This is the wrong time of year to be thinking about handmade gifts. There are four days left until Christmas (for those of us that celebrate it) and of those days 3 of them are work days. I love my job, but crafting a beautiful present and the day job do not go hand in hand.
I don't know how anyone else eeks out a little more craft time, but for me it seems to be the mornings, the early early mornings. Today I woke up at 3:30. I just knew I needed to get up and get things done. I made scones (a variation on this recipe), did all of the internet-based things I do in the early AM (mostly read my web comics and play Kingdom of Loathing), and did almost an hour of hand sewing.
Usually the crafting time is in relative short supply. 20 minutes during my commute, 15 minutes in the cafeteria over breakfast, 40 minutes over lunch and then whatever I get in the evening. It isn't enough time for a comprehensive or complex project (no blankets in the next 4 days), but it is enough time to work something in pieces. Little projects or simple tasks.
I've been making moustaches for your finger. I did 3 of them during the show and gave them to the other members of the tenor chorus, but now it is time to make some more for my friend's children for the holidays. It isn't a big gift, but it is handmade, and it is full of potential. Silliness and games for all.
