Sunday, November 25, 2012

I must be slipping

Okay, if you’re looking for pictures, I will tell you right up front ‘there aren’t any’.  As for my title, if you follow me you’ll note that unless I’m in the midst of some serious creating, I only post maybe once a week.  This makes a second consecutive post!!!

I think the upcoming Holidays are making me chatty – or maybe I’m being chatty to avoid creating?????  Either way, I find I’m not wanting to do the sewing I need to be doing right now.  I can think of at least 10 things I’d rather be playing around with.  And as I think of those, I wonder how I can incorporate them into gift giving – so maybe it’s not a total loss.  And of course my gift list keeps growing.  I think we naturally think of the gifts that we will present to those who we will be spending our holiday with.  Then I start thinking of those I just care enough about that I want to give just a small something to.  Oh, and don’t forget something for the g-kids stockings….. do they really need to be stuffed????  And oh dear – what about the cards that need to be sent???? I want to make special cards for this one and that one – great! now I’m adding to my ‘create’ list…….  AND I have a few more item I really, truly must finish for donating to the VA hospital Christmas party….

Now you’d think that after all the years of doing this, going through the same chaotic thoughts, every year that I would start the next year’s Christmas preparations after the New Year.  That would certainly make much better sense.  I mean, seriously, there are tons of things I could make and put aside.  I started some preparations in Jan. 2012 – NO, really, I DID!!!  but then I get side tracked and don’t worry about it because after all Christmas is still months away.  Then those months start spinning by and I get thrown off and here I am – trying to figure it all out.  How will I manage to get it all done?  Well, I don’t really know.  What I do know is that one way or another, I will survive the chaos and still enjoy those I love through these next few weeks…..

Now I have a question (well maybe a couple)…. I’m on a relatively tight budget as I am voluntarily unemployed.  Last year I gifted my ex son-in-law with a couple nice shirts that I bought at a thrift store.  They were top-of-the-line shirts that cost less for 2 than half of one would have been new.  I washed them, pressed them and he was tickled with them.  I’ve seen him wear them on more than one occasion.  I really like making those mug rugs.  A couple years ago, I made a few mug rugs and again bought some cute mugs at the thrift store and filled them with treats and gifted the ‘set’.  Again, something very inexpensive that was well received.  My question to you is (and please be honest) what are your thoughts on regifting or repurposing/recycling for gift giving?  I have a couple family members who I really hate doing any sort of gifting for.  The reason is I don’t feel it’s ever enough.  The handcrafted items aren’t good enough for them and the purchased items aren’t their style or a multitude of other reasons…. and it could be a ‘just me’ thing, but I still feel that way.  Yes, I know just get them a gift card and be done with it – but then I feel like that is so impersonal.  No thought or real consideration given…… But it’s what I’m going to do this year.  Maybe I can make a cute little mug rug with a little pocket and put the card in it????? Okay, maybe I will feel better about the gift card after all.

SO on that note and my excessive rambling – I will run along and wish you a happy Sunday.

Katie

3 comments:

~Deb Lindley said...

Hey Ms. Katie - I LOVE this post of yours w/NO pics. It's more than appripo for this time of year, imho. I re-gift to those 'certain ones' who will 1)appreciate it, like when I gave my children some of my Mother's/their grandmother's things after she passed a few years ago during the holidays - they LOVED getting some of her things that they recognized or had even gifted her themselves and 2)they've requested a certain something that is 'vintage' and must be purchased as such.

Then there are those who do not appreciate 'vintage' or hand/custom made and are therefore, perfect for gift cards because they enjoy getting/gifting for themselves - to each his/her own ;-)

So, to answer your holiday gifting question, I 'customize' my gifts to suit each individual receiver w/NO worries!

Happy Gifting!
~Deb
PS...hope to see you on 'Easy Stree' soon...

A Left-Handed Quilter said...

You pack so much into one post - I'll try to hit the main ones - ;))

Two posts in a row - YIPEE!!

Linda and i started our LTRTCWSA in September - might even do it again next year - join us!

Regifting - works for me!

Gift card in a mug rug - PERFECT!

Happy Sunday right back at you! - ;))

Sewing Junkie said...

I have a really tight budget and I told the kids at Thanksgiving they were getting money this year. That way they can put it with a gift card if they get them from some one else. Another thought is a lottery ticket and a small box of candy. Or we did this at work instead of a gift that was hard to buy for some of the people, buy a gag gift. Sometimes the more you make the effort to make something for the person the less they like it. Your heart was in it but theirs isn't. Good luck with this because I struggle with it. I have started just getting for the grands and no one else. Chris