...and handmade gifts require a lot of thought.
My room mate from college came for a visit this weekend, and she brought me a wonderful gift. It is a tres chic handbag. It's a lovely deep pink, almost red color, knitted, with a super cool chunky cable down the middle. The inside lining is a very funky geometric pattern with several colors that match the outside beautifully. It is probably the best looking purse I own at the moment.
But the best part? She made it herself - from completely reused materials! The yarn was salvaged from a sweater that was taken apart for the purpose, the liner was a shirt that was no longer wanted, a piece of cardboard was saved from the recycling bin and sewn into the bottom to help it keep its shape, and the handles got their structure from a piece of old wine making tubing. It makes the gift that much more special to know that there was a lot of thought put into it, from the sourcing of the materials to the actual construction.
How cool is that? I'm not quite sure I have the level of talent required for this particular project myself, but it has re-inspired me to try to give more handmade gifts. Since the primary rule in gift giving is that it's the thought that counts, I'd say handmade gifts count for a lot.
Posts
1 year ago
6 comments:
That was a really thoughtful gift! Enjoy the new purse!
Wow. That sounds like the coolest gift ever! There's no way I could churn anything out that cool but it gives me some thought for the holiday season. I've gotten away from giving things and leaned toward experiences and such. A thoughtful, handmade gift from recycled materials - that is the kind of "things" we should all be thinking about. How meaningful.
I agree with GB that the gift of time/experiences is one of the most valuable, precious gifts that one can give a person. People love receiving homemade gifts - I think it means so much more to people when they know you took the extra time and effort to make them a special gift. I often feel better when I have given someone a gift that I created with my own two hands.
I'm trying to work up the gumption to declare a hand-made Xmas this year with the in-laws, but I'm a total freaking chicken about it. And besides, wouldn't not buying a load of Chinese crap in December make me a bad American?? Heh.
ilex - I'm all for NO CRAP at xmas. We have both of our families on board for no gifts between siblings (I have 6 and he has 3). We give money to our nieces and nephews and then I do local gifts for our parents (local honeys, nuts, salsa, soaps; homemade jams and granola - stuff like that). They love it!
It's worth mentioning to the in-laws. Who knows. Maybe they're thinking the same thing and are also nervous about bringing it up.
Post a Comment