It’s good to feel loved. It’s even better to make someone else feel loved.

We aren’t all an almond-milk cappuccino.

Some people prefer a flat white with an extra shot, others a long black — it’s all about flavour. And that’s what giving handmade gifts is about; finding the right flavour of love for the person you have in mind.

Every Christmas season, we want to give something that feels personal, not just another thing wrapped in paper. That’s where understanding Love Languages combined with my creative process help you make a great gift. 

Just watch him smile – its very satisfying.

 

What You’ll Take Away

• How to use the Five Love Languages to make your gifts more meaningful.
  
• How the Percolate stage of creativity helps you personalise every make.
  
• Why handmade gifts naturally express every Love Language.
  
• How to use your DIY Gift Bundle to turn inspiration into intention.

 

 

Before we dive in, remember that creativity brews like a good coffee. It needs time.

The ideas in the DIY Gift Bundle, for instance, are your coffee beans — rich with potential.

Now it’s time to grind, blend, and pour them into something personal. That’s where my creative process begins.

 

Step 1: Saturate — Gather Ideas

This is where your creativity starts brewing.

I like to start with no more than three (3) sources of inspiration before I press ahead and do something with them. Otherwise we get in this spiral of research, like hours of scrolling and saving, and at the end all we have is a full inbox and a lot overwhelm. No progress has been made. 

So stick to 3 pieces of inspiration and move on. 

I call these the 3 Ss 

1. Someone else (ask someone whose opinion you value - known and unknown)
   
2. Search (Google, ChatGPT, Pinterest, local library, bookstore)
   
3. Self (reflect on what you already know about the problem)
   

So as a practical example, for Christmas you’ve downloaded your DIY Gift Bundle for Boys & Men — a collection of curated projects like shirts, Dopp kits, and dinosaur tails.

This is your Saturate stage.

You’re gathering inspiration. You’re looking at what’s possible.

Now, before you rush to start cutting fabric, take a pause. Let those ideas sit.

 

 

Step 2: Percolate — Refine the Idea for the Person You Love

This is my favourite part of the creative process.

It’s where ideas blend with intention. You think about who you’re making for. Their personality (I love knowing their Via Character Strengths), their habits, their hobbies and what makes them feel loved.

That’s when your gift stops being a thing and starts becoming a message.
Imagine a cappuccino. It’s not just coffee; it’s the balance of milk, foam and flavour that suits you. The same goes for your gifts. This percolate stage is about getting the flavour just right for them.

Ask yourself:

• What do they love doing?
  
• What makes them feel appreciated?
  
• How can this gift make their lives easier?
  
• How can this gift show that I see them?

That’s the Percolate stage — you’re brewing meaning into your make. When you get this stage right, and you'll know it when you feel it, the rest of the creative process just flows.

 

The Secret Ingredient — Love Languages

If you think this is all a bit woo woo - then so did I.

But I dug a little deeper after reading a book by behaviour researcher, Vanessa Van Edwards, "Captivate".

The "5 Love Languages" by Gary Chapman help explain how people feel loved. It is the secret ingredient to this percolate stage. If you know what their love language is you stitch that in to what you gift them

1. Words of Affirmation – They love kind, sincere words.
   
2. Quality Time – They treasure moments together.
3. Acts of Service – They feel cared for when you do something for them.
4. Gifts – They appreciate thoughtful surprises.
5. Physical Touch – They respond to warmth and comfort.

During one of my Sew-Alongs for Father’s Day, I explained how this works and recorded it for you: 

 

(Father's Day Survey)

Handmade gifts often include all five languages without even trying:

1. The words in your card or stitched label/motif
   
2. The time you spent creating
   
3. The service of making it just for them
   
4. The gift itself, chosen with care
   
5. The touch — the texture, warmth, and feel of the fabric.

That’s why making something by hand always lands deeper than anything store-bought.

 

Match the Gift to Their Love Language

Use the Love Languages to refine your project idea. For example:

Words of Affirmation

Add a label, quote, or small message stitched inside. The card you attach and the words inside always fulfil this love language. It reminds them how much they’re appreciated.

 

Quality Time

Plan a shared project — maybe you sew matching shirts for Christmas and cook together. If cooking is not your thing then lying by the pool together also sounds appealing.

