Gifts from the heart

Handmade presents, no matter how simple, speak volumes

Gifts from the hands often connect with the heart.

That's one reason, says Sonya Nimri, why it's such fun for kids to make the gifts they give. Nimri, an artist, costume designer, musician and cultural tour leader, also works as chief executive crafter for Klutz, a publisher of kids' activity books.

"Giving something that you made yourself makes it so much more special, more personal, more memorable."

Whether it's a gift for friends or family, whether it's made from a kit or made from scratch, she says, "it's something only they can give. There's a part of themselves in it."

And it teaches about giving in more meaningful ways than if they bought something with their parents' money, as is often the case, she says.

But the kids get a lot more out of the process. Making even simple gifts "can improve motor skills, can help develop and improve confidence, can teach skills, can lead to better self-esteem," says Nimri.

Ideas for simple gifts are unlimited.

Here are some of Nimri's suggestions: knitted or crocheted hat or scarf; T-shirt decorated with your own iron-on design; picture tag accessories such as necklaces, zipper-pulls, backpack tags; twirled paper or other decorative notecards; boondoggle keychains; beaded necklaces, rings and other jewelry; beaded bobby pins; embroidered handkerchiefs; friendship bracelets; picture bracelets; looped potholders; painted rocks. (Klutz has activity books with materials and instructions for many of these; supplies are also available at local craft stores.)

"Making gifts is a way for kids to be creative, for parents to nurture creativity," she says. And so much of that carries over to other areas. "You just never know what is going to spark wonder and curiosity, what will empower kids to be creative, but you need to nurture that side."

Nimri knows that from her own life. Her mother is from Thailand and her father from Jordan, and she was born in California, so she always had a multicultural dimension to her life. Because her parents also worked a lot, "I was left to amuse myself. I would create my own little worlds. I would make my own fun. I feel like that's lacking for a lot of kids today. They get too much stimulation from the media and electronics, and it lets them down. If you know how to make your own fun, you're never bored."

Nimri got into crafts in the sixth grade when she and a friend started making earrings and pins to sell at a school Christmas bazaar. "They sold really well, so we kept going."

Now, she enjoys many forms of artistic expression, including sculpting, mosaics, painting, cooking, cake decorating, redoing furniture and knitting. She has traveled extensively and led cultural tours to Paris, but she points out that her "true inspiration comes from a love of working with people and reinventing the ordinary into something extraordinary."

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