Just because it’s hand made, doesn’t mean it was cheap.

My little sister recently sent me this photo, which sparked some hurt feelings. Do people really think that handmade is cheaper?

If you’ve been lucky enough to receive a hand made gift from me, you would be well aware of the hours (yes, hours) of research that goes into such a gift. It isn’t a simple OMG I SAW IT ON PINTEREST AND CAN TOTES DO THAT moment. I think of you, me, our relationship, what you like, more importantly what you don’t like (or can’t eat).

Once that delicate decision has been made there is then finding the items required to make said item/s. Can I easily source things online? Do I need to make a special trip out to a specialist store to get this. Is that the best way to have this work?

There is constant tweaking and fine tuning that goes on.

Then once I am satisfied with the idea, product and materials I always do a test run to ensure that the final product is something that I’m happy with. By the time you add up my hourly rate, as well as the materials sourced the final product is a lot more expensive then something mass produced that I could have gotten you on the mad rush from work to the train station home. Usually the materials alone are more expensive then a simple store bought gift.

So why do I bother? Because I probably really like you and think that you deserve my time and effort. If that isn’t a good enough reason then go visit Grumpy Cat for some tough love.

On a better note here are a few of my planned DIY projects. I’m a huge fan of buying vintage style furniture from a local auction house and making it distinctly my own.