home-made gifts.....

lswwong

Please don't shoot me!!!

Martha Stewart's "Living" magazine is full of ideas. From glycerine soaps to fancy cookies that you make and gift wrap yourself.

http://www.marthastewart.com/

ChocClare

I for one would never mock St Martha! Joking apart, she has lots of brilliant ideas on her website which I steal shamelessly on a regular basis. Fantastic stuff.

moggins

You still had to laugh when she got locked up though, did anyone see her biography on the Biography channel. Amazing how someone who was supposed to be the perfect wife could be so loathed by her own husband.

lswwong

moggins wrote:

Amazing how someone who was supposed to be the perfect wife could be so loathed by her own husband.

Hee hee! I would like to think that "perfect" is not so perfect afterall, when it becomes a ruthless mission and the people whom one should care for and cherish fall by the way side - aka Bree van der Kemp!!

Anyone, veering off topic so I should stop going on about this

On the topic of gift-wrapping, I must dig up something on how the Japanese go about it. They have amazing ideas/techniques. Hope to revert before long with something!

Updated:

I like the look of this: http://www.kodansha-intl.com/books/html/en/0870117688.html

From this website: http://www.kodansha-intl.com/

tootles_2

There are lots of things you can make, a couple I make are patchwork bags any size from smallish ones to carry just a book and purse to big ones for knitting/sewing bags beachware etc......., and book covers for anything from photo albums to diaries.

kittiwoz

I would also recomend the library, and find it is often worth looking at craft books in the children's section as well for inspiration. Here are some craft related websites I like:
[url="http://www.whipup.net]www.whipup.net[/url] is a magazine which showcases the work of various artists, which might provide inspiration, as well as including information, links and reviews on other crafts books and websites.
www.crafster.org is a very funky crafts site with a very active forum where users post details of their projects.
homepage.mac.com/galemeyer is the homepage of an woman who obviously has a fantastic imagination and sense of fun. She has posted photos of her lovely sock-dogs and amazing cakes and sweets.
www.notmartha.org is another homepage from a very creative woman who has rejected Martha Stewart's kits and fussy quest for perfect, boring housewifedom in favour of her own messy, fun, experimental approach. She shares pictures, instructions and accounts of her projects here.
www.diynet.com/diy/crafts is an internet TV network which broadcasts programmes on a wide variety of crafts.
There are a lot of free knitting patterns available on the web. Some of the more interesting ones I've found are these:
www.magknits.com Check out the archive.
http://www.marniemaclean.com
www.knittinghelp.com
knitty.com/archive