From Facebook Inspiration to Holiday Magic

There is something special about a customer coming back with another idea and asking:

“Can you make this?”

This return customer and I had already worked together on other custom creations, so when she came across the most adorable holiday dragon on Facebook, she sent it my way to see if I could recreate it.

The inspiration came from a holiday version created by Hanner-Gurumi, and as soon as I saw it, my answer was pretty simple:

Of course I can!

See the original holiday dragon inspiration from Hanner-Gurumi

The little dragon she had fallen in love with was created using the Baby Thor Dragon pattern by Hanner-Gurumi.

View the Baby Thor pattern on Etsy

It already had that wonderfully cute baby dragon shape, but the holiday details gave it a completely different personality.

And she didn't want just one.

She ordered TWO!

That meant I had the opportunity to make a matching little holiday pair, but I didn't want them to feel like exact copies of one another.

One of the things I love about handmade work is that even when I'm creating two pieces from the same pattern and inspiration, they don't have to be identical.

So as I worked on these two holiday dragons, I chose to give each one a little character of its own.

They belonged together. You could immediately tell they were part of the same festive little dragon family. But the small differences gave each one its own personality.

That's one of those details that makes handmade creations so much fun.

A pattern gives me the foundation.

An inspiration photo gives us a direction.

But somewhere between the yarn, hook, details and finishing touches, each little creation starts developing a personality all its own.

With the holidays approaching, there was another important part of this order:

Getting these little dragons finished and on their way!

Both holiday dragons were completed, packed up and shipped before Thanksgiving, ready to head off to their new home and become part of someone's holiday season.

And then came one of my favorite parts of any custom order: hearing back from the customer.

She messaged:

“Hello. Just wanted to thank you again for the dragons! They are perfect!”

There really isn't a much better way to close out a custom order than that.

I think coming back for three more might be one of the best compliments a maker can receive!

What started with a Facebook photo and a simple “Can you make this?” had officially grown into quite the little dragon collection.

And I was more than happy to keep the dragon magic going.

Sometimes custom orders begin with a detailed idea.

Other times, they begin while you're scrolling Facebook and suddenly stop because you see something that would make the perfect gift.

If that happens, send it my way!

An inspiration photo doesn't always mean creating an exact copy. We can talk about patterns, colors, details and ways to give your handmade piece a personality of its own.

That is exactly how these two little holiday dragons came to be.

One Facebook find. One simple question. Two adorable dragons with personalities all their own.

Have something you've spotted that has you wondering, “Melissa, can you make this?”

Ask me.

You might be surprised how often my answer is:

Of course I can!