Saturday, November 15, 2008

A handmade Christmas

I really don't want to admit it but, if Thanksgiving is now less than 2 weeks away, that means Christmas is around the corner. Oh, and Mark's birthday is coming up soon also. I want my 2008 back.

Every year, I start with the very best intentions: I'll only give handmade, I'll make something meaningful, or I'll do something special. Screw material gifts! I think I'll put pressure on myself to keep this code again this year, but I won't beat myself up too badly if, around December 21, I decide that making 25 batches of gingersnaps is not happening.

Right now I really want to quit work, shut myself in for a few weeks, pick up Lena Corwin's latest book Printing By Hand, and go bananas making gifts.


I have been meaning to get this for months now, as I am in love with rubber stamp crafts and anything to do with fabric, and I finally came across it at the bookstore today - it is fantastic. Lots of good gift ideas: handmade printed stationery and printed napkins and stenciled notebooks were lovely and seemed relatively simple to do. I was also really struck by her aesthetic: she uses bold colors and patterns but overall the effect is still minimalist and clean, which I really appreciate. Of course, if you're not the crafty type, this would actually be a great gift for a crafty friend as well.

1 comment:

Lauren said...

Yes, for us it's a sermon. We had a homily at our wedding (which was at a church we didn't attend), and I had to ask the wedding coordinator what it was. I felt pretty retarded after she told me. :)