Leaf Crunching Wreath Making Season

I picked a misleading title for today's hug, but my whole day is unfolding under the weight of this cheery e-mailed sales message: 'Time to load up a tray with mugs and mince pies for a fun day of wreath-making and gift-wrapping!' Cue the panic, because I am still stuck at gift *making*...

It's progress though, right? Ugh. There is so much distance right now between me and wrapping, I could be hugging the Grand Canyon. But it's not even Remembrance Day so probably that's not as sad as it sounds.

I did get thinking though, isn't the cheery bit of the holiday season about making? Perhaps even making *time* for making? That's not something I've been doing lately (see: pathetically slow progress on gift sock, above.) 

So I'm spending part of today clearing off our dining room table, which is where most of the making happens, to reduce the barriers to creative activity. I keep reading in real estate articles that the dining room is a thing of the past but when you break it down, it's a room long enough for a big table in it, plus windows, and potentially even doors you can close off so you can leave it in a terrible mess, and what is that if not a super-essential making space? 

Not like you can cut dress pattern pieces on the floor (past the age of thirty.) Or spread out boughs for wreath-mak---

Okay I am not going to be making any wreaths. Every year around this time we *buy* a lush green boxwood wreath, hang it up over the living room mantel, and let it slowly dry out over the year.  In late spring it's generally faded to a refreshing sage green, and then there's a gradual shift to gold in time for December when we hang up the new one.

Last year the only option we could get in our preferred size was 'with red berries' and I wasn't sure how that would translate into spring and summer and fall, but lookit:

hmmmm it's kind of flat in this lighting, isn't it? In person, it's much more glowy and beautiful. 

 

Oh that's a bit terrifying isn't it, with the lamp on. 

 ... and back to blah. Oh well! Ricardo and Gwenny enjoy it so that's good enough for me.

Meanwhile, it's my favourite time of year: Leaf Crunching Season!

I'm still not 100% after last week's cold, but I am aiming to go out and enjoy it. Possibly even with this year's alpaca hat from the Royal Winter Fair...

Meadowview Alpaca Farm has new owners since we were last at their booth at the Fair, but the alpacas are producing the same gorgeous fibers as always and they are still making hats. Hopefully now that I've bought this one, I will be able to find the one I bought from there years ago, and misplaced? Nothing else has worked, so I'm crossing my fingers.

That's me for today, my friends. Hope you're all keeping well and lining up a lovely weekend, even though it's well into Saturday afternoon as I type this. Thanks again for stopping by and I'll see you next week!