Heart’s Holiday Guide: Made With Love

There is nothing in the world quite like receiving a ‘one-of-a-kind made-just-for-you with heaps of love’ present.

For those of us with crafty hands and creative hearts it’s a matter of thinking of something thoughtful (within the realm of your ability) that your partner needs. Knit a scarf in their favourite colours (gold star if you make sure it goes well with their coat), create some art with their tastes in mind, have a photograph you took that might be special to your partner printed and framed. Build them something they need, personalize a collage, get crafty with your bad self.

If you were not blessed with creative hands but have a very big heart you can still do-it-yourself with a little effort:

• Bake something! I’m pretty sure even burnt cookies still get smooches and points for effort.
• Have a quote or song lyric your partner loves framed. You could write the quote on fancy paper if you have good penmanship, or use scrap-booking letters or stencils. If you need something fail-proof you could print it yourself using a font you like or even buy the quote on a card. If you doubt your skills you could have it professionally mounted and framed, but with some fun scrapbooking paper for a mat and an antique or thrift store frame you could really make your piece unique. For examples click here, here, here or here. (And side note; holy shit if you can embroider the possibilities for framed quotes are even fancier.)
• Grow them a plant using clippings from one of your own. (Instructions for house plants here, for outdoor plants here.) Find a vase or container from a thrift shop that suits your partner’s tastes or decorate a plain one with paint, stickers, beads, etc. What better gift than a clone!
• Make them a mix-tape. Look, it may be outdated and not at all necessary in this day and age but the best part of my courtships as a young girl were mix-tapes. You don’t have to necessarily go retro and rock a cassette (but omg if you did swoon), mixed-cd’s or even playlists are a fine substitute. Choose songs with a special memory or history to them, choose a mood for your collection like “driving in the dark”, “jogging jams” or of course “sexy time”. Decorate your mix, write a love note on it and make a fancy envelope. Sharing music is intimate! Most importantly unveil your soundtrack at a time when you can listen to it together, perhaps while you have dinner, or road trip to family functions. Make new memories for those songs.
• If your partner wears earrings or jewellery get an old frame and some chicken wire and make them an awesome and useful-as-fuck jewellery holder. It’s super easy and super functional. (Ideas and directions here.)
• If you’re all thumbs or short on time you can still go handmade by finding something one-of-a-kind your partner would love on a site like etsy or deviant art.

Things you make with your own hands and heart carry a piece of you within them.  Knowing you used your precious time and talents to craft them something unique will make your partner feel (rightfully) special. Hand-made gifts are things people truly treasure. It’s a tangible form of your love, and love is what the holiday season is really all about.

*This is the last of my Holiday Guide posts. Thanks for all of your awesome feedback. I’d love to hear from you if you achieve partner-present-success with any of these ideas. Cheers. <3

Embroidery by Lux Alptraum. See a “How To” here.

(Source: ytoob)