Holidays DIY

Meaning do it yourself!

Most of us by the age of 6 or 7 has already grown out of home made presents. This year I have found my way back to the joy of creating. I have to admit that a beanbag chair sewn by me has knocked out 10 boxes of LEGO this Christmas. J

With Messzelátó Association I have attended a Christmas Present Factory Workshop, where I made these beautiful earrings of gummy bears, beer cans and shower gel caps, and afterwrards I also managed to keep all of them to myself, I just couldn’t give them away.

So I continued the brainstrorming, what kind of presents would make my loved ones happy and I decided by the technique of sewing since I am quite not that bad in that already. I was also thinking in making home made soaps and cute little purses for them, or making more jewelry or picture frames, but these remained only ideas for next year. Anyone who would like to be surprised of my presents, please quickly forget I have said anything about this, OK? ;)

I started wrapping my symbolic little basils seed souvenirs from Italy into the heart patterned fabric of my childhood snack bags and weaved the decor ribbons from Xmas coloured threads. I hope all my friends will be able to grow and taste the results and it will flavour  their foods as all the organic ideas had done with me and my life, just to keep to the metaphore. J Meanwhile I quickly whomped up an advent wreath from all kinds of plants and berries for my Mom. 

And after 3 days of sewing I have finished the football and whale beanbags  (as I haven't found the patterns in english, here are some very funny beanbag ideas on the link!) which turned out to be the main attractions of our families's holiday season. (Pictures comming up later after gathering them from my friend, J’s machine, who also let me turn her apartment upside down and use her sewing machine for the great purpose. Thank you! J) At the end Perec also got some little something, a Xmas xtra on his collar.

I keep stealing the ideas from great Hungarian blogs: Lukrécia Kencéi (home made and organic cosmetics), Kreatív Anyabanya (Creative Witch Mom), Ökoanyu (Eco Mom), Varróház (Sewing House), and Messzelátó Association. Thanks for all! There is no shame in copying good ideas, it is easy to enhance and wake your creativity this way! ;)

And the most important thing for me in this whole experience was that all my love and efforts made their way to the recipients, and besides recycling and sparing money and resources, together with the real spirit of Christmas we tailor made our Holidays to be snappy and personal.

I just keep showing off all my products and achievements, but beleive me, I haven’t created things this way for ages and all the products make me so proud and the joy of creation filled me and infected all my family, too.

I really recommend to everyone with all my heart to return to the forgotten customs of doing it yourself, of being a child and prepare, create make something imperfect as a present for your own joy.

In January I will be on the road again, next post most probably will be comming from the Netherlands. And my own project also started to outline itself, so hang on, stay tuned: to be continued! J

Till then I wish all of you a 2013 with love and health and dreams comming true!