Hello all, Mary Ellen here.

Crafty Gemini has been around on the internet for a while now. Vanessa, a clever millenial, has been sharing fun projects to make for your family, friends and home. She now has partnered up with the Jenny Doan empire of Missouri Star Quilt Company, so will become much more familiar to an older audience. But none the less, her projects are cute and quick. In this video she will walk you through the steps of making a drawstring bag. She bills it as a gift bag, but I think it could be useful in many other ways as well. The little boys in my life have all sorts of soldiers and small characters with which they love to stage battles. When going to a restaurant, a few always come along for the wait before the meal is served. My nieces, now too old for dollies, used to bring dolls and the many outfits and accessories for them on their trips out with Auntie. Pouches made of fabrics chosen with the kids in mind would make fun holiday gifts that don’t pass out of favor soon after the unwrapping frenzy is gone.  I’m sure you can think of other loose items which could be corralled into a pouch for safe keeping. If you make this as a gift bag, why not start a tradition that at Thanksgiving time pouches must be returned to you for Christmas refills?  Click here for the video.