Valentine's craft

If you are in a couple or not you can't deny the fact that Valentine's day is very much upon its way. I used to hate the smooshy saga and would happily retreat to my living room with a lot of takeaway food and watch action films, this was until of course I discovered the joys of being in a relationship. For me Valentine's day is now all about the presents. I still stick with the mantra that you don't need one day to tell your person that you love them but I am a present addict, both the giving and receiving. Let's be honest, you can only give your friends so many valentine's gifts before they start to give you a wide berth!
So for this year, while I very much look forward to the surprise of my gift - nudge nudge other half- I've kind of ruined the present I made. I've gone back to string art which this time was much more successful as the shape was smaller and easier to work with. There's just one problem. It's very very girly, very suitable for the lovely lady in your life should you wish to purchase it from me (shameless plug I know). Oh and I've already rubbed my other half's face in it (metaphorically) like a small excited child which would very much ruin the surprise. Oh well, I guess it means I can go back to the drawing board and make something else!

Not for the love of money but for the love of making

I love craft. I love going to charity shops and finding things I can upcycle. I love making things from a whole host of goodies. I also love looking around me for inspiration and producing cute little makes either for myself or predominantly as gifts. And, let's face it, who doesn't love a bargain. But if that's your joy in life, craft might not be for you.

There is the assumption that if you make gifts they are cheaper- this is not always the case. Unless the ingredients can be found or sourced for free, other peoples clear outs for example or autumn leaves, crafting can become quite expensive and even if you do manage to forage some goodies the time it takes to make such items - even if you work for minimum wage - can start to add up. Look at the airsoft magazine I made:

Remember that one? Ignoring the paper, ink, card and double sided tape it took to create the magazine I spent an entire day putting it all together. To sell it in order to make money I would have to sell it for at least £30 which is beyond ridiculous. Another example:

These are my wool words. The wire and the wool are inexpensive but each one takes about 30-40minutes to make, depending on the length of the word. To be worth selling I would have to charge £8 per word.

Thankfully making these gifts was an absolute pleasure. For not a second of the making process did I count the cost, I enjoyed what I was doing and got a real kick out of knowing how much the recipients would like their gifts. I was even more pleased when those people displayed their presents and told others how much they liked them.

My point here is that when you try to make a gift for someone don't assume it won't cost you as much. Equally when you receive a handmade gift, consider how much it may have cost the person if not in money in time. Or if you buy handmade items, don't quibble over the cost - it isn't cheap to do!

I'm not trying to make anyone feel guilty I'm trying to point out how loved you actually are for another to invest so generously.

My motives for handmade gifts are purely selfish- I love to make things. A friend of mine has asked me not to make her things because she can't return the gift- what she doesn't realise is my being able to make her something is as much as a gift to me as it is to her. Here's hoping she lets me keep going!