It’s Tightwad Tuesday over at beingfrugal.net and I have a list of handmade Christmas gift ideas for you. "Handmade" and "tightwad" don’t have to have negative connotation. Rather, frugal and handmade gifts are a wonderful thing, full of time, thought, effort, and love.

I wish I could share what I’m currently working on but I can’t. My boyfriend stops by the blog and "it" is his Christmas present. I’ve had the idea for awhile now and began the first stage of it a few weeks ago but last night I took it to the "just needs tweaking" level. Squeeee! I can share other Christmas ideas though, gathered from around the web.

I am not a fan of the commercialization of Christmas and the hundreds of dollars that are spent, in some families, on just one person (multiplied by however many people are in that family). In the spirit of a handmade/heartfelt Christmas, which I plan for mine to be (though I admit to being a procrastinator who may run out of time), here are a few ideas for gifts made with love.

An adorable earflap stocking cap
If you’re a knitter, the Hudson Hat pattern is so cute and easy. If you don’t have it already though, the pattern is currently unavailable to purchase.

An apron for the cook
If you can sew, there are 52 apron patterns/tutorials here. The gorgeous Emmeline apron (pattern available for purchase here) is also an option as is Jona’s cute half-apron. You could fold one up in a basket along with hotpads, a muffin tin, and homemade muffin mix.

A recipe book of family favourites
This can be as simple or as elaborate as you like. Type up recipes on the computer, print them out, and use a simple three-ring binder or duo-tang or have it hard-bound into a book (there are several places online that do this for a decent price). Bind it yourself for that extra touch. Simple bookbinding is actually not that difficult though it does take a bit of time. A google search for bookbinding tutorials should turn up more than you need to know.

A dress-up box for the kids
This may take a bit of advance preparation but costume pieces can be found at thrift stores or even in the back of the closet! Kids have amazing imaginations. Throw in a couple of dyed-by-you playsilks (tutorial here as well) and the box is complete.

A purse organizer
For those big purses/shoulder bags that are essentially just one big space, great for carrying a lot of stuff but not so great for keeping that stuff easy to locate, the purse organizer looks like an essential thing. There are tutorials to sew your own here and here (this last one is a pdf).

Alphabet photography
A very simple, unique, and beautiful way to personalize a gift, this photo art uses a simple picture frame, a photo mat, and photos or magazine cut-outs. Choose the word or name you want to use and away your go!

A change purse or boxy pouch
Customizable in both size and attitude (just change the fabric!), this cute little zippered bag can be used for so much more than coins. The photo tutorial walks you through each step of sewing and assembly. There is also a great tutorial at Three Bears for a larger, boxy zippered pouch, which can be used for make-up or other small items.

A crayon roll
Another sewing tutorial, this one is for a crayon roll. Make it in any combination of fabics you like and you have a cute little roll to keep those crayons neat, tidy, and together. Great for car trips and other out-of-the-house outings.

Patchwork basket/collapsible bucket
Maybe this could be the basket to hold the apron and baking items mentioned above? An easy-to-follow tutorial for a sewn patchwork fabric basket, with or without handles. This is easily modified to be whatever size you like. Indestructables has a tutorial for a bucket-shaped container which collapses down for storage.

Flavoured cooking oil/vinegar
Use empty glass oil or vinegar bottles (saved throughout the year or purchased at the thrift store). Half fill the bottle with the oil of your choice (olive oil is a good choice) or vinegar and add fresh sprigs of rosemary, thyme, basil, oregano or any other herb you prefer. Replace the lid or add a cork and tie a ribbon around the neck of the bottle. Voilà!

Hair accessories
Ponytail holders and hairbands are simple to whip up with minimal fuss. (Variations on each one respectively here and here with an additional variation by Heather Bailey here in pdf form for the headbands.) A package of hair elastics, a few scraps of fabric, and you have some cute hair accessories for a girl in your life.

Quilted cards
From craftapple, a tutorial for note cards using scraps of fabric. This again uses a sewing machine but only for the final touches. You could just as easily hand stitch using decorative stitches and embroidery floss. Make a set of five, whip up five envelopes from recycled materials (magazine pages, scrapbook paper, brown kraft paper, etc), and tie a ribbon around the lot or make a paper wallet to hold the set.

