April Gift Flowers

Pheasant’s Eye Daffodils are welcoming April on my hillside. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

April Gift Flowers

I’m out of luck - or maybe out of season - to provide the traditional April gift flowers. Daisy and Sweet peas bloom much later in USDA Hardiness zone 5. Where I live, they bloom in June.

To keep the spirit of the daisy, I am substituting Pheasant’s eye daffodils for the April gift flower. Similar to daisies in shape and color, these are mid-to-late spring season bloomers in mid-Missouri.

Pheasant’s Eye Daffodils have a beautiful center. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

To give flowers from your garden, check thrift stores and garage sales for a supply of vases. I keep a handful in a garage cabinet so I can share flowers whenever the spirit moves me. There are few things that cheer someone up as much as a fresh bouquet of garden flowers.

In the Victorian-era “Language of Flowers,” daisies symbolize beauty, innocence, love or purity.

They can also mean "I'll never tell." So let’s not tell that we made a substitute, shall we?

Charlotte

Personalized Sewing Spools Quilt

Sweet personalized embroidery message on a handmade quilt. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

Personalized Sewing Spools Quilt

Over the years of making personalized quilt gifts for our customers, this one was a new one. No name, date or quote, the message was very clear: “You are so loved!”

We don’t always know what the story is behind these personalized quilt gifts. We know the handmade quilt is comforting and, in some cases, easy home decor.

In this case, the handmade vintage sewing spools quilt was secondary to the message.

Free gift tag and free quilt care guide is included. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

To make sure this special gift is well cared for, we included a quilt care guide.

All of our gift orders include a free gift card with a personalized message.

Once packed, a final reminder this is a special gift made just for you. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

And just to make sure the recipient realizes this is a very special gift made just for them, we include a sticker on the tissue paper.

Now who wouldn’t feel loved after getting that personalized gift?

Charlotte

March Gift Flowers

Daffodils can be solid yellow of a pretty combination. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

March Gift Flowers

Daffodils, sometimes called jonquils or narcissus, are the birth flowers for March. Because they often bloom in early spring, they symbolize new beginnings, happiness and joy.

There are literally thousands of daffodil varieties. The bulbs are found for purchase, and planting, in the fall. They need exposure to cold for several weeks over winter to get them to bloom in spring.

Once planted, daffodil bulbs can “naturalize” and get themselves established on their own.

Daffodils can also be picked when they are in bud. They will open once exposed to warm conditions.

One caveat. Don’t immediately mix daffodils with other flowers. They have a toxin that will kill off non-daffodils. If I want to mix flowers, I let the daffodils sit in water for a day or so, change out the water and then add them to other flowers.

Charlotte

Gift of Love Wildflowers Quilt

Personalized embroidery surrounds the green border. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

Gift of Love Wildflowers Quilt

One of my favorite things about our personalized gifts is the story behind the gift. This Wildflowers throw was made into a very special personalized gift for a woman who impacted the lives of 35 people.

We chose this floral quilt because it could be used on a bed, a chair or hung as a wall hanging. Loops on the back easily turn this 50x60-inch throw into a quilted wall hanging.

Loops on the back easily turn this throw into a quilted wall hanging. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

At the top of this throw, two boxes, one on each side, provide room to personalize with a saying, a date and place or whatever will personalized this quilt. In this case, we added a special saying.

Two boxes at the top are convenient for a date and location. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

Another box at the bottom is an excellent place to add the name of a couple or, in this case, the name of a special woman.

The embroiderer guestimated it took her two full days to set up the names around the border. The work was well worth the effort to commemorate this special friendship.

A bottom box is perfect for a name. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

So honored to have a tiny part in celebrating this association between these women.

Charlotte

February Gift Flowers

The original African violets from which hybrids are bred. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

February Gift Flowers

February birthdays are represented by violets or irises, flowers that suggest loyalty and faithfulness. The irony is that in USDA Hardiness zone 5, February is still winter so neither violets or iris are in bloom outside.

