Favorite Things

Something else on my "Favorite Things My Kids Made" list is this ceramic piece my daughter made in her high school art class. It was hidden away in a cupboard until about a week ago when I realized I couldn't get the utensil drawer closed. It was the perfect solution to the overcrowding problem. And it matches the kitchen decor. It's a peach color--the same as my tiled counter. The blue beads are from a necklace that belonged to her grandmother.

Monkey is just showing off. He's not handmade. He was part of a care package I sent to my daughter at college. I used to send them regularly during her first two years, when she lived in the dorm. I would put crazy labels on the packages, usually holiday-related. She got a big kick out of those, and so did the dorm staff. Then she moved off-campus to a big old house with multiple roommates. I was never sure how long a brightly-colored, funny-looking package would have stayed on the porch awaiting her return, so I stopped sending them and started sending Starbucks gift cards instead. Maybe she liked those better anyway.

I've been thinking for a while of doing some small crazy quilting projects. I made a crazy quilt for my son a few years ago--using lots of scraps from his baby clothes-- so I'm familiar with the process. But with small projects, I can use embroidery embellishment, and decorate them with meaningful things.....sort of like the way my daughter used her grandmother's beads on the vase. It's a way to bring family treasures out of the closet and make them a part of your life again.

Take a look here at some wonderful examples of this kind of crazy quilting. Especially look at the hearts. This would be such a nice way to showcase my grandfather's old stick pins, some of my mother's jewelry, my grandmother's tatting, or my daughter's Brownie pin. They would make special Christmas tree ornaments, or decorations for a "heart" tree that could be displayed all year. I'm so glad I haven't thrown out my scraps. There are benefits to being a pack rat!