Secret Santa :: what I sent

There is a little group of lovelies that I spend the best part of my year chatting to, crafting with and laughing at with. Each year we do a Secret Santa swap, and this year, I was playing Santa for Alley. This lovely miss is one of my quilt camp crazies friends, so I had a fair idea almost straight away the kind of things she would like. Our gifts this year were to be Something She Can Make, Something She Can Use, and A Christmas Bauble.

Something She Can Make :: this was actually the easiest part, and one that I decided on almost as soon as I was allocated her as my recipient. We had recently all been discussing starting an art supplies inventory and as I was pretty sure Alley hadn’t made a start on hers, I pulled together an inventory book kit for her. With a couple of book rings to bind it together, and chipboard covers to alter as she sees fit, the book kit includes some heavy paper stock, water colour paper, canvas paper, lined note paper and printer paper, and aside from Copic paper which I couldn’t find in the safe spot I’d stashed it, it should be everything she needs to make an inventory book to include alllll her supplies.

Something She Can Use :: this one was a bit trickier. What was helpful though, was knowing Santa’s Little Helper had a set of Tunisian crochet hooks and some yarn on it’s way to Alley as part of the birthday swap, and so I decided to make a yarn bowl, which turned out more rustic than I’d planned, so at the last minute, I decided to add a hook roll. By last minute, I mean, I started sewing the day it should have been in the post! I went with a design I knew she liked because she’d commented on when I’d made it before. And OF COURSE it had to be a rainbow. The block was larger than the hooks required, so I added a pocket for scissors and a Velcro pocket for stitch markers.
 

A Christmas Bauble :: this one is thanks to Santa’s little helper, and goes back to the running chicken jokes. “Someone” texted me a photo, and I jumped on it, and got it posted down. I think it’s adorable, and it seemed well received!

Something To Say Sorry I’m A Slacker :: I was around a week late posting off this little bundle, due to Silly Season and a Beetle that doesn’t get that Mama Needs To Craft (yes, with capitals). I also had a little parcel for Miss Alley’s birthday a couple of weeks earlier that I’d planned to send at the same time as the Secret Santa. So it was SUPER late. In way of apology, I included a little bundle of letterpressed cards that she may be able to use as note cards and elements in her art making.

Something That Gave It Away :: I finally managed to get everything bundled up and, children in tow, I hit up the post office ready to send in. Everything in the box, return address on the back, and started to write down the address on the front. Then I had a mental blank – I couldn’t recall the exact spelling of the street, and so off to the counter we went, and paid for the box, and asked to prepay the postage. “Will you get it back this afternoon?” “Well, probably more likely tomorrow” “Ok, we’ll have to go this way…” and proceeds to slather on three thousand stamps. So, of course, finding it absolutely hilarious, I post a picture, recipient details, obviously obscured, but “someone” thought I was being a smarty pants and it was for her, since the other “someone” involved in the proceedings had been required, by the length of the Tunisian hooks, to post her parcel down in a stupid large bag. And out little kitten is a delicate little thing, which makes it all the more giggle-worthy. But yes, she thought I was trying to out-do the other “someone” by being smart with the stamps, when it was nothing of the kind! TRUE STORY.

Merry Christmas kitten, I hope you enjoy my meager handcrafted offerings (I feel a bit Little Drummer Boy… I have no gift to bring, pa rum pa pum pum, shall I craft for you PA RUM PA PA PUM RUM PA PA PUM RU PA PA PUM).