A crafter's challenge

Bracelets assembled from a bag of beads bought at the goodwill a year and a half ago. The bag of beads  probably cost about $3. Beading string left over from CJ's 3rd birthday party, got on an after Valentine's day sale.

 For us, Christmas is a time of extreme creativity. Our budget per person is usually in the $1 to $2 per person range. This takes some scavenging and a sharp eye through out the year to come up with something to exchange at gift giving time. The thing about handmade gifts is you want all your  hard work and time to create an actually nice present in the end.
This year was extra tricky. I spend about six months of the past year in bed, so not a lot of gleaning took place. And due to medical bills our budget for this year was $0 per person. Even though our family and friends totally understand our inability to produce gifts this year, I still wanted to have some token to hand out.
So I rummaged through what I had in the craft box and this is what I came up with.

Despite the spending freeze, I was still aware of the tricky line that a hand crafted gift has to walk.

I have found that responses to handmade gifts either go one or two ways....

"Oh thank you for this handmade craft" OR

"Hmmm.... thank you for this interesting piece of crap... I mean craft."

I think gifts should either be a novelty... something the person actually likes and would not usually buy for themselves, or something moderately practical or useful. I love gadgets! However, with handmade items it is hard to fall into either of those categories. 

With crafts  you rely completely on ability and how that translates to ascetics. The biggest insult is, "Oh did you make that yourself?" Or even worse... "Awh did your three year old make this? It's amazing!!" 

This year we had some highs and lows with the gift outcomes.

Item #1-- My first attempt to paint on canvas. My first attempt of a landscape that wasn't on a baby food jar. (AKA candle holder)

I bought this canvas 6 years a go and never had the guts to paint on it. 

 Item #2- The Hats. I  had  not crocheted for a while. The first hat was picked up from a hat I started a long time ago. You can tell where I started....so it is half good. The second had turned out great. The third hat I ran low on yarn and could not find more...so I had to get creative, but it was still too small.

Hats made out of left over baby yarn from a blankets I made  6 to 8 years ago. 

 However, they looked great for this picture!

Cousins! Couldn't be cuter!

Cost of Plaque $1, I believe I bought last Christmas. Adorable girl... priceless!

 Then came the plaques.... I think Mackenna's turned out cute. You can't see in this picture, but it has sparkles on it too.

However, the plaque for my new niece or nephew that is on the way... did not turn out as planned. Not only did it get ruined, because paper got stuck on it... well... not scoring the ascetic points I was hoping for. So this one scored a big ol' 'C' - C- for Crapt that is! Oh well, you win some and you loose some. Hopefully, I come through with a better gift for the baby shower!

In the end, it really is the thought that counts. And my girls had so much fun presenting these presents to our family. I really wanted them to experience the joy of giving, and my hope was that it would give 'getting' a run for it's money. 

This plaque get's the crap award of the year. Not only did it not turn out as cute as I  hoped, but it got paper stuck all over it! Oh well!