The beginnings of an afghan and other stuff

Recently, I've been trying to think of things I could make for Christmas gifts this year. Last year I made scarves for a few people. This year, I'm hoping to get a jump start on the gifts to give me more time to make something bigger. I've found a pattern for an afghan that I think would work well for one of the gifts. Here's the start of it...

Another idea I had was flower pens. Ideally I'd get a small flower pot, fill it with beads, and put a few pens in it. I had plans to add leaves to the stems, but I'm not sure if it'd be too bulky. Thoughts? :)