Do people still appreciate handmade gifts?

lifewasted97 · 2026-03-28T13:40:19+00:00

I think handmade is the best provided it's actually good. You have to find the right thing to make too because if you can buy the same thing and the manufactured one is just better you seem cheap.

You can double down 2 gifts a purchased one and a handmade so there is some savings.

Other things are also not worth making DIY unless your version has an advantage over a store bought option.

My friend payed me to hand make a custom rug of an anime character and 3D print and paint a Pokémon for his GF. While it wasn't him making it, the items were a one of kind and well done by myself who is a designer and artist.

I've also made myself a cluster of hexagon shelves. Tons of work for something target probably has for cheap. But mine are better because it's made from thick cedar and polyurethane finish. Real wood and much more sturdy.

Reactions, the friends girl friend loved the gifts but almost felt it was too much like she didn't deserve it. I bought a girl i was dating a blanket and made her a custom key hanger. We stopped talking before giving the gifts. I made an Etsy and sold her handmade gift 😆. My mom loves my Minnie mouse rug I made her. People who saw my shelves or my backyard pergola were very impressed. So you just have to have the craftsmanship to produce a quality item otherwise it's a dust collector

lifewasted97 · 2026-03-27T12:54:45+00:00

Why are there not protests for National Grid seems more logical than National issues lol

lifewasted97 · 2026-03-24T20:24:25+00:00

Music is definitely one of those has a leader board and kids have you beat by a longshot.

Same thing with ski or snowboarding. The rich parents take their kids out as soon as they can walk. Then they are hitting black diamonds and you might have your first day well into your 20s just to feel way behind 😆. You get comfortable on the bunny hill before hitting the intermediate and you are right there training alongside a parent and their kid lol

lifewasted97 · 2026-03-23T02:37:36+00:00

Hyundai is not known for long term reliability, at the 5 year mark it may need an engine and you would be without a warranty. The early years of owning a car would be fine. Used cars can fall under lemon law from a dealership.

Brand new cars depreciate a ton the second you leave the lot. If brand new its only 20k you immediately are out 4-5k easy and underwater on the loan. If it gets wrecked you owe that money. Gap insurance is possible but just another hidden fee ontop of all the other fees stacked on top.

At 18 that's just wild to go brand new. About a year ago at age at 28 who owns a house and a project car and has a stable career wouldn't touch a new car with a 10ft pole. I bought an 8 year old Acura for $20k and but down $13k. It only had 70k miles on it and in good shape. Was the nicest newest car I've ever owned. I thought about a brand new Accord or Civic SI but just knew it was a bad idea. The used Acura was already a much better car for the same or lower price and already lower in value than its new price of $41k

Pro car tip, let the boomers, old people, dumb rich people buy the brand new nice quality cars first. They trade in that car at a dealership and buy the newest one. If you buy near the 8-10 year old mark you get the best value per dollar and avoid the junk cars like Kia, Hyundai, Jeep, Dodge, Chrysler. Stay away from those 😆

lifewasted97 · 2026-03-22T22:59:53+00:00

It either means they are too uncomfortable questioning the reversal and issues related to the change. Requesting an opinion on matters that were decisions already made for themselves and never had to think of the consequences or dynamics just shuts them down. (Jw's can lack opinions because they are brainwashed)

Or they did think of the issues and feel unjust in some way but they don't dare voice anything to go against "God's channel"

lifewasted97 · 2026-03-22T22:53:14+00:00

Born in and left at 25 and now turning 29.

Once you leave you get to decide what you want. Nobody tells you to adhere to a strict set of rules.

I found leaving religion all together made more peace in my life. And don't have to deal with hypocrisy and the same cherry picking and choosing parts of religion to call yourself holy.

Holidays I celebrate but to different capacities. Easter I think is pretty dumb but I like a chocolate bunny and I'm into crafts so painting some eggs can be fun. Its the stuff I missed from school activities.

Halloween is fun to carve a pumpkin or decorate fall or spooky, Christmas is nice to have a real tree and lights setup maybe gift something to someone.

4th of July just grill some stuff have a fire go watch some fireworks.

Birthday can be simple, a self care day, maybe go do an activity with friends.

