weekend revelation...

we had a birthday party this weekend. a celebration for two of lucy's cousins, who were turning one and four. due to a bit of poor planning on my part, we needed to stop off on the way to the party and pick up birthday presents. in our rush to get out of the door that morning in order to have time to go shopping, i found myself wondering why i hadn't made anything for the birthday kids. especially since i've been sewing practically every night. well, it was too late to do anything about it by then. so off to baby gap we went. each of the kids got a cool-weather outfit.

in the past, i've found it really fun to go clothes shopping for kids. but this time, it just felt... plain. boring. terribly unexciting. i kicked myself again for not making something while i wrapped up the gifts (in previously-used bags & bows, of course) and off to the party we went, having dropped nearly $80 on two pairs of pants, a sweatshirt and a long-sleeved shirt--that was with my 30% off coupon, too.

our gifts ended up being "stuff" in a pile of "stuff" that grew with the unwrapping of each box and the opening of each bag. i'm not saying that they weren't appreciated--i'm sure that they were, in the way that children (and their parents) can appreciate such things. but there was nothing too terribly thoughtful or special about them. which is something that i wish i could have changed.

in anticipation of my baby showers, i most wanted things that we needed--things off of the registry. a high chair, a stroller, things of the like. and i was totally thrilled to receive them. what sticks in my mind now, however, are the gifts that were given with obvious intent to be special: the hand-dyed burp cloths, the painstakingly-crafted quilts, and the vintage baby clothes that my grandmother wore as a toddler.

the experience of this weekend's gift-giving made me think again about the idea of a "handmade holiday." it'll be difficult, especially when it comes to the boys. but i think i'm up to the task. my head's in the right place about it. and it'll keep me out of the mall, which, during the holiday season, can only be considered a good thing.

oh--and the next baby i know to turn 1 is totally getting a set of these.

adorable. the full tutorial on how to make them is located here. lucy's set is already in the works... shh! don't tell her!