This year we had possibly one of our most handmade Christmases in a long time. I’ve never been averse to making do, buying second hand, making our own and so on, but this year I was determined to start early and not feel the stress of last minute panic buying (or making for that matter). I am also working hard to get out of debt in the aftermath of redundancy and was therefore determined not to spend more than we had.
I’m pleased to say, this Christmas was a success! Almost all of the presents that we gave (with the exception of a few specific requests) were either handmade, upcycled, secondhand or vastly reduced in price. We even managed to incorporate handcrafting activities into the gifts themselves, for instance, my sister is a fan of the Great British Sewing Bee, and I managed to find the book that accompanied the series, via The Book People (new, but much cheaper than the RRP). I look forward to seeing some of her creations during 2015!
Our teenager has been hankering after an X box 360 for a few years now, and while there is a big part of me that is resistant to bringing games consoles into the house, I think as long as the gaming is balanced with other activities, it’s not entirely unhealthy. We relented but not to the tune of £300+ as this just isn’t doable (or sensible as far as I’m concerned). We were able to acquire a secondhand console with several games and all the gubbins for £60 – an absolute bargain and worth every penny for the happy face when he opened it on Christmas morning!
Among my favourite gifts this year was this upcycled mirror, made for my Goddaughter and her little sister.
I was very grateful to the kindness of strangers in order to produce this item; en route to work one morning, I happened upon the mirror propped up against the front of a Victorian semi-detached house, with a note saying ‘free to take’ attached.
As previously reported, I also made lots of lovely soy container candles using some of the vintage glass pieces that are so beautiful in their own right that they need no interference and make really affective centrepieces.
I wonder whether I can keep this up for 2015 – I may have to expand my repertoire a bit so that I keep everyone guessing. Happy New Year everyone!
decadia designs 