Broke! Need "shabby chic" Xmas gift ideas!

[Maliaka]

Hellos!

I'll make this simple. I'll describe the future gift recipients' style to you lovely gifting experts and hopefully you guys can think of some good gift ideas for them!

The problem: I have almost no money to my name, literally 13 bucks I think. My boyfriend doesn't mind giving me a few dollars luckily. So I need cheap projects!

I need gifts for my boyfriend's mother and aunt, because my boyfriend and I are staying with them rent-free and I don't want my being poor to prevent me from making them something nice for Christmas, to show my gratitude.

I can sew (just nothing too advanced). I have decoupage glue. I have craft paint and some stenciling supplies.

Their style: They both seem to have very similar styles, very "shabby chic", as they call it. They love things for the house! Light colors, especially white. They like feminine prints with flowers. They like things that are "clean" looking, in their words.

So PLEASE, if you have any ideas let me know. I'm so desperate!!

[DisneyFan]

Perhaps you could scour the scrap bins at walmart or joanns and find fabric for scarves for them.  Or, make them something decorative out of the unfinished wood pieces--paint and stencil-- that they sell at hobby lobby, michaels, and joann's.  Get to clipping out those 40% off coupons in the Sunday's paper (you can print hobby lobby's online) and find something inexpensive! Oh, they have plain wood frames at Michael's for $1 that you could paint and stencil, too.  I just noticed them the other day.  Look through the clearance aisles, too.

[PaperBag]

If you go to Michael's they've got cool wooden frames for $1 (as the previous poster said). You can find a sheet of "clean" looking scrapbooking paper and rip it into pieces and decoupage it onto the frame. I pretty much decoupage everything though so that's my answer to everything lol. While you're in the scrapbooking section you could get a sheet of vellum with preprinted phrases/words on it for about $.79 or so. Maybe you could make a set of 4 to hang on the wall or sit on an end table or something?

I made this frame for really cheap. The frame was $1 and I had the paper already. I bought the stickers for less than $2 (and still have more than half of them for another project). Maybe you could do something more "shabby chic" to fit their likes

[theartofmegan]

Here's some of my favorite last-minute-cheapo ideas:

Pin Cushions made from felt or scrap material (I recently made a felt wedding cake cushion for a friend who just got married)

Wet felted flower brooches (wool roving is pretty cheap in comparison to how many flowers it can make, and these can be put onto pins or sewn to hair bands for a neat fancy pony tail holder)

if you know how to crochet or knit, wristbands work well for a younger crowd, and don't take up much yarn or knit time.

Though decoupaged frames are all well and good, I usually prefer to decoupage mirrors with wooden frames.  For some reason, most of these that I have given as gifts have ended up in bathrooms. 

The all-fabulous glass magnets are cheap as can be!   The most expensive part of this project are the magnets, and they're not very expensive either.

Occasionally I'll do topiaries by taking apart flower garlands, gluing them to a styrofoam ball, putting that on a fancy stem aparatus, and putting all that into a cheapo clay pot.  It is a little more expensive than the rest of these ideas, but the costs really break down if you make more than one.  And you can usually get about 5, depending on the size, out of the flowers on a garland.

Well, hope a few of these ideas help ya out.

[PaperBag]

ooh I love the decoupaged mirror idea. I'd never thought of that before! I think I know what my next project is now

[Arashala]

If you have one of those stores where everything's a buck, you could get glass candleholders or glassware and one of those tiny bottles of etching cream (from a craft store or superstore) and make them house stuff in a pattern they like. If you have something as simple as duct tape and an x-acto, you can use your stencils to transfer the image to the tape and make your own etching stencils. Rubbing alcohol or plain 'ol hot water gets the tape goo off, and they end up looking impressive.

[josita]

You can decoupage the underside of plain glass plates or platters.

Another mirror/picture frame idea that fits shabby chic: broken tile and china mosaic.

[princessmax]

Piece together fabric crazy-quilt style throw pillows. 

I just made a decoupage mirror using the same image in several different sizes printed on regular paper.  Family photos would work well for that.

My favorite homemade Christmas present is snowglobes out of upside-down recycled jars, plastic toys, plastic foliage, water and crazy glue.  I got the idea from ReadyMade last year.

[Maliaka]

Wow, I didn't expect so many wonderful replies! What a help! *hugs you all and makes you hot cocoa* heh:)

If you go to Michael's they've got cool wooden frames for $1 (as the previous poster said). You can find a sheet of "clean" looking scrapbooking paper and rip it into pieces and decoupage it onto the frame. I pretty much decoupage everything though so that's my answer to everything lol. While you're in the scrapbooking section you could get a sheet of vellum with preprinted phrases/words on it for about $.79 or so. Maybe you could make a set of 4 to hang on the wall or sit on an end table or something?

$1 wooden frames at Michael's?!?! Wow, I'll go there later on and check it out! I'm not sure what vellum is by name but I think I know what you're talking about. Sounds like a VERY promising idea, thank you! (Btw PaperBag, I'm going out on a limb, but is your screen name in reference to the Fiona Apple song?? If so, I love you! hehe)

Though decoupaged frames are all well and good, I usually prefer to decoupage mirrors with wooden frames.  For some reason, most of these that I have given as gifts have ended up in bathrooms. 

I'm not sure if mirrors are within my poverty stricken budget, haha, but I will look when I go out later on. I bet that would look gorgeous! Thanks!

If you have one of those stores where everything's a buck, you could get glass candleholders or glassware and one of those tiny bottles of etching cream (from a craft store or superstore) and make them house stuff in a pattern they like. If you have something as simple as duct tape and an x-acto, you can use your stencils to transfer the image to the tape and make your own etching stencils. Rubbing alcohol or plain 'ol hot water gets the tape goo off, and they end up looking impressive.

You can decoupage the underside of plain glass plates or platters.

Great ideas, thanks! Yes, I do love the dollar store! Do you know how much etching cream is or what kind to get? The plate/platter idea would look amazing I bet!

Piece together fabric crazy-quilt style throw pillows. 

Yeah, pillows would be perfect, they are always buying pillows and talking about them, ha ha. Quilt style would be great too because it makes the pillow look more full and impressive I think. Thanks!

Yay, I'm really excited about all these awesome ideas! Thanks again and I will post pictures of whatever I decide to make in the completed projects/holiday section.

[PaperBag]

good luck finding stuff to make

And no, my name isnt Fiona apple based, sorry  lol. I was having one of those "I need a name!" moments when I looked to my right and well, guess what was the first thing I saw.