A couple of days ago, my friend Kate Johnson sent me a picture of a castle she had made. But this wasn’t an ordinary castle. Instead, it was made out of Rice Krispies, and it was a cake for her daughter’s wedding shower. It seems that her daughter is crazy about Rice Krispie squares. (I also have a daughter who has a soft spot for them.) Using a brown-butter Rice-Kripsie square recipe from Smitten Kitchen, Kate had at least one trial run that I’m aware of before she made the cake for the shower. Kate first made them in cupcake form, but she was not pleased with the results, and she eventually came up with the idea of making them into the shape of a castle.

How much easier it would have been to go out and buy a cake, but also how much less rewarding. There is something intensely satisfying about making things by hand for special events for the ones we love. Whether we make castles or crackers, ice cream or gingersnaps, mittens or socks, we are giving a piece of ourselves, our time and energy. Truly, handmade items are gifts from the heart.

Few of us have the time or the expertise to make everything by hand, the way our ancestors did in the old days. However, with a lot of creativity and a little planning, most of us can at least make some things by hand to give to family and friends on special occasions.

The handmade life seems to be making a comeback, at least among certain people. Perhaps it never really went away and was just simmering under the surface, waiting for the right time to reappear. I, for one, am heartened by this, and I hope the trend continues.