And they're off

Here are the first two of three gift shipments, ready to be packed. One bunch is destined for the West Coast; the other will go to the Midwest. Most of these are handmade gifts, a couple are purchased gifts from my husband to my family, and there are two sort-of handmade gifts in the pile that I haven't posted about here yet. One is a mix CD of silly songs my husband and I compiled for our nieces, and the big pink bundle contains several of my dance outfits from when I was a kid, plus two pink poodle skirts my Mom made for my sister and I one Halloween long ago. I've been saving them in my cedar chest, but I thought it was time they were enjoyed by my sister's little girls who are getting big enough to wear them.

I did all of my gift-baking last night, and will be putting together goodie boxes tomorrow night, as well as wrapping the third and final shipment of gifts. There's one gift that will be missing from that box, as it's far from finished, but since we won't be celebrating with that part of the family until New Year's Eve, I'm hoping to finish by then, even if it means knitting until the plane lands in their town!

They have a plan

Well, sort of. On the desktop of my computer is a large Stickie note that represents my rough crafting & giving plan for the next year - this month through May 2009. Here's what August and September, for example, look like (names changed to protect the innocent!) as of right now:

August

-Cards & gifts for September
-PLAN XMAS
-Sweater vest for Dad (xmas)

September 7 Starbuck, 11 Apollo, 12 Chief, 22 Gaius

-Cards for October
-Garter stitch wrap
-Charity hats & mittens
-Pet toys?

The dates and names of any birthdays, anniversaries, etc. are noted next to each month. Below that is a list of projects to do that month: first there's a reminder to prepare for the following month's gift-giving events, then maybe an item in italics to indicate a project I wish to make for myself, and then any long-term projects that are either underway or need to be started. I'll be trying to plan for Christmas fairly early this year. I have a couple of labor-intensive individual gifts planned, plus a charity project (quantity rather than complexity). I'm also hoping to stockpile batches of different kinds of handmade gifts for giving out to coworkers and friends at the holidays.

This list is incomplete and very fluid, but maintaining it really helps me to sort out all the projects. It also helps me see when I've planned too much for one month, or how I can make use of the crafting lull in one month to get a head start on another. I used a similar list last year, on a much smaller scale, to prepare for the holiday season, but I'm hoping for more this time. All of this is, of course, mostly theoretical at this point!

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!