Every year these handmade pallet Christmas trees get to come out and say hello!
I had a pretty unrealistic dream one year that I wanted to fill my garden with lots of them and make some sort of magical wonderland! Storage was a little bit of an issue! So I stopped at three.
These are super simple to make, probably one of the easiest pallet upcycling projects out there.
You’ll need an old pallet which you can get anywhere FOR FREE. Never pay for a pallet! All my pallet projects have been upcycled for free, either by searching on gumtree/facebook marketplace or seeing them at the side of building sites.
Once you have your pallet check which side is the most attractive, then also decide which way up it’s going to be – again choosing the most attractive bit to keep as the base!
Then draw a triangle on your pallet, making sure the bar that holds each of the planks of wood, is going vertically through the middle.
Then saw either by hand or with a jigsaw all the down the lines, and that’s pretty much it! Say hello to your new pallet Christmas trees!
We dressed ours with solar powered fairy lights so they twinkle in our porch in the evening.
Here’s all three pallets off to help decorate a Christmas themed wedding one year!
If you’re looking for Christmas gift ideas this year, here’s a little guide we’ve put together of gifts sourced from small and local companies.
It’s been a tough year to navigate on all fronts. From a retail perspective, being a small business owner, it’s been a challenging time. There are so many small businesses out there struggling to keep going. If you’re on the hunt for gifts, here’s a thoughtful collection of gifts, made or sold from small businesses in and around my local area. There’s a few of our own thrown in the mix too!
Hopefully there’s something thoughtful here that you could buy for that special someone!
Happy shopping!
UNIQUE A5 SIZE CHARITY CHRISTMAS CARDS
William’s Fund raise money for Childhood Cancer in Oxford, we have our own researchers dedicated to improving Cancer treatment for children, in memory of William. William’s Fund have no paid employees.
These beautiful cards are from original designs by Elizabeth Cox, William’s Grandmother. Mixed packs of 25 (£13) or 50 (£18). ALL proceeds go to the research. Remember to look for the hidden mice!
Decorate your front door this Christmas with your own handmade festive wreath. This kit comes delivered to your home, with everything needed to make a wreath using real greenery, artificial berries, pine cones and an easy to follow tutorial.
Use code IDH for an exclusive 15% discount on all orders.
Get creative at home with everything you need to make and decorate your own paper envelope advent calendar. Fill your handmade envelopes with included acts of kindness ideas for you to spread a little festive cheer to your loved ones and the community. Great to make with or without kids.
Use code IDH for an exclusive 15% discount on all orders.
Ceramic Christmas decorations with satin red ribbon in a Snowman, Robin or Reindeer design. Each are personalised with an option of three messages ‘With love at Christmas’, ‘My first Christmas’ and ‘Happy Christmas’ and a name of your choice. To place an order please go to the ‘contact us’ form on the website.
Decorate your home with this rustic handmade advent bunting, made with individual pockets in each flag, to fill with your own treats of your choice. Start a new tradition in your home and reuse it each Christmas.
Use code IDH for an exclusive 15% discount on all orders.
Add a little sparkle to your home with our Elf huts. These handmade homes are installed with a solar light and come in a choice of two colours red and green. To order either visit my Etsy store, email enchantedgardendesigns@hotmail.com or check out my Facebook page facebook.com/enchantedgardendesigns/
A range of ceramic tiles and coasters in a variety of shapes and sizes that feature your little one’s hand or foot prints and name or custom personalisation. When ordered an ‘inkless hand and foot print kit’ will be sent directly to you with full instructions on how to take your prints. Once they are completed they can then be scanned and emailed back or returned in the envelope provided to Little Prints HQ. Upon receipt, the prints will be transformed into your keepsake and will then be posted to you within 2 weeks.
A range of ceramic tiles, coasters and hanging ornaments that feature your pet’s paw print and name or custom personalisation. When ordered an ‘inkless paw print kit’ will be sent directly to you with full instructions on how to take your prints. Once completed they can then be scanned and emailed back or returned in the envelope provided to Little Prints HQ. Upon receipt, the prints will be transformed into your keepsake and will then be posted to you within 2 weeks
Treat your home (and yourself) with our Home Pamper Hamper! This contains our gorgeous essentials to make your home smell and feel like the festive season, all presented in a reusable wood-effect gift box. Contents: Orange and Cinnamon Reed Diffuser (150ml), Warm Honeysuckle Candle (250g), Vanilla Small Room or
Car Freshener, Orange & Nutmeg Hand Sanitiser (100ml). Bespoke Hampers also available on our website
A gift offering any plant lover the chance to discover the art of macrame and create their own hanging garden. This kit comes with enough cotton cord to make and display two pot plants or terrariums.
