The Nourishing Gourmet

Nourishing. Satisfying. Gourmet.

Handmade Gift Carnival

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giftcarnival
Update: Because this carnival is such a great topic for this time of year, I am leaving this carnival open for the next few weeks. People are welcome to enter multiple entries!

What speaks love and appreciation more than handmade gifts? Baked goods, homemade candies, knitted scarves, homemade candles, and more. I can’t wait to see what all of your ideas are!

To enter this carnival.

I was all set to use Mcklinky, but they seemed to have changed the layout, where it would direct you to a landing page on their site, instead of everyone being able to see the links here. So we will be going back to the old way of doing carnivals (or at least until I can find out if it’s possible for Mcklinky to work like it did last week! Any Mcklinky experts out there?)

Bloggers: Do a post on your blog sharing one idea or several. Share links too! Remember to link back to this post and come here and enter the carnival by leaving your post information like this.

Name: Susan @ Barefoot Green Food
Topic: How to make homemade gift soaps
Link to Post: http://www.barefootgreenfood.com/nourishinggiftideas

Non-Bloggers; Share your tips in the comment section!

Let’s get started!

Gift Carnival

1-Kimi @ The Nourishing Gourmet Handcrafted Tea Blend: Blooming Rooibos, plus other food and craft ideas.

2-ElizabethG-Hints for homemade gifts including an addictive recipe Sweet and Spicy Pecans

3-Amy@NewNostalgia
Christmas Journal A Favorite Gift That Was Given To Me, That Keeps On Giving Every Year!

4-Wardeh @ GNOWFGLINSChai Tea Gift Mixes
Using small treasures from thrift stores as containers, ribbons, whole spices, and loose tea, my children and I created Chai Tea Gift Mixes for our Christmas gifts.

5-Amy @ New Nostalgia A Healthy, Hearty, Cranberry & Multi-Grain Breakfast Mix …cooks in the crockpot!

6-Days with DanielA Steiner Waldorf Inspired Forest Fairy

7-Megan Homemade extracts

8-Shelley @ MAHM Homemade Gift Ideas and Recipes
Ideas for how to make homemade gifts and packaging, and some of my favorite foods (with recipes!) for gift-giving.

9-Cara @ Health Home and Happiness
Homemade bookmarks, and fudge brownies for the non-real-foodies on your list

10-Katie @ Kitchen Stewardship
Healthy Homemade Salad Dressings and more (ideas for kids, too)

11-Choit’s Run: (her comment was a little long with many links, so please check it out in the comment section!)

12-Kara-I love giving food for gifts. Here are several including homemade Marshmallows, Granola and Crystallized Ginger & Syrup

13-: Amy @ Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free Raw Date Truffles – A nourishing gift that’s simple to make and tastes decadent!

14-Julie @ Havin’ Fun Yet? Handmade Gift Children Love and a Teacher Gift

15-Jen a@ What’s Cooking Homemade Simmer Pots

16-Sheri @ Moms for Safe Food Homemade Vanilla Extract

17-Amy @ New Nostalgia Green and Frugal Homemade Packaging and Gift Topper Ideas!

18-Jen @ A Heavenly Perspective – Breakfast Bags & Granola recipe

19-Kim @ Captivated Life Homemade goatsmilk soap recipe

20- Cailyn @ Correlation is Not Causation Coconut Butter Bites- Delicious and Convenient!

21- Tawnya @ This Great Life, Homemade Oatmeal Bath

22-RealFoodLover- I am making herb-infused extra virgin olive oil- see a picture of the herbs soaking away before strain them in a few weeks andbottlethemin prettyglass bottles;
> here.

23-Wardeh @ GNOWFGLINS Wardeh @ GNOWFGLINS Herbed Seasoning Salt Gift Shakers & 12-Bean Soup Gift Mixes Still looking for gift ideas for Christmas? Here are two more for you! These are beautiful, healthy, easy and delicious gifts. Give them out as-is to teachers or neighbors, or include them as part of a larger gift basket.

24-Katie @ Kitchen Stewardship – 3 Fun Kiddo Gift Ideas

I love making creative gifts, especially for little ones. Here are my 3 favorites: books on CD, personalized playdough kits, and bathtime fun kits.

25-A post devoted to easy natural handmade bath products: Bath Oil, Massage Oil, and Bath Salts.

26-Wren @ True Adventures in Money Hacking
Quick Hack and Holiday Gift: Homemade Hot Cocoa Mixes Recipes for American-style hot cocoa mix, Mexican-style hot cocoa mix, and chocolate syrup—all totally fat free, quick, and easy. Not only are these recipes quick and cheap hacks that cost significantly less than making hot chocolate with a store-bought dry mix or Hershey syrup, but pair a jar or two of these mixes with a nice mug, a bag of mini marshmallows, and a few candy canes for stirrers, and you’ve got a great, homemade holiday gift.

