I come from a family of crafters on my mother's side, so I grew up encouraged to make little gifts for relations and followed this through with my own daughter and now my granddaughter. it began with making Christmas cards (be prepared for glitter all over the place!) and then went onto calendars, bookmarks and decorated felt mats.
Above is one of my mother's creations, brought out at Christmas time.
When my daughter was little (and money was short), I made felt or knitted toys (such as the Bronwie below), collage nursery pictures for her bedroom and rooms out of shoeboxes to create a doll's house.
Last year our granddaughter wanted a bed for her favourite "White Ted" (no longer very white!) so Santa brought a home made crochet blanket and a pillow & quilt.
One of my early efforts were simple patchwork stockings which we still use today.
Then I became a cross stitch enthusiast - so here are some tree decorations.
To mark my daughter starting at the High School, I made a new stocking of various cross stitch motifs (not the easiest task to work out the spacing) with Christmas greetings in different languages - plus a tartan ribbon to reflect our Scottish connection. This still comes down from the loft every year. 
For birthdays and Christmases I always made my parents a cross stitch card. Following their deaths, I discovered that they had kept them all, which I now have compiled into a scrapbook collection.
Finding a little something little to add to stockings was always a challenge, and home made bookmarks filled this gap beautifully.
When I was working full time, a gift to me of home baking was a much valued present. In turn my daughter appreciated a hamper of home made soup, crumbles, cottage pie and lasagne for the freezer when she was just home with a new December baby.
When I was working full time, a gift to me of home baking was a much valued present. In turn my daughter appreciated a hamper of home made soup, crumbles, cottage pie and lasagne for the freezer when she was just home with a new December baby.
The gift of time and tasks is also one full of pleasure - my daughter has taken me on shopping trips to places I could not get to easily and I have done household tasks for her. The fun comes in composing a gift voucher for the task, so there is at least something of a surprise to open on Christmas Day.
For me, Christmas would not be Christmas without the enjoyment that comes from making something. I recommends it!
Copyright © 2013 · Susan Donaldson. All Rights Reserved
Lovely work Sue. I get my cards out and display them every year.
ReplyDeleteYou have obviously got, and given, a lot of pleasure from your Xmas crafts. I like the gift voucher idea a lot.
ReplyDelete