mary jane dodd
i consider myself fortunate that 3 souls chose me to mother them -
but when the holidays approach and i have 2 teen aged boys, dread settles in...
my 20 yr. old daughter is easier to gift... i can make her handmade things & find all kinds of wonderful items on etsy (thanks to heather powers for a great post the other day)...
and then there are the boys - (who i love with all my heart, but struggle to get things for... of course, i could buy all kinds of stuff for stuff's sake... but i prefer not to do that - though one can get desperate)
one will wear a necklace and has a favorite charm from beth hemmila on leather that he wears almost daily...
the other doesn't wear jewelry at all...
the younger one likes to skateboard - and i knew that at the skate shops, people will leave their broken decks when they get new ones...
what if?
so i called a local shop, and yes, he had some decks -
here are a few of my first beads cut from them...
they obviously need sanding and i learned to try to peel the grip tape off first... but they have potential and i quite like the layered look of them...
my other son loves vinyl records - our own barbara did a post on using those... hey, barbara, think you can help me out?
how are you doing shopping for your kids? with money tight for so many families how do you balance their excitement with your reality?
and if you have any great ideas for teen aged boys (or girls or kids of any age), please send them along!
4 comments:
Thanks for the post! It got my mind going about my grown sons in terms of handmade. I make gifts for my adult children. I do that, not only because it saves money, but also, because it is more meaningful. My daughter is my youngest (22) and I still need to remind her that these gifts will be gifts that will be cherished long after the play station is outdated. I just got some simple ideas in my head for guys necklaces using my copper tubes!
MaryAnn
I have 3 teen grandsons & struggle every year trying to come up with something handmade for them. My daughters & granddaughters are easy. Boys, not so much. I'm really stuck this year & I'd WELCOME any ideas!
I have 3 teen grandsons & always have trouble coming up with ideas for handmade gifts. My daughters & granddaughters are easy. Ideas for this year haven't come to me yet & I'm struggling. I'd welcome ANY boy gift ideas! (One year I did a cold connection key chain; another I did a sort of crude, masculine cross on a leather cord.)
This is what you do. Ask them each to make a very long Christmas list. You want a long one so that you can pick from it (or not at all) and they will still be surprised. Ask them to include things they like from $1 - $100. Your price range might be different. ALso if it is something they saw in a particular shop tell them to list the name of the store as well. Tell them to put a star next to their favorite 3 things. Now you don't have to pick from the list but you get a real good idea what they are into and chances are you will buy them exactly what their heart desires. I did that with my 3 teenage girls years ago and I still do it with my husbands.
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