Gift-making

[helwen]

I was just replying to harpnfiddle about gifting and she had commented on handmade gifts not costing as much as bought ones. Of course if one counted the time to make it.... the day of that concept being more generally accepted is coming, I think...

One year for the gift exchange I made a "book" using an Altoids can. I covered the surface with polymer clay, added various little decorative clay doodads, and after baking I also glued on gems (I pressed them in to make impressions and then removed them for baking, so the gems would have 'settings').

This was for my SIL K, who's Roman Catholic, so I took the prayer of St. Francis and cut and pasted it on my computer so that it would fit on several pages. Each "page" had a medieval border on it (some work I'd scanned into the computer ages ago). The font was some type of calligraphic Gothic.

Instead of separate pages I printed the pages in a long strip and folded them like an accordion (fan fold). Make sure to have a little extra bit of paper at either end of the strip. These extra bits will be folded under and glued to the inside of the box lids.

The idea was to make a tiny book that was like the old medieval treasure books. It actually took a bit of time to make it but I had a lot of fun with it. I was worried that she wouldn't like it because I wasn't sure how she felt about handmade things, but it had just seemed like the perfect thing at the time. Thankfully, she absolutely loved it :)

You can use Altoid containers (the rectangular ones of course, because they're hinged), but if you don't buy Altoids or have friends who do, some craft stores also carry blank tins. Tins and containers in general are great fun.

I also like decoupaging things, and boxes and tins are great candidates for making really unique things. Great little gifts in and of themselves, or you can put a little something inside too. In the old days people used to decorate all kinds of containers and cans -- cigar boxes, coffee (or other food) cans, candy boxes, etc. Keep an eye out for interesting things, you never know what trash could become a treasure.

Comments

[fabricdragon.livejournal.com]

that sounds really neat! i may have to try it..

and "handmade gifts are inexpensive"?? really?? wow... have they checked the price of good yarn lately? i can easily buy a sweater cheaper than buying the yarn. and that has NO consideration of my time.

[helwen.livejournal.com]

I think handmade being inexpensive has to do with all the years of competing with stuff from overseas, where cost of living is lower and/or there's no concern with making a living wage. So crafters at craft fairs often price accordingly, with no consideration of the time involved in making the items. We do ourselves a disservice by doing this.

OTOH, if you have the time and are willing to spend it to save some money, check out Goodwill and Salvation Army -- sometimes they have wool sweaters for cheap -- unravel for the yarn if you like the yarn but not the finished product, and you can then make something you like for fewer $$.

[fabricdragon.livejournal.com]

thats true. i see so many of the old school crafters under pricing their work...
mind you, there is such a thing as 'realistic sell price"

if you find a wool sweater at the thrift store... check the seams. most modern sweaters are machine knit, then CUT and sewn together.. they cannot be unraveled for yarn (although they can be felted for felt projects) it is only the hand knit styles.. or the "knit by machine to size" styles that can be unraveled for yarn...
frankly on the time/quality/money front i would rather buy the yarn..... and find someone who fit the sweater and give it as agift.

and i have gotten some wicked cool clothing from the Salvation army and Goodwill......

[harpnfiddle.livejournal.com]

cool gift. I find that over the years I buy what I need, so I rarely have a list of things that someone could buy for me. Therefore, I appreciate the handmade items that are niceties like your altoids book.

[harpnfiddle.livejournal.com]

The inexpensive imports are truely a problem when handmade items are compared (money-wise, not quality-wise)with them. If so-and-so sees an item and thinks "Oh, I can get the same thing at the dollar store", the hand made gift loses value in their eyes - they don't count the costlier materials, and the time it took to make.

I usually cannot buy hand made items for gifts because they are more expensive, but that is why I value giving them (made by my own hand) and receiving them. Not everyone thinks that way, however.

[helwen.livejournal.com]

Yes, unknowing people can't always see the difference in quality of materials and workmanship. Sometimes they can, and those are the people we're thankful for, when we make things :)

I really do appreciate those folks too -- when I used to make stuffed bunnies I had a guy ask me to make one for his kid because he knew that he'd get something that survived. And since I knew it was going to a toddler, I threw in an extra few stitches on the ears and joints and child-tested it myself -- which was kind of fun :)

Handmade gifts

[amykb.livejournal.com]

All of Mary's teachers are getting handmade gifts this year--green tea soap, green tea body scrub, green tea sea salt soak and green tea liquid soap in a $.50 walmart basket. Including the containers, it is costing me under $5 for each set, and it is something they can use rather than another "World's Best Teacher" ornament or mug.

The neighbors are also getting these sets, even though I have addicted a few of them to soapmaking too :)

Re: Handmade gifts

[hyperbard.livejournal.com]

Someday, I really need to learn to make soap. (like, when I have extra time LOL)

Re: Handmade gifts

[helwen.livejournal.com]

Try the really easy stuff first, the melt and pour stuff? Even I can do it :D

It's not very fussy, not too expensive either, unless you go crazy on molds and stuff. I used to make them more often, even for sale. I used essential oils, or in the case of the green tea, I put in tea leaves from regular green tea bags. Didn't bother with dyes. Although I did splurge and get some of the gold sparkly stuff to brush on...

Re: Handmade gifts

[helwen.livejournal.com]

Sounds wonderful! Lucky teachers :)

[hyperbard.livejournal.com]

Decoupage is great, I'm learning, and loads of fun... you forgot making cards for people though! You can just as easily take pictures or whatever and glue those to a bit of folded paper:)

[helwen.livejournal.com]

Hey, it's good for covering all sorts of things. I also do vases, although you want to coat them with some varnish afterward, to help protect them from moisture. Coasters are another possibility... many choices!

This year I may "re-gift" some cards I've gotten, gluing the pictures from cards onto fresh cardstock -- I happen to have a few sizes of envelopes because of the cards I sell, so that's a little easier for me than for some folks.

[the1butterfly.livejournal.com]

I participated in a costume swap with handmade American Girl doll costumes (I used the Roman dress design to do a Persephone costume and I got a gorgeous Phantom of the Opera costume from someone else), and my thought on things from that was that handmade is just as good or better as long as it's something you like. Too bad more people in my life don't want potholders- I'm a whiz with the potholder loom! I'm debating participating in the AG holiday swap, which can be bought or handmade- the idea for the handmade is that if it were sold it would go for the amount for the swap. If you make something really amazing like the little book you're describing that someone would want but couldn't buy, that's much better than bought. I wouldn't trade the costume I got for any bought costume, because it's the sort of thing you can't buy.