I used to do 100% handmade, but this year was just different. acutally it's been a fewyears building up to this point where I did nothing that I made myself. Our lives are busy, but it was more just that I need to start very very early in the year if I want to make something for everyone. I miss those days when I felt like my gift was truly of my own hand. I don't miss feeling the pressure to make something for everyone since some people just don't appreciate it.

So, I'm inspired right now to make a list of projects for my loved ones who do and will love something handmade, and get started on a HandMade holiday for 2008.

Anyone with me?

~jo

I am. Since I'm determined to do compacting this year I want to give myself plenty of time to work with the materials I have on hand.

yes and no. I'm not going to commit to doing all handmade for my children, since I already have some ideas and some things that are stashed, but I want to do handmade for everyone else.

Jo, that baby of yours is gorgeous :)

Hastings, I want your candle holder.. but I also want to see new pictures of Demi :)

I will be doing an all handmade Christmas as well as every other holiday as well this year. We will be compacting and intend to pay off about $13G in debt this year plus save $4G for disney so I need to spend as little on gifts as possible. The only gifts I will buy are possible MP3 players for the kids so they have something to listen to on the 23 hour trip to Disney.

I'm hoping to do this for Christmas and other gift-giving occasions. I don't know how it will go for my own kiddos, but for everyone else. I need to get my hands on a sewing machine. I know how to sew, quite well, actually, but haven't had a machine in several years.

I am also learning to loom knit, and I have plans to knit a few gifts already.

My hardest gift will be a wedding gift for my brother. They have virtually everything they could want/need, so it can be very creative, but I don't have ideas aside from some knit dishcloths as part of a shower gift...Ideas??

Other plans:
knitted balls for new babies in the family (3 coming this year!)
legwarmers for my dancer SIL

Maybe :)

We'll see what the year holds for us.

However, we DID do a handmade Christmas for my extended family and didn't buy anything as gifts for people beyond our children.

I made calendars for the grandparents and marble magnets with old childhood photos of my extended family - stuck on a tin of homemade candies and cookies (merengue kisses, pralines, divinity, coconut macaroons, and a box of assorted chocolate covered pretzels - sprinkled with toffee bits, coconut, mini chocolate chips, or mint chocolate).

Last year I made a fingertip towel bag for each of the women in the family (just sewed up the sides of a holiday towel and flipped it right side out - I used a basting stitch that could easily be pulled out) and then stuck a Bath & Body Works soap inside. Those were a big hit and cost $3.

And I LOOOOVE your siggy - I've been meaning to tell you that for a long time. It brings back SO many fond memories :heart:

Probably. We will be working within the Riot 4 Austerity guidelines for household expenditures, with is not exactly Compacting.

I want to do a handmade holiday, because I prefer it. It will be a big change for my boys, but one I think they will be receptive too. However, I may thrift toys for the extended family. I just don't know; it could be that they hate what I get them anyway so homemade will be fine.

I think I'll start a homemade holiday thread after the 1st, to list ideas and projects.

My hardest gift will be a wedding gift for my brother. They have virtually everything they could want/need, so it can be very creative, but I don't have ideas aside from some knit dishcloths as part of a shower gift...Ideas??



One of my favorite gifts for a wedding is a new tree skirt and a really nice set of handmade ornaments... figuring that the new couple will like having new things for their first Christmas. I did this for several couples a while back, and they seemed to like it. The ornaments I made were to match the tree skirt, by fusing fabric to paper then folding origami ornaments (I just googled the instructions). Then boxing it all together really nicely.

Of course, there's always a wedding quilt. Even a smal and simple one is something they'll surely cherish for years if it's given for a wedding. My favorite cousin married avery rich man and this was the perfect gift for them because they already had 'everything'. He loved it.

~jo

Jo, those are such lovely ideas...I wish I'd had gifts like either of those at my wedding!

I love the idea of doing really unique, tailored-to-each-person homemade gifts. It may be why I've burned out on the assembly-line handcrafted gift thing...lots to think about. I too will have to start really early to make it happen.

I love the idea of Christmas items for wedding presents. We still have ornaments we got as wedding presents 17 years ago.

I am going to focus more handmade this year. I don't know if I can go totally handmade but I am hoping that if I start early enough I will be able to do it with really cool gifts for dh's family.

I love the idea of using old photos for marble magnets. I think I have the photo paper to use to make a photo quilt and I may do that for my mom and mil. I just need to go through my stuff and figure out what I have and what I can make for everyone.

yes yes! I too totally burned out on making assembly line same for everyone things. I started out very individual, then as I grew the family went to assembly line, then just gave up and bought outright. I don't think there is a right or wrong here, but I used to love the feeling of watching everyone open their gift and hoping they would love it as much as I loved making it.

I'm going to brainstorm ideas on this thread for my gift list, but with no names since some of them read here :p :

knitted shrug/wrap in an interesting fiber for someone who hates wool
felted sweaters turned into really cool funky tote/purse
balaclava fleece for large outdoorsy men I know
quilt for someone- maybe even just for me and DH as 'our gift'
colored pencil wraps or notebook wraps for the teen girls
dice bags from ultrasuede for the kids (I'll buy dice obviously)
tiny necklace pocket dolls for kids
felted balls for kids (with cool needlefelting to make them individual)
jelly/jam for any and all adult who I don't 'really' exchange gifts with
homemade marshmallows
very cool apron for MIL to match her kitchen

I think anyone who I am not 'inspired by' or who I know won't appriciate handmade will get a flock of chicks or bunnies from Heifer International.

So, share away... inspire me further!

~jo

I want to come back to this later with my ideas but yes, we're doing this again. However, we're not gifting family members that won't appreciate it. There's no point.

We didn't do ANY gifts this year for extended family and it was relaxing. No thoughts of whether they hated it and no worries about who thought it was ridiculous. In turn we received very few gifts (a gift card from FIL and money from a friend) but I was relieved because it meant not receiving lots of things piled around the house and guilt over not wanting them here. :lol: My one twinge of guilt on this: I would have liked to have something to give to my niece and nephew but my brother didn't care that we sent nothing. My FIL and his wife were thrilled not to receive more useless junk. They've been decluttering.

Possible crafts on tap for 2008:

Dish towel aprons
Loomed pot holders
Warm hats for those who don't have them
Quilted coasters
Crocheted flower scarves
Hand salves
Rolled candles
Quilts (just one or two, probably)
Felted soap
Beanie hats
dish cloths
a wool rug
a poncho
Tote bags
an elf hat (or two)
Coffee cup sleeves

i don't really have much talent in this area, but i gave handmade items this year. let's see...the handmade items i gave (and made the goodies myself)....a throw blanket, homemade cookies, fudge, and peanut butter balls, a necklace, soap, cloth napkins, knitted dish cloths, pictures to update all of the family's frames. they were all so perfect. i really don't like to give out a bunch of one thing. it's not so fun to buy/make/do, and it just doesn't have the same spirit to me. i mean, obviously teachers and service workers and other people you don't have a relationship with don't need a thought out, perfect gift, but people close to you...so much more fun to find the perfect handmade thing. although, i just have to *find* it...not do all the planning and work usually.

my MIL patched and cleaned and fixed up the sock monkey she made for dh when he was little and gave it to him this christmas. she also gave me a quilt she made 5 years ago, but doesn't really use now because i mentioned that i love quilts. i loved that! i also loved my store bought christmas from my mom :lol:

well, anyway, to answer the question, i hope to find lots of great handmade things to gift this year and next christmas. and maybe i'll make some things myself as well!