24 August 2013

Return to MY Childhood

I was a table hostess for the Friday luncheon at this year's Sasha Festival. In 2010 I co-hosted with Tina, and we created something in line with the "Return to Switzerland" theme. This time I did a spin on the "Return to Childhood" theme, creating a gift that returned to MY childhood in the late 60's and early 70's.


This was a family project. My mother crocheted ponchos for me, miniaturizing an old pattern and modifying it to fit easily over Sasha's head. My husband made 1:3 scale copies (just covers, no pages) of three favorite books I'd saved from childhood. I found tiny tan teddy bears similar to my own bear Fletcher, discovered miniature Magic 8 balls at a party store, and created daisy headbands -- I remember tying together stems of dandelions to make hair pieces as a child. And Boo served as the model for a big-little photo that I used on cards explaining the story behind the gift. Everything went into a little plastic milk crate, as if it had been stored away in an attic for several decades.

One piece of the gift isn't pictured here because it wasn't finished yet, black cord necklaces with peace sign charms. I did not have a suitable crimping tool for the style I'd planned to make, so my husband offered to bring his home from work for me to use. This didn't happen until the last minute, at which point I was scrambling and decided to postpone them until next year. Simon stepped up and assembled the necklaces for me while I packed on Wednesday evening, making me (and the people who sat at my table) very happy.

3 comments:

Dee said...

What a great idea and lovely table gift to receive. I am sure you got lots of great feedback and people memories of that time in their lives to!

Serenata said...

They were fabulous gifts and I remember seeing them on various Sashas on your table. What fun! I remember having a poncho like that as well. Those little Golden books bring back memories too, although I think it was my sister who had those.

DollMum said...

Lovely table hostess gifts - such a great idea to commemorate your own childhood as gifts for others. The miniature poncho is brilliant - does your mother take orders?

I had a poncho during the 1970s, I also had a crocheted tank top at one stage. I don't remember Magic 8 balls or the books though, maybe those never made it to South Africa.