Blah, I say, blah!

It was quite disappointing to discover that grommets are more expensive than I thought. Never having worked with them, I am not sure what I considered what a fair price would be, however, I needed 20 to make the Lego Playmat. The going rate for them is $7.99 for a package of 10. The price continued to soar on this project, and even though the outside of the Playmat is finished, I would need to purchase extra wide material for the inside, as well as $16 worth of grommets. Suddenly the thought of an 8-year-old boy opening a box with a $30 bag in it was pretty darn unappealing. (It folds into a bag to hold the Legos).

I could just hear him say, "Mmm, thanks Granny," as he flings it over his head and moves onto the next gift hoping, hoping, hoping it was something he would actually like. Probably the playmat / container-bag idea is something a parent would enjoy having around to hold a jillion Lego pieces, but an 8-year-old? Maybe not so much. I am back to the proverbial drawing board looking for ideas. Its the last item on my list of things, so at least it is just one gift I need. I have a month to come up with something we both will like.

Admittedly, as I read the directions on the grommet package, working with them became very daunting. Maybe they are easier to do than I think, but the directions said I would need to cut a hole in the fabric for each grommet, hold it secure, hammer each grommet in place, and trust in my aim. I was less sure that I wanted to bother with this project. It didn't take long for my creative interest in it to suddenly start evaporating. I am more confident when someone shows me a new skill and I was pretty alone on this one. No one in town used them, and the store clerks in the big city didn't even know what I was talking about, and couldn't direct me to the product on their shelves. Not a good sign that grommets are a popular product.

What I did purchase on the shopping trip were two pieces of striped fabric that coordinate with that lovely Poinsettia I bought in town earlier this week. I have a couple of ideas for projects and love all three pieces. Usually I am more clear with what I buy, however, this time, it was just pure love for the colors. Guess they were the consolation for giving up the grommet / playmat project.