All the best...

 ...of everything is what I wish for you this holiday season.

May every colour of the rainbow delight your eyes, and each moment be filled with the love, laughter, compassion and kindness that is the meaning of the season.

I'll be taking a hiatus from the blog at least until March, and perhaps longer.  That doesn't mean, however, that I won't be thinking of you and cheering you along - may your creativity know no bounds and your creations be off the charts!  See you down the road, my friends.

The Christmas crazies...

...have me by the tail, so this will be short and only slightly sweetened by cookie dough (no photos available, though).

I've been out in the sunshine (we had an hour or so of it this week) and caught this lovely leaf-bare mountain ash berry fest against that blue sky.  What a gift!

I've been working on a large card (14" x 11" when folded) for the Swan Valley Lodge staff in the Adult Day Program.

They are such wonderful caregivers, and John so much enjoys his time there.

We'd be hard-pressed to manage this terrible disease without their heartful service.

And I promise that the box of chocolates will be full when this is all packaged up, but the temptation is massive, may I say?

Sending Christmas vibes your way as I speed over to your posts to see what's happening on your end.  

You'll never guess...

...what I've been up to this week, will you?  Christmas cards?  How did you know?? 

I finished all the tops of the cards, printed the front tags, glued them down,

and did the same for the inserts as well.  

Everytime I did some glueing, I stashed the piece under this book, and giggled at the title - somehow Heavy Equipment Repair seemed the perfect book for the task.

I had a good collection of cards when finished, even though I'd sent some out of the country already.

I do have some more cards to make (less urgent), but I took a break to add some words to the travel journal of collages.  It was great fun to be glueing something different for a change. 

Hope you've had an entertaining and creative week, whatever you were up to.  I'm going to pop over to check on you soon!!

The Christmas card....

...scramble continues, with deadlines whizzing past like rockets.  

Working on layer four, they seem to be taking some shape now.

If I can finish the overseas ones this week, they should arrive sometime in January!  😉 Breath-holding is not a great idea, though.

I sure hope your week has gone exceptionally well, so I'll just pop over and take a look.  Happy creating in your land!!  

While it may feel like a month...

...I was actually only away for eight days, but have been playing catch-up since I got back on November 11 in the midst of Remembrance Day here in Canada.  That was apt, given I was attending the memorial service for my dear sister-in-law, Judith Dunlop, in Penticton. These events always remind me of the drawing together of family and friends and how vitally important that is when one is saying the final goodbye.  I was glad to see a favourite painting of mine called Community Ties for that very reason.

Retreiving John from his respite at Swan Valley Lodge and settling us back into our routine seems to have been more of a challenge this time, as his condition has declined more deeply than before.  There's been little time for studio play, but I did manage to get a messy start on Christmas cards.  I do know, however, that my late start and the pending-yet-again/still-postal-strike means not only the overseas cards will be late, but the in-country ones will likely be as well.

While away with my brother, his ragdoll cat, Milo, kept us well entertained.  He's a handsome boy, and very aware of the fact.

When he naps on his top perch, though, he's so like Daniel Boone's coonskin cap that it has me laughing out loud.

As I settled back into our routine here in town, I restored my soul with daily walks through town and enjoyed the last beauty of autumn.

I'll be looking forward to catching up on your posts over the next while.  In the meantime, I'm sending a gentle reminder to cherish those you love while they are here.