Use code IDH for an exclusive 15% discount on all orders.
Luxury plant based soy wax candles and reed diffusers for the home and beautiful essential oil bath and body products for that extra treat we all deserve – the perfect gift this Christmas.
Unique and contemporary personalised portraits from a highly skilled local artist. Emily paints families, individuals, couples, children and pets from either photographs or sittings. A variety of sizes and options available, including oil paintings, watercolour, ink, charcoal and pencil. Order soon, to secure your slot: ratherniceartist@gmail.com
Children can choose either a fairy or Elf design wreath kit for them to design at home. These come with a wide range of artificial Christmas decorations, lights, colouring door kit, and glue pen. To order either visit my Etsy store, email enchantedgardendesigns@hotmail.com or check out my Facebook page facebook.com/enchantedgardendesigns/
This cosy craft kit includes everything you need to make a pair of microwavable, reusable pocket hand warmers. This stocking filler gift idea comes in two colours and makes a thoughtful winter treat for loved ones.
Use code IDH for an exclusive 15% discount on all orders.
The perfect gift for a creative friend. This letterbox friendly kit comes with everything they’ll need to decorate a tote bag, tea towel, or drawstring bag, using fair trade wooden block print stamps and fabric paint.
Use code IDH for an exclusive 15% discount on all orders.
Award winning English sparkling wine grown and made in Radnage, Buckinghamshie. Sparkling white and rose wines and Sparkling cider. Either order online or email info@dawshillvineyard.co.uk
The best, freshest sweets in the world, but tasting is believing. Providing old-fashioned excellent customer service and value for money. Our business motto is to put a smile on everyone’s face, one face at a time. We post out sweets envelopes all over England, Scotland and Wales.
Staying in is the new going out so enjoy Afternoon Tea in the comfort of your own home or garden with those nearest and dearest to you. Available as a christmas gift voucher or a treat at home for the holiday season.
Order either online, by email orders@thekitchencroxley.com or by giving us a ring 01923 805 896.
Colourful, light reflecting jewellery and home decorations. Lots of different sizes and 24 different colours – all handmade in Sarratt, to make you smile!
Why not add a sprinkle of sparkle to your Christmas this year? At the Heritage Jewellery Co, we have curated a range of beautiful vintage and antique jewellery including necklaces, bracelets, brooches, cufflinks and rings such as these fabulous five stone diamond rings.
If you’re looking for a unique and thoughtful gift for a loved one then an individually hand-crafted antique Victorian gold locket with a photograph you’ve chosen could just be the perfect present.
Our Body Pamper Hamper will provide everything you need to create your own calm with the help of our luxury skincare and a hand-poured aromatherapy candle, all presented in a reusable wood-effect gift box. Contents: Intensive Body Serum Cream (50g), Sleepy & Sensitive Skin Body Serum Cream (50g), Baby & Sensitive Skin Body Serum Cream (50g), pair of cotton gloves and bootees (one size), Orange & Nutmeg Hand Sanitiser (50ml), Serenity aromatherapy candle (250g). Bespoke Hampers also available on our website.
Treat that special someone to a relaxing treatment this Christmas, with a luxurious massage, aromatherapy or healing gift voucher. Vouchers come gift wrapped sure to wow anyone on Christmas Day.
Add some sparkle this Christmas. Our ethically sourced range of crystals can be compiled in to your very own tailor-made gift sets. Select a series of stones and link grandparents with grandchildren, husbands and wives, siblings and friends. From tumbles to towers, from points to geodes, from candles to carvings to keyrings, there really is something for everyone! Give us a call or send a WhatsApp to discuss your personal order, and let us help you make it a Christmas to remember. Give a gift that lasts, connecting you with loved ones wherever you are in the world, showing your love, this Christmas and forever.
Spoil that special person in your life with a gift voucher from Eloquence Permanent Cosmetics. A choice of three bespoke treatments; Hairstroke/ Combination/Ombré Brows, Eyeliner or Lip Blush/Full Colour.
Inspired by Ayurveda an all-natural hair care range based on Ayurvedic principles to strengthen hair and restore dry damaged hair back to its former glory.
