Wisdom From Grandma

Linda from Hawaii has a tip to share from her wise grandma:

My grandma enjoys doing crafts. I would spend time with her and she’d teach me how to make simple craft items. She said to me that people enjoy handmade gifts. I took her words to heart and now I like to make handmade cards and gifts to give to people.

Linda’s grandma was absolutely right. The people who love you will cherish your handmade gifts. With everyone working to trim budgets, there’s another great benefit. You can give so many more nice gifts to friends and family when you put your time and energy into a gift.

I think my grandma would approve of something a bit newfangled that I used to help me come up with project ideas for Christmas presents this year – Pinterest. I was able to hunt down and organize photos of so many awesome gift tutorials for things like holders for phones while they are charging and adorable little heart shaped hand warmers for the kids to tuck in their pockets while they are waiting for the bus. Right now, I’m drooling over an idea to recycle a Christmas sweater from the prior year into an adorable skirt. That site is just a goldmine for great ideas. You do have to get an invite or get on the site’s waiting list to join and pin things, but joining is free.

As you put together your handmade Christmas gift ideas, I’d like to encourage you to make a few extra little gifts. I’m making extra hand warmers and others in my family make scarves. If you come across someone who is in need, it is nice to be able to pass on a little holiday cheer by giving that person a little gift.

Are you making your family’s holiday gifts this year?

Crandma’s kitchen always smelled fabulous during the holidays, even when she wasn’t making cookies. Her secret weapon was her potholder. She would add cinnamon, nutmeg, or ginger to the potholder when she stuffed it with batting. The heat from pots and pans resting on the holder released the scent and the smell filled the kitchen.

If you don’t make your own potholders, don’t worry. All you need is a store bought pot holder, a hot glue gun, a seam ripper or scissors, and a teaspoon or so of your favorite spice to re-create Grandma’s magic.

Look for the place where the pot holder was closed up after it was stuffed. This spot is often hand stiched shut instead of being machine stitched. Unstitch approximately one inch with a seam ripper or scissors. Drop the spice into the hole you have created in the pot holder and then hot glue it shut. (If you use other types of glue, it will be too hard for you to re-open the pot holder to add more spice.) If you are really handy, sew on a snap to re-close the hole, instead.