(Inside A Black Apple)

Merry & Bright

Mailing & Making & Baking & Painting & Candy-making & More Mailing & Singing & Shivering & Grinching & Boxing & Wrapping & Hoping & Cocoa-ing. And wishing.

It's better to wish for all to be merry and bright than not, right?

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays to everyone, near and far, who visits here.
xoxo

Wreathed

I usually buy a wreath when we buy our tree (last year it was made of dozens of rosehips and so pretty.) But this year, since we live in the shadows of firs & cedars, and I couldn't stop thinking about Amy's beautifully disheveled wreaths, I thought I'd gather things and attempt my own.

I made it in the midst of the the busiest time of year for us - a span of a few weeks in which nothing remotely festive will happen if you don't fight for it, tooth & nail (I know lots of you can relate.) I laid down some kraft paper, hauled in my branches & berries, made some hot chocolate (gifted from one of my favorite girls), put on the Charlie Brown Christmas album, and wreathed myself into oblivion.

I didn't have anything to use as a base, so it was a tricky proposition (my first two attempts ended up being repurposed as lengths of garland.) Finally, though, I had something close to what I had imagined - a cheerily unkempt little wreath. I love how un-fussy it is, without trading exuberance -- I cannot do austere Christmas, no sir.



Now it's keeping company with lots of white lights, and the failed attempts & the little nicks on my hands were worth it. Just making it was a small gift in this mad-house time of year. And now I know a little more about making things with green things, which is always good.

PS: Thank you so very much for all of those overwhelmingly kind and generous comments & notes re: my XOXO talk! It makes me feel all the better about gathering my courage to do it.

Happiest December!

My XOXO Talk

When Andy (one of the two organizers, both people named Andy) asked me to speak at the first ever XOXO conference, my first instinct was to say something along the lines of: "Um, geez, you got the wrong girl. Thank you sir, but no."

I've never spoken to a group larger than a few dozen people, and truthfully, I was just very concerned that I wouldn't have anything of value or general usefulness to say to the (formidable) audience/attendees.

"I'm not really a speaker" I said. "I'm afraid I won't have anything interesting, never mind inspiring to tell them."

Image Source: Brooke Parrott

"Just tell your story" Andy said.
"Really?"
"Really."

Image Source: Glenn Fleischman

So I did. I wrote something and Josiah helped me make some funny little slides, and I worked up my courage and (still terrified) I spoke to this big sea of kind faces.

And it's now available to watch online.

I hope it is interesting and/or useful and/or inspiring. I tried my best! I did the only thing I could do: simply tell my story. Then cross my fingers and hope it means something to anybody else.

The North Pole Gift Tag Sets

These tag sets are another Christmastime item I designed for the holiday season. I'm always looking for sweet, simple tie-on tags to use with yarn & twine, but I don't see them too often.

And so...
I made these little guys, packaged them up, and now they're in the shop alongside the holiday card sets!

I'm excited to use mine on kraft-paper packages as well as Christmas treat boxes (these dotted ones are from the Martha Stewart line at Michael's.)



There are 20 tags in each pack, and each ones comes with a little skein of peppermint twine to get you started!

I hope your December is off to a nice start. See you soon!