Content in the Meantime: Craftaholics Anonymous' Summer 2013 Handmade Gift Exchange

I signed up for the Summer 2013 Gift Exchange, created by Craftaholics Anonymous. Linda organizes two handmade gift exchanges every year, and this is the 8th annual Summer edition.Using Elfster.com, she organized a nationwide handmade gift exchange.

This was my first time doing this kind of exchange, and honestly I forgot about it for a week. I received my gift from my gift pal Summer on June 27th, and then it hit me that I had to send her something.

First I want to show you what she sent me.

She sent me a box filled with Target bags and these lovely handmade gifts. I really like the look of this burlap S. It is striped with a dark red, one of my favorite shades of red.

The miracle hand cream smells so good, and the hand scrub smells fruity and delicious. The fact that this is homemade makes the gift even more meaningful.

These handmade magnets and colorful and so cute! And they look easy to make too.

So I worked all weekend trying to make something to send to her on time. I decided to take the bags that she put in the box to protect the handmade goodies, and I collected all the bags in my stash to make her one of my plastic bags bag (check out my plastic yarn plarn tutorial).

The bag is 18 inches long and 10 inches high. The strap is about 3 inches thick and 26 inches long. It took me about a week to make, but I think I could have finished it in a weekend if I didn't have so many things to do! On her Elfster account she liked this Gathered Bag tutorial, so I took that idea and shape of the bag to make this design. This is the third bag I made out of plastic bags, and every bag looks different. I like how the bag has a curved bottom for more packing space.

I asked her what her craft is, and she said she sews. So I am also sending her two bunches of scrap material similar to the green and teal bag, if she wanted to make a bag of her own. I also found out that she was going to have a baby last Tuesday, so I bought a cute Make Me Blanket with the material to make a blanket for her new baby. I know I didn't have to spend any money, but I thought of her when I saw those materials.

This bag is good for holding crafting materials, beach/outing supplies, produce, etc. It is waterproof and very sturdy. It was made with a size I hook and the single crochet stitch. I made it red, white and blue too! I made it so she can carry her sewing supplies, but she can use it however she needs to.

The last thing I am doing to the bag is adding an extra layer to the bottom just in case. This is going in the mail today!

UPDATE:

I had the chance to take some pictures of the gifts I sent my secret pal before I packed it up and mailed it.