A Year of Handmade and Favorite Gifts From 2011
Here we go. I’m a little overwhelmed at my commitment to make all my gifts handmade this year. I believe strong goals make us stronger. Putting a serious challenge in front of you enables you to actually rise to meet it.
A handmade gift is literally constructed with intention and presence and meaning. There is no other way to make something. It is this effort that bestows handmade gifts with value in ways that store-bought gifts just cannot have. I wrote about how my son’s lovingly handmade Christmas gift impacted me and inspired me to make this commitment in this post. There’s nothing like a 9 year old to really open your eyes. 
I’ve been busy thinking about what all to make everyone, which gets me a little crazy with lists and to-dos. I think I’m better off taking it one gift at a time and making what inspires me at the moment, and what fits in the time I find!
As with the 24 days of girly glam, this button below will be in the right hand column of my blog that will take you to the “a year of handmade” page. On that page, I will post photo buttons linking to all the handmade goodies I make this year. You can follow along. I will post tutorials or patterns or links to show you how to make everything I do–at least, that’s the goal.
What’s better than that, I invite you to join me! Do it! I know a few of you pledged along with me in the original post. But I’d love to have more of you with us as well. I have set up the following Flickr group for you to post photos of your handmade gifts for us all to see and be inspired:
I had two birthday gifts to make in January, which are now complete and coming soon. These birthdays includes my 9 year old niece (think more jewelry) and my 18 year old step-brother (a boy gift!). In the mean time, I thought I’d share some of my favorite gifts from last year, in addition to the paper cut bunny landscape and rhinestone circle pendant shown above.
The poppy bracelet for Allie:
A knit market bag I made as a hostess gift this summer:
A message in a bottle for the kiddos (hint: there’s a surprise in there!) and the knit hearts too:
A treasure box for my nephew:
An easter garland for my family:
A sweet knit vest for new Baby Harper:
and, of course, the twisted pearl necklace for Allie:
I look forward to the challenge that this resolution brings and I look forward to traveling along the journey with all of you!
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