Okay,
y’all. I am here for a reality check. No one wants your crafts as a gift. Seriously-
no one. I mean, it’s cute when it is coming from a child. Sweet, even. From an
adult, though? Gifting one of your craft projects will inspire a response like,
“Well it’s the thought that counts!” or from Southern women, “Oh… well bless
your heart…” But even the most polite will be doing this on the inside:
To be fair, this is not a hard and fast rule. There are some crafters who are
just THAT GOOD that people actually want their stuff. But those people usually
hock their wares on etsy or at craft fairs and have no time to be making them
for freesies, especially around the holidays. Giving a gift is your opportunity
to show someone that you are thinking about THEM and what THEY want. Gifting
crafts says the opposite. It says, “I think the shit that I do is so awesome
that these popsicle sticks I glued together should be celebrated like they were
assembled by Frank Lloyd Wright.” Your recipient may smile happily when you
hand over your handy work, but you might as well have dug through your garbage
can for scraps because that is probably where your “gift” will end up. People
have enough junk in their lives, they really don’t need more.
Now
that I’ve said all of that I’m going to totally contradict myself. If you are
on a budget, sometimes crafts are all you’ve got to work with. And believe me,
I LOVE to craft. I get it. I’m on your
side. So I’m going to give you the three exceptions to this “No Crafts for
Gifts” rule. 1) something practical 2) something that looks expensive 3)
something to eat.
Something Practical – The Sharpie Mug
My favorite craft in this category is the Sharpie
Mug. If you have ever been on Pinterest you’ve probably seen them before. There
are lots of tutorials floating around the interwebs, but this one is my
favorite: http://www.diyopolis.com/
I have had great success with this craft and it is cheap as hell. The thing I love about it is that you HAVE to get cheap mugs for it to work properly- the more expensive ones have issues with the glaze melting. After making over a dozen of these for gifts this year I’ve got a handful of tips beyond what are listed in the blog above-
1) Be sure to
let your mug sit for at least 48 hours AFTER baking before putting it in the
dishwasher.
2) Some colors
are going to fade in the oven. It just happens. The good news is that it is
always the ones you should expect to fade anyway- the soft pinks, lilacs, and
lighter oranges were the ones that gave me the most trouble. Black, Red, and
Blue had the most staying power.
3) Keep it
simple. If you aren’t good at drawing, cut out stencils and use those. You can
even tape them to your mug while decorating and make some cool designs with
negative space like this one:
4) Think of your
recipient. I made a lot of Doctor Who mugs for Whovian friends. I made a Harry
Potter mug for myself. I made a Star Wars mug for my sister. My husband got one
with a charcoal grill. Don’t just draw a bunch of stars on the thing and call
it good- we’re making GIFTS here, people! Not craft projects.
5) It’s all in
the presentation. Tie a bow around your mug and present it with a box of hot chocolate
mix and marshmallows.
Something That Looks Expensive – The Ornament Wreath
So in my mind there are things that are ~classy~ and
then there are things that are klassy with a k. There is a difference. A big,
big difference. It is the difference between these-
So this craft is classy with a capital C. Check out these retail versions. This one from Pottery Barn will run you $149 and this “lower end” one from Pier 1 is
$65.96.
This version costs less than $10 and is easy as sin.
Here is the tutorial I used.
Some tips!
1) Again,
consider your recipient! I made one for my mama who is a HUGE sports fan,
particularly The North Carolina Tarheels. I found an assortment pack of the
perfect colors and scored a UNC ornament for cheap at an antiques store. Put
together you’ve got something that looks expensive AND is personalized.
2) If Pinterest
is the crafter’s bible, hot glue is the holy water. This whole craft is a waste
of your time if you don’t take the time to pop the metal tops off the ornaments
and hot glue them back on. You might think they’re secure- WRONG. They will pop
off from the pressure as your hanger fills up and the other ornaments push on
them. Ask me how I know.
 | |
| that's my husband's arm. I'm awful and make him help. |
Something To Eat – Ugly Christmas Sweater Cookies
I love to eat. But I don’t cook. I don’t bake. I
hardly even boil water. I microwave well, but that’s my limit, really. That
said, this kit (I picked mine up at WalMart for less than $5!) made it easy
enough for even me to muddle through. It says it makes 12 cookies but it lies.
It makes like 5. Or maybe 6. Definitely not 12. Even so, it was worth the $5
just for the adorable cookie cutter and sprinkle pack. Wrap in wax paper when
you’re done and put in a decorative gift box. This is one “craft” that anyone
with a sweet tooth and sense of humor will love.
So there you have it. My favorite 3 exceptions to “No
Crafts as Gifts Rule.” In all honesty though, these aren’t RULES so much as
guidelines. You know your recipients better than I will. If you think your
friends and family will just DIE for your popsicle stick creations- go on wit
yo bad self, girl! If anyone gives you any lip, take note for next year – I’ve
heard there’s a website that will deliver flaming bags of dog poop.
No comments:
Post a Comment