The Christmas Challenge 2017.

The present cupboard is depleted.  After a whole year of making gifts and stocking the cupboard with handmade things, plus some bargains found along the way, it is time to start again!
Like last year I want to get going now so that I can have gifts for birthdays, the occasions throughout the year such as Easter and Mothers Day etc and also be working towards next Christmas.

This is one of those projects that has a big impact on more than one area. It is better than a Christmas savings account as you are adding things at a great rices rather than at full price or worse an inflated price like many Christmas Hampers and Clubs. You can do heaps better than that buying during the sales and at massive mark downs after the event. i.e. buying Christmas wrap after Christmas and putting it away for the next year. The savings are just huge.

A stocked gift cupboard means you never have to rush to the stores for an emergency gift. You really always have something on hand or you can cook something and you have the wrappers, tags, tape and everything ready. Another big saving.

Crafts are good for you. I really believe that busy hands make happy hearts. They even know that knitting or crochet lowers blood pressure. Unless you are me attempting cables in which case the reverse is true.
It is tough to think bad thoughts while decorating cards and playing with glitter. You become absorbed in what you are doing and it is so enjoyable! Having something to work on is calming. If you are a worrier or suffer from anxiety at all many crafts are just wonderful and I can say that I need to have crafts going and I am much happier when I do.
There there is the contented at home factor. I would far rather have some crafting time than mall time!

Leaning new skills is good for your brain! Improving your skills gives you a possible source of income as well. There are many benefits. Having a friend over to make cards together is nicer than going out spending money. It can be really social and a way to spend time with someone. If you still have your Nana then sit with her and learn!

My challenge this year is also to use up craft supplies and resources that I have. So I am decluttering and saving money as well.
Crafting may mean you can give to charity too.  There are too many beautiful things that come out of crafting to list.

You can really reduce spending on gifts and I am hoping this helps you to get ahead with your savings, emergency fund, pantry and preparedness!  So we are covering a lot of areas by getting busy and seeing what good things we can make from what we have.

You do not have to be "crafty" to make things. These are things we learn, not that we are born with.

Craft shops are expensive! There are jokes about how much cheaper it is to buy something than make it from all the things you need to buy from the craft store!
BUT if we use mostly what we have or great things we come by then it is another story!

I do get quite a few supplies at thrift shops.  Things I always watch for are lovely vintage sheets especially with roses on them. Sheets give you miles of fabric very cheaply. One time last year I was in an op shop (thrift store) and I was going through all the sheets. The lady there asked if I was Annabel from the Bluebirds are Nesting! This was Jo!  Can you believe that? I said she should be working for Scotland Yard to figure out it was me from the things I was looking for!
 If I want lace I usually look for lace curtains and cut them up.  Sometimes I have found amazing supplies at garage sales as well.

On Monday I said think abut your resources. Even if they are not craft materials you can still make gifts from them!

I have been going through my craft cupboard and making a list.
I have lovely wool fabric and plenty of embroidery threads and ribbons.
There is some crochet cotton and about thirty small balls of pale pink lambswool and angora that Sue gave me.
I have boxes of Lux Flakes and soap moulds.
All the roses I was drying are now ready for use.

There are several beautiful floral sheets washed and ready to sew into something.

I have three boxes of glitter!

There is probably some self help group I should be joining in relation to my glitter collection!

Several packets of blank cards and matching envelopes.

Lovely fabrics, laces and quite a few trims.

Glue, stamps, ink pads. 

And I have a collection of glittery appliqués. They are gorgeous! 

As well as obvious craft supplies I have resources that COULD be made into gifts...

My ever energetic sour dough starter.

A couple of times a year I can get a lot of figs from the farm.

I have a lot of peaches about to come my way.

Endless gum nuts, foliage, grape vine, pinecones....

Bayleaves, Mint, Rosemary and Parsley. 

Deer antlers.

Roses.

Hydrangeas. 

Thats all I can think of! 

Ok, I have heaps and much more than I thought! 

Now the challenge is to find things to make that fit the list of people I will need gifs for. 

What are your supplies and resources? Even if you can't think of anything to make with them we will help! If you look at what you have in terms of what it would cost to go out and buy it all then you start to see the dollar value. Lets turn this all into gifts and possibly some lovely things for our homes as well. 

We will have Show and Tell at the end of every month so lets get busy and start building up our gift cupboards again! 

Hopefully you will soon see some of my supplies made up into things! Soon we will have pretty hot weather. That is a good sewing time for me as I need to stay inside and do something quietly. And I have Hydrangeas to dry. But first I think I will make up some soap and top it with my rose buds!

I hope you are having a good week and off to a great start for 2017! xxx