DIY Gifting: Part 5, Why Handmade with Amy Hornburg Heilveil

Now that the holidays are over, making gifts is probably the last thing on your mind.  However, now that all the brouhaha has died down and the nights are long, I think this is the best time to get ahead on crafting projects.  
So, bust out those needles and knit that hat for your cousin in Ohio or start making a love journal for your favorite valentine.  
Amy Hornburg Heilveil gifts us with her crafting know-how once again and dishes the skinny on why handmade is what the cool kids like.  The cloak she made for her daughter would make a wonderful gift this time of year.  

"One of the things that is so refreshing is how much my daughter adores any article of clothing that someone has taken the time to make for her. I've made her costumes for Halloween for the past two years. Each costume cost me less than $20 in materials and she was pleased as punch with both of them. 

She was also the envy of several other children both times, as they did turn out well. The first year she wanted to be a pumpkin and the second year, Mu Shu from the movie, "MuLan". 

This year for Channukah, I decided that she needed a more formal coat for winter. I don't care to take her to nice dinners at grandma's house wearing her play 'winter coat'.  The outer fabric for the cape I made is a cotton flannel that I'd had for a couple of years, thinking to make something of this sort for her. The collar is a bit of black velveteen that I inherited with my grandmother's fabric stash, and the lining is a low profile purple fleece to help keep her warm. 

Boy, this thing is very warm too; I was amazed.  

I didn't think we were going to get it off of her when we got to grandma's house. Since it was done in starts and stops, the cloak took about a week to make, which translates into approximately 5 hours, at the most and it's unique to her, you can't find stuff like this in a store."

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DIY Gifting: Part 4, Making Cards with Amy Hornburg Heilveil

I've been excited to see this blog thread continue over the last few months and so happy that Amy volunteered to participate.  Amy has mad skills when it comes to almost anything artsy/craftsy and is one of the few people who juggle more hobbies than I do, so I knew she would have loads of DIY gifting experience.  

As many folks feel so overwhelmed by the mass commercialism during the holiday season, making gifts gets us all out of the malls, so we can spend more time at home. The last couple of weeks I've been  baking like a madwoman.  While doing so, I'm helping my son study for science or talking to my mom on the phone.  My husband and son also look forward to partaking in my baking endeavors and their taste testing skills are most necessary to ensuring my cookies will be enjoyed:)  
Amy is a fabulous baker, but one thing I didn't know until recently is that she makes gorgeous handmade cards.  Here's Amy's DIY gifting idea #1 in her own words, which I might have to do for my grandma next year.   

"With all of the papers and stamps available today, it's simple to make cards to give to people, but how about making a package of cards to give to someone so that they can give the cards away?  Several members of my family express how much the enjoy getting cards from me for occasions because I make my own and they find them beautiful and unusual. 
This year I decided to make up several packages of cards to give as gifts.  Pictured are three of the 'assortments' that I've given as Channukah gifts, which went over wonderfully."









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