Holiday Crafting Tips
The holiday season can be stressful for everyone. But there’s an extra level added when you’re a crafter who chooses to make handmade gifts for family and friends. It’s so much fun to be able to follow our inspiration and give something unique, but we have to be extra mindful and usually start our planning earlier than those who choose to buy all of their gifts. Our team at CoffeeCraft has worked to find our own personal balance with managing the holidays as crafters and has created a few resources and tips to hopefully encourage and assist you in your own journey.
Step 1 - Planning
The best way to enter into a task like making crafted gifts is to take the time to formulate a plan. Auntie Sarah made a video devoted to how she plans for what gifts she wants to make and who she will be making gifts for. You can view it below to hear all about it. We highly recommend having your coffee ready for a cozy chat!
From my experience of receiving gifts from Auntie Sarah, I can say that her intentionality in thinking about the specific person has made me feel incredibly seen and appreciated. Some of my favorite gifts ever have been from her because of how thoughtful she was. This tip that she shares is super important! It will take more time and energy to devote to this, but it’s totally worth it in the end. For me, I like to keep a running list in my phone (similar to Auntie Sarah’s notebook) of gift ideas or new hobbies my family and friends talk about so I can have a collection to choose from when it’s time to start making gifts.
Step 2 - Gathering Supplies
Once you have an idea of what you want to do this holiday season, it’s time to get into all of those details that make your craft a reality. Here are a few things to keep in mind:
Keep it simple - It’s encouraged to be real and honest with yourself on how much time and energy you have to give to crafting during this busy season. It’s okay to start small and/or only focus on a couple of really important gifts for the year. Save those other ideas for next year!
Start with one crafted gift - If you’re new to crafting or just new to making crafted gifts, we think it’s wise to start with just one crafted gift. It may take longer than you expect or the mental challenge may be heavier than you expected. You can learn so much more when you’re not rushing through it.
Crafting isn’t always cheaper - Don’t let common misconceptions fool you. Crafting isn’t always cheaper than buying gifts! Not only do you often need more than you expected but there’s a cost to your time and energy that deserves recognition as well. We think it’s still absolutely worthwhile, but it’s important to keep in mind especially if you’re on a tight budget.
Step 3: Get crafting
This is the fun part! You’ve put in the energy to formulate a plan and come up with the perfect idea. Now it’s time to begin working on the fun things you’ve been thinking about.
One of our favorite tips for this stage is to plan for mistakes. You may be asking why…..why is that a favorite. We get that. But the reality is that mistakes happen and failure is a normal part of learning. Giving yourself the space and grace for mistakes can help to protect your crafting experience. We want the entire experience to be a positive one despite what obstacles we may face along the way. What better way to do that than to plan ahead? Sometimes Auntie Sarah likes to make extras of her craft so she can pick the best one to give away and give herself the gift of honing her skills.
Step 4: Celebrate & Give
There is so much joy in being able to share something meaningful with someone we care about. It can feel like butterflies are gathering in your stomach as you wait for their response to this thing that took your time, energy, hands, and heart to make. Enjoy that moment and celebrate the special memories you’ve made that either went into the gift itself or were made in giving this gift to them.
Step 5: Look forward to the future
Now that the season is over, it’s the perfect time to reflect on what went well, what didn’t, and what you hope to achieve next year. Once you have that in mind, there’s no better time to start learning a new craft that at the start of the new year! Spend that time for yourself to explore what you’re capable of and how you can take your creativity to the next level.
If you’re looking for more details on the tips shared above or want to make sure you get new ideas for crafts to try in the new year, make sure you follow us on social media. We’d love to have you as part of our Crafty Community and look forward to cheering you on as you continue on crafting adventures of your own.