I'm participating in an ornament swap this year. It's being organized by the Small Fox and I signed up a little over a month a go. I spent a little bit of each day last week getting my ornaments made and photographed before sending them off. Each person in the swap makes and sends ten ornaments and gets ten different ones back.

I decided to make Moonstitche's Zakka Style Owls as ornaments (I just thread a piece of embroidery floss through the top of the head and hide the knot behind the face). I love this tutorial and have been wanting to make more of these guys for our decorating this year. I cut out a whole bunch and picked ten particularly cute little guys to send away. I used a bunch of different fabrics for my owls - corduroy, wool, suiting fabrics (that may or may not be wool), and even some velveteen I found tucked away - and made sure that the ten I sent out did not include any duplicates.

There is a Flickr group for the swap where you can see what other people are making and get loads of ideas for making stuff yourself.

Amy and I went through the bookstore on our way to get some coffee yesterday afternoon and saw something very exciting (and I can't remember why I didn't get around to posting this yesterday): a much anticipated new sewing book.


One-Yard Wonders looks like it is a wonderful project book but it holds some special excitement for me. Turn to page 125 and take a close look at the pattern you find there.


Can you see it? That's my name.

I'm still (impatiently) waiting to receive my copy. I haunt the mailbox and listen carefully for anything that sounds like a Canada Post delivery person on our front porch. I'll share a little more once I've got this is my hands. For now I'm just too full of excited anticipation to say much more than "Eeeeek!" or "Look, Look" to everyone I know.

I wanted to write today but was not sure what to say or show. I'm not given to grand thoughts or deep introspection but I think it is important to have some quiet, introspective time today, to remember those who have fought and died for for our freedoms and beliefs, and to think of those who are taking up that calling now.

These photos are from a walk I took for an afternoon break last week when the sun decided to show itself. They are not in any way related to Remembrance Day but to me they have a quiet thoughtful quality that I felt might be appropriate.





If you would like to see more of my walk you can find it on my flickr.