DIY: Steampunk keychain

This past Christmas one of my friends on facebook posed a question regarding homemade gifts.  She wondered if they were still appreciated in this day of "money can buy anything."  What if they weren't exactly your style?  Or if they were done a bit shabbily or resembled a doorstopper (like the fruitcake I've been gifting for the past couple of years)?  The resounding answer was YES!  It seems that home-sewn or -crafted or -baked goods are always appreciated for the time and effort the Giver puts in.  And as a Giver of so many homemade things over the years (dishtowels seem to be my favorite here and here),  I'd have to agree.  The gift doesn't need to be extravagant, just sincere.  Homemade gifts require a bit more forethought, more understanding of the Recipient.   To that point, I thought I'd share a small gift that my daughter made for my husband.


Knowing that Dad had a growing love of steampunk, my daughter scrounged bits and pieces from her various collections that she stores under her bed (that could be a blog post entirely of its own).  She secreted herself away in her bedroom and glued to her heart's content. 

But the special engraving on the reverse side of the large brass gear really finishes it.  Our local jeweler was able to add "I love you! Regina" in a small font.  This is why homemade will always be better than storebought.  Mr Schimstock loved it and uses it every day.  Children will forever be scrounging and creating homemade gifts.  Encourage them.  And display them proudly.  No telling where this may lead.  At ten years old, my daughter can't decide if she wants to be an engineer or museum curator.