kattitudes

It has been a busy year. Around my house, we are living the effects of the same economic downturn with which most of America seems to be dealing. Fortunately, we have plenty available to keep us busy earning money.

Now, more than ever, it is important for us to look back at the skills that our parents and grandparents held, and focus on learning to do for ourselves. Prices for everything have increased so much, that trying to find the money for gifts and things of the sort is often quite the challenge.

I have always focused on making gifts just because I really enjoy the effort it takes to make something. I find pleasure in giving something of my talents and my sweat to a cherished one, knowing that I am giving not just a material item, but a gift of my time and my love.

However, these days, more than just the pleasure of giving a handmade gift is at stake. Now, the prices for items has skyrocketed, including, unfortunately, the costs of supplies to make gifts. Now, more than ever, it is important to learn some frugality, and make the best financial decisions possible.

The holiday season is nearly upon us, and as such, if you are planning on making gifts so as to save some cash, it is time to get working.

I will start posting gift suggestions tomorrow. With luck, I might even be able to get some accomplished this evening. Either way, we need to dig in and get things underway.

As I said earlier, it has been a long, lean year around here. I have been making and selling my jewelry for some time now. Goodness, it has been rewarding, but it is a challenge sometimes to know that you are taking hard-earned money for an item that in reality is not truly necessary (after all, who really needs jewelry to survive?). The pleasure and peace I find in building pieces counterbalances the madness of the financial situation out there.

With luck (and practice), you might just find a particular gift making skill that brings you the same joy and peace that I find. I am going to do my best to give you as many ideas as possible so as to help you find that place of enjoyment.

Email me if you have any suggestion for items you would like to make or questions about how to get things made.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 16th, 2008 at 4:23 pm and is filed under kat chat. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.