Tiny Owl Knits Autumn Mini-Swap

Last month, I happened upon a mini-swap in the Tiny Owl Knits group on Ravelry.  I love me some swaps - it's so always awesome to make something for another person, and it's a fun challenge to make something for a person you've never met.

My package arrived today and I am so, so, so thrilled about what was inside!  First of all, my spoilee Kristen, aka TinyPurrs, packaged everything so well.  Cute Halloween stickers on the shipping box, with little notes of "boo!" handwritten around.  Each item was wrapped in tissue paper, so it was like opening a few gifts instead of one.  Inside, I found the most ADORABLE pink knit bat which, as my husband knows, is SO up my alley.  I have a weird love of friendly cartoon/stuffed bats.  They are so cute.  I think I literally squealed when I unwrapped the tissue paper and found this little guy.

And how cute is the crochet mug cozy?  It's a pumpkin pie!  I can't wait to use it.  She also included a little bag of pumpkin spice coffee and a few bags of various autumn flavored teas, which I love.  I've already dug into the pumpkin spice almonds, and oh, yum.  

And finally, check it out - 4 mini skeins of MadTosh Unicorn Tails yarn in the most gorgeous fall colors ever!  I can't wait to browse Ravelry for ideas on what to make with them!

Kristen, you spoiled me BIG time!  I am seriously so excited over these gifts.  You really made my day, especially being at the tail end of a cold and running on three hours of sleep.  I'm truly one happy girl.  :)

picture fall four: morning light

If you’ve ever risen before the rest of the world, you’ve experienced the quiet and calm that is unique to early morning hours. It’s not easy to find that stillness in the hustle of racing to get out the door to start our busy day. Taking a few minutes to center yourself (by drinking in some inner-peace if you will) can set the right precedent for the day ahead. No matter what your morning might look like, find something, anything at all, that whispers the kind of quiet reassurance you need to ease yourself into your day today.

picture fall three: the beauty challenge

It’s easy to find beauty in seasons that boast vibrant colors and blooms, but what about when Nature begins its retreat? It takes a much keener eye to seek out the beautiful in starkness. Look beyond what you might normally notice and discover something that most people would overlook and perhaps never deem photo-worthy.

picture fall two: get comfy

Why not celebrate the harvest by getting comfortable. Find that place that you feel most at home and let yourself settle in a bit. Enjoy a hot cup of tea or pop some popcorn (the quintessential snack food for fall) and put your feet up.

I can't say I actually got comfy in my chair by the window today, since I spent half the day deep cleaning the kitchen (bleach was involved, you guys) and the rest of the day editing.  But when I do decide to put my feet up, it's in this chair (in the foreground) with a cup of tea, a book or magazine, and a cozy throw blanket.

picture fall | one: quintessential fall

Not unlike the blooms of spring, the leaves of fall are uniquely compelling, each different in their own way. Spend some time studying the leaves that have already begun to fall and capture one that stirs your sense of the season.

happy, happy halloween!

As promised, here is my 'Halloween color day'.

Have a safe holiday!

there's children throwing snowballs instead of throwing heads

Last November when my husband and I left New England for Virginia, we did not expect that two days before Halloween this year we'd see snow.
But oh, lest we forget that Mother Nature is one tricky lady; she didn't let us escape the New England weather totally.  I was a little mad that we were actually going to get snow in October, but once it started I was as giddy as ever.  SNOW!

(by the way, my post title is a line from What