Handmade Holidays: Show it Off!


[Recycled Ornament Tree based on a tutorial from Indie Fixx]

The gifts are all gifted, and maybe the ambitious among you have even recycled your Christmas tree already. Here’s your chance to show off all of your holiday hard work! We’d love to see your handmade gifts and decor. Feel free to share away in the comments!

Pictured above are what several of my pals got this year: jars of curried lentil soup mix. Here’s how you make it:

In a one pint mason jar, layer:

  • 1/2c organic green lentils
  • spice mixture (recipe below)
  • 1c organic jasmine or basmati rice
  • enough organic red lentils to fill the jar the rest of the way

Then, you just attach a tag to the jar with the additional ingredients and directions:

You’ll also need:
2T olive oil
1 large onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
8c water
1 can coconut milk
salt (to taste)

In a large pot over medium heat cook the onions for about 5 minutes in the olive oil, and then add the garlic. Cook for a total of about ten minutes, or until the onions are soft and turn translucent.

Add the water and soup mix to the pot and bring to a simmer. Turn down low, and cook until the lentils and rice are cooked and very soft (about 45 minutes).

Add the coconut milk, and bring back to a simmer, adding salt to taste, and serve. Enjoy!

Spice Mixture
I mixed these individually for each jar, so this mix makes enough for just one jar. Combine:

1/2t tumeric
3/4t ground cardamom
1/4t cinnamon
1/4t cloves
1/4t freshly ground pepper
1/8t ground nutmeg

So, what was your most triumphant handmade gift? Share your photos in the comments! We hope you had a successful Handmade Holiday!

24 thoughts on “Handmade Holidays: Show it Off!”

  1. I love the idea of soup mixes! So fun.

    Today I plan to make firestarters out of some of the branches of the Christmas tree. I hope to get pictures up Monday or Tuesday.

  2. I made many gifts this year, and I do most years actually. I’ve posted a few, and the others are in the wings to get posted. I made an apron, a skirt, a few wallets, some coffee sleeves (all sewn), a cookbook, and some embroidered towels. I love making stuff (hence the name of my blog!) so I kind of go a little crazy this time of the year!

  3. I loved the dowel tree I made, but am looking forward to making the same type but from our Christmas tree once we take it down. I have an idea how to do it. It will be interesting to see how it goes. Thanks for all the great posts during the holidays.

  4. I absolutely love the ornament tree. What a great idea. I have a lot of ornaments that are missing their ends for hanging and a lot of old ones that we no longer use. I think I’ll adopt this idea for next year.

    My two favorite crafty projects this Christmas were the gifts that I made for my two youngest children.

    A dollhouse for my little girl – http://www.tonyastaab.com/2009/12/a-dollhouse.html

    A barnyard for my little man – http://www.tonyastaab.com/2010/01/a-barnyard.html

  5. Hello, I am reading your post from France, where it’s VERY cold, and I think the soup idea is really brilliant !!
    I would just need some precisions in the directions you give.
    Does the lettter “c” stand for “cup” ? And the letter “T” for “teaspoonful” ? And also, what is the volume of a “can coconut milk” in the States ? ;o)
    Thanks for this really good idea, I would be very grateful for an answer, too !

    1. Hi Anne! Here are the abbreviations:

      c = cup
      t = teaspoon
      T = tablespoon

      For the coconut milk, I used a 13oz can. I hope that helps!

  6. Becky,

    Are you sure about the one pint container?
    All that stuff will NOT fit a one pint container! How about a one QUART container! And I, too, would like to know what size can of Coconut milk you are talking about.

  7. DON’T MAKE THIS RECIPE-IT IS WRONG!! The ingredients will NOT fit in a one PINT mason jar. I bought a case of mason jars, hoping to give this great-sounding recipe as gifts. Now I am stuck with the jars and have to find another last-minute gift. Grrrr!!!

    1. Ack! You are so right. It should have been a half cup of lentils. I’ll change that right away. I’m so sorry your gift idea got ruined!

  8. Now I’m really confused. Please check how many cups of green and red lentils go into this recipe and whether it was really meant to be put into a quart size mason jar, rather than a pint size one. It’s a great idea…just needs to be tweaked

    1. Green lentils are different from the brown ones you’d find at the grocery store. I get mine in the bulk food section at the Dekalb Farmers Market here in Atlanta. An Indian grocer would most likely have more lentil options than the regular grocery. You can use those brown ones in a pinch, you just won’t have the lovely colors that way. Maybe you can make up for that with a pretty label that you wrap around the jar!

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  10. Pingback: Last minute Christmas gifts for lazy people | The Tab

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