27-Wren @ True Adventures in Money Hacking

Quick Hack and Holiday Gift: Homemade Gourmet Tea Blends
Make these frugal, gourmet teas for yourself or package them in neatgive them as gifts to your favorite foodies/tea-lovers. Include an inexpensive tea strainer or infuser and maybe a small jar of honey or some homemade tea biscuits or scones and you’ve got the perfect gift for your favorite foodies/tea-lovers/anglophiles. Don’t forget to check the brewing tips at the end of the post!

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KimiHarris

I love beautiful and simple food that is nourishing to the body and the soul. I wrote Fresh: Nourishing Salads for All Seasons and Ladled: Nourishing Soups for All Seasons as another outlet of sharing this love of mine. I also love sharing practical tips on how to make a real food diet work on a real life budget. Find me online elsewhere by clicking on the icons below!

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Comments

  7. I won’t blog about this — I don’t think — because it’s not food. And, it’s perhaps a bit more nostalgic than desirable. But when I was a kid, the holidays were always a time of financial burden (a Mom who wanted to give us everything on our list, but a budget for almost nothing). One year, even my Mom had to admit there was absolutely no money. So, my sisters and I (all aged 10 and under) all made our gifts for each other and our Mom: we made dolls, out of toilet paper rolls, wrapping paper, fabric, pipe cleaners, etc. I know — it sounds like a preschool craft project — but it still goes down in my memory as one of the best holidays we ever had.

    I am planning to let my kids do a similar activity this year — although they are younger, I would love to start a tradition of handmade gifts (of the recycled variety) and as they get older, maybe we’ll get more sophisticated ; )

    Reply

  11. We always celebrate homemade holidays with my family. This year I decided to use my photos to make a calendar for everyone. I didn’t techincally “handmake” them besides taking the photos. I had them printed up so they’d be really nice.

    I ordered an extra one to give away on my blog: http://chiotsrun.com/2009/11/13/chiots-run-calendar-contest/

    I also make lots of extra jams/jellies for holiday gifting. This year it’s an apple theme: apple butter, caramelized apple marmalade with thyme, mulled cider jelly and probably some apple chutney as well.

    I’m knitting Mr Chiots a nice scarf from local hand spun wool: http://chiotsrun.com/2009/11/17/staying-warm-with-local-wool/

    I’ll be printing up some photos for my sister from some I took of her cutie kids for her gift: http://chiotsrun.com/2009/11/14/tis-the-season-for-christmas-cards/

    I also make chocolate covered cherries that have become famous in the area. People come out of the woodwork for them. Those will start coming in 2 weeks.
    http://chiotsrun.com/2008/12/14/spreading-a-little-christmas-cheer/

    Reply

  14. Kimi- Thanks for hosting! I have used MckLinky and I can help if you still need it. The javascript you use depends on how you’re hosted. I didn’t like the way it looked on my page, though, so I bit the bullet and paid $10 for a year of Mr. Linky and am so happy with it. It’s user-friendly and is so much easier to edit if the need arises.

    Reply

  21. I love this carnival! Unfortunately, I didn’t get a post out in time, but I’m enjoying reading those who contributed! Thank you for hosting Kimi!

    Best,
    Sarah

    Reply

  22. Here’s my recipe for super-simple handmade handsoaps. These are great because they use gentle, natural ingredients and are easily personalized for the recipients! Hope you enjoy! Kimi, this is a great carnival–I’m getting lots of great ideas, so thanks so much for hosting!

    Reply

  23. I hope it is still ok to post ideas. My sisters are always asking for my recipes so this year I bought 4×6 scrapbooking mat paper packs at the dollar store and I am going to print out 3×5 recipe cards of all their faves to stick on the cute paper. I will then have them laminated, punch a whole in the top left corner, and bound w/ a 1″ binder ring. You could even do themed ones like: gluten free, holiday favorites, family traditional, etc.
    Thanks for such a fun thread!

    Reply

  24. I already have a post in the hopper for tomorrow so this one is from scratch – but it will definitely be my gift this holiday season: YUM!

    Raw Cacao Balls:
    1 cup cocoa powder
    1 cup raw cacao butter (I use Navitas)
    1 TB vanilla
    6 TB pure maple syrup
    Mix all together and make into 1-2″ balls. Roll in cacao nibs, coconut, goji berries, or chopped nuts.

    Reply

  25. Blender Pancake Mix with Recipe

    Last year I gave little packets (snack bags hold one cup) of mixed grains with my recipe adapted from Sue Gregg’s Blender Pancake web-site. This idea is great for non-NT eaters too because it appeals to everyone and can be made with a blender and no special equipment. Several people asked for more mix during the year! I also included tiny little packs of flax seeds which is added after the soak.

    Reply

  26. Cailyn @ Correlation is Not Causation
    Coconut Butter Bites- Delicious and Convenient!
    http://cisnotc.wordpress.com/2009/11/06/coconut-butter-bites/

    Long time reader, first time commenter! Our blog isn’t much of one, in terms of cooking, but I have posted a few of my favorite recipes there. We’re a little more “paleo” but we love WAP and his findings.

