Handmade With Love

I recently attended the One of a Kind Holiday Show in Chicago at the Merchandise Mart with a couple of my friends.  The One of a Kind Show is an extraordinary holiday shopping event that features fine art and craft from hundreds of artists, designers and makers.  All products are handmade, from giftable craft to fine art.  

Although I don’t consider myself an artist and I am definitely not a designer, the show certainly inspired me with a few ideas of handmade goodies that I could for-sure create for my friends and family.   My family seems to prefer unique handmade gifts over store-bought, so each Christmas I create a gift using a little bit of talent and a lot of love.  (Last year it was Family Heirloom Cookbooks.) 

This year I decided to make Microwavable Bowl Warmers.  How often do we heat something in the microwave and get our fingers burnt when trying to remove it?  I thought of my dad who has oatmeal from the microwave every morning, my sick friend who heats soup from the microwave when she feels like eating, and my busy adult children who use their microwaves more than their ovens.  I went to google and searched “how to create a microwavable bowl warmer” and was able to create these cute little gems.  All I needed was pieces of fabric (10 X 10), microwave safe batting and my sewing machine.  For gift presentation, I placed a snowflake ceramic bowl inside of the finished warmer along with a package of organic soup and goldfish crackers, and it made a nice handmade gift for family and friends.     

Another easy and fun idea was the funny flour sack towels.  One of the artists had an entire exhibit of dozens of flour sack towels with funny sayings.  We had fun just reading them!  After researching the various ways to create these towels such as silk screening and transfer paper, I decided that the best option for me was the transfer paper.  Create the image/quote on your computer, send it to the printer using transfer paper and iron it on a flour sack towel.  It was easy and a lot of fun to create! 

When it comes to Christmas, I’m very traditional.  Although I still do my part at boosting the economy at Christmastime by buying for family and friends, a big part of tradition for me means sharing handmade things with people you love - giving a part of yourself to the recipient.    

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