Personal touch: DIY gifts that you can still make this month

WASHINGTON – Good gifts come from the heart. Better gifts come from the heart … and hands.

This holiday season, consider making a present for your loved one.

The folks at The Lemon Collective in Northwest D.C. have abundant inspiration to bring out the crafter in you. The shared creative space hosts workshops where participants can learn such skills as terrarium arrangement and hand lettering.

Sure, you can always buy a thoughtful item. But spending your time instead on a gift makes a project even more significant, said Lily Cox, a partner at The Lemon Collective.

“The way I like to look at the currency of gift giving is you have resources which are your money, which you can use to buy gifts, or your time, which you can use to spend on making something,” she said. “So part of what your friend is receiving when you give them a gift is the gift of the time that you spent on making this thing. So, it is a very personal thing.”

One tip though, before you take on a project: Don’t go for something overly complicated.

“There is a very funny rule in the crafting community … that you shouldn’t knit anyone you really love a sweater — especially a boyfriend. Because no one will ever understand how much time went into it, and they’ll never fully appreciate it,” said Holley Simmons, a co-founder of The Lemon Collective. “So perhaps not a full garment.”

If you’re intent on crocheting your way through December, a homemade gift can also be a budget-friendly option.

“This is also good for people that don’t want to spend half of their paycheck on friends and family, but still want to spread the love around,” said Cox.

Many people learn to craft from friends or relatives, and practicing those skills is often an exercise in remembering those individuals. It adds another layer of meaning to your handmade gift.

“When you make something, you’re sharing a part of you with somebody. Whether that’s your love of knitting that your grandmother has taught you — it’s a way for you to remember your grandma as you’re doing it,” said Simmons. “It’s super-personal.”

There is still time to learn a new skill, or practice an old one, at The Lemon Collective. You can sign up this month for a holiday wreath-making workshop, or go a little more modern and learn how to make a geometric wreath.

“Leave your inhibitions at the door when you come in here, and just relax into it,” Cox said.

“Just come prepared to have a good time,” Simmons added. “All of our classes are meant to be accessible to everybody, affordable, easy — we try to have everybody leave with something by the end of a workshop.”

Minimalist geometric wreath tutorial What you’ll need: *Flowers
*Foliage
*Moss
*Floral tape
*Floral wire
*Clippers
*Metal hoop Instructions: To make this modern take on a wreath, Cox explains that you’ll begin by making two small bouquets to attach to a metal hoop. -Trim your selected plants. -Make two bouquets and secure with floral tape (stretch the tape to activate its adhesive). -Then secure the bouquets to the hoop, end to end, using green floral wire. -Let some of the foliage hang loosely to give the wreath body. -Add a focal point with larger flowers by making a small bouquet. -Wrap this bouquet with wire to help secure it to the metal hoop. -Position the small bouquet where the larger two bouquets meet, securing with wire. -Add more natural items, such as moss, using a glue gun. -Decide on the angle for the twine to hang the wreath, and you’re done!

Holiday-themed flower crown tutorial What you’ll need: *Thick gauge wire
*Thin gauge wire
*Clippers
*Evergreen clippings
*Succulents Instructions: -Join two pieces of the thick gauge wire to fit your head, but don’t yet form a circle. -Starting at one end, use the thin wire to attach the evergreen onto the thicker wire to create a base. -Trim any bits of green that poke out too much. (Bonus: Simmons suggested using these trimmed bits as decorative gift toppers!) -Make sure to leave a little wire at the end so the crown can be secured on your head. -Work in sprigs of a different-type evergreen for added texture. -Now, you’ll work in your succulents. -To start, expose the stem of the plant and snip it at the base. Simmons recommended keeping the succulents after you’ve worn the crown. You can remove the plants from the crown, then place the succulents on some soil and give them time to re-root. -Wire the succulent: Take the thin gauge wire and go up through the bottom of the succulent, in the middle. Push the wire through, and crimp it at the top to create a small hook. Then, pull the hook down into the succulent and use the remaining wire to attach it to the crown. -Repeat the process with a couple of more succulents, attaching them in a cluster shape on the crown. -Try it on for size, then twist together the wire ends in the back – and voila!