Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Christmas On A Budget - Part 1

We are having a "homemade" Christmas this year. We are not buying any gifts for our families, friends, or coworkers; all their gifts are being made by JD and me. This is unusual for us.

No, let's face it. This is a first.

While I've been known to make a few gifts for a few people -usually only the children or women- this is the first completely handcrafted Christmas. JD and I have challenged ourselves to look around our own home for creative uses for items we already have. We've been quite thrifty. We have purchased only very small amounts of necessary components for our otherwise-completely homemade gifts.


This is the gift we are making for each of the men...6 in all. Our fathers, brothers,and wonderful neighbor.


It is a Washer Game. It is a variant of horseshoes.



We used materials we already had on hand. The wood which JD used to assemble it. The paint which I used on the board and the washers. The carpet is a remnant left over from our daycare. And I sewed the bags for the washers with fabric I already had. Even the "cord" for the drawstring bags are shoelaces taken from JD's old tennis shoes.



The only item we had to go out and buy for these gifts were the washers. $13.49 (including tax) for 40 of them at Lowe's.

$13.49 for six gifts. Can't beat that.

Washers is a fun game, perfectly suited for family gatherings and parties. (When our neighbor saw one we'd made, he marveled over it and commented on how perfect it would be for his annual family reunion. So guess what he's getting for Christmas? :-) It can be played indoors or out, by young children all the way up to the young at heart.



In the days to follow (or weeks, depending on how far behind schedule I get), I will be finishing up more and more homemade gifts. I can't wait to share them all with you!


In the meantime, wishing you a very merry (and non-bank-breaking) Christmas season!




1 comment:

Anonymous said...

What a great gift idea! We play washers at our family cabin every summer and people of all ages love the game!