Long Overdue Presents

I so have the best of intentions whenever a present comes due. I have these grand visions of even getting ahead one day, keeping a drawer with handmade presents I can choose from to send out the week of the special day.

Yeah right. It’s the curse of the crafter to always be chasing these deadlines. But as of this particular moment, right now, as I post this, I am caught up on presents I owe to friends.

My dear friend Stacy had her first girl after three handsome boys, and she requested a rustle bag like I made for Atticus, but in “slightly girlier” fabrics. Her baby was born in November, and I hadn’t even gotten a card out yet. Embarrassing.

Then I owed my dear friend Pela Via a birthday present since the beginning of the month. Bad form. Especially when she absolutely spoiled me on my birthday. So I had to make it a good one. I knew I’d have no time to make something really ornate, so I thought I’d make a whole bunch of cool little things.

I found a microscopic leather skirt at the thrift store for $2, so I cut it up to make a cuff. I just used some pearl snaps on the end to close it. I couldn’t resist making one for myself, too.

I made a little makeup bag like I made for my friends at church, but for Pela’s I added a handle. I wish I had that idea earlier. Now it could be used like a casual little purse, too.

I only had one pair of these earring findings, so I can’t tell you how hard it was to give these earrings up. I’ve got to find another pair somewhere, if only I could remember where I got them from in the first place.

And then, since Pela is a writer, I thought some customized moleskins would be appropriate. I just used some stamps and embossing powder to make them special.

Over the years I’ve cut back on the number of people I give homemade gifts to. A lot of people just don’t appreciate the amount of work that go into them, and it really is a lot of work. But when you find a friend who gets it, I just want to spoil them. I just wish I could do it in a more timely manner.