 

Acts of Service

Fix or replace something they use every day. Match it to their favourite hobby. It shows care in a quiet, thoughtful way.

 

Gifts

Focus on presentation — wrap it with purpose, include a story card about why you made it. Or the gift can be the story itself, like I did with a photo album for my husbands birthday. I limited myself to 25 photos from the last 12 months (challenging!!) and had it beautifully bound.

 

Physical Touch

Choose fabrics that feel good to hold or wear — soft cotton, smooth linen, or warm flannel. Even make them smell nice with the worlds most popular scent.

Each Love Language adds depth and detail. This is what makes the Percolate stage so powerful.

 

Use Your DIY Gift Bundle as a Guide

Now open your PDF Bundle.

Treat it like your coffee menu — every project has a different flavour.

Ask yourself:

• Who am I making this for?
  
• What is their Love Language?
  
• Which project idea expresses that best?
  
• Which colour or fabric will make it feel right?

Your bundle gives you the choices. The Percolate stage gives those choices meaning.

 

 

Step 3: Create – there is no creativity unless you make it

 

"Creativity is a process of original ideas that add value."
- Sir Ken Robinson

 

In order to add value you need to make it a reality - to bring it into the world.

So far, you have given time to the first two stages, Saturate and Percolate. There is know prescription as to the right amount of time to be given to these stages, just that you take yourself through them. 

Sometimes these two stages can be very quick because you already know the person you are making for, very well.

But it is important to put all that thinking and reflection into action and actually make it.

 

Step 4: Celebrate 

When the gift is finished, pause to celebrate.

We so often forget to do this stage, but it is the one that gives us a good hit of dopamine so we feel great about doing it again.

 

There are two parts to celebrating:

1. Firstly, give yourself a little tap on the back. Feel quietly chuffed with yourself. 
2. Secondly, notice the reaction when they unwrap it — that smile, that look, that moment. Again knowing their Love Language here is so valuable.

That’s the Celebrate stage. Celebrate with people you value and trust because their reaction is genuine.

 

Step 5: Rejuvenate

Once the rush of Christmas fades, take a break.

That’s Rejuvenate. 

Let your creativity rest before the next wave begins.

 

Key Takeaways

• Handmade gifts express every Love Language.
  
• The Percolate stage is where meaning and creativity meet.
  
• Use the DIY Gift Bundle to move from idea to intention.
  
• Focus on who it’s for, not just what you’re making.
  
• The joy of giving is the best part of making.
   
  

FAQs

How do I know someone’s Love Language?

Two ways:
1.    Ask them to do the Love Languages Quiz.
2.    If they’re not the quiz type, start noticing how they give love. Do they offer help, enjoy quality time, or share kind words? It’s often a blend of two. My video above gives a few examples.

 

I’m short on time. Can a quick project still feel meaningful?

Absolutely. Meaning isn’t measured in hours. A simple handmade gift speaks volumes when it’s made with intention. This is great news particularly if you are a Spontaneous Sewer (do the Sewing Style Quiz to find out).

 

What if the person doesn’t usually like handmade gifts?

Respect that — some people prefer store-bought gifts, and that’s okay.
You can still use the same creative process to choose something thoughtful that suits their taste.

If you’d like to take it a step further though, add a small handmade touch . For example — a leather-bound box with something personal inside that reveals itself when they lift the lid. It’s a quiet way to blend craft and care without overwhelming them. I created a list of 101 gift ideas, there may be something in that for you.

 

How do I stop overthinking what to make as a gift?

Use the creative process.

Start at Saturate but don't stay there. Find 3 pieces of inspiration and move on to the Percolate stage. Here you think about who it’s for, and pick one idea that feels right. This is where you get them to do the Love Language Quiz.

Then Create it. The meaning comes from making. Trust the process.

 

Ready to Keep Creating?

If this has you thinking about how you approach making — whether you plan, play, or dive straight in — my Sewing Style Quiz is an interesting next step.

In just a few minutes, you’ll discover whether you’re a Planner, Creative Maker, or Spontaneous Sewer, and how that shapes the way you sew and give.

✨ Take the quiz below and find your sewing style.