Small Creative Projects
Still working to put together my gift package to send off to my walking buddy in Ohio. Thanks so much to those people who offered ideas when I last posted about our Rivendell gift exchange. I won't have time to follow up on all the suggestions given, but the posts did help me continue the creative process on my own.
First off, it occurred to me that I'd made a pair of Elfish leaf earrings for a friend earlier in the year who turned out not to have pierced ears. The leaf earrings were fun and cheap to make and will be perfect for the package. I took the leaf charms from "Two Towers" bookmarks that came out earlier in the year, as well as green glass beads, attached them to earring posts and hooks and voila! I made a pair for myself last Spring, too.
I've wanted to do some cross-stitch for this package, too, something simple, but nice, and it hit me out of the blue today that there is a wonderful Celtic cross-stitch website that will generate a cross-stitch pattern of any word or phrase that you type into the program. The walker's on-line handle is "Lalaith" (a name, a little research taught me, that she found in "The Silmarillion"), so I've generated "Lalaith" in Celtic lettering and printed it out and I'm going to stitch her a bookmark. To my delight I found a forgotten bookmark kit at the bottom of my craft box tonight which provides me with a bordered cross-stitch bookmark, a tassel to attach and a silk ribbon for the backing. It's just perfect- I was so happy :). I should be able to stitch it up in a day or two.
My sister, Sheilagh, came up with a wonderful inexpensive gift idea when we were out at lunch today. She suggested I print out my favorite of all the digital nature photos I've taken during my "Walk to Rivendell", put it in a small frame and attach a card to the back with a hand-written explanation as to why I chose that photo to send her. I love that idea. Sheilagh's also going to pick me up a few inexpensive Toronto souvenirs near where she lives to put in the package, too.
I was also inspired by Chris' idea to send Lalaith UT's new CD, though unfortunately, I don't think I'll have a copy before the package needs to be in the mail. It got me thinking, though, about something else UT has done in the past, putting together homemade tapes where we talk and then sing songs onto tape. I think I'll put together a short tape like that, sending Lalaith a message, singing one or two Tolkien songs and adding on UT arrangements of one or two Tolkien songs, as well.
All in all, a package with a lot of personal touches that I think will make me proud :).
Exercise log- Four miles of walking around King and Queen St. with Sheilagh today, taking me up to 346 miles and south of the Great East Road.
First off, it occurred to me that I'd made a pair of Elfish leaf earrings for a friend earlier in the year who turned out not to have pierced ears. The leaf earrings were fun and cheap to make and will be perfect for the package. I took the leaf charms from "Two Towers" bookmarks that came out earlier in the year, as well as green glass beads, attached them to earring posts and hooks and voila! I made a pair for myself last Spring, too.
I've wanted to do some cross-stitch for this package, too, something simple, but nice, and it hit me out of the blue today that there is a wonderful Celtic cross-stitch website that will generate a cross-stitch pattern of any word or phrase that you type into the program. The walker's on-line handle is "Lalaith" (a name, a little research taught me, that she found in "The Silmarillion"), so I've generated "Lalaith" in Celtic lettering and printed it out and I'm going to stitch her a bookmark. To my delight I found a forgotten bookmark kit at the bottom of my craft box tonight which provides me with a bordered cross-stitch bookmark, a tassel to attach and a silk ribbon for the backing. It's just perfect- I was so happy :). I should be able to stitch it up in a day or two.
My sister, Sheilagh, came up with a wonderful inexpensive gift idea when we were out at lunch today. She suggested I print out my favorite of all the digital nature photos I've taken during my "Walk to Rivendell", put it in a small frame and attach a card to the back with a hand-written explanation as to why I chose that photo to send her. I love that idea. Sheilagh's also going to pick me up a few inexpensive Toronto souvenirs near where she lives to put in the package, too.
I was also inspired by Chris' idea to send Lalaith UT's new CD, though unfortunately, I don't think I'll have a copy before the package needs to be in the mail. It got me thinking, though, about something else UT has done in the past, putting together homemade tapes where we talk and then sing songs onto tape. I think I'll put together a short tape like that, sending Lalaith a message, singing one or two Tolkien songs and adding on UT arrangements of one or two Tolkien songs, as well.
All in all, a package with a lot of personal touches that I think will make me proud :).
Exercise log- Four miles of walking around King and Queen St. with Sheilagh today, taking me up to 346 miles and south of the Great East Road.