Use code IDH for an exclusive 20% discount on all items.
A lot of thought has gone into this collection of Crystal Pouches, each one offering love, support and healing to the individual. Each pouch contains six crystals energised with Reiki healing for a friend or family member and offers support for: Anxiety & Stress, Calm & Relaxation, Wealth & Abundance, Communication & Confidence, Concentration & Memory and Travellers. Visit the website to find an array of beautiful crystal gifts and jewellery which can be personalised with a name, brief message and Reiki healing.
Gift a loved one pure calm, relaxation and healing with a Reiki therapeutic treatment. This gentle Japanese technique is excellent for stress and anxiety, insomnia, headaches, pain, menopause symptoms and much more. Gift vouchers are available for 30 or 60 minute treatments. Visit the website to find out more about how Reiki works.
If you’re looking for a handmade gift idea, here’s one for a friend or loved one.
Do you like receiving happy mail? Me too, I’ve been given a few packs of beautiful postcards and notelets which I can now send to some of my friends when I want to say hello, or thank you in the post.
I wondered if I could make my own notelet kit for my friend who LOVES sending little cards and notes. So I made this little kit filled with lots of love and decorated paper to use to send to people.
You’ll need:
2 sheets of A4 card
Alphabet stickers
String
Pretty paper
Double sided tape
All of these can be bought from most craft shops like Hobbycraft. Take one piece of A4 card and cover it in your decorated paper, I used this pink stripy paper shown in the photo below. Use double sided tape to stick it to the card (I find you get less air bubbles/glue bumps). This will become your cover of your writing kit.
Now lightly score 2 parallel lines where the cover of your book will fold. I made mine to have a spine of about 1 inch thick which is just enough to hold several letters and envelopes.
Next take the second sheet of card, hold it landscape, and cut a vertical line down the middle of the card so you end up with 2 equal sizes of A5 card.
Score 4 parallel lines along each sheet of A5 card of where you want the folds for the pocket to be. See the photo below for help on how I folded mine. These 4 fold lines will create a ‘tab’ that will be the actual bit that sticks to the inside cover of your book.
Before you stick it down, cover in your decorative paper, maybe use a different one to the one on the main cover. No need to cover the whole of the tabs as these won’t be seen. I then used double sided tape on the tabs of the pockets, and stuck them down.
Once stuck down, I stuck a little bit of string on the inside of each pocket at the bottom which ensures nothing falls out. I used Sellotape for this. You shouldn’t be able to see the string on the outside of the kit.
Next the fun bit… Decorating the letter paper and envelopes! I used my alphabetical stamps, washi tape and some embellishments I had in my craft box. See some ideas you could create…
Then, cut a piece of string to go all the way around your book plus extra to tie a bow. Tie it into position, tying your book firmly shut. Then cut out a rectangle of decorative paper and stick this on top of the string on the front cover, holding the string in position. I then decorated this rectangle personalising it for my friend using lettered stickers and ribbon.
Fill up your writing kit and your sorted! You could add a loop of material to hold a pen if you’re keen. Add stamps to the envelopes and you’re good to go! A lovely little handmade gift idea for any budding writer!
It’s fairly simple to make and yummy when you scrape out the bowl afterwards!
Check out the link for all the ingredients you need.
I sterilised jam jars and filled each one leaving a little gap at the top. Cut out some baking paper and placed circles of floral fabric on top and screwed the lid on which kept it all in place.
You can find free printable gift tags on various blogs which you can download for free, some you can even edit the text on. Type into google ‘free printable gift tags’ and you’ll open up a whole world of crafty mayhem!
A personal favourite of mine is Lia Griffiths blog, she has beautiful shabby gifts tags
Add the gift tag with some striped string and your good to go! A great Nutella gift idea!
This gift idea for families is a thoughtful handmade touch great for Christmas or new baby announcements.
This great prezzie is a personalised frame filled with all their names scrabble style!
Firstly draw out your design on paper to check all the families names link up and then buy all the letters you need. My trusty friend eBay has many sellers with wooden scrabble letters available either as single letters to buy, or a full scrabble board’s worth.
Next choose a decorative sheet of paper for the background of your design and cut out the desired shape for your frame.
I bought a selection of box frames from ikea, they have various sizes in either white or black very reasonably priced too! If your a crafter, it might be worth buying a few of these as they are great for displaying your work of art!
