A birthday gift

I love giving gifts.  I love giving gifts that have an emotional significance to the receiver even more.  My dear, dear cousin recently had a birthday and I made her a gift this year that had a family connection.  So, let's back up...several years ago, my mother gave me a book with cute ideas for hand made bags, purses, totes, etc., and I have looked through it over and over again trying to decide which would be the best pattern to make.  This year, I finally concluded that I would make a small zippered wristlet for Sarah's birthday.  I went to my local fabric store and found a deal on some pretty fabric for the exterior of the bag along with the detailing.  When I got home and started cutting the pattern out, I realized that the fabric that I had for the lining and strap was fairly "plain."  I started hunting around in my fabric to see if there was a small scrap of fabric that would work when....out of the blue I remembered that I had a small bag of silk scarves, fabric napkins, and other fabric pieces from our grandmother's estate tucked away.  I pulled it out hoping that there would be something there to work with.  It was magic!  I found the perfect fabric napkin that matched the project and the rest is history.  It turned out so nicely, that I made two wristlets, one for Cousin Sarah and one for me.  Now we can carry a piece of our family inside our wallet, everyday.  There is so much to love about this project, and I love that I was able to share it with someone I love so dearly!