For Me? Or You?

These pictures are of my entire gift to my mother's mother, my maternal grandma. She has had alot of change in her life since last Christmas and alot of it has been difficult. She has, however, had a chance to come out of her shell a bit and show off more of her adventurous and funny side.
I thought about this alot while making her lap quilt and tote. I picked out bright, flowering colors and retro designs because I knew she would enjoy the throw-back. I realized that this is what makes handmade holidays so wonderful. I get to spend hours thinking about her rhubarb jam and her jokes about big-breasted women and gossip about neighbors. I thought about how she always had Twizzlers stocked in her pantry that she would sneak to the grandkids when we visit. I thought about her applesauce and how I got the recipe once and it was equal parts apples to sugar so I decided not to make it and just eat hers and not think about it. I thought about her life and what she gave her kids and what she held back from them. I got this chance to spend time implanting in my mind a cohesive picture of her and it made me realize how much I care about her and how amazing she is. Handmade is what gave me this gift, after all these years of buying her cute sweaters and utilitarian kitchen stuffs at the mall. And, I really can't decide what is a better gift, what I'm giving her or what I got.

Might be that I'm the one with the best gift. (Especially since I'm only half-happy with how the quilt turned out, but that is kind of beside the point.)

This little artsy clutch I am happy with and I'm filling it with etsy goodies that I hope will make her smile as much as I am, thinking about my lovely grandmother. Am I lost in a sea of pregnancy hormones? Is anyone else having this kind of handmade holiday gush-of-love feeling?