Inside, however, my African violets are putting on a lovely show this time of year. They get indirect light from the west in a corner of my office and remind me that violets come in many shapes and sizes.

Iris are also a personal favorite flower but they would be a better May gift flower where I live. The three upright petals of an iris bloom indicate courage, faith and wisdom, or friendship, hope and compliments.

Floriography (language of flowers) is a means of communication through the use or arrangement of flowers. Meaning has been attributed to flowers for thousands of years, and some form has been practiced in traditional cultures throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa.

Interest in floriography soared in England and the US during the 19th century. Gifts of blooms, plants, and specific floral arrangements were used to send a coded message to the recipient, allowing the sender to express feelings which could not be spoken aloud in Victorian society.

Armed with floral dictionaries, Victorians often exchanged small "talking bouquets", called nosegays or tussie mussies, which could be worn or carried as a fashion accessory. The Victorians in the 1800s went to great lengths to send messages through flowers. Their “language of flowers” was used by many suitors to court. The vestiges of those days celebrating secret messages in botanicals remain today in the monthly gift flowers.

Charlotte

Hot Pads and Honey Gift

Handmade quilted cupcake hot pads join honey samples in this custom gift. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

Hot Pads and Honey Gift

I’m regularly on the lookout for personalized gift ideas for myself as well as our customers and this one was a natural for a custom housewarming gift.

Handmade quilted cupcake hot pads bring the fun to this delicious custom gift. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

Bright and cheerful quilted fabrics make up these charming cupcake hot pads. Coupled with a couple of honey samples including raw artisanal and creamed honeys, the custom gift set is ready to help out in the new kitchen as well as provide a sweet treat.

Practical, too, the cupcake top provides added heat protection. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

The quilted hot pads are also practical. The cupcake top doubles as protection against exposure to heat as one maybe removes baked biscuits from the oven to enjoy with a cup of hot tea with honey.

This would also make a good custom gift for someone’s birthday or Valentine’s Day, especially if they love being in the kitchen.

What other special occasions could use a similar custom gift set with honey?

Charlotte

January Flower: Carnations

Red dianthus growing in my Missouri hillside garden. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

January Flower: Carnations

When I hear the word “carnation,” I often think of a flower I have to pick up at a florist or floral section of a grocery store. But there is a more common garden flower in the same family, Dianthus, also called Pinks and Sweet William.

Dianthus plants may be found as a hardy annual, biennial or perennial. They are most often used in borders or potted displays. The plants are small and usually between 6 and 18 inches (15-46 cm.) tall. They were a very popular garden flower in the US in the 1950s and 1960s, it’s featured in this 1961 Complete Guide of Garden Flowers.

Dianthus flowers are most often in pink, salmon, red and white hues. The foliage is slender and sparsely spread on thick stems.

Dianthus had a short blooming season until 1971, when a breeder learned how to grow forms that did not set seed and, therefore, have a prolonged bloom period. Modern varieties will typically bloom from May to October.

Love the splash of red these spicy-scented Dianthus provide. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

.Different colors convey different meanings according to the “Language of Flowers.”

White carnations symbolize pure love, while yellow means “wish you were here.”

Pink says, “you’re unforgettable.”

A pale red denotes admiration and the idea that “my heart aches for you,” while dark red conveys feelings of deep love and affection.

Snowdrops, which indicate hope and beauty, are also flowers for this month but neither one is growing where I live. If I want to gift carnations, it’s off to a florist!

Charlotte

Glass Basket Gifts

Glass baskets make pretty and versatile personalized gifts. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Glass Basket Gifts

Two friends who visited me earlier this year said they have been inspired to give glass baskets for Christmas this year.

Baskets have been a popular holiday gift for years, from fruit baskets to specialty hobby baskets. They’ve also been featured as a handmade quilt pattern like this vintage patchwork baskets quilt but glass baskets are different. They are not only small and pretty but quite versatile. Here are some ideas on how to make glass baskets into personalized gifts.

