Good and interesting ideas here, thank you! I'm leaning towards a 13"x 13" lined tote bag using beachy or at least bright outdoor fabric and stitching an embroidered motif for the front. I got the idea from the book "Patchwork Loves Embroidery" by Gail Pan. I may even make a small cosmetic bag because you can always use one for something.
That said, I might find some cotton fabric and fall in love and do the quilty thing. Having purged bins of fabric a few years back when looking through my current stash what I have left is one bin of pretty much prints and naturally not a solid to match the blue and teal dragonfly print I wanted to use, so I'll have to take a ride to the fabric store this weekend. I also thought of putting in a small label, like a 'made by me', because, why not?
Even if she uses it for a quick trip to the grocery store or gives it away, it will be okay with me. I feel like this is what will make me happy to make.