By Susan Baldani

When making something homemade, how about keeping a photographic progress chart to include with the gift? Many people may not realize how much work and time goes into handmade items, and showing off the steps can be fun and educational.

For example, if making someone a sweater, first take a picture of the yarn with the knitting needles or a crochet hook. Then, snap more pictures as the item takes shape. You may take one of the arms, the body, and then the finished product. If you’re making someone a bird house, take a picture of the pieces of wood and the tools needed to put it together. Maybe take a pic once it’s fastened together, then one of the painting in progress, and then the completed house.

It will be interesting for the recipients to see what the items started out as and then to see them in all their glory. It will also show the craftsmanship involved, and may even inspire them to make something with their own hands.

Turning pieces of raw materials into something useful and/or pretty is a real gift that possibly the creators don’t even realize they have. But seeing something take shape from beginning to end can bring it to light and allow one to see the magic involved.

Also, taking the time to make someone a homemade gift with your own hands and from your heart is like giving a little piece of yourself. And what says love more than that?

Written for The Country Register, published across the U.S.