making other things

sometimes i forget i know how to make things other than doodles on little scraps of paper. but since i got my list of swap partners for the holiday ornament swap, my brain has been spinning with non-drawn handmade possibilities. i have already scrapped quite a few of the ideas, plus remembered what it was i disliked so much about glue guns.  let me tell you: when martha stewart recommends always keeping a small container of ice water next to your workspace when you're hot glue-ing, that's pretty smart advice.  i ignored her sage wisdom and lived to regret it, or more accurately my fingers got rather scorched. i won't do that again.

anyway, i haven't quite nailed down my final ornament idea, but i did make this wreath for my dad and stepmom as a thanksgiving present today. i have quite a nice stash of rug hooking wool, all of it dyed great colors by an old friend - some overdyed old wool patterned shirts and other good stuff - so i used some scraps and made this:

it's embellished with smaller strips of wool and three buttons i made out from envelope security patterns. i like it alot, even if part of me wants to yell 'ahoy, matey!' and chuck it to a man overboard. {{and even if you can see quite plainly that i haven't washed my windows in, well, since i moved into this house.}}