Every year my grad school cohort participates in a Secret-Santa style gift exchange, though we have all agreed to send the presents during January as we do not want to add stress during the holidays. It’s a nice way to keep in touch, and it’s really just fun to get an unexpected present in the mail some time mid-January from an unknown source. We started this gift exchange during grad school when it became apparent that we were all artisans and crafters. The goal is for the present to be handmade or at least hand assembled.
This year, I decided to try a new approach to the gift exchange and took my inspiration from monthly subscription boxes (all the rage these days.) I came up with 12 different small crafts, one for each month, that are fun and some are even quite functional! The goal is for the gift recipient to try a new skill and explore new materials. They are also, hopefully, able to stir up creativity and push past creative blocks that occur some times.
Each box is complete with materials, tools, and an informative instruction list. I even attached QR codes for access back to the links of the free instruction guides I found online. The goal is that you should not need anything else besides what is in the box (excepting scissors and maybe glue).
Some of the materials I had as extras, some I bought. For example, I used the Bible leather that Aunt Jenny gathered for leather feathers to make either earrings, a necklace, or a keychain. I had several fabrics and yarns that could be used as well as plenty of extra sewing needles. The rest I purchased as needed.
It’s been incredibly fun for me to think through materials and instructions and hopefully the gift recipient enjoys the prompts too. I’ll be shipping it off here in the next week. (I also now really want to do all the crafts!)
