anybody make home made gifts?

[waterflow]

I've gotten a start on the Christmas making gifts for next year already. Ordered the stuff I need to make one so far. Not about to wait so long this time. They say people don't make gifts anymore. It's a dying art. Too bad. I think hand made ones no matter how little it is, is really much better then a mink coat to me. What kind of gifts do you make if you do? I like to crochet, knkit and plastic canvas, embroderiey.

[kadi]

Seed bead embroidery christmas ornaments
Bead earrings & necklaces

I might try crocheting scarfs this next year. I'm making my first scarf now for myself - this needs practice:)

I love making things! Funny, I never did stuff like this before IC.

[waterflow]

I've never done the bead making items. Is it hard? I've always done crocheting and knitting since in 11th grade. I taught myself all thought I never learned all of knitting. I just started getting into the plastic canvas and a few years ago the embrodery. I think it helps some to keep my mind off the old bladder while watching tv.

[jen48446]

I used to be crafty when I was a kid. Haven't done it in years! I do make cookies every xmas though. I started doing it several years ago when we couldn't afford to buy gifts. Guess what? Everyone LOVES them!! I now get "requests" on how many & what kind...so I said the heck with it & I now go on a "baking frenzie" & bake lots of cookies for everyone & they compliment me year after year on how good they are...works for me especially since I love to bake!
:cat:

[ICNDonna]

I've been making gifts for years, mostly on my sewing machine, but we've done woodworking projects too. Back in the 40's my husband's parents had a bakery --- several years ago we found some bread wrappers from that bakery in an antique shop --- we made bread boxes and decopauged the labels on the front for all of our kids. Last year husband Terry made rolling pins on his lathe for all of them. I have made robes, shirts, stocking caps, etc., etc., for all of them. Between us we have seven grown children plus their spouses so whatever we make, it takes a lot!

Not sure what we'll do next year, but will probably get started soon. We don't exchange gifts at Christmas any more, but do birthdays. The first birthdays are in January and February so we really do need to decide and get with it!

Donna

[SrMaggie]

It gets more difficult to keep up with Christmas gifts every year. Then - who gets gifts and who doesn't. I have 6 siblings and 4 are married. There are over 20 nieces and nephews and now the grands are starting. I started making a cross stitch birth announcement for the new grand babies. Then 3 of of my sister's children decided to have babies at once. I had caught up, and now I'm behind again. One of my grandnieces got her's for her second birthday. It's still something to remember and hold onto.
I love making things - it's just having the time to do it.
Last year I crocheted slippers - they were really cute.
This year I was a bit lazy, but have managed to make some things for fund raisers for our school.

[Bianchi]

I found out the hard way this Christmas: not everyone likes homemade gifts. I do mosaics, and made my son and his wife a beautiful mirror. (Some of my friends really wanted to buy it.) I made sure it matched the colors in their house and was not too loud. My son liked it a lot. My DIL was almost rude, she did not say a word to me, no thank you, nothing. She told my son he could take it to the office and find a place for it there, right in front of me. My son said a mirror in an office might not be a good idea and suggested a place in their home, but that was shot down. I should have known, she is otherwise a nice person, but very label-conscious. If I would have gotten it in a prestigious art gallery and paid a lot of money for it, she would have loved it.
So thats life, I guess. Live and learn. Wish I could get it back, it will probably be in the back of a closet, and then given away.
Bianchi

[barbour1]

I think home crafted gifts are the very best to recei:) ve.

[Rosalie]

I love making gifts for christmas and birthdays, especially for the children. Although we now have a Kris Kringle amongst the adults. But before that I would make the same thing for averyone if possible. One year it was scarfs and ties, another, nighties and night shirts. another, hats. All the family would put on their gifts and I have a collection of very funny photos! My fun-loving brothers would always find some novel way to display my handiwork. The 'nightshirt' year they got a little crude but we laughed non stop for hours!
With the arrival of many new great nephews and nieces I have rediscovered knitting toys.