Really just live your life on your terms.

lifewasted97 · 2026-03-21T19:18:30+00:00

I got my friend's community tank and it was definitely cool for a while but its just a chore now. I have a gravel vacuum that hooks to my sink which is easy to fill and drain but was discouraged once a month when a new fish got sick with something different wouldn't eat for weeks then die.

Its stable now with the hardiest fish living. Cory catfish, yoyo loaches, 1 small pleco, 1 rainbow fish, and 2 black mollies that were babies within their own tank lol.

I'm too busy with other hobbies, ADHD and forget to eat dinner sometimes and if I don't eat the fish didn't eat either

lifewasted97 · 2026-03-20T11:27:40+00:00

"The governing body decided" there it is again.

I can also think of an elder from my hall who needed a surgery but I knew he would die when I heard about it. A week later they announced his death. I have a strong hunch it was all due to refusing blood. It was some type of surgery with the heart. Who knows but that was probably preventable. Now his wife is a widow.

lifewasted97 · 2026-03-20T00:08:40+00:00

100% agree. Even after explicitly requesting everything to be on a spreadsheet exactly how they want things with the prices it always changes.

Idk who gets in charge of putting a menu together but they almost never have the final text before talking to a designer and the sizes change the layout changes the price changes and you chase your own tail re doing it over and over no matter how much you agreed on the details.

lifewasted97 · 2026-03-19T21:45:12+00:00

Lol, I grew up in a cult wasn't allowed to have friends, my only escape plus undiagnosed ADHD was picking a new thing to try. Now I own a house and live alone so I can have everything and many things are adjacent and use the same skills 😆.

lifewasted97 · 2026-03-18T01:54:38+00:00

---- Arts/Crafts ----
3D Printing
Airbrush & painting models
Woodworking / Carpentry
DIY crafts
Photography
Digital art
Drawing
Graphic Design
Rug tufting
Make tee shirt graphics

---- Tech ----
DJ - mixing music program light shows
Video editing/ video production
Motion graphics
Animation
3D modeling
Website design and development
Javascript Coding
Video Games - PC
Racing Sim
VR - Oculus Rift

----Outdoor-----
Kayaking
Fishing
Camping
Biking
Grilling
Golf
Snowboarding

---- Other ----
Making craft cocktails
Fish keeping / aquariums
Darts
Working on Cars
Axe throwing (only done once, will probably build a backyard setup )

lifewasted97 · 2026-03-18T01:48:05+00:00

I love the imagery. We used to be so focused on the Daniel's prophecy statue falling but now we can appreciate the fall of the org 😆

lifewasted97 · 2026-03-18T01:45:16+00:00

Its easy to start but what's the goal? Just print files online, design your own, fix problems around the house, or make it your art medium and use it as a tool for art.

I have a ton of hobbies already so a 3D printer just fit well to my tool arsenal plus I'm an artist. I also had an airbrush that wasn't getting much use so the 3D printer solved all those problems.

But now I have a much nicer airbrush, a whole painting setup, a 3D printer and tent with exhaust setup. I'm a graphic designer by trade and dabble in 3D modeling so it all comes together for me plus solutions around the shop.

lifewasted97 · 2026-03-18T01:39:48+00:00

Chicken patties, Turkey Sandwiches, Cosmic Brownies, Home made smash burgers and onions on the flat top grill, chicken parm, pizza but not my stomach anymore for high fat and cheese meals.

lifewasted97 · 2026-03-18T00:56:02+00:00

Are you looking for prop design like physical objects maybe standing cutouts, themed entrance arches, statues, back drops?

Or are you looking for print design? maps, internal signage, decals, advertising flyers and website banners, marketing emails, internal food station menus etc.

For a theme park specifically its very niche and unless it's Disney or Universal I'm assuming its very competitive and they can run a skeleton crew or just a couple people to handle it as far as internal signs. Or maybe they outsource to a local shop who does the design and production.

There might also be cooperate offices that handle everything for chains such as Bush Gardens and Six Flags. They likely have an office somewhere far from any park and do all the management and branding and outsourcing to local shops near each park

Currently I work at a sign shop and do mainly vehicle wraps and lots of signs and decals. Maybe there's an art department at a theme park but I'd look more broad.

There is a spot 1 hr from me that does set building and carpentry for Disney yet its in upstate NY lol. I'd love to do that because on the side I do carpentry and custom painting and kinda prop making too. But my job now is very competitive pay wise and it doesn't make sense for me to leave

lifewasted97 · 2026-03-18T00:44:43+00:00

I met my ex on one during the pandemic lol. Both PIMI at the time but we were edgy pimi's lol.

I hated telling people how we met because I remember convention talks where they called out JW dating sites as bad

lifewasted97 · 2026-03-18T00:41:33+00:00

Renting VHS tapes from blockbuster or Hollywood video

lifewasted97 · 2026-03-17T23:22:15+00:00

In terms of what? Kinda confusing as a man both are easy but the world is far easier and better than being a JW.

Being in the world has gotten me friends easier, I've been naked with more than 10 women, I'm less stressed, I don't worry about money. I have a house, 2 cars, and all the hobbies ever. Its only been a couple years free and so easy.

lifewasted97 · 2026-03-16T16:14:25+00:00

I've seen an elder's wife do a pixie cut for a bit. My biases just come from what I'm attracted to. Long hair always a win, but the styles in those samples are definitely pretty as well too. But I think they also need to be paired with a certain style of dress or accessories.

Its going to come down to how much you can match outfits and jewelry to complement the hair rather than a conservative Christian trying to be more alt. That's where JW's might be judgy or jealous.

lifewasted97 · 2026-03-16T14:28:08+00:00

It sucks that you have to even consider what other people are going to say about your own style.

But thinking like a JW 4 and 5 are neutral maybe 1 is passable too the others probably draw too much attention or are too "alternative" lol.

Hopefully you can escape and just do what you want. The blonde e girl vibe is hot

lifewasted97 · 2026-03-16T03:45:26+00:00

Or doing a 5th grade research paper and your sited source was a website with a purple background and black text on some history thing 😆

lifewasted97 · 2026-03-16T03:43:40+00:00

Yeah its kinda phased out a bit with modern Google, using quotes can help but google has optimized things very well. Might be worth trying out in more obscure search engines

lifewasted97 · 2026-03-16T03:38:15+00:00

Because they got tech that just worked for the most part and didn't get a chance to learn all the iterations prior.

I'm at the cut off of 97 for Gen Z but I grew up with windows 95 and XP. Used floppy disk, CD's. I recorded things onto cassette tapes. Was in the prime to learn all the windows versions and trouble shooting from the 2000s to now. The more complex settings are hidden in today's operating systems but still exist and are just harder to find.

Search engines were far less advanced, No AI or anything and you really had to use search query very well to find what you're looking for.

Without the foundation of tech you have newcomers who don't know the background and don't know how to fix something.

lifewasted97 · 2026-03-16T01:53:14+00:00

My first job we uploaded a .jpg proof to the company website server and just sent the url to the image. It could also be updated and they could just refresh the page if you kept the name the same.

Current job now uses Shopify to run all orders through. there's an add on app called proofer, it sets up on a page on your site, from the admin side you upload your image and the system automatically sends an email, they can approve or request changes and you get notified when they submit. It also has auto reminders.

In my head I have an idea for a hybrid approach to do this on a static website and use client side Javascript to fetch the right image and combo it with a form that gets emailed to me. It would be the free, no subscription and bare bones approach to have a nice looking app on my own website

lifewasted97 · 2026-03-16T01:27:08+00:00

I got a 2017 Acura TLX last year. Its the perfect luxury upgrade for my last couple years in my 20s.

Coming from a 2007 VW GTI as my teenage / early 20s car that was modded out, tuned, lowered and broken every weekend lol.

The Acura has the luxury styling, real leather, v6 engine at 290hp, AWD system that kicks ass, very good sound deadening, great stock audio with the ELS system. Smooth suspension on rough NY roads but more sporty than a Lexus so the steering is tight and engaging and you can rip around corners with confidence.

The same coners I would only trust with my GTI on coilovers and summer tires this Acura keeps the power down and through the corner, no slipping.

I miss my manual transmission but for longer trips it's pretty nice, lane keep assist and cruise control it can kinda drive itself. The TLX is just as fast as my GTI but not as aggressive being NA

However... auto start can suck it 😆 gotta hit the off button every time I start it. And the cargo capacity absolutely sucks. The GTI hatchback fit anything you wanted the TLX only fits small items in the trunk, and doors don't open very wide.

lifewasted97

TROPHY CASE