Special Giftie For A Special Friend!!

Are you one of the people who HAVE to celebrate birthdays, Christmas, special occasions etc. on the EXACT day that it falls on the calendar? I've known a few people who are like that, but I have to say that a few of my friends and I have a slightly different giftie-giving system. We have all decided that we would rather take our time to find the RIGHT giftie for each other and maybe be a bit late, rather than buying something just for the sake of having it to hand over on the day. This system works pretty well for us ... and the rule with birthdays has become that you don't actually turn a year older until the last giftie arrives! Tee! Hee! Hee! The secret to eternal youth! :0)

So ... my dancing buddy Lynda celebrated her birthday in April, exactly two weeks after mine and although I had part of her gift back then, I didn't have time to add to it to make it all that I wanted it to be. I then decided to make it a combined Birthday/Christmas giftie and make it a bit more special ... and I FINALLY had it ready to give to her last weekend. Wanna see???

OK ... it's a bit hard to see what I've done, so let me explain. Lynda enjoys stitching, but as a busy mum of two teenagers and primary 'go-to' person for her 97 year old Nan, and part-time Kinder-Gym instructor, she is pretty time-poor and doesn't get much of a chance to stitch just for herself. So ... I bought a couple of charm packs in a pretty garden-themed range (sorry ... didn't write down the name of it!!!) and then designed a series of stitchery designs to match the garden theme. I then cut the background squares for the stitcheries, traced on the designs and ironed on violene to stabilise them ... so all Lynda has to do ... LITERALLY! ... is make herself a cuppa, find a comfy spot to sit and start stitching! YAY! :0) I tied it all together into a mini-kit with Lynda's favourite pink bow ...

 

Here's Lynda reading the letter that accompanied the quilt thanking her for her special friendship ... sometimes we forget to tell our closest friends and family how very precious they are to us and it's nice to do that from time to time, cos we ALL like to feel loved, wanted and appreciated, don't we. :0)

 

A few sentimental tears later (from both of us!!) here's Lynda showing off her quilt-to-be. The stitcheries I designed for Lynda will be incorporated into a quilt design I will release next year ... called (appropriately!!) "Lynda's garden" ... so stay tuned for that one! Thanks for being such a special friend, Lynda and bringing splashes of sunshine to my life ... and yummy lunches to my Tuesdays! Tee! Hee! Hee!

 

If you're struggling to find a gift for a creative, time-poor friend, why not do the same thing I have. You don't have to actually DESIGN a new project like I did, but why not buy a pattern you think your friend will love - or better yet, raid their "One Day" pattern stash (you know ... those patterns we all buy that we will make 'one day'!!) and gather the requirements needed to complete the project ... maybe even do a little bit of prep work like cutting out or tracing, like I did. None of us enjoy the prep part of creating, so your friend will LOVE it ... guaranteed! :0) And not only will they enjoy working on the project, they will have their finished item to enjoy sooner, as well as having a lovely reminder of your friendship.

 

OK ... that's about it from me tonight ... I have more to share with you, but it's been a BIG day in the Meares' Madhouse with some exciting doings that I will tell you about soon ... but right now, I think I need a cup of tea and a date with my pillow. :0) Hope your week is toodling along nicely and that you're managing to find time in your schedule to enjoy some creating. Til next time ...

 

BEAR HUGS!
CHEERS!
KRIS

 

PS. Almost forgot!! Check out the Quilters Angel blog to find out about their super-exciting sale this weekend!!! :0) 

 

PPS. Almost the end of the month again, OPAMers!! Get those sidebars updated and email finish tallies to Sweet Peg or me! :0)