Retro tea cosy
Crochet instructions for a cute retro tea cosy for the tea-drinker in your family. Instructions with both Australian/English and US terminology.

Mini accordian books
No fabric or yarn required, these sweet little books provide a backdrop for so many possibilities. Fill the pages with quotes, notes, poems, special messages, photos, or leave them blank.

Etched glass
The wonderful Benita over at Chez Larsson provides a tutorial on etching glass. Use it to personalize a pillar-shaped vase or candle holder, a serving dish (etch the underside), window, picture frame glass, or whatever you can think of.

Screen-printed t-shirt
Using your computer and a few basic supplies, you can whip up the perfect t-shirt for everyone on your list. Tutorial here.

Candied citrus peel
A gift from the kitchen, candied citrus peel is a treat at Christmastime. Use a combination of orange, grapefruit, and lemon peels (I wonder how pomelo would do?) or stick with one type of fruit. It is very simple to make and it looks very festive in a glass jar tied with a ribbon.

Habanero jelly
For that heat-loving person on your gift list, Vicki at Vegan Vice has a great tutorial for a simple pepper jelly. She provides it in a video format.

Movie basket
What about a movie basket for a teenage boy (or for a couple to use on date night)? Find a container that can be reused later on and pack it with a movie (or a gift card for a rental or two), popcorn (microwave packets or a bottle of kernels), nuts, and candy? If you’re feeling ambitious you could make the candy yourself. Throw in a small jar or two of popcorn seasoning that you’ve mixed up using the recipes here or here.

Baking
Cookies, muffins, loaves, pies, bread… A basket of goodies is always a welcome gift.

Soap
Not soap-on-a-rope, but beautifully handmade soap. Luxurious, moisturizing, fresh-smelling soap without the colours and artificial fragrances of store-bought soap. Small Notebook has a great beginner tutorial. If you’re planning to make a batch though you’ll need to start soon. Many soap recipes recommend that the bars cure for 4 to 6 weeks or longer.

I’m pretty sure I could continue on with quite a few more gift ideas but it’s long past time for bed. I’ve re-discovered some ideas I had saved in my bookmarks and found some new ones as well. Now to stop procrastinating and get started on the gift-making! Only 37 days left until Christmas. Oy!!

I have a black metal word that I found in Sudbury last week to hang on my wall. It says "simplify". Today, as I was scrambling around, being the procrastinator that I am, in an effort to make the living room and kitchen more usable before B comes home tomorrow, I thought of that word. I have no idea where I’m going to hang it, whether it’ll be in the back entrance, kitchen, or living room, but it made me take a look at the living room in particular.

As I’ve previously mentioned, I am planning to put a dining table (once I find a suitable one) on the new framed half-wall once it’s done and painted.

The plan was also for that couch in the left corner of the above picture to be sold as the living room is a decent size but the wall space is broken up by windows and doors and a very short hallway to the bathroom and space is at a premium.

The love seat was pushed in front of the door to make room during my cleaning frenzy.

While struggling to visualize just how to arrange the room in the near future, "simplify" crossed my mind and I had the sudden thought to purge the TV from upstairs, thereby eliminating the need for the cabinet. I like the cabinet even though it’s just a cheap one from Sears. I like the shape and height and without it, the room is all the same height - the height of the furniture. I took the TV, VCR (yes, we still have one and use it), and DVD player downstairs and set it up in the rec room, swapping places with the flatscreen one from down there. The flatscreen TV has a built-in DVD player so, while I plan to make a cover for it and store it under the cutting table in my sewing room, if the need for it upstairs ever arises I’ll be able to just pull it out and plug it in.

Once the TV cabinet is gone (I’ve listed it), the arrangement doesn’t get any easier. I’m still not sure what to do. I know the paint colour is going to change but that doesn’t help the layout. There needs to be enough space around the dining table to not look cramped. yet still give me a living room that looks complete. It needs to be a dining area, not just a dining room table plunked down in one end of the living room.

