2026, Art, home, Uncategorized

Chunk Mess

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We have a new baby in the neighborhood; they came home on Saturday.  These are newish neighbors so I don’t know them super-well.  With folks you don’t know, and young to boot, it’s hard to gauge what kind of gift to get.  I wasn’t invited to any showers and these days new parents seem to want the types of stuff that I either have never heard of or is out of my price range.  I need a small, casual gift.  My go-to is the chunk journal.

This is a small photo album, just 4 x 4, with lots of pretty paper and embellishments.  The front and back cover is made with corkboard – I get the 4 x 4 coasters online.  It’s easy to make and I get to use up stuff from my way-too-big craft stash.  Papers, ribbons, stickers, bling.  The only problem with the chunk journal is the mess:

I don’t have a plan when I start a chunk journal except the number of pages (I usually do 24 pieces, so places for 48 photos.  As I cut paper and take out various embellishments, I don’t put them back right away, as I may want to use them again on later pages.  This means my desk is covered in all kinds of stuff that I’m not willing to return to its home until I’m all done with the journal.  As I get closer and closer to the end, I get a little more ruffled about the mess.  I start to put stuff away in my head.  That means I get two endorphin kicks at the end.  I’ve finished the gift and I get to start the clean-up.  Unfortunately, this is the only time I get all excited about cleaning up in my studio.  Rats.

Do you have any go-to gifts (any occasion)?  Do you purchase gifts off folks’ registries?

25 thoughts on “Chunk Mess”

  2. Oh, I would love to clean off my desk – my virtual desk… made a list yesterday of online sign-up stuff that I have to do this week, just makes me want to go back to bed, because I’m so afraid I’ll click the wrong thing and not be able to get out of it…

    I used to have go-to gifts, when nieces & nephews were younger… it would be blank journals and art supplies for birthdays, etc.
    Last year we had a lot of those POINTS to use up and ended up with several Applebee’s gift cards – each of our siblings (well, the ones we’re in contact with) got one for their birthdays.

    Gift registries – nope.

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  3. I like to give Pendlton baby blankets as baby gifts. We still have lots of stuff to put away in the office downstairs. That is my next unpacking project. I have been putting it off.

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  4. I’ve crocheted various gifts: baby blankets, scarves, and hats, but I can’t say I have a “go-to” gift. I don’t use gift registries unless I really can’t think of anything and I’m out of time.

    I have a strong tendency to use my dining room table as a desk. I wish I didn’t do this, but I continue to do it. I have a new space in my new house for my desk, laptop, printer, files, and all of my yarn and beadwork. Unfortunately that desk is covered with all my craft supplies. I have to get going on my tax organizer and I should do it in there. It will mean having to clean off that desk. I have nowhere to put all that beading stuff!

    Now you’ve got me thinking about that!

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  5. The chunk books are lovely! I have found that many parents really love soft leather baby moccasins as a gift. They told me that when babies are starting to stand and walk, the soft soles allow feet to feel the ground & toes react but bottoms of the feet are protected. So I sometimes give two types- one for newborns and then bigger ones for 8-15 mo old babies.

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  6. Gift Giving can be tough. The last couple weddings we’ve had, the people each had their own homes before marrying, so they really didn’t need much for material things… We do at least try to find soemthing kinda fun /quirky on the list and not just another toaster…

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  7. In the last 10 years or so, I have been completely won over by the “experience versus things” camp. I used to think that people asking for money for a honeymoon was a terrible idea but now I love it. I’d really rather provide someone with a fun experience that they will have pictures of and remember for years, than to give them a toaster that’ll sit in the back of the cabinet until one or the other of them passes away and they downsize.

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    1. I agree. Son and his wife brought this up to us, as well. So usually we go out for an expensive meal (often at Italian Eatery on Cedar-yum). That has led to some fun gatherings and scrumptious dining.

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  8. Rise and Shine, Baboons,

    VS, that book is really adorable. What a terrific gift. I often give gifts that I make, as well. An embellished hand knit earwarmer, embellished wine glass, homemade jelly, a hand knit self-closing scarf, or even those cheesy hand knit slippers that keep your feet warm. The big winner is the preserved tomato-basil soup.

    For each baby born into my family I give a set of the books of my mother’s stories of growing up on a farm during the Great Depression. I posted these about 8-15 years ago when I made those over an 8 year period. Their parents are loving those books. I used to be able to post a link to the books. I will try to find that

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  9. I usually do consult the registry if there is one, and pick something that fits within my budget.

    Our next door neighbors got married in August of last year, and they had a wish list that included costs of home improvement projects they contemplated. Our gift was $100 toward the kitchen remodel.

    Other recent* wedding gifts that I can think of include a beautiful hand-thrown ceramic serving bowl with a lid made by a local potter, $160.00 for a round of golf on the couple’s honeymoon, 4 ceramic dinner plates made by another local potter. The one thing these four gifts have in common is the fact that we didn’t receive a thank you note or email or acknowledgement of any kind from any of the recipients.

    The most recent* baby gift (not a shower gift) was to another neighbor’s daughter. She already had a four year old boy when she gave birth to twin girls. I gave them a six month subscription to a diaper service. She was grateful and sent me a very nice email thanking me for a thoughtful gift.

    *Keep in mind that when I use a phrase such as “a while ago” or “recently” it can mean anything from yesterday to fourteen years ago.

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  10. OT. Blevins.
    Sunday, March 15
    Jim & Kathy’s
    2 p.m.

    Around the World in 80 Plants (Stephen Barstow)
    &
    Around the World in 80 Days (Jules Verne)

    Reading Ahead Since Books are Popular
    Where Rivers Part (Kao Yang) for May
    Three Bags Full (Leonie Swann) for May
    Culpability (Bruce Holsinger) for July

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  11. If you looked at the National Day Calendar for Clean Off Your Desk Day, you might have noticed National Pharmacist Day.
    Since 47 declared a 1500% reduction in prescription drug costs, those of us who take such drugs are to be paid for taking them. Today would be a good day to pick up your checks.

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  12. I never sold one of my paintings. I only gave away one, mostly because he is my very dearest friend and she hinted very broadly that she would like it. They were aware I have boxes of my paintings that will never be used.
    One of the reasons I never give away anything I make:
    Many of my colleagues or friends retired and took up hobbies making things or painting. They then honored me with one of their efforts. The painters told me they were sure I would want one because I painted. They expected to see their paintings up in our house. One taught painting. He lectured me on color theory. I told him that nature does not know the color wheel.
    I did not want to do that to my friends.
    Things that VS makes are a different sort of gift.
    Clyde

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    1. I think the biggest difference is the gift giver‘s expectation. If I go to someone’s house and I don’t see a gift that I have given them, I don’t get my shorts in a bunch. And if I found the chunk journal on a table at a garage sale next summer, I wouldn’t get my shorts in a bunch about that either — just a mental note to self to not give them any more chunk journals.

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  13. We just received an invitation to a 75th birthday party. At the end it says “No gifts, please”.

    Then they add: “If you wish to donate to the Winona … Food Shelf, we’ll have a box to collect cash & checks. Non-perishable food also accepted.”

    I’m getting so that I really like having this option, especially for old folks like us who certainly don’t need any more STUFF.

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