Handmade Gifts

Have you ever received a handmade gift and been caught off guard a bit?

Not many of us may be sure how to receive such a gift.  It was well meant, but maybe not to one's taste or home decor.

My husband and I have taken time to create gifts for folks, really keep them in mind as we create them, give them, only to find, that it was well meant, but apparently not to their taste or decor.  We try to take it in stride But... just some thoughts on handmade items.

I made this blanket for friends of ours (who appreciated it by the way).

Blanket and photo by Tracy Hilbun

I knew I could get something off their baby registry within my budget, but these are good friends and people.  I wanted to take that budget and give more love.  So, I took the money that I would have spent on the registry and bought yarn, crochet hook, and my love and time.  Also, I prayed over that baby that I was preparing the blanket for.  So as I crocheted, I prayed.

If you have purchased soft yarn for baby items, you have noticed that yarn is not inexpensive.  Also, how do you put a price on someone's time?  Right now, my husband and I both commute about 70 miles, one way, to work.  So we spend roughly 3 hours of our day in the car, on top of our work day.  Because we get up at 4:30 am, we need to hit the sack pretty early.  We shoot for 8:30 pm.  Since we get home, on a day he isn't away working his 2nd and 3rd jobs, around 4:30 pm, that leaves a 4 hour window to walk and feed the dog, recover from sitting in the car and stressing over bad drivers, catch up on the day, cook and eat supper, and maybe some down time or house cleaning (yeah right).  Long story short, too late, we don't have much spare time where we're not kind of exhausted.  =)

How can you put a price on the time and the love going into hand made work? You can't.

You may have some friends that create handmade items as a business so they can be stay at home moms, save for retirement, make some extra money on the side because their kids are in day care or college, or they are artists and just need to create.  Not only is their work quality in skill and supplies, it's quality in heart.  It's also art!  They may have shared some of their art as gifts to you!

Now I hope you are looking forward to receiving some handmade gifts.

What handmade items do you make?  I'd love to see them!  Do you like giving them as gifts, like we do?