The second picture shows the armchair in the corner, which had previously been beside the entertainment unit. I absolutely love the placement of the chair by the window. It hasn’t seen much use but I know I would sit in it all the time if it were to stay where it is. It would be the perfect curl-up-and-read spot. I like the love seat in front of the door too, although I would hide the door if I left it there by blacking out the window (black construction paper?), putting  another curtain rod centered between the windows, and hanging first a solid white curtain to cover the door and frame and then hanging another set of panels to match the ones on the windows. I’d then push the love seat back into place. I think. I think it would look okay. I’m not sure whether I’d use curtains to match the existing ones or contrasting ones. It all sounds like something they might do over at Young House Love, a completely awesome design blog by a couple so young, cute, and talented that they’ll make you very envious.

If the love seat stays where it is and the couch goes, I can almost visualize a papasan chair with a nice red cushion in the new reading corner, the armchair pushed down a bit, and a small end table set between the two or possibly a bookshelf to add a bit of height to the room and to house the requisite books. Another armchair could go on the wall where the TV had been, angled a bit into the corner where the end table is in the picture above. Another bookshelf could go next to that or a table of sorts (a low sofa table?) as long as it doesn’t hinder access to the bathroom hall. I’ll need a few surfaces to put the plants on and wouldn’t mind a large potted plant or tree on the floor somewhere in the room.

Decisions, decisions. And oh, the hair pulling! Such a stressful thing, this room rearranging. I welcome any tips or ideas.

It’s been a couple weeks since I’ve participated in Tightwad Tuesday and I have two things to post today, both of which were also accomplished today and one of which fits into my kitchen Make It Instead challenge.

You can see the empty spaces in the forefront where the resident chipmunk killed the seedlings
when they were just above the surface. I’ve re-planted those seeds.

This afternoon after another trip out to the garden to pull the few weeds that have popped up, I decided that it was time I had markers placed so I wouldn’t have to try and go by memory anymore or consult my layout on paper. Rather than go out and buy plant markers (which doesn’t make sense to me), I gathered up simple popsicles sticks, a Sharpie marker, my layout chart, added five minutes of my time and the garden is now labeled and so much easier to keep tabs on. Now, if only that chipmunk was so easily taken care of. I have a strong suspicion that he’s eaten at least some of my corn. I’m undecided as to whether I should let the remaining ones sprout so I know where to plant the new ones or if I should just go ahead and replant and pull out any doubles.

That pita bread recipe that I’ve been wanting to try also got printed out today and baked; we had tuna melts for supper tonight as I didn’t go in to work and so B was at home with me. 

These turned out pretty well. The unbaked dough was saltier than the finished product but next time I’ll reduce the salt. The next time I make these I think I’ll also make seven instead of eight. The recipe calls for eight wedges rolled into balls and then each rolled out to a six-inch circle about 3/16-inch thick. My eight were six inches in diameter (I used a ruler) but only 1/8-inch thick at best. They only puffed moderately in the oven and half didn’t puff at all. I don’t know how they’ll work as pitas yet since we just used two tonight at flatbread. Instead of two-and-a-half cups of all-purpose flour, I used one-and-a-half and then a half-cup each of whole wheat and multigrain flours. Again, next time I’ll reduce the white flour and increase one or both of the others. All in all, a great recipe and very simple to make.

I’ll be checking out beingfrugal.net for more Tightwad Tuesday ideas…

Today was another sick day for me. I feel like I hit 30 years old and started falling apart. I never used to get sick; I remember being in college and the entire class would be carrying around Kleenex boxes and I’d waltz through with nary a sniffle. Since having B I’ve definitely caught a few more colds but in the last year, that seems to have gone up even further. And the headaches. This year - and the cause of the sick day today - I’ve had at least three instances of two- to three-day headaches. They start off faint-but-there and untouchable by Advil or Tylenol and carry through the night turning into a stronger one with a stabbing head rush every time I stand up. Love ‘em. This one is nearly gone and will be gone by morning, so back to work for the next two nights.

Tonight was a scrounging kind of dinner night. B ate part of a peanut butter and banana sandwich and then part of my egg-on-an-english-muffin. Canned peaches rounded out the gourmet meal. I’m enjoying Menu Plan Monday, both for the recipes and new blogs that I find via I’m An Organizing Junkie and for the way it makes it so much easier to make dinner on any given night. I’ve done meal planning before and somehow fallen off the wagon; I’m hoping I ride this one for a long time.

