handmade gifts

All of the Christmas decorations have now been put away in our house and the quiet feeling of January has set in.  However, before we all officially move on from Christmas, I thought I'd share a little about some of the handmade goodness that we gifted this year.  I love giving meaningful, useful, and thoughtful gifts and with my love for crafting, I often find myself making quite a few gifts during the holiday season.  This year a few of my favorites were mittens for all of the nieces and nephews (note: 2 year old boys do not find mittens to be exciting, nor something they want to try on for a photo shoot...), a huge infinity scarf for my husband (I used this pattern with a worsted weight), peppermint lip balm (with a mixture of coconut and olive oils), candles, and rosemary-lavender salt scrub (with a mixture of epsom and kosher salts).   

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I just love making and giving handmade gifts.  It just feels the way gift-giving should feel.  I love how it takes planning, time, and effort to create something--and not just anything, but a specific something for a specific person.  To me, it's a much more meaningful and enjoyable way to give gifts.  

How about you?  Did you make any gifts this year??