Homemade Gifts. AIBU or is he?

[WonderLime]

This evening, whilst stuck under a sleeping baby, I’ve spend the evening browsing Pinterest. I’ve seen some great home made gift ideas and I was feeling really inspired.

DP comes home and I tell him about my idea to make a homemade gift for my Secret Santa present this year, as I think I can do something really cool with a limited budget (I’d been thinking bath bombs and sugar scrubs as they look easy).

DP says that ‘no one appreciates home made gifts unless they are really, really good - and anyway, it will end up costing you more’.

I’d told him just today how I’d been feeling quite low and fed up being on maternity leave, so it was nice to feel excited about something. However now I feel disheartened and don’t see the point anymore.

AIBU thinking about making home made gifts, or was his response unreasonable?

Speakout you could say what realm it’s in surely? Quilting? Making crafting tools? Distressing furniture?

Thanks Madmags Honestly not too hard a craft to do

50k a year selling mysterious craft items you've handmade? What? Have you sold franchises all over the country? That's a staggering amount of profit.

I have nothing to gain by inventing stories.

I love making things. I like to think I'm a good baker and good cook (and have the certificates to prove it from the village show) and I have in the past made things like tablet, fudge, chilli jam, chutney or marmalade for gifts. I've also made knitted scarves or hats.

I'd be really offended to think that someone had looked at a jar of jam and started the "eww, germs, so DIRTY and not made in a factory" shite. Any germ that survives in boiling sugar is a very rare germ indeed.

Any idiot can dash into Tesco and grab some toiletry sets on a 3 for 2 promotion in 2 seconds flat. Making things takes time and effort and even if the gift isn't to my personal taste I appreciate the huge amounts of time and effort it's taken to make something. Luckily my family appreciate that too.

I would be very tempted to make my DP a lovely hat, made from pubes, belly button fluff and baby sick after his comments

Have a go at making something, you never know, it might turn out much better than any shop product!

someone who is trying to put some effort in for people she cares about

See that’s the thing, I don’t think this is about “I want to do something for people I care about” I think it’s shes bored so fancies doing this to occupy herself. So it’s more about her than the person she wishes to give to.

I’m sure those posting are fabulous at what they do, but honestly, home made gifts usually look like the cheapo option, and the quality isnt Great. But you have to say “omg did you make that, god you’re so creative/clever/fabulous, I could never do that” . Then periodically throughout the year follow it up with “god I loved that, could you make more”, which makes the person think they are delia Smith/Damien hurst.

The op should defo do it, just for herself first off, that’s all that’s being said.

I don’t make anywhere near the profit speakout does but my business does ok. All handcrafted items in a niche area and I have a rolling order book so there’s always something needing doing.
Currently sold out of 2 of my lines and waiting on a large order of materials.

It really depends on what you are making, I don’t make candles but those that do are making a killing at the moment and I can see how someone could make that kind of money there. They seem quite simple to make but my area is saturated with sellers so I opted for something different

My point is that if there is a market for handmade gifts (and there really is) then there are obviously people who want them.

Often a home made gift comes across as people just being a cheapskate and not wanting to spend the money 😬. Obviously unless you are professional at whatever you are making. Here’s something I made earlier 💩💩💩💩

Poppy but you’re making jam because you like to make it. The giftee isn’t obliged to like it.

It’s not being done with anyone other than you in mind!

Often a home made gift comes across as people just being a cheapskate and not wanting to spend the money

Some people don't have much money, why has Christmas become all about money. If you aren;t religious it's an exchanging of gifts and time to be with family. the gifts don't have to be any more than tokens, but people for some reason feel obliged to spend huge amounts on ridiculous overpriced stuff no one wants(eg those ludicrous £50 advent calendars etc.) Give me a pot of home made jam over that kind of exploitative shit any day.

Not having a lot of disposable income and not bowing to commercialism doesn't make you a cheapskate.
Don't get me started on Secret Santa - just another excuse for grabbiness, these are presents for people you'd never normally buy for.

I also sell my handcrafted work. Not to the tune of thousands a year, I might add, but I do sell and get great pleasure out of making things from fabric and leather.

I have somebody a mulled wine kit I made once from BBC food website. They said it was one of the nicest presents they have ever received.

Go onto the Christmas board and look at the Poncetastic thread you will probably that a bit more supportive. Some of the stuff on there is amazing

One year I made home made presents and I made some dried apricots in a brandy syrup for my grandparents. They asked for it every year after

I've never been thrilled with Secret Santa presents anyway. I'd rather get some homemade jam than the Poundshop bubble bath and soap set I got last year.

I'm puzzled why people think homemade food is unhygienic btw. Jam especially- it's boiled for hours at high temperature.

Well I now know for sure who my SS and luckily, she is the one colleague I still meet up for coffees with on a regular basis.

I am going to make some bath bombs anyway, but I’ve decided for SS I will do as suggested upthread and make a traybake, cut into squares and put into a jar. My SS loves home baked goods but doesn’t like baking herself so they should go down very well.

A bath bomb would give me thrush.

I do chutney, chilli jam, and Christmas cakes but only gift them to those who express an interest in them first.

I crochet and quilt so for a new baby I'd make a blanket.

Your DH is right though, home creations can get pricey, and you end up spending far more than the gift is actually worth. It's my hobby so I do it for that rather than to save money.

I do home-made presents but:

a) only for people who I know will like them,
b) they are in addition to a bought present not instead of.

I have a recipe for fruity Christmas biscotti which I make every year and it goes down very well.
This year I have made some damson gin as well.

well well this thread is an eye opener....

I'm stupidly curious as to what speakout makes...though if its so cheap on raw materials I can see why she won't spill the beans...

Is it beans?

It's always easier if your secret santa is a friend Wonder. I'm sure she'll appreciate the effort, thought (and Mumsnet research ) you're putting in.

I couldn't work out why Speakout was being so enigmatic and cryptic either Morph!
I think it's candles or those reed diffuser things. Are reeds cheap?
Speakout is not speaking out.

I made a homemade body scrub and essential oil rollers for my secret santa at the office last year. The girl I gave them to loved them! However, I already had a lot of ingredients and I was making several for other people too. Go for it!

Op make a huge jar of luxury bath milk for you! Stick some rose petals and a vanilla pod in a sealed glass jar mixed with a whole tub of nido. Leave for a few weeks to infuse and hey presto - about 6 luxury baths for the price of 1 lush bath bomb! Milk powder is AMAZING for your skin.