of you to do this for her! :)

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