A Christmas treasure box

When I walked into my granddaughter’s bedroom, it was abundantly clear that she didn’t need one more toy. I don’t remember having a difficult time deciding what to give my children for Christmas.

Taking toys off the list, what does that leave? Clothes are just not fun for children, and a pet is out of the question for so many reasons. Books are great, and I was considering some, but aside from that, I had no idea what to give this 6-yearold. That is, until I received a text with a picture of her latest creation.

I was blown away when I saw it, and it knew immediately what I would give her. The picture was of a doll with a costume that she had made for her. The dress was fashioned with paper, stickon jewels and black duck tape.

It was amazing; it was short in the front, with a full length bejeweled train in the back. The best part was the duck tape hat with little details attached. The tape was both the base of the hat, and what helped it stick to its model’s hair. That hat wasn’t going anywhere.

I was so excited by this outfit, because it was a followup her previous outfit, made from a cut up Halloween sock, and attached to the doll just so. The heel of the sock created a really cute hat. Aariana really is good with hats; they really complete her look.

I had planned that this summer, when she turned 7, I would teach her to knit or crochet. I’ve scrapped that idea, and have decided that she needs to learn to sew first. Her Christmas gift is going to be a treasure box of sewing supplies, a selection of different types of fabrics and oodles of fun trims, buttons and beads.

OK — so this is what I would have loved when I was a 7-year old, but I know she will absolutely love it too.

This is the child who, while spending the day in my shop, spent 3 hours making a plane out of a cast-off box. The next day, she spent another couple of hours using scissors, paste, glitter, tape, and paper to transform another box.

Even though I know my granddaughter is very special, there are so many other special children that love to use their hands, hearts and heads to create.

Perhaps they might like to find a treasure box under the tree this year.