5 Reasons to Make Handmade Gifts

Handmade gifts are not only unique and more valuable, but they can also be fun and relaxing to make. Yes, handmade gifts can be time consuming to make, which is most likely why most of us choose not to make them. However, there are many reasons to make your own gifts, many of which will outweigh the time issue.

Here are 5 of them:

Unique. Handmade gifts are always unique. They have your personal touch - a touch that will always remind your recipients of you when they use your gift. And isn't that what you want?

Fun and Relaxing. Making handmade gifts can be fun and relaxing to make.
No matter which craft you choose, once you get going you'll find your worries and other stress begin to disappear.



Inexpensive. Ha! you might think. But, no really, handmade gifts can be inexpensive. It can be expensive when you first get started as you will need to go out and get all your tools to actually do the craft. But once you have the basic tools, all you need is the material, which in many cases is cheaper than if you were to purchase the gift.
In addition, staying home and crafting is a lot cheaper than going to the movies on Friday nights.



Environmentally Friendly. Making your own gifts can help to save the environment. How you might ask? Because when you make things at home, you are not utilizing large machines that require a lot of energy. You are using your own energy to make the item with your hands. Thus, the need for huge factories is eliminated.

Says You Care. Last but not least, there is nothing that says you care like a handmade gift. Time is the most precious gift that we have today. Simply put, time is money. And by taking the time to make something unique tells the recipient they were important enough for you to take the time and make something for them.



If you need some ideas and want to see how our users did it than visit www.mymisi.com

DIY ~ Thread Wrapped Love Necklace for Mother's Day

Make this amazing Thread Wrapped Love Necklace for Mother's Day. It's amazingly easy and fun.  The supplies are also pretty basic, If you're an avid DIY'er, there's a good chance you have everything on hand!

Supplies:

- Craft wire (I used 24 gauge)
- Embroidery thread, one skein
- Scissors
- Round nosed jewelry pliers
- Chain (length is up to you)
- Clear nail polish (you'll use this in more than one way!)
- Jump rings and jewelry clasp (optional)
- Charm or tassel (optional, not shown)
- Ruler (not shown)

1) Cut a length of wire. About 10 or so inches should be enough. Using the round nosed jewelry pliers, create a loop at one end of the wire.

2) Keeping the skein of thread in tact/in the packaging (this makes it easier to work with), tightly tie the thread near the loop you just made. Triple or quadruple tie it for extra security.

3) Begin tightly wrapping the thread around the wire. I found that it was easier to do this if you hold the entire skein of thread in one hand while wrapping. Be sure to wrap the thread as tight as possible. 

4) Continue wrapping the thread, until you've reached about 9 (or so) inches of wrapped wire.

5) Tightly triple or quadruple knot the thread.

6) Cut off the excess thread, and secure the knot with clear nail polish. Let dry

7) Cut off the excess wire, leaving about half an inch. Use the pliers to create a loop, just like you did earlier.

8) Go back to the end that you started with, and cut off the excess thread. Secure with clear nail polish and let dry.

9) Start creating the "L" at one end. Bend the wire to the left, like the first picture above. Wrap the wire back over to the right, around the pliers as shown above. This will create the bottom portion of the L. 

10) To make the "O", wrap the wire around the cap of the nail polish bottle. This will help guide the general shape. Remove the bottle and mold the "O" as you wish.

11) After you're done with the "O", make the sure the wire is bending up, like the first picture above. Sharply bend it back down to begin the "V". Tighten the sharp bend by squeezing it with the pliers.

12) Bend the wire back up, then horizontally. This will create the "V". 

13) Wrap the wire around and over the pliers for the "e".

14) Bend the wire back up to complete the last letter.

15) Attach the chain to both ends. You can either use jump rings, or simply open up the loops with the pliers. You can also attach the chain to one end of the pendant, so that it hangs differently. It's totally up to you.

16) Attach a charm or tassel, if you'd like. 

Pretty easy! With some practice and playing around, you can create other words as well. 

Via.