I have a favorite boutique gift shop I like to go to for house warming gifts and birthdays. But sometimes, I walk out empty handed because, oh my gosh, the prices! Why are cute home goods so darn expensive?!?

Can you zoom into the price tag on this adorable beaded door knob hanging thingy? Uhhhh, yea, that says $52.00!  Who in the heck pays for this?  Not this mommy. I mean what percentage point has this thing been marked up for retail?  And everything I touch is the same story.  $60 for this?  $130 for that?  What The Hell?  I can make some of these things for like, $5.00.  Maybe less if I look through my crafting stash.  I’ll go home and make the gift myself thank you.

So I do.  You may be thinking, “What a cheap-ass!”  And yes, I am! Because here is my homemade one.

I strung it together in literally 45 minutes for myself as a tester before making the one to give away. And guess what?  It was FREE.  I had the beads leftover from another project.

(These things, because I was not about to pay $98-$198 each at Anthropologie for some brass rings, wooden beads and some hand-tufted yarn.)

But back to the peace sign… The jute string was just lying around.  The metal peace-sign ornament part, I faked out of a thick sheet of cardstock and sprayed it black.  I’ll most likely use acrylic for the gift one because let’s face it, when it’s hanging, no one is going to look at it and think, “This would look sooooo much better if it was forged out of steel!”

I get it.  Sometimes we have to drop a wad of cash for that last minute, “Oh shit, I forgot about that party” or the occasional, “I have to get her that because she will absolutely love it” type of gift.  I’ve done it plenty of times through gritted teeth.  But if I have the time, I believe that a gift is from the heart, right?  It doesn’t have to boast a hefty price tag to make it heartfelt.

Labor is expensive.  My time is precious just like everyone else’s, but I make the time.  I enjoy sitting down for a good craft sesh.  Some of the best afternoons have been spent whilst getting together with my crafty mommy tribe and hey, we split the costs.  We are constantly on the lookout for fun things to make together and it’s an excellent excuse to gather, gossip, eat cheese, drink wine (sparkling beverage in my case) and most importantly, laugh. After an afternoon of letting our kids play as we create, we all get to go home with tired kids, cute projects to adorn our homes with (or to give away) and blushed cheeks from that last glass of vino we could have done without.

Of course I’ll keep shopping in my favorite boutique stores, but unless I can’t possibly make it, my money stays in my pocketbook and I craft.  I refuse to pay $52.00 for 18 beads and a charm.  The satisfaction of doing it myself far outweighs the ease of, “just buy it and call it a day.”

Other changes for the gift: In keeping with the original, use only one color and size for the beads, make the peace sign bigger and possibly thinner and use better jute string/tie the knots nicer… Total cost for the real deal?  Give or take $8.00 plus whatever you charge for your labor of love and some cheese…

Stay Cheap and Crafty!

-K

Bit of a hiatus…  But for good reason.  I just got back from 8 weeks in Japan for our summer vacation.  Not that I couldn’t have posted from abroad, but honestly, I was busy entertaining the kids while traveling across the islands via plane, train, boats and eating waaaaaay too much sushi.

The one overwhelming thing I came away with during my travels has to do with nakedness. Japanese women are cover-uppers.  I brought a bunch of tank tops and shorts because I knew it would be hotter than balls and as humid as a jungle at the equator, but I noticed that not a lot of women bare their shoulders.  Why haven’t I noticed this before??? Probably because I have not spent a lot of time in Japan during the summer…  And also maybe because I’m now a mom and I notice these things in my old age?  Even young girls seemed to dress more on the conservative side with their shoulders and legs covered. Quite a change from what my Southern California roots are used to seeing where teens and even young girls don the shortest skirts and shorts and where crop tops and bare shoulders are the norm on a hot summer day.  I, as a mom of a “certain” age felt a bit under-dressed whenever I was roaming around the country and especially when I was around a temple/shrine, which we visited quite a few in Kyoto, I felt the need to layer to look respectable.  Bare shoulders and even longer length mom shorts seemed like too much skin was exposed.

Then, there are the public baths and hot springs.

There, modesty goes out the window!  If you’ve been to a Korean Spa here in the States, you know the drill.  Undress (completely), put clothes in a basket or a locker, walk into a communal bathing area (naked), shower off next to another naked lady (no individual stalls), dip into a large communal bath tub, enjoy the view.  (Not of the other ladies in the bath, but the actual view which is usually of a scenic mountainside, the ocean, or nature of some sort.

Some people State-side may think this is weird.  All this nakedness in front of complete strangers.  But every Japanese person thinks this is totally normal.  Public baths and Onsen (public hot springs) are everywhere and families go to these places as destination locales for family vacations.  I encourage anyone traveling to Japan to get over their personal body issues and partake in some communal bathing.  It’s awesome!

After a hot, 100% humidity day out and about, nothing feels better than a bath.  As a matter of fact, during any time of the year a good, long, relaxing bath feels good.  At one location I was in an Onsen with my cousin.  Yes, fully naked and it was totally normal. No weirdness, no judgement, because what’s to judge?  Just smiles and a cold beverage afterwards as we walked out in our Ukata robes to our rooms.  Everyone’s doing it and so should you!

Get naked and love the body you were given!

-K