[waterbuffalofarmer]

 When I was younger I remember I watched my brother craft a mandolin, he bent the wood over a really hot fire and then welded everything together with glue; It was like watching a genius at work. Another thing he made was a baulser wooden toy boat, as a present for me, brilliant craftsmanship and I still have it to this day, although a little dusty and cobwebby. Can anyone remember the best gifts they have made or watched being made. Would love to hear your comments guys.

[Lesley Silvester]

My daughter loved the farm her father made when she was little. It was very simple with a painted pond and wooden 'hedges'. We bought some animals and it was played with for years, first by her, then her brother and finally her younger brother before it was passed on to friends' children.


Money was very tight when the children were small and my elder boy's birthday is 4th January. Just before his sixth birthday, I realised I had no money left to get him a present. What I did have though was a load of sewing patterns for children's clothes and some off-cuts of fabric. I combined a boiler suit pattern with a hood from a duffel coat which I made in brown, then added a tail and ears, found some fur fabric to attach as a mane and tuft on the tail and Voila! one lion costume. He wore it to school every day until I prised it off him to go in the wash - the tail had been trailed through numerous puddles. He wanted to wear it in bed as well. Looking back, I see it was a fore runner for today's onesies but he loved that present more than any other. There was also the year I couldn't scrape up the money for a card for him so got a length of till roll and wrote all the words of Happy birthday to you in different coloured letters, together with musical notes dotted around. Attached to a twig either end and rolled into a scroll, he loved it and his big sister asked if she could have one for her birthday.