Handmade Christmas--Part 3

For my three cousins who are in their 20s, I usually give gift cards. I wanted a clever way to package the gift cards this year, so I decided to whip up some little stockings using the same pattern I used for my Stocking Advent Calendar. When browsing the ribbon drawer in my craft room recently I saw this groovy red pom-pom trim and thought it would look great on a white stocking. Luckily, I had also just bought a couple of sheets of white glitter felt at Hobby Lobby. The photo below shows the finished stockings.

One little problem: I'm not sure the opening at the top of the stockings is wide enough for the gift cards!! I haven't tried it yet.

I also decided this year to give tins of Homemade Granola to a few family members. I learned that it actually often pays to wait until the last minute, because you can get some great deals. I found some really cute Christmas tins for 60% off that I used to package the granola. This granola is SOOOOO yummy and it makes a really big batch. I love it stirred into Yoplait Thick 'n Creamy vanilla yogurt or just plain for a snack. My oldest son loves it with milk. The recipe I use is in this post on my other blog.

Here is one cookie sheet of granola ready for the oven. This recipe makes two full cookie sheets of granola. It is SOOOO good. I used whole pecans, dried cranberries, maple syrup, and vanilla extract for my recipe. You can vary it a lot according to your tastes.

Here is one of the tins filled with granola. I cut waxed paper to cover the inside of the tin and I also put another round piece on top and tucked it in to keep in the freshness.

Here are the four bargain tins filled with granola. I like the idea of giving a gift in a container that can be reused instead of tossed out.