I always feel a little funny giving handmade gifts to friends and family. I never know if it's going to be received with gratitude for the time, thought and effort that goes in to making something yourself, or if it's just going to be seen as a cheap present to give.
I have a friend that really does think that making something myself is the quick and easy way out, which of course couldn't be further from the truth. And I have people in my life that appear to be singularly underwhelmed by what I do for a living, in fact I have people in my life that don't seem to realise that I do this for a living. I'm pretty sure they think it's a nice little hobby.
So when it comes to Christmas I get a little nervous about handing out the gifts and this year was no exception. Actually this year was worse because I made more gifts that I usually do.
I'm pleased to say though that the majority of the presents were well received and seemed to hit the spot. Phew.
One of the gifts this year was this topsy turvy doll for my Nana.
I'm not sure if that seems like a strange gift for my Nana, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. And it was so much fun making a more sophisticated doll than normal. My Nana's main colours are mint green and lilac, so it was a bit of a challenge to fit in with that scheme (I don't own a single piece of lilac fabric!), but I think I kind of made it work (I used artistic licence and substituted lilac for pink).
And I'm relieved to say that this was one of the gifts that was appreciated. Oh and the other gift we gave her is our old laptop, so she's about to start surfing online, which I think is very cool indeed for a woman in her 80's.
Another gift that I made was for my mother. Some of you may remember that a while back she bitched about mentioned the fact that she never got a pin cushion of her own and if I recall correctly, you lot agreed that it was shocking that my own mother couldn't get hold of one. So I finally decided to rectify this crime oversight and make her one that she could call her very own.
Is it just me? Am I the only one that gets a bit antsy about giving handmade gifts?