Besides looking at thrift and antique stores, several online retailers offer a range of glass baskets averaging $15-$25 each.

Collectible glass baskets may cost a little more depending on the manufacturer. You may find glass baskets for less at thrift stores like this footed glass basket I found for $4.

Basic glass baskets can be found at thrift stores and online suppliers. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Once you have the glass baskets, consider what the gift recipient would like in it. The simplest personalized gift is to fill the glass basket with a favorite chocolate.

Add favorite chocolates to quickly personalized a glass basket. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Another personalized option is to add a treat, in this case items for making tea: tea bags, a tea infuser and a 3 oz. jar of local honey. A nice teaspoon would be a fun addition.

For coffee lovers, try coffee sample packs and a wrapped cookie for dunking.

This is a glass basket for a tea lover including tea bags, an infuser and honey. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Last but not least, these glass baskets are perfect for adding fresh flowers. You can get bouquets at most grocery stores and flower shops. It doesn’t take much to make these glass baskets look full, this is one geranium sprig from a geranium plant wintering over, and still blooming, inside.

This, by the way, is a Fenton Glass basket, which would qualify as a collectible. There are Carnival Glass baskets and other collectible manufacturers that made some of these shapes.

A sprig of homegrown red geraniums fills this collectible glass basket. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

If you are giving this to someone who lives close by, include a card that says you will bring them fresh flowers to fill it next spring.

As someone who lives with baskets - my cats love them for naps and I use them for storage - I also keep these glass baskets with fresh flowers on my desk year around. I can attest to how enjoyable they are to have around!

Charlotte

Christmas Ornament Gifts

The ladybug ornament was a gift from a Bluebird Gardens customer. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Christmas Ornament Gifts

Christmas ornaments may often be considered as just home decor items but they also make wonderful personalized gifts.

A customer recently gave me a ladybug ornament as a thank you for a special order we completed for her. The ornament now hangs prominently at the top of a skinny Christmas tree in my office where I see it every day. The ladybug is the logo for our custom gift company.Conversely, one of my customers gave me this charming ladybug ornament, the inspiration of the Bluebird Gardens trademarked logo. Ladybugs are garden helpers, something we hope we are also to our customers. And they are more prevalent for gift-giving now than they have been. We made a custom quilt into a ladybug throw because there was a time when few gifts had a ladybug theme.

Christmas ornaments can also preserve memories.

Many years ago a friend of mine started giving her son a Christmas ornament that represented something they did that year. She marked the ornament on the bottom with the year and added a tag noting the event. When he graduated and started his own home, she gave him the Christmas ornaments in an ornament storage box so he would have a set of ornaments for his own Christmas tree. Isn’t that a lovely way to mark someone’s childhood memories?

This cat with a chipmunk in an ornament also works as a tiny tree topper. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

i’m also on the the lookout for Christmas ornaments that can moonlight as tree toppers. For a number of decades our homes with cats have featured mice at the top of Christmas trees. For a few years we had birds as well.

To be more accurate, I should have a cat at the tree top, some of my cats really enjoy the climb.

Some Christmas ornaments already have dates on them. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Over the years I have also given, and received, Christmas ornaments for office gifts. We used to have a gift exchange with a limit of $10 per gift; a personalized ornament was a great way to give something that was personal and nicely met the spending limit.

Tiny Christmas ornaments flesh out this small door wreath. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Christmas ornaments can also be used in decorative wreaths.
Here are some other suggested ways to use a personalized ornament to mark a special event:

Newlyweds with a first Christmas together

New baby

New house

New home

Graduation

New family member like a cat, or dog

Remember to add a date on the bottom if there isn’t one already and a little card explaining why you are presenting the ornament.

And don’t forget to add a Christmas ornament to your own tree year to year!