    Anyway, I think making these is even more fun than eating them. I’m going to be giving a big platter to my naturopath as a thank you for all the help she’s given me this year.

    Reply

  30. I also think it’s a great idea for all you nourishing and creative people out there to sell your gifts!

    My idea for a handmade gift is wine charms. I’m not sure how many of you host dinner parties where people are constantly leaving their glasses around the place but these are very useful and can be boxed up and given as sets of 6 or 12.

    Ebay is a great place to find a pack of 100 charms for a few dollars and coloured beads of different colours can be put on each to make them distinct. Or you can add charms to each one to distinguish them.

    This can be given with a wine bottle holder or a bottle of wine or a pair of wine glasses for more rounded gift.

    Reply

  31. My idea is for a toddler/preschooler: one year for my then 2 year old daughter, I made a personalized ABC book. I did it on the computer and designed it so each page was about 5×7. Each page was a letter of the alphabet. I found a digital family photo for each letter and put it on that page. Below the picture, I typed out the word for that photo, i.e. “A is for Aunt Vicki” would be below the picture of Aunt Vicki on the letter A page. I also found clipart letters and put them on the page as well as clipart showing the sign language sign for each letter. I then printed on cardstock, laminated each page, hole punched 3 times on the edge and fastened together with simple keyrings.

    All my kids have enjoyed looking at this little book for the last 5 years, and I plan to do another one for my now 2 year old daughter, with more updated and relevant photos for her.

    Reply

  33. I’m adding two more gifts to your Handmade Gift Carnival.

    Wardeh @ GNOWFGLINS
    Herbed Seasoning Salt Gift Shakers & 12-Bean Soup Gift Mixes
    http://gnowfglins.com/2009/12/01/two-more-gift-mix-ideas-herbed-seasoning-salt-12-bean-soup-mix/

    Still looking for gift ideas for Christmas? Here are two more for you! These are beautiful, healthy, easy and delicious gifts. Give them out as-is to teachers or neighbors, or include them as part of a larger gift basket.

    Reply

  36. Wren @ True Adventures in Money Hacking
    Quick Hack and Holiday Gift: Homemade Hot Cocoa Mixes
    http://trueadventuresinmoneyhacking.blogspot.com/2009/12/quick-hack-and-holiday-gift-homemade.html

    Recipes for American-style hot cocoa mix, Mexican-style hot cocoa mix, and chocolate syrup—all totally fat free, quick, and easy.

    Not only are these recipes quick and cheap hacks that cost significantly less than making hot chocolate with a store-bought dry mix or Hershey syrup, but pair a jar or two of these mixes with a nice mug, a bag of mini marshmallows, and a few candy canes for stirrers, and you’ve got a great, homemade holiday gift.

    Reply

  37. Wren @ True Adventures in Money Hacking

    Quick Hack and Holiday Gift: Homemade Gourmet Tea Blends

    http://trueadventuresinmoneyhacking.blogspot.com/2009/12/quick-hack-and-holiday-gift-homemade_07.html

    Make these frugal, gourmet teas for yourself or package them in neatgive them as gifts to your favorite foodies/tea-lovers. Include an inexpensive tea strainer or infuser and maybe a small jar of honey or some homemade tea biscuits or scones and you’ve got the perfect gift for your favorite foodies/tea-lovers/anglophiles.

    Don’t forget to check the brewing tips at the end of the post!

    Reply

  38. Wren @ True Adventures in Money Hacking

    Quick Hack and Holiday Gift: Homemade body scrubs, lotions, oils, bath salts, or bath bombs

    http://trueadventuresinmoneyhacking.blogspot.com/2009/12/quick-hack-and-holiday-gift-homemade_09.html

    Everybody loves a nice relaxing bath, and I don’t know a female on the planet that doesn’t love receiving bath-related gifts. Last year, I made a batch of each of these, and made bath gift baskets for all my friends and relatives, even the guys (They got manly scented salts and bombs, and they loved them.)

    Reply

  41. Wren @ True Adventures in Money Hacking

    33 Easy and Frugal Homemade Holiday Gift and Decoration Ideas

    http://trueadventuresinmoneyhacking.blogspot.com/2009/12/homemade-holiday-gift-and-decoration.html

    The key to creating fantastic, frugal, homemade gifts is to know your strengths. What do you do well? Cook? Bake? Sew? Build? Knit or crochet? Draw? The following are a set of lists of inexpensive, easy-to-make homemade gifts your friends and family are sure to adore, organized by talent. I haven’t seen this type of organization before; I hope it’s helpful.

    Reply

  42. who says that chocolate is bad? Chocolates have a lot good benefits on our body. You can prevent the formation of blood clots which can lead to heart attacks and strokes, Increase the flexibility of blood vessels in order to lower blood pressures, Provide energy and decrease the stress on the heart and Help with weight gains and decrease appetites LOL..

    Reply

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