About Cheerio

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In general I am a cheery and energetic person. But I am enshrouded in a cloak of iron. That cloak is the weight of greiving my son, whom I've lost to adoption.

Saturday, December 1, 2012

penguin pandemonium

So it is that time of year again ... Christmas.
Tonight I am looking at penguin patterns - deciding what I'll use to make my son's amom's Christmas gift.

If you want the back-story click here.
That post ended with the pillows. 

The following year I made her a penguin tote.
I embroidered her first name initial on one of the larger penguins in the center ...
on the other side, in the corner on one of the smaller penguins I embroidered my initial too.



The next year I made penguin place mats.  Not very exciting, but I did use expensive silver thread to accent with.


Last year I planned to make her beaded earrings.  However, I had never done bead work before and did not expect the thing to turn out 2" long!!!  So instead I made it into a simple pendent on a simple beaded necklace.  

I should have turned it into a pin, but I had to get it done THAT day so I could drive it to the ungodly agency to forward the package on.
 
It was very interesting doing  bead work like that.  It was those teeny tiny seed beads.
Let me tell you, it took h o u r s.   I would love to make a choker necklace with seed beads like that some day. It would be very cool.  Black with a few light blue flowers.

Oh, sorry, I got distracted.  That's the way it is with a crafty mind ... it is hard to keep up with it sometimes.  And interestingly enough, several years what I made her for Christmas turned into ideas of what to make friends and family for Christmas too.


The year of the pillows I made pillows for everyone  at work, and  for all my sisters and nieces, my dad and mom, my hubby's entire family.  Each one was unique.  I didn't realize pillows would be so much like bunnies.

The same with the yea I made the totes.  I made over a dozen of them as gifts.  I picked designs for specific people.  From winter snow birdies, to Victorian roses, to bats, to flames and motorcycles.


Since making this one first, I've made a bunch of knot blankets as gifts.


So why do I do this?
Because it is clearly who I am.
I am creative and I love to make stuff for people.
I love to see their face light up.

When I started making gifts for her, it was back before they closed the door.
Once the pictures stopped, I was still the same person, and so I continue to send gifts.
Granted they're not worth a whole lot, but I made them especially for her.
A simple 'thank you' would have been nice, but it has never happened.  It probably never will.
When we expect anything in return, it is no longer a gift. 
These are gifts, because it is who I am.


However,
there will only ever be
 

just one
Fuzzie.
 
 

 
penguin
pandemonium