Charlotte

Custom Cat Castle

James A Mess models his first custom cat castle from Vybecats. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Custom Cat Castle

If you’ve spent any time at all with a cat, you know cats and boxes have a special relationship. My cats like to inspect all incoming boxes, then adopt a favorite as a play space. But having a brown box, or even a pretty blue box, in the middle of a room is not particularly pretty to me. Not that I don’t do it, especially when the tenant refuses to leave.

Oh, where, or where could my Etta Girl be? (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Enter Vybe.com cat houses, or more accurately cat castles, nicely engineered white cardboard sections one puts together like a big puzzle to have a custom cat playhouse. Besides the flexibility of the easy design, it also is already white so when inspiration strikes, I can paint these to better fit into my home decor.

Now James A Mess couldn’t wait to check out the Vybe castle pieces before I even had them out of the shipping box.

Shipping, by the way, was free and quick, I received this box within 3 days of placing the order.

James A Mess checks out the Vybe custom cat house cardboard pieces in the shipping box. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Once the cardboard pieces were out of the box, I read the easy instructions and started to look at the various options.

James A Mess found one of the round inside pieces. The cardboard will crease with repeated folding. I glued another piece of cardboard under the folded piece to support it before installing it.

James A Mess shows a preference for some of the cardboard pieces. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Warning: cats may wish to help you with cat house construction. Guess who! (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Before I settled on one design, I left some configurations for a couple of days to see if everyone was happy. I had to move a couple of the towers to ensure a clear traffic pattern but the changes were easy to make once I moved the tenants.

Etta Girl likes having quiet places where she can hide. I also made sure she has a quick exit option.

Etta Girl finds the custom cat house is good place to hide from her annoying brother. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Not that Etta Girl gets to enjoy the quiet for long, James A Mess seems to find her spots pretty quickly.

Etta Girl ready to pounce on James A Mess, yes she gets him every time! (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

There are several available cat house sizes with the option of ordering your very own custom cat castle.

What fun to think about waiting until Christmas morning to put one together, I know my cats loved all of the boxes and tissue paper in years past!

Charlotte

Bluebird Gardens Honey Outlet

Bluebird Gardens Honey Outlet

Bluebird Gardens Artisan Honey has a new local outlet. Amy Davis and her Mom, Barbara Wilson, Pine Street Vintage Goods, 711 Pine Street, one door to the left of Three Sisters Resale and Consignment, is now carrying our artisanal local honey.

Special thanks to Krista Kelley from Three Sisters Resale and Consignment, which is closing end of October due to the sale of the building where she is located. Krista was kind enough to reach out to Pine Street Vintage Goods to ask them if they would be interested in having our local honey at their store.

It’s a good match; I have a hard time not leaving Pine Street Vintage Goods with something under my arm!

If you haven’t been in, Pine Street Vintage Goods is a brand new downtown Rolla, Mo. store that has an interesting variety of vintage, antiques and primitives from furniture to handmade items. It is open Thursdays through Saturdays on the second and fourth weekends of the month. Run by a mother daughter couple, the store will have our local artisanal honey as well as creamed honey, vintage honey pots and my beekeeping books including A Beekeeper’s Diary.

Our local Rolla honey is packaged in different shaped and sized glass jars, most so that you can pour the honey right out of the jars. Most include gift tags so they are ready for sharing. If you haven’t tried honey, or creamed honey, we also have smaller sampler sizes so you can give those a taste before buying.

Here’s a sneak peek at the store the last time I was in there. Since they are a vintage goods store, the items may have been sold by the time you stop in.

Love the way they left the original wall brick on the right side, Amy said they embraced it when they moved in. Upstairs there is an apartment available for rent through AirBNB.

And don’t be surprised if they are doing something crafty when you stop in, I saw a number of charming recycled items into fun home decor.

Thanks for welcoming us, Amy!

Charlotte

Pourable Artisan Honey

Pourable Artisan Honey

It’s time to get more honey bottled for the local outlet selling my honey. I have it in both glass jars as well as vintage pourable glass containers so the honey is ready to be used, or gifted, as is.