Place all of your letters on the decorative paper in the design you’d like it. Make sure everything’s straight and parallel to the edge of the decorative paper as it would look bent when displayed in the frame. Using superglue, glue each piece down with a little glue along the edge of any letter touching another letter.
Wait for it to dry and insert into your box frame et voila!
We’re so happy with our Advent Calendar Tree – the daily treats taste yummy, its added some Christmas decor to the room and our crafty paws were in their element making it!
We made mini cocoa gingerbread biscuits, decorated them with the numbers and wrapped each one in cellophane.
We bought the tree from
hobbycraft.co.uk and bought some extra baubles and tree decor – once the biscuits start to get eaten it will begin to look pretty bare! Happy Advent everyone!
Take a look at our christmas card idea fo kids. Turn your Christmas cards into a bit of festive decor.
Why not mix it up a bit at Christmas and make Christmas card bunting for your family. It will be the prettiest card on the mantlepiece! I made one for my niece who is 2 who probably still doesn’t understand the concept of Christmas cards! This idea’s great for kids.
Cut out the letters of their name from coloured card, cover it with stickers then make little holes and thread some festive sparkly string. You could write a little message on the back for them to read in years to come! This Christmas card idea could even become a yearly Christmas decoration to put out next year!
Decorate the table this Christmas with candy canes! An edible informative sign which can’t be a bad thing!
Stick three candy canes together with cello-tape, so the curved canes are all going out at different angles. Next add some pretty lace or ribbon and tie a bow on top of the cello-tape.
I designed on Microsoft Word a sheet of text boxes which I filled red, and gave a green dashed border. I downloaded the vintage font ‘Romantiques’ from dafont.com (for free may I add!) and typed the names I needed.
You can either use them for name places for people or dish names.
The perfect handmade gift for any chocolate fan! A mini parcel filled with all the ingredients you need to make the best hot chocolate known to man!
First I melted my fav chocolate into a heart shaped ice cube tray, once it started to set, I pushed a disposable wooden teaspoon into each cube and left to harden. (Teaspoons and ice cube tray are on eBay at super cheap prices)
Then I filled clear mini cellophane sachets (also bought from eBay) with lots of sweet treats, some with marshmallows, some with deluxe hot chocolate powder, some with chocolate sprinkles. I sealed each sachet with a handmade sticker by stamping snowflakes onto plain white parcel stickers just to add a Christmassy touch!
Once my heart shaped chocolates (with wedged in teaspoon) had set, I removed them from the ice cube tray and put each one into a clear cellophane bag – and sealed the same way with a sticker.
When you have all the different sachets filled, pack them into a mini bundle, one of each one. I used clear display bags with a gold pattern on and tied with a ribbon.
I then printed out instructions on how to enjoy and decorated the reverse for an additional decorative touch and tied to the ribbon.
Here’s a gift I’ve made for a few of the ladies in my life! Skittle flavoured vodka!
I bought a few 250ml Kilner clip top bottles, filled them with vodka and popped in about 20 of their favourite coloured skittle. It’s best to stick to one colour of skittle type in each bottle as it could look quite mucky in colour if you went for the fruit salad option!
Leave them to stand for about 3 days, and by the power of magic the skittles disappear! You’ll need to filter them a few times though to drain away some of the sugary sediment left at the bottom of the bottle. To do this, either grab some muslin and pour the vodka over it into another container, or a paper coffee filter works well. When you’re done, pour the magic juice back into your bottles and design a tag to go around the neck.
I wrote some serving suggestions of ways best to enjoy – with lemonade and ice or neat on the rocks!
Great prezzy for alcohol drinking chummys – it taste delicious and is handmade with lurrrrve 🙂
This super cute make has been welcomed into our collection… Advent calendar bunting! All the other props are glaring at this one in envy! Well if you’re going to count down the days to Christmas why not do it in style 🙂
Each flag has a little pocket to hold a mini sweet which you can enjoy each day leading up to Christmas (only if you can restrain your self not to eat them all at once!)
If you’re interested in owning your own get in touch 🙂
We’ve been cutting and sewing galore over the last few weeks getting a few new festive bespoke props ready to add to our vintage catalogue.
The first one I’d like to welcome is our Vintage Christmas bunting! Wooooo!
We’ve sewn three different flags to red (or green) tape – cream floral, red gingham and green polka dot. They’re all double sided, so ideal to hang across the room and can be admired from all directions!
Stay tuned for more ways to spruce up Christmas in your home 🙂
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