Even if you are super busy.
Given the extra time I’ve had lately while our country is in lock-down, I have really wanted to ensure my gifts were handmade.
Don’t worry, I’m going to help you if you to make gifts that people will love EVEN if you are time poor.
We celebrated Mother’s Day here in the UK yesterday.
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My Husband was working Saturday and ran into a gift-giving problem when the shops had sold out of flowers by the time he managed to get there.
That meant no flowers for me and another trip to the shops early the next day in the hope of getting his mother some flowers.
My youngest Son was with him and wanted to buy me Lindt Chocolate and wine anyway.
*I am currently patting myself on the back for excellent parenting skills and teaching my Sons the art of gift-giving.*
No such dramas for my Mum’s gift!
This is what I gave my Mum.
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I am NOT the best sewist in the world BUT I do love it.
One of my favourite things about crafts is how you can turn something a piece of card or fabric into something lovely.
All the gifts were a hit, my friends! I told you – you can make things that people will love!
Mum and I both love to have tissues near us (is that a Mum thing?) so I knew the tissue holder would be well received and who doesn’t need cute storage?
Neither of those pieces required much fabric.
In-case you hadn’t realised it yet….this is not about money. This is about truly thoughtful gifts that you have made with love and have tailored to the recipient.
Pattern for Tissue Holder
Sew Now Magazine Issue 16.
My top tip! Subscribe to Readly.
Pattern for storage basket with thanks to ChicnScratch on YouTube
Fabric Gutermann Ring a roses
The gift bag itself was a big hit too.
I used some hessian fabric (burlap) and ribbon from my stash and made a gift bag. You can find the pattern link here and I used my Cricut Maker for the design.
Just search for ‘You’re the greatest Mum’ in Cricut Design Space.
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How to make gifts that people will love even if you’re tight on time
Make a plan.
Work out who you are making for, what you want to make and shop for extra supplies if needed.
If you can only grab a 10 minutes here or there, do your craft in manageable chunks that fit in around your schedule.
For example.
If you’re going to sew:
Have your fabrics laundered and ironed ahead of time.
Gather your supplies
Cut your pattern pieces.
Sew
Wrap your gift
As long as you have planned long enough in advance, you can do these steps over as many days as you like.
Just think of it as stages of projects, not one long thing that you’ll never have time for. BUT there is also absolutely no need for massively big complicated things!
If you suddenly have some unexpected time on your hands, use it for some batch making. I you’re making a card, make a few the same.
If you’re a regular around here you might be wondering if I made a card?
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HECK YES!!
I will always be a card maker.
Do you know what? I made 2. One from me and one from my Son’s.
It’s always been tradition in my family to include Grandparents in Mother’s Day celebrations.
Stamp Sets:
Stampin’ Up! Teeny Tiny Sentiments (retired)
Crafter’s Companion Rose Gold Collection Interchangeable Stamps
I created splats using Kitsch Flamingo Distress Oxide ink. The same ink was used to colour the mat layer and banner shape.
The mice were coloured with Spectrum Noir Tri-Blend Brush Markers in these colours:
I added some glossy accents to the sweets too.
I used Card-io stamps for the card I gave my Mum.
It’s probably only fair to tell you at this point that Card-io stamps are my new obsession!
This card may look like it takes ages but they do come together quickly. You can also still break it down into chunks as before.
With Card-io Stamps it’s best to stamp the key image parts first. In this case it’s the tree, wall, lantern and beehive. The rest are fillers.
Totally do-able.
The ink I used is Versasmall Inkpads in:
Peony
Cardinal
Heliotrope
Smoke Blue
Cocoa
Bamboo
Camelia
Green Tea
Pinecone
Sage
Grape
Bark
Ash Rose
Stamp Sets:
Summer Serinity
Nans Garden
Sea Breeze
Stencil
Framed Circle Majemask Stencil
