Non-Quilting Past Times

My older Son's birthday is in October. I try not to remember how old HE is because....well, just because. Mail takes at least a week to get from here to there, and there is no way for me to know it will be on the day I plan. I usually prefer to have birthday greetings come earlier than later, so its time to start.

I've posted the question on several lists, asking what folks make for their guys in their lives because I wanted to get started on something. Suggestions came for BarB-Q aprons, other kitchen towels & potholders, for wine bottle covers, pillowcases, laptop or Ipad covers, coffee cup kozies & pillows. Gifts have to be useful if made for a guy because otherwise, they become dust collectors. And it this gift is from Mother to Son and needs to be more fun.

One of the swapbot activities is called Wacky, Silly & Unusual Holidays for October. Join it, and you select four of the daily holidays and then send something to your partner that symbolizes this day. Now THAT idea was perfect for this Son. As a child, he was obsessed with trivia, so I figure this would appeal to his inner child. I read the information on the site: holiday insights/october  It's broken into holidays for the month, the weeks, and the days. Lot of information.

I started by printing off the list of the daily holidays, and gathered objects I had around the house that, at one time, were things I treasured. I am about halfway through the list of days. And I am learning about so many things as I make up this gift for him. For someone who enjoys research, this was a very fun activity for me.

And as it came together, I started to wonder what will happen after the first opening. Paper ages eventually, and so I want to make whatever I send to him something that is temporary. So there needs to be a balance in the gift package. Gift giving and gift making is a challenge. This one is more time-intensive, and is becoming more personal than I thought it might. And isn't that what it's all about?

I found the October 2010 issue of Vegetarian Times for "World Vegetarian Day", printed off a list of all the Oktoberfest events in the Twin Cities, and printed off 2 pics for "Mad Hatter Day" (notice the numbers on the hat? It was the price of the hat of 10 shillings & a sixpence). Oh and another fun one is "Take your Teddy Bear to Work" day. I found a small stuffy with a witches hat on it in my Hallows bin...perfect for his bday. For the "Curious Events Day", he is getting one of my Kaleidoscopes (his brother will get one with his Stack N Whack quilt). 

This was an-all consuming effort and I went through about half the month and might stop with any copy-making and just see if I can gather small objects for it. In one way, it gives him some of my 'stuff' and in another way, it makes for a gathering of junk on his end, that because it comes from his Mother, he may feel obligated to keep it. I need to find a container for it all before shipping just for that reason.

I know he won't save things for a day-by-day opening. Neither of my Sons could wait for those holiday Advent Calendars and would also sneak around the house looking for their gifts. Knowing this, means that most of the days need to be represented by the little items from my shelves rather than the copies from my printer. He will read things, because he will find them interesting. But it is the kind of gift that could be set aside too. He's got a full time job, teaches Plumbing Apprentices twice a week, plus has 2 teenage grrrls at home, and a wife in his life who call for his attention.

Like the quilts I make, first I make them because I want to, because I love the fabrics, the design and the work. This gift is also one I want to make because I love the Son, and love this concept.

This blog entry has a lot of graphics downloaded from the web. It takes time to find things that say what I want. Sometimes when others post their mems, I move along and think they didn't do something personal enough to attract my attention. This day, I realized that isn't true. Having a visual conveys the thoughts and feelings of a person even if they are borrowing ideas to get their point across.