June will be another Make It Instead month in the kitchen too. I have the dry ingredients for bread pre-mixed in the freezer, a recipe for yogurt and one for pita bread, and puréed tomatoes in the freezer ready to be made into another pot of tomato soup. Crackers may be on the agenda too. I was surprised at how easy it was to do the last MII month and am looking forward to this one too.

The sewing machine has continued to hum a little and I now have two pairs of long pj pants and two pairs of short ones to go with the ones B modeled the other day. Some of the shirts are partly cut out as well but I’m still digging through my solid knits bucket trying to find colours that coordinate the best. Look for more pictures in the coming week.

Up tomorrow: B’s first real dentist visit in the morning, lawn-cutting (if the weather cooperates), and a nap for both of us in the afternoon.

Back in April, I blogged about my personal Make It Instead challenge. I’m happy to report that it was a success and that I’m carrying it over into May as well. I’m enjoying the feeling that comes with not buying certain foods just for the sake of convenience. I’m finding that at the grocery store I am more and more shocked at prices that only a few short months ago, I was more than willing to pay. One of the main reasons for my challenge was because I’m finding it hard to find foods that B can have with his no food additives "diet" and also because the things I find that he can have seem to cost an arm and a leg. I’m fine with paying more for certain things but others, like the things that I can make at home, I’m not so keen to shell out for.

Later this week or early next week I expect to make hamburger buns and hamburger patties. This week, however, I am making granola bars and possibly pita bread. The boy who made this cute little craft at school needs some lunchbox eats and granola bars fit the bill.

I’ve blogged before about the recipe I use. I found it over at quietfish. Tonight I used orange pulp (from juiced oranges) which I had puréed, papaya leftover and frozen from muffins a few weeks ago, and a few tablespoons of homemade applesauce to top it all up to 1/2 cup; I used that in place of the oil called for in the recipe. I put in the last handful of carob chips, chopped up some dates, threw in some raisins and dried currants, pumpin seeds, and some of the dried cranberries that I dehydrated a week or so ago. I also added in the extra 1/2 cup of oatmeal mentioned in the recipe as well as an additional 1/2 cup due to the liquidy ingredients being slightly over one cup but I think I could have left the last extra bit out. The granola bars look and taste fine but they didn’t need the extra oatmeal.

Pressed into the pan and ready to bake.

Kashi is the only brand I’ve found at my regular grocery store that is on B’s "list", but at roughly $3.50 to $4.00 a box for six granola bars, if I buy two boxes a month in order to put one in his lunch at school on occasion, I’ll be spending upwards of $96 a year on granola bars. (I included the summer months because he will be going to daycare for several days a month once school is out.) The ones I whipped up in my kitchen tonight cost me a fraction of that. I have not figured out the actual cost of making a pan of bars but seeing as I get 14 to 16 bars out of each pan, I know that it is nowhere near the cost of Kashi bars. (Please note that I do understand there are cheaper options than Kashi but B is not able to eat those nor am I impressed with the ingredients listed and their lack of nutritional value.)

Give it a try. Take just one item that you normally buy and that you know you could make yourself. Whether it’s granola bars, bread, yogourt, crackers, pizza, or any number of other things, ignore the extra bit of time it would take to make it (these granola bars take me 10 minutes to mix up at the very most and 25 minutes to bake) and think of a) the money that will be saved and b) the elimination of all those unnecessary additives like articial colours and flavours and all those unpronouncable preservatives.

Head over to beingfrugal.net for more Tightwad Tuesday postings.

I have really enjoyed these blog posts this past week and thought I’d share them.

1. This post from Domestic Cents. It so completely says what I could say about my own life and the way it has evolved over the last couple of years and about the way that I want it to continue to change and grow.
2. Frugal Trenches put up a great post on frugal and sustainable weight loss over at the Simple, Green, Frugal Co-op, a very timely post for me.
3. Jonathan Mead posted a great article on three simple-yet-destructive words over at Zen Habits.

