Trend: Crafting Up Some Gifts

We love it when we’re on-trend. Earlier this month, we showed you how to make really cute button earrings and how to embroider a notebook. We thought crafts would make really thoughtful gifts. And apparently the rest of the country did also because craft sales are up.  Noticing less figures in their bank balances, holiday gift-givers have decided to make their presents or purchase handmade items from others. “With the recession, people are looking for ways to save money, and doctors are recommending [crafting] as a major form of stress relief,” said Victor Domine, a spokesman for the Craft & Hobby Association trade group. One woman stitched cable-knit coffee sleeves for her friends to use instead of the cardboard ones. But creativity-challenged gift-givers are also choosing to go the handmade route, purchasing gifts from our favorite online marketplace Etsy and others. [New York Times]