How to Craft gifts that I've given, what about you?
By writersedge
@writersedge (22563)
United States
February 13, 2011 9:52pm CST
For Christmas, I gave my brother a How to Tie-Dye craft book. For his birthday, I gave him a tie-dye craft kit. It had 12 empty bottles to mix the 12 dye packets,more ideas for designs, rubber bands, a plastic sheet to cover a table to keep it from dying the table, and plastic gloves.
I didn't buy him a t-shirt or t-shrits because he's bigger than most that I can find. He was 5X. He has lost weight. I'm not sure if he's 4X or 3X now. He's a former football player. He often does construction when he can get the work.
At any rate, he seemed happy about these gifts. I know his girlfriend said he was disappointed when the Woodsmen of the World competiton didn't have a tie-dye shirt vendor. He would always buy from them. So I figured he just needed to make his own. They love crafts anyway. He doesn't like knicknack ones. He likes useful stuff. So those are the reasons why I got him the kits.
So what how to crafts have you given to people? If you haven't given any, what ones do you think you'd like to give. If you had a wish list, what ones would you like to receive?
2 people like this
6 responses
@jillhill (37353)
• United States
14 Feb 11
I give alot of craft things to people and most of them enjoy them. The best gift I find are my handmade cards. Giving a set to people not only is handy but saves them a bunch of money on greeting cards. At Christmas I make as small gift for everyone. Each year they look forward to what I am going to come up with. My nephew told my sister...that's what makes our Christmas so special!
@writersedge (22563)
• United States
14 Feb 11
Cards are nice. I used to make more of my own, but after holidays they becomes so cheap, the commercial ones. Also I used to give Solstis ones and there were none for that, but now there are those and Equinox.
Maybe I'll get back into that. Thanks and take care.
@GreenMoo (11833)
•
15 Feb 11
I think hand made cards are so much nicer to receive as they can be tweaked to suit the personality of the recipient and you always feel that part of the giver has gone into each one. Receiving a card always reminds you that someone is thinking of you, but if they have gone to the trouble of making you a card you know that they've not only thought of you but invested some time in telling you that they were too.
If you have the skill and creativity to make your own cards I bet your friends and family would love it if you started again!
@GreenMoo (11833)
•
14 Feb 11
I would love to receive a pack of home made cards. It's so handy to have some in a drawer, and so hard to find nice home made ones. I often ask a friend to custom make them for me, but often I forget and end up trying to find something in a hurry.
I saw a gift idea which was to customise a drop file into 12 sections and in it place greetings cards for each family birthday along with a year planner and a few spares. I thought it was such a good idea.
@carmelanirel (20942)
• United States
14 Feb 11
I have given my daughter a hook rug she loved doing and of course as you know, she gave me a candle making machine..:) So we both like making things, but now we barely have time to..lol
@writersedge (22563)
• United States
14 Feb 11
College if like that. Until the breaks between semesters, I really didn't have much time for anything except college work.
Hook rugs are fun. My Mom gave me one once, too. Now they have very realistic animal oens and teddy bears, wish they had had those in the 60s instead of the weird op-art things.
Hope you're having fun with the candle making and she's having fun with the rug. Thanks and take care.
1 person likes this
@carmelanirel (20942)
• United States
14 Feb 11
Yes it is and I believe you were the one to warn me that my time would be consumed with schoolwork..I am finding that though math is my weakest subject, when I spend all day on it, (like I did today) I feel I can't write. It's like I can only focus on one subject at a time, no wonder I struggled in high school...
@GardenGerty (169489)
• United States
14 Feb 11
I love to receive any kind of crafting gifts. I have given scrap book kits to my sister. I give yarn to her often. I hope your brother has fun.
@writersedge (22563)
• United States
14 Feb 11
I think he's pretty psyched. He's very visual and artistic. Hope he makes me a tie-dye shirt. The kit makes 12 to 24 (his girlfriend said at his size it would be more like 6). I have a tie-dye hat that I'd like a shirt to match. Most tie-dyes here don't have pink and yellow like my hat. Blue and black seem to be the new red and black I(think Goth).
I bet your sister loves her craft gifts. Maybe I'll start a trend and they'll give me craft ones, too. Although they used to give me wood crafts all the time and I may turn them into carvings. So it all comes full circle. Thanks and take care.
@writersedge (22563)
• United States
14 Feb 11
They sound nice. What do you cross stituch on them?
If my brother and his girlfriend hadn't been complaining about not being able to get them anymore and if they weren't crafty, I wouldn't have given them it. But I listen to what the next thing they might appreciate would be. Plus there was a 40% off coupon for Michaels and that made the gift affordable.
1 person likes this
@writersedge (22563)
• United States
15 Feb 11
Those all sound really, really cool!
1 person likes this
@GreenMoo (11833)
•
14 Feb 11
I like giving craft things to children as most kids have so many toys that they don't need any more, and you can't ever have too much craft stuff (can you?!).
I don't generally buy specially put together kits as I always find there are things in there that you will never use. I prefer to buy the parts separately and then just bundle them up. For my neice's birthday I found a plain wooden box and I'm going to give it to her along with the materials she'll need to decorate it.
@writersedge (22563)
• United States
14 Feb 11
.Some kits have extra stuff. I just use them in other projects.
I think the wooden box with stuff to decorate with is a really cool idea.
@writersedge (22563)
• United States
15 Feb 11
There are so many places to donate to that I don't worry about it. Either I can complete a craft with them and donate the completed craft or I can donate the items themselves. For example, let's say I don't really want to make a lady bug, I can donate the lady bug stuff to a nursing home and make some elderly lady with a lady bug loving granddaughter incredibly happy or I can make the lady bug and donate it for a silent auction for the library benefit in town.
@classicalgeek (185)
• United States
14 Feb 11
I give a lot of craft gifts: handmade paper, handmade soap, candles, etc. The best craft gifts I received were to help me make more crafts: a heated X-acto knife, a portable light table, and a hot plate. What I would love would be a tiltable drawing table like architects use, or an adjustable figure dummy.
@writersedge (22563)
• United States
14 Feb 11
Those last two are great, but they really cost $ unless someone can figure out how to make them or buy them cheaply at an estate sale, auction or yard sale.
My cousin liked her lamp that she got for Christmas. The light in her house was never strong enough. Now it's just right to do her crafts with. Sounds like people are very thoughtful and getting your great gifts to further your crafts with. Craft on!
I see you have an (82) after your name, so welcome to Mylot! Hope you have a great time here.