I remember how much it made sense when I heard that the more you shampoo your hair, the more you need to shampoo it. Even with moisturizing shampoos you are stripping the natural oils so much that your hair works overtime to make up for it, resulting in the "I just washed my hair this morning so why does it feel so gross?" phenomenon. A couple of years ago I decided to try the No ‘Poo method and stop using shampoo altogether. I absolutely loved the results - soft, silky hair that I could run my fingers through at any time of the day or night and never hit a tangle or snag. My hair at the time was around the top of my shoulder blades and, as it has always been except for perming, poker straight and very thick. For some reason that I can’t remember, I quit the no ‘poo method and reverted to shampoo and conditioner. In the past two weeks, however, I’ve jumped on the shampoo-less bandwagon again. My hair is currently very short (think pixie-ish) and still very thick.

Using the No ‘Poo method saves almost a literal ton of money. You probably have baking soda at home as well as apple cider vinegar. And even if you just have regular vinegar (or lemon juice even), you can still do it. How much does a jug of vinegar and a box of baking soda cost? The amount you use each time to wash your hair is going to vary depending on what your hair prefers but I can guarantee that it’s going to be massively cheaper than a bottle of shampoo and conditioner. And it’s far more natural too. 

If you’re new to No ‘Poo, you may want to read this page for an overview as well as tips. The procedure itself is incredibly simple though it will vary from person to person as hair is different from one person to the next. My "tools" consist of a squirt bottle (it used to contain agave nectar) that I fill with water and a tablespoon and a bit of baking soda, a bottle of apple cider vinegar, and a cup  for mixing the water and vinegar. My procedure consists of wetting my hair thoroughly, squirting on my scalp some of the soda/water mixture (shaking the bottle well first; you’ll notice the settling of the soda in the picture above) until I feel like I have enough (very scientific, I know). I then massage my head and hair well. With my short hair, this isn’t difficult at all. When my hair was longer, I used to squirt the soda/water onto my hair instead of my scalp and then use my hair to massage my head. After I’ve even distributed the mix around, I rinse my hair again with plain water before taking the cup, which I’ve filled with about 3/4 of an inch of vinegar topped up with water, and slowly pouring it over my head, gently working it all over with my other hand. I then rinse out the vinegar, dry my hair, and I’m good to go. There is a decent amount of vinegar smell while my hair is wet but once it dries it’s gone. I think. My hair is too short to stick under my nose to check but I’ve had no complaints from either my son or my boyfriend.

I’m hoping to stick this no ‘poo method out. I see no reason to return to shampoo though I do still have 3/4 of a one-litre bottle of Tresemmé in my shower. Maybe I’ll use that as bodywash? Or maybe not. I’m loving my emu oil soap and hoping to make my own (non-emu) soap in the near future.

Give no ‘poo a try. What have you got to lose?

The sun returned this morning and it is absolutely beautiful outside. The sky is a perfect blue and there is not a cloud in sight. It makes up for the fact that B went to bed around 9 last night (as opposed to his usual 6:30 to 7:00) and  woke up at 6:30 this morning (as opposed to the normal 7:00 to 8:00). It doesn’t help that I always stay up far too late and end up with considerably less than seven hours most night. I’m a girl whose body needs at least 9 or 10 hours on a regular basis to feel awake and energetic but I can’t remember the last time I allowed myself that much sleep. It’s been like that for years, but it does have to change.

We can see the beginnings of five sunflower sprouts! Two in the same pellet. There are 12 peat pellets and each has two seeds. When I woke up this morning and came upstairs, I took a peek and noticed the bent over neck of one barely poking through the surface. I went grocery shopping this morning and on getting home at 12:30, I looked again and saw another tiny bit of white. I also saw what B meant when he told me (some time after I showed him the sprouts) that he saw the root - it looks like he dug the first guy a little bit and pulled him out. It wasn’t pulled out entirely but still quite a bit. I’ve gently fixed it and am hoping there isn’t any damage. We planted them on Thursday and they don’t get much sun or extra warm conditions. They sit in a window that gets a bit of sun for a couple hours in the morning as the sun is rising and Friday afternoon I sat them outside in the sun with their lid on to soak up some warmth. I don’t tend to fuss over my plants (no heating pads or grow lights) because I barely have enough room to set the pellets out to germinate let alone room for extra equipment. Just an hour or so ago I took a look at them again and there are three more tiny indications of a sprout just barely visible in the dirt. I moved them out to sit in one of my raised garden beds so they could soak up some sun from the top and warmth from the bottom and they’re obviously loving it. Hopefully over the next week the rest of the seeds will show their heads.

B asked me to help him build this fort this morning and it’s now sitting smack in the middle of my small living room. The frame is Crazy Forts, which I ordered with some other things from Mastermind Toys last year. We’ve only had it out a few times but when he does use it, he loves it. Hopefully it will occupy him somewhat for the rest of the day. That or his sandbox.

I did a bit of grocery shopping earlier today while B was at Sunday School with grandma. I spent more than I expected but that was because I bought more than what was on my list. Sucanat was on sale for $2 off so I picked up two bags (one pound each) to put in the storage room. I don’t use a lot of it but I do like to have it on hand. It’s also a regular ingredient in Tosca Reno’s Eat Clean recipes, which I sometimes make (and which I need to use more often). I also picked up a bag of unbleached all-purpose flour because it was on sale and because my bin will need to be topped up within the month. I mostly use whole wheat flour but I do use some all-purpose sometimes too. I picked up a little more meat than I had planned as well but that will go in the freezer.

All ready to pop into the oven.

The plan for the rest of the day is to try and find a recipe to make a batch of nut-free granola bars for B’s lunch box. I’ve just taken a batch of cinnamon rolls out of the oven. They’re a quick, easy, no-yeast roll with the perfect amount of butter, sugar, and cinnamon spread inside. I made a recipe and a half because I wanted to use my bigger muffin cups and it worked out perfectly. I accidentally doubled the butter in the filling but it doesn’t seem to have done any harm. An amazingly scented house to go along with a gorgeous spring day? Who wouldn’t want that?

I think I’m going to head outside for a few minutes and play Frisbee with B while the pizza dough finishes thawing for supper.

Okay. So I have a disclaimer right off the top: the practice shown in this Works For Me Wednesday post is actually not a practice for me. Not in the "past" practice sense. This is my first time doing it but I can see how it could/will work for me. So with that said, my WFMW post is about preparing in advance. (Is that redundant? Can you just pare?)

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, April (and hopefully subsequent months) is a personal Make It Instead challenge for me as far as the kitchen goes. This current week, I also have a meal plan in place. Given those two challenges (I’ve fallen off the meal plan wagon before), I decided to mix up, in advance, the dry portion of two of the things I will be making this week and in the future.

I have found a wonderful bread recipe over at Everyday Food Storage*. I love this recipe so much that I plan to never buy bread again. Ever. That’s a baby-step goal though. One loaf at a time. I’ve made this recipe a handful of times and have learned that one loaf at a time is enough for me. It’s just my son and I here so one loaf easily lasts the week and, since it’s not hard to whip up a loaf of bread, I prefer to make each one fresh instead of baking two and freezing the second. This morning I decided to make that even easier. Actually, I decided the other day but only executed that plan about an hour ago.

L - R: whole wheat flour (open tub), white flour, non-instant dry milk,
sea salt, wheat gluten, and potato flour.

I used zip lock freezer bags because I didn’t have the freezer space (or the containers) to put the portions in anything else. I can re-use the bags when mixing up more too; no need to toss them after a single use. I mixed up one loaf in each of the bags, labeled them, flattened them out, and put them in my small deep freezer. I chose the freezer instead of the cupboard because, while I do keep a bit of my whole wheat flour in the tub pictured above, the large bag of it is in my freezer to keep it from going rancid. Also, I keep the jar of wheat gluten in the freezer as that is what is suggested on the back of the package. So it made sense to put the mix in the freezer as well.

Seeing as I already had the flour and measuring cups out, I also mixed up a double batch of the dry ingredients (flour, salt, and baking powder) for the tea biscuit topping I’ll be putting on the chicken pot pie that is on my meal plan for Friday. And since I was standing near the stove, I put on a pot of brown rice, which I’ll need for supper at work tonight (with my leftover chicken from Monday) and for the sweet and sour meatballs that I plan to have tomorrow night with the meatballs that I made up on Monday night. I find that my biggest challenge is finding the motivation to do the preparation, that "get off your ass and do it" thing is often a hurdle for me but once I do get off my arse, I love the results.

Try it (if you don’t already). It’s not a new concept but it does work. Or, I can definitely see how it will. And head over to We Are That Family and check out what works for over 215 other people.

* It seems that every other blog post I put up has a link to her and a resulting trackback on her site. At what point does it get annoying?