I decided to crochet her a pillow - something she can snuggle up to while reading, or cozy up with watching tv. I have had this awesome pattern saved on my Pinterest for quite a while now, just knowing it would come in handy. It was super easy & it worked up quickly, I was pleasantly surprised :) I even had it done before we went on vacation, a whole month before the birthday!
You can see I did a sleepy eye, instead of a hard plastic one, so it would be a bit cozier. I also did the mane differently - as much as I just LOVE the one in the original picture, I wasn't thrilled with how it was turning out as I crocheted it... so I just used a rainbow yarn and made a fringe trim along the top & back of the unicorn's head (I cut a guhzillion pieces of yarn then gathered 3 together, folded them in half, and used my crochet hook to pull them through the edge stitches & knot them in place).
I think it was a hit - when she opened the bag (which I also crocheted - that post will be coming sometime) she let out a squeal and jumped up to give me a hug. That, of course, is my favorite part of crocheting for my family & friends ;) And, my sister texted me that my niece has requested a blanket, so... we shall see where the inspiration takes me, on that!