The summer flowers honey is just the way the honey bees made it, raw and unprocessed. The one big difference is that they are available in interesting pourable glass containers, which has been a favorite of local customers. Pouring honey into the pourable glass containers helps the customer skip a step getting the sticky honey into their own serving container and loosing some honey in the process.

Once a pourable glass container is purchased, the honey purchased in hexagonal in jars can refill the pourable container for easy use again.

You can find the honey in pourable containers at Three Sisters Resale and Consignment, 713 Pine Street, Rolla.

Glad the customers are liking the practicality of the pourable jars!

Charlotte

Sharing Tea

The lovely table my neighbor Elaine set for our tea after a walk through her garden. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Sharing Tea

Over the years, friends have mentioned in passing how nice it would be to sit down for a long conversation over a pot of tea. Last week, on what happened to be my anniversary of moving to this mid-Missouri community several decades ago, my neighbor Elaine did just that - invited me over for tea.

The tea table was set on her lovely back deck with a pretty printed table cloth and fresh roses in a small vase inspired, she said, by my posts about small flower bouquets brightening up a room.

There was a lot of talk of plants and gardening, raising grandchildren and how our other neighbors are doing. Together Elaine and I manage our small Neighborhood Watch program, looking out for any unusual neighborhood activity and keeping an eye out on vehicle traffic to keep the kids safe.

As we tasted two different kinds of tea, it struck me that the biggest gift of sharing tea was the gift of time, and of listening. We can walk to each other’s houses and frequently catch up on neighborhood developments but this was the first time we sat down to just share a cup of tea.

As I headed home, I thought there couldn’t have been a better way to mark this very personal anniversary. Thank you, Elaine, my turn next month!

Charlotte

Bear Gift Basket

Poka Dot bear gets delivered in a basket with honey and flowers from my garden. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Bear Gift Basket

This was the second time in 23 years that a Bluebird Gardens customer asked for an ordered item to be locally delivered.

The Seattle customer said her sister was moving to our area to attend Missouri S&T. During the move, her car and trailer were in an accident — then her sister came down with COVID. At the time of the order, the sister was in our local hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU)

As I pulled the little cheerful Poka Dot bear out of storage with the other collectlble animals I have, I thought about how lonely it must be for a young woman so far from home getting such a rough start to this new chapter in her life. Even if her family could make it here from Seattle, they would not be allowed in the room for a visit, either in ICU or in her recuperating room. Who else would give her hugs but this little Poka Dot bear?

Flowers always cheer me up so I headed out to my garden to gather a small bouquet of flowers. I was also in the process of bottling honey so I added a bottle and honey dipper. If she has a recurring cough as she recovers, the local honey will come in handy.

And then I found a basket to fit everything in. The basket will keep all of the items together, be easily visible if they set it at the foot of the bed or the window and be a reminder that her family is thinking of her.

If you are also making gift deliveries to a local hospital, call them first to see if they will allow gift items in the hospital rooms. They don’t allow items in ICU but usually will allow items in a regular hospital bed.

Although I was willing to visit this young woman, I was told since she was a COVID patient no guests were allowed but her COVID nurse would be glad to deliver the basket.

Here’s hoping Poka Dot Bear works his magic and puts a smile on this young woman’s face as she rapidly recovers!

Charlotte

Glass Baskets

Footed glass basket found at a Salvation Army, perfect desk size. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Glass Baskets

One of my favorite go-to personalized gift ideas is to give flower vases with something special in them. And not just any flower vase, it has to be something unusual, multi-purpose and interesting.

For years, baskets were popular as gifts. I enjoyed making gift baskets combining something old, something new, something edible and something fun. Baskets were also a popular quilt theme like these patchwork baskets on this 1981 quilt.

My latest finds are small glass baskets. They not only can hold flowers but can serve as storage for other items such as office supplies, candies and little collections. That’s my motto, pretty and practical.

