My Introduction and Handmade Gifts

Posted by Caley on December 12th, 2008 at 03:50am

My grandmother knew how to knit blankets, can vegetables from the garden, and paint watercolors, and a few generations ago, this was pretty common. I regret that such knowledge was not an essential part of my education growing up, as it is not for most people these days, and continue to admire people who can create things with their hands. Indeed, a homemade quilt will always look more beautiful, a dream-catcher more touching, and jam much tastier when it’s made by someone you love.

The current economic situation has also rekindled my interest in crafting and DYI projects. With the doom and gloom of recession dominating the news, such knowledge seems to be an essential part of smart, frugal living. Though eager to learn, I’ll freely admit that I’m new to crafting, as I was to cooking when I began writing for a food and cooking website several years ago. Like many did then, I hope people connect with the beginner’s perspective in this new endeavor, as I gather advice from all over and learn along the way. I learned how to crochet in two weeks, so there’s hope for me yet.

My name is Caley, and I’m one of the editors for the wonderful new crafting website FaveCrafts.com. While I’m American, I currently live in Dublin, Ireland with my (Irish) boyfriend. Right now, like many out there, I’m thinking about gifts for friends and family with Christmas quickly approaching. Making gifts seems more personal, reflecting the time you devoted to the gift, with the added bonus of being cheaper (generally). In addition, creating gifts at home can be environmentally-conscious with its emphasis on recycling, whether you are re-purposing glass jars or pressed flowers from the garden.

At FaveCrafts.com, I’ve created a gift guide to help you out with handmade holiday gifts. Because I don’t believe in dividing things on gender lines (I personally hate shoes and handbags), the recipients are:

The Environmentalist

The Foodie

The Ever-Fashionable

The Worker Bee

The Kids

For another idea, handmade Bath and Body gifts are super quick and easy. Mix up the recipe, such as Cinnamon Coffee Bath Salts, pop it in a pretty jar and you’re set. For more ideas, check out our gifts sections.

Best of luck with your Christmas gift making!

Tags: Gifts

Under Christmas Tags: Gifts