I wish people would appreciate H/M gifts!

clareyPINKfairy

i have just found 2 willing candidates for my homemade gifts this morning!! i'm a nanny, and look after two very nice children, although IMO they are slightly spoilt, so i wasnt too sure if they would appreciate the homemade things i've been making for them and my little neices and nephews.

but this morning they were admiring my handmade felt brooch i had on my jacket, and asked if they could get one, or maybe a keyring made from the same material. they had also seen me sewing my cross stitch bookmarks a few weeks ago, and asked for one of them too!!
so hopefully my handcrafted things will go down a treat at xmas!!

Beki

that's brilliant news! x

ellionic

aww beki thats horible that they dont like them you can make one for me anytime :-) i love home made gifts it shows you have but thought into it. I am planning on making more this year, i just wish someone would make a one for me.

Beki

i must admit it does get you down when you've put all that time and effort into making the gifts and when you hand them out at christmas, you get a forced smile and an 'oh.... er.. thanks! it's lovely'

i always thought that my mum was one of those, as although she always seems pleased, i just put it down to her being my mum and being polite...

but she was saying the other day that she appreciated h/m presents so much more than normal presents as she knows that someone's thought enough of her to go out of their way and put their own time and effort into doing something special for her

so at least that's one person that i'm looking forward to making something for

as an aside... i made my mum a 'tin of smiles for monday mornings' which i thought of the other day - she was really really pleased with it!

the tin of smiles is just an old boiled sweets tin, with a round of card stuck on top. i made a smiley face out of the googly eyes, a mini pom pom for the nose and a bit of red pipe cleaner for the smile. then i wrote 'A tub of smiles for monday mornings' on it.

inside i stuck another round of card to the bottom and wrote things like 'happiness, smile, joyful' etc all over it, in different sizes and styles

irishgirl62

Nessynoo wrote: »

One of the best homemade presents I've received was a jar of homemade chilli and onion jam. My friend made it using a Jamie Oliver recipe. I tried it when round her house one summer. When it came to Xmas gifts, she asked me what i would like, so i asked for a jar of her chilli jam. It was stonking, and lasted for ages. The older it got, the better it tasted.

And the home made present I would absolutely love to receive?.....
I keep asking my mum at Xmas and Birthdays for her to write me her life story. Even if it was just a timeline with bullet points.

My dad died when I was 12 (Im now 27), and so I'd love a record of how my mum grew up, and about how/when mum and dad met. She has told me, but I'll never remember it all. I don't have any grandparents, so I worry that when she is gone, i will lose my family's history. I hope she will get round to it at some point.
I would treasure it forever.

Why don't you make your mum this journal jar and note book, its a simple way to journal what you want to know have a look at the link below for instructions... i keep meaning to make one for my mum too!

http://bubblyfunk.typepad.com/bubbly_scrumptious/journal-jars-and-notebooks.html

moneysavingmumofone

Is it too late to join the xmas hamper swap?

mrbrightside842

irishgirl62 wrote: »

Why don't you make your mum this journal jar and note book, its a simple way to journal what you want to know have a look at the link below for instructions... i keep meaning to make one for my mum too!

http://bubblyfunk.typepad.com/bubbly_scrumptious/journal-jars-and-notebooks.html

These are lovely, I've been meaning to get a grandparent book for my husband's grandparents, and this kind of thing is really nice.

irishgirl62

I am going to make this book this week... i am going to try and do the bigger projects this week to get them out of the way

brokeinwales

People seem to have very unpredictable views on homemade gifts. I remember one year suggesting to my ex-bf that he make his Mum a birthday card and him protesting that that was "just cheap and naff" (as opposed to buying a card with some tacky flowers on it from Clintons I assume!). I suggested the same thing to a friend, who went with my suggestion and, brilliantly, his Mum was absolutely bowled over by the fact he'd gone to so much effort.

Some people just put more value on money spent than effort and thought.
Having said that, I've never known anyone not be delighted with a gift of homemade food! (My stand-by emergency birthday present is a big chocolate cake)

Sometimes younger people have peer pressure issues going on I think. When I was at school one of my friends whose mother was a fabulous dressmaker was mercilessly teased because she wore homemade clothes and "couldn't afford to buy them". I'm sure the same kind of stigma still goes on nowadays.

It also depends how skilled you are. If you're a really talented or experienced artist/ seamstress/ potter/ baker then you can probably produce something pretty professional looking that even doubters will be impressed by. Whereas I remember a relative of mine presenting people with slightly badly made jewellery at Christmas. Whilst I think most of us did genuinly value the thought and effort that'd gone in, it wasn't quite the same as receiving something you could actually make use of!

My tip - if all else fails - bake....

*Louise*

I tend to give the 'snowman soup' etc alongside other gifts because I worry that people will think I am being cheap

I am the only person in my family who bothers making anything at all at christmas, even 10 years ago I was making cross stitched pictures as gifts.