A Granny Square Purse

I can not remember the last time I showed you something that I was working on, and then showed you the completed project so soon after; deadlines do have a way of motivating me to get things done.

Today I am very excited to share with you the Granny Square Purse that I have made for my niece for Christmas.

It was a quick little make and I am quite pleased with how it turned out. I am also happy that I was able to use some of the yarn from my stash; using supplies that I already have to make something pretty always makes me happy.

I really like the purple and pink color combination. I was contemplating using a darker purple for this project, but am glad that I decided on a lighter purple, a color much more suited to a cheerful little girl.

My girls absolutely love to put things into bags and then carry them around, so I bought some pretty stickers to slide inside the purse...

A perfect little gift...I hope my niece likes it.

I'm joining in the Winter Project Link Party at Thistlebear.  

In the Works: Granny Square Purse

If talking about Christmas already frightens you, I apologize; this is a post about a Christmas gift that I am making. Anyone who makes gifts knows that you need to start early to avoid late night panicked crafting sessions in a desperate attempt to get things done on time, or maybe that is just me...anyways...

Last week I was thinking about what to gift my niece for Christmas and my thoughts quickly turned to making her something. At five years old she is all-girl and so I thought a purse would be the perfect gift - and a granny square purse even more perfect.

Using this pattern, which I have made a few times before, I got to work, and have been making some great headway: the granny squares for the front and back are finished and I am now working on sewing them together and then assembling the bag.

I chose purple and pink yarn, colors that will match her room....something that I have learned to be very important to little girls.

I am excited to be making this for my sweet niece, and I hope she loves it...

Are you making any Christmas gifts?

I'm joining in the Winter Project Link Party at Thistlebear.

A Handmade Gift Basket

Two weeks ago, I was truly lamenting over what to get my Oma for Christmas. As I wandered around the shops getting gifts for others on my list, absolutely nothing caught my eye as the perfect thing for her. I was a little stumped....

But then, as I was making soup on a Saturday afternoon (as one does), I opened my spice cupboard and saw this...

This is one of my favorite gifts that my Oma has ever given me. Last year she grew parsley in her garden, dried it, and put it in an old jam jar for me at Christmas. I love the handwritten label and that when I look at this jar I can see her in my mind, tending her garden and drying the herbs. 

I knew at that moment that her Christmas gift needed to be handmade.

So, to a simple basket, I added this mandala which I made back when I was in the grips of mandala making mania. Oma has many houseplants (real and otherwise) that would look lovely on top of it.

I am going to make her some jam the day before Christmas, which I will put into the mason jar and then add to the basket. I use a recipe from this book to make the most delicious chia seed jam.

But what I am most excited to give her is this photo hanging display that I made using pictures of the girls from our trip to a local garden (I wrote about it here, and made this layout with the pictures).

I know she will love it, as there is a longstanding family connection to this garden. When we look through old photo albums, there are countless photos (no kidding, it seems like there is one on every page) of my Oma and Opa and my Mom and her brother, taken in this garden. I know she will love that the girls had their pictures taken in this familiar spot as well.

This is one gift that I am very excited to give.  

I want to wish you all a very merry Christmas. I will be taking a little blog break over Christmas and New Years and will catch up with you all in January.  

Thank you so much for visiting and reading. Talk soon. 

Do You Crochet Christmas Gifts?

Working on my Christmas blanket has caused me to think a bit about Christmas. In September, I know, but bear with me.

Specifically, I have begun to think about what I may crochet for those on my gift list.

Do you crochet Christmas gifts?

I really love the idea of doing so, and I have done a little bit in the past, but it has been my experience that not everyone appreciates a crochet gift. I mean, I would love it if someone made me something for Christmas - I love handmade things - but the fact of the matter is that not everyone else does.

So I am left to wonder if it is worth it? If I know a handmade gift will not be appreciated, do I even bother, or do I go ahead and make something anyways in the hopes that maybe this gift will be the one that turns a person on to the the beauty and charm of the handmade?