1.
thank you all
for your
sweet comments
on my last post
and
for sharing
your own
christmas
traditions.
i loved reading
each comment
and i am so glad
all of you
don't mind
me being
nostalgic
{my brothers
tease me
when i am
sentimental}
......
2.
babies abound.
i am past
the marriage wave
and now i am
riding
the baby wave.
many of
my friends
are having babies.
i went to
a shower
this weekend.
for gifts
i printed birdies
on tees and bibs
{pictured above}
using my gocco
and knitted
one of jess hutch's
kitties.
the morning
of the shower
i started
to get very
self-conscious...
suddenly
i was worried
that i was
bringing
a bunch
of random
handmade stuff
to the shower
that
the mom-to-be
wouldn't like
but have
to pretend
to like...
do you ever feel that way?
last minute
i got on the
online
baby registry
and purchased
a few stuffed
bug toys.
grub was
suprised that
i had
this moment
of weakness.
this is because
i have issues
with
registries.
i know that
they are suppose
to help people
buy you what
you really want...
but i feel that
registries:
- enforce the idea
that presents
are expected,
- commercialize
gift-giving
(since most registries
are at large,
chain stores),
and
- take the fun
out of figuring
out what to
give to someone.
i know that
most people
don't feel this way
but
when my friends register
i feel that
instead of making
something,
i should
buy something
off the registery
because that is
what
they really want,
right?
how do you
feel about
registries?
do you
usually buy
something
off the registry
when you might
normally
have made
something?
.....
3.
my
monday
give-away™
has temporarily
decided
to be
tuesday give-away™
the give-away™
item for today
is a 1950s
vintage
coffee pot
with
tealight warmer:
remember
to check
the guidelines
and
please pay
shipping.
have a lovely
evening.
xo
20 comments:
Babies are cropping up in my circle of chums too... which means indulging in making little mobiles similar to our canaries only multiples and with string attached.
Ahh, and were I closer geographically I'd put my hand up for that wonderful 1950s coffee pot... truly a beauty if ever there was! It sticks it to all those teapots with such gusto! Yay! Three cheers for coffee.
Roll on nostalgia, I say.
take care, g
Oh, no. I still haven't done my postcard for you.
Ok. Seriously. I'm on it. You still like the postcards, right?
Such a beautiful coffee pot!!
We dont really use the registry idea over here...but if we did...i would feel exactly like you! I think the idea of a present should be a surprise...something that the giver really wants to give...:)
both the printed items and the knitty kitty are just adorable!
but in know what you mean about the last minute paranoia.
re: the registry thing..I think it all depends on the recipient..most of the artsy fartsy people i know would love and truly appreciate the lovingly and thoughtfully homemade items probably much more than bought stuff. But then again there's always the kind of people that really only value something it its from some uber-cool design store, and will re-gift your "witty and thoughtful" handmade goods as soon as you're out the door. The register thing hasn't really caught on here in Australia EXCEPT for weddings..bigtime.
I can see both sides (can you guess I'm a Libran? heh).
Justine (62 Cherry) and i were just discussing the same thing about handmade gifts this afternoon! I think it depends on the person you are giving to, if i know a handmade gift will be appreciated then that's what i'll give, if i know it won't then that's their loss and they'll get some storebought crap or nothing at all. I've learnt this the hard way.
Love the coffee pot, it's tres cool.
The coffee pot is just fantastic... but I fear it would turn up in Australia in little pieces.
I'm with you on the registry thing. I'm more the "enjoy hunting around for or making the perfect prezzie for that individual" kind of person.
cheers, lj
has anyone claimed the coffee pot yet? i am so into vintage dishware right now! i would love to have it :) i'm not crazy about gift registries either. i understand the purpose, but i like to pick out things i want to give, as well as give handmade items like you did (your kitty & gocco printed items are lovely btw!) i am going to a baby shower tonight & i didn't go to babies r us to purchase the goods although that's where the couple registered. i just couldn't bring myself to do it! LOL until it's socially acceptable for a single gal to register for gifts just because, then i probably won't follow other's registries!
i feel the same way about registries, and pretty much always stick to handmade items. baby registries tend to not bother me as much because you really do need a bunch of stuff that you probably dont have. tons of gear! the way i see it, registries are for the aunts and uncles and grandmas who would never in a million years think to make something and are happy to buy something to keep stinky diapers in. right? which reminds me i have to get on a blanket for a baby shower this saturday!
i don't like registries either- it feels like more of a demand and burden than celebrating.part of gift giving {for me }is finding and/or making that special thing for that person.it all becomes impersonal if i'm just buying off the list.and baby registries seem to be a new thing- they weren't around when i was having babies.my group of friends usually pooled together for diaper service and homemade meals.sometimes my husband & i would give a wooden box we'd make filled with baby tees we'd decorate. (babies actually don't need all the things the stores get you to sign up for.)
and the handmade gifts- those are the things that are special & get saved!
Oh gwen, i love the baby tees and the kitty. I bet the recipient loved them, too. Registries, oh don't get me started. I find them terribly rude, actually. I can't imagine telling someone what gift to buy me. Gifts are optional and should be gratefully accepted by the receiver in the same spirit with which they are given. And if it's from Babies R Us and you don't like it, then fine, exchange it. But please. This gifts-on-demand social ritual is just appalling. I refuse to participate! (Okay, getting off soap-box now...)
hi gwen,
i think your baby gifts were so awesome. handmade items made with love and care and time are so much more special (and meaningful) than going to a store and picking a gift from a registry. it is so clear that you were giving from your heart!!
love that coffeepot..but i guess it's claimed?? hugs, shari
I share your horror of registries. I understand the thinking behind them, but I find them so depressing.
I understand your last minute worry before the shower too. I am also riding the baby wave these days and came up with a new way of handling it recently.
I gave my latest soon-to-be-a-mama friend a pile of knitting patterns that I really wanted to try. Then I let her pick. That way I am sure that my work will be put into something she will love and use. It's worked out pretty well -- though next time I won't include any patterns with intarsia.
Hello again after a little break...I know what you mean about registries. It really depends whether I buy from the registry or make something: how well I know the people, whether I think they'll appreciate something homemade, (how much time and/or money I've got to be spending at babies r us...). I much prefer to give my close friends something homemade, usually a crib quilt and a stash of meals for the freezer. For other acquaintances, though, sometimes a registry purchase fits the bill better. And I totally understand that just-before-the-party moment of doubt...but I thought the tshirts and toy were fantastic!
who would not love one of those Jess Hutch's?? I knitted Henry bear for Emma last year and its such a sweet thing. You've really been knitting like crazy lately!
i HATE registeries [but you knew this would be the case].... i refused to do it for our wedding. i guess for some people they prefer it to giving straight out cash, but... i'm right with you.....
your baby stuff is INCREDIBLE - who wouldn't want it??
that coffee pot is super cool.... and i have to get your package off!!! jeez!
xo
bugs!
Hello!
I don't like registries either! I try to avoid anything connected to corporations as much as I can but sometimes it's inevitable. Those gifts you made are perfect, I would much rather receive beautiful handmade items that obviously came from the heart than the latest nordstrom crap! I'm with Lisa S. no registry for my wedding either!
hugs,
Ash! p.s. that teapot = amazing!
your kitty is too cute! the printed tees are great, too. super find on the coffee pot. :)
This is my first post here, I've enjoyed reading your blog very much over the last few weeks. I feel the exact same way as you about gift registries. It feels more of an obligation than a generous or kind gesture. And it takes the fun out of it!
I love your unique and special gifts :)
and I suffer from the same fear: I always feel people compliment on my photos because they like me ... and not because the like the photos ... should really work on this ;)
here, registries are only common at weddings and even there not many couples do it (i would consider it very fancy). thank god i have to say. when we were married, we didn't do that pretty much for the exact reasons you wrote about. i wouldn't want anyone to feel obliged to anything and i don't want to feel that way either. if you do something special handmade, that is lovely and sweet and a softy for a baby shower (we don't have that either :))sounds perfect to me (shirts also). you spend time and care selecting everything about that present and that has great value. after all you invite a person you like and not a present - at least it should be that way to me.
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