The small glass baskets are handy because they can look full with a few flowers and easily sit on a desk. Fresh flowers are uplifting so it’s good to encourage having them around.

Mikasa cut glass basket on the left, a smaller basket in the center. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

If allergies are an issue, glass baskets serve as a sweet display and storage item. Paper clips and rubber bands sit in a tiny glass basket in my office. A tape measure has a home in another glass basket. When they are not used for storage, I can fill them with flowers in water.

This little glass vase moonlights as storage when not holding flowers. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

You can also use these baskets to easily personalize them, such as filling them up with catnip gift toys.

Glass baskets can work as personalized gifts, here with catnip mice. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Another option is to make a glass basket out of less breakable items. I found this silver plated glass basket and separate bowl that nicely fit each other.

Make your own basket by combining a dish with a basket. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Not only are the items now repurposed but they make for a nice decorative storage spot.

These look like they belong together! (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

You will find glass vases at resale shops, antique stores, yard sales and thrift shops. They may take a little time to find them but they are worth the effort. In other words, pick them up when you see them.

I like to give glass baskets with a variety of items from candy, chocolates and homemade treats to flowers. Flowers are my first choice but I don’t always have options mid-winter. I have been known to buy flowers but I prefer to grow my own.

I also have several glass vases around my house, mostly with garden flowers.

This little footed glass basket welcomes me at my house entrance, today holding gooseneck loosetripfe and white rose buds. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Maybe not the most practical items with rambunctious cats but they’ve managed not to break mine so far. And there’s something quite elegant about having these pops of color brightening our rooms.

Charlotte

Personalize Gifts with Books

Our custom Peter Rabbit quilt with a Beatrix Potter book. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Personalize Gifts with Books

There are few better ways to personalize a gift than to add a book. That’s why we offer a number of baby quilts with books to make your shopping easier and to inspire if you are making your own personalized gifts.

We may be more online these days but books are still a favorite treat, especially in summertime. Summertime is a good time to indulge in reading, whether it’s a favorite how to guide to classic stories.

You can find books at most large retailers. If you don’t know what children’s book to buy, pick a book that reflects the interests of the parents.

If you don’t know the parents, then share one of your favorites and mention that in the gift card. In this baby quilt example, a book about tomatoes is a good choice for a Vegetables baby quilt.

We offer a number of favorite themed baby quilts with books because the combination fo a quilt and a book is a favorite personal gift of ours. What better way to enjoy a book than to be curled up in a blanket?

Charlotte

Custom Flower Quilt

Custom embroidery turned this white quilt into a special custom gift. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Custom Flower Quilt

We love our return customers and this was one of those projects that developed a hiccup. The manufacturer stopped making the original quilt featuring Texas Bluebonnets that was a favorite gift for great grandchildren.

With the help of our local custom embroidery shop, we were able to capture the spirit of the original gift quilts using a white scalloped-edged throw. The scalloped edging was a signature of the original applique quilts.

Matching the original colors to this custom flower quilt, we were able to capture the spirit of the original quilts and help the family continue their tradition of giving these are gifts to new family members.

The same idea could be used for other favorite flowers for special occasions such as birthdays, Mother’s Day and birthdays. Flowers are a great theme for any occasion and can be as simple as this custom flower quilt or as detailed as our wildflowers throw.

As we all are working from home, having a throw to toss over knees when it’s cool is a wonderful thoughtful gift, with or without custom embroidered flowers!

Charlotte

Wrong Quilt Spelling

Double check names before placing an order to make sure you have the correct spelling. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Wrong Quilt Spelling

What is wrong with this charming personalized Pastel ABC’s baby quilt? Nothing with the baby quilt itself but he embroidered name was misspelled by a customer.

The customer was ready to buy a new baby quilt but because the error was easy to fix, relatively speaking, she didn’t have to do that.

Once the baby quilt was returned, I carefully hand removed the first name, without damaging the baby quilt, so that it could be correctly embroidered correctly.

With the incorrect named removed, it was re-embroidered correctly. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

If you try to do this yourself, take your time. This is a hand quilted quilt so you don’t want to cut through the hand quilting. You also don’t want to damage the fabric.

Charlotte

Personalized Gift Basket Idea

Sometimes the simple treats can help cheer someone up. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Personalized Gift Basket Idea

There are a number of upcoming opportunities to share a gift basket. They are easy to make and a wonderful way to lift someone’s spirits. They can also make nice Valentine’s Day, birthday and Mother/Father’s day gifts.

I was once again reminded of the charm of gift baskets when I happened on someone this week who was struggling. The details don’t matter except to share that I could see she was exhausted. And facing some very important decisions.

So earlier today I pulled together a personalized gift basket containing a combination of practical and fun items I already had at home. The idea was to give her items she could have close by when she needed a lift, and to remind her that she was appreciated.

I started with “stress less” tea with Stevia packets, and a jar of my apiary’s honey. Great combination if you want to pull together a simple gift basket.I added a couple of hot chocolate packs and an instant coffee for those times when she needs a quick cup.

From there I thought to have the tea and coffee, she’s going to need a cup - the glass one is reusable - and a spoon. I myself use my Bluebird spoons with my teas so I added one of those. Bluebirds are Missouri’s state bird and represent happiness.

A couple more items will make her life easier; the thread snips are a great tool for quick snipping and the tape measure has a built in level, pen and pad. I use mine all of the time.

Now for some fun things; a beaded ladybug coin purse with all of the change out of my billfold, and Udderly Smooth hand cream, which I happen to love because it doesn’t leave a residue.

Pretty and practical, this blue handkerchief can work as both a napkin and headband. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

I am fond of baskets so I pick them up when I see ones I like. I had this one in my business storage room along with a collection of the different-colored bandanas. The bandanas work well as napkins as well as head bands and, in this basket, a practical substitute for a ribbon.

A locket where the photo of a loved one can go keeps them close. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

One more special item, the locket. Lockets were favorite jewelry items in days past but I think they are still an excellent gift. They can hold the photo of a loved one and keep them close, something that with COVID is not so easy to do these days.

Using a sheet of our signature powdered blue tissue paper to line the basket, it was ready for delivery, a simple gift to lift someone’s spirits and to let them know they were in someone’s thoughts. And this little basket will just keep on giving.

Charlotte

Worn Out Quilt Cat Pillows

Worn out quilts, also called cutter quilts, are often made into animals and animal pillows. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Worn Out Quilt Cat Pillows

If you’ve ever had a favorite blanket or quilt, you know how attached we can get to those pieces of fabric that can span portions of our lives.

Enter the concept of recycling. Or maybe it’s making the most of what’s left. Whatever you call it, one of the favorite things to do with worn out quilts, also called cutter quilts, is to salvage the remaining good parts. We’ve made large quilts into baby quilts, pillows and, my personal favorite, animals.

Now these three worn out quilt cat pillows have been collected over the years primarily from estate sales. Most of these came from households where someone was a quilter and that person saved what remained of a favorite handmade quilt intp these charming cat designs.

I enjoyed collecting them because every quilter seemed to give their cat pillow an interesting twist. And the patterns were not difficult.

I smile every time I see this happy worn out quilt cat pillow, simple but charming. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Here’s another interesting one, look at how the quilter incorporated the cat tail:

A little stuffing and clever stitching and there you have a cat tail. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Worn Out Quilts weren’t only made into animals and animal pillows. They have also been made into decorative Santa dolls and other animals. Even small remnants can be saved and made into smaller Santas like this charming unique, one of a kind little Santa star.

Pieces of another favorite but worn out quilt turned into a tree ornament. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

So if you happen to have well-loved quilts around, consider making a cat pillow or two out of it for Christmas gifts this year. You will be retaining wonderful memories and making something soft and comforting.

Based on our experience of doing that for our customers, they become a favorite holiday gift!

Charlotte