Monday, May 26, 2008

We'll hammer out the details later

I'm starting this on a whim, inspired by a number of factors, so off the top of my head, here's the idea: For the next year, I will give only handmade gifts. By doing so, I hope to:

-Approach gift-giving more meaningfully and thoughtfully
-Reduce my spending on consumer goods
-Challenge my crafting skills and broaden my crafting repertoire

Most of all, I want to make the recipients happy.

Some guidelines:

-Gifts need not necessarily be made by me. I may buy handmade gifts from Etsy, for example, in a pinch, or for those recipients who are particularly tough to shop (I mean craft) for.
-A mix CD counts as a handmade gift!
-Food gifts definitely count.
-Cards will be handmade too. And maybe even the envelopes.
-At times I may assemble a "care package" sort of gift from small purchased items, or supplement a handmade gift with a purchased accessory.
-I will try whenever possible to use supplies and materials that I already have, to repurpose packaging and wrapping materials, and to generally keep being green in mind as I go through this project.
-I will expand my charitable crafting beyond my work-related community service committee.

So then, let the great experiment begin!

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