Brinklen DeSell

Derek Kanwischer wrote:This may overlap with another thread, but I was wondering what kind of Do it Yourself DIY holiday gift ideas people have for the holiday season. While not necessarily DIY, the next best thing I know is the ZACC which provides studio space for a number of very talented artists. I recall picking up a few 'local' gift items last year during their holiday fair where everything was made from reused products that had been upscaled to another use.  Any thoughts on sustainable gifts? 

As I use up spices, I keep the ones in glass jars and ask neighbors for their jars as well. Ii also purchase spice jars from estate sales for $0.25 or less per jar. For this upcoming Christmas I will create a spice set for each of my family members (starting early, as in NOW!) featuring some useful and commonly purchased spices. I will grow most of the "ingredients" myself or get for next to nothing: garlic powder, garlic salt, onion powder, chopped onion, lemon pepper, fajita seasoning (for the Texans), steak seasoning.

Last year, I collected pumpkins for dirt cheap just after October ended and saved them in cold storage until I could process them. Everyone I know got pumpkin butter (not shelf stable as it cannot be canned), pumpkin bread with homemade cinnamon honey butter, or a decorative-crusted pumpkin pie. My FIL got pumpkin syrup for his famous lattes and LOVED it! Said it was similar to the stuff that big coffee shop chain puts out every year.

mick mclaughlin wrote:I am a big fan of thrift stores, but I can never find overalls in the right size, and man it hurts paying $40+ for them. I can sure find as many good jeans etc.., but I guess there just ain't many overall wearin' folks that donate to thrift stores. I just see clothes as something I am legally and neighborly wise required to wear, so I absolutely hate spending more then I must on them. I do like wearin' overalls, though. I am a carpenter/odd man for handy jobs/farmer, and they are just functional for me.

Any suggestions?

Hi Mick! My neck of the woods has estate sales, where they can sell anything from Tiffany lamps to kitchen plastic wrap. This past weekend, there was a pair of XL & Tall Walls insulated coveralls (the kind with the sleeves, tan with red insulating) for $10.50
I shop these sales a LOT and sell many things on-line. If I knew what size/kind you needed, I could keep an eye out.

Also gotta consider location, location, location. How insulated coveralls ended up in central TX is beyond me (although we are currently in a cold snap). Point being: things like that are cheaper in certain parts of the country. So don't give up on eBay! Or maybe even try your local craigslist community. People sell the weirdest stuff there!

Good luck... and PM me if you're interested in the help!