Santa’s gone crafty

Handmade says from the heart, and more and more people are taking that option when looking for presents.

The recession might officially be over, but that doesn’t necessarily mean we all have a lot of cash to splurge on our loved ones this Christmas as much as we’d like to.
Deciding to be a bit more organised with my shopping this year in the hope it would prevent me from making costly impulse purchases, I spent an evening trying to figure out exactly how my modest budget could be contorted to cover everyone on my seemingly never-ending list. Let’s just say, the figures refused to add up. Fortunately my nana, a proudly ‘money-conscious’ craft enthusiast, was on hand to help out. Reminding me that, in her day, women knew how to make all sorts of wonderful things because they took the time to learn how to do so, she agreed to help me with a selection of homemade (I prefer the term ‘personally-tailored’) gifts.
Once upon a time, there were no huge pharmacies with shelves crammed full of lotions and potions promising to soothe body and mind and cure all manner of ailments. Your local shop supplied a big chunk of soap for washing and a smaller one for bathing. Women created their own coloured, scented and therapeutic soaps from natural ingredients that they either grew themselves or found in the kitchen pantry. It’s a pretty easy process so why not whip up a batch to give away as gifts this year? A personally-wrapped, hand-crafted soap is much more unique and thoughtful than some mass-produced scrubber from the store.
A quick Google search will uncover numerous recipes. A personal favourite are the fizzy ‘bath bombs’ on www.kidspot.co.nz, made with bicarbonate of soda, citric acid powder, potpourri or herbal teabags, sweet almond oil and your choice of essential oils. Kiwi site, www.frugalkiwi.co.nz also has some fantastic bath bomb recipes. The cappuccino bath bomb, which includes instant coffee powder and cocoa, literally looks good enough to eat. The site, created by an American ex-pat with a talent for making some very cool crafts from felt offers kits for sale. The almost psychedelic ‘felted soaps’ (aka ‘soaps in sweaters’) are available in kit form and are unlike anything I’ve found in the shops here. Felt, by the way is a natural exfoliator.
Roping the kids in to help not only saves time but also enables you to teach them a thing or two about the value of recycling. Show them they can create interesting, unique gifts for family and friends by using bits and pieces from around the house or garden. Kidspot is a treasure trove for kid-friendly crafts. It has easy-to-follow instructions for making everything from playdough jewellery and personalised crockery to Christmas wreaths.
Once you’ve made your gifts you’ll need something to wrap or box them in, so why not have a go at making those as well? The Japanese art of furoshiki involves using – or reusing – fabrics to wrap gifts with techniques similar to origami. You can buy specially-made cloth or simply use fabric you already own. Another idea is to wrap gifts in collages made from old magazines or newspapers – they’re sometimes as great a source of amusement as the gift.
If you get this far, you may as well go all the way and complete the package with a homemade card. The options here are pretty much endless. Let the kids go wild with coloured card or paper, glitter and glue or go high-tech and download a free graphic programme from the net. Many websites such as www.presentationmagazine.com have templates that enable you to make professional-looking, personal cards which you can either print out or email.
If you like the idea of homemade gifts but can’t envisage getting around to making them, take the easy option and order online. The owner of fabulously eclectic Wellington boutique ‘Small Acorns’ sells many of her items on her website www.smallacorns.co.nz and also has an excellent blog on which she shares her observations and ideas. Who knows, her fabulous selection of handmade and up-cycled items might just inspire you to get creative yourself – or get the kids to get creative for you.
Sophie Berman-Bareket