I do try to make to make boards with layouts that are slightly unique from anything I could buy, just to lie to myself and pretend that I "have to" make them. Latest kick, which simplifies construction in a couple of ways, is making boards that have no key wider than 1.75 "regular" ones. Means I have more real estate to play with and don't need the notoriously noisy "stabilizer" hardware.
The kind of soldering you do with a handwire is also sort of relaxing, like tying fishing flies, except you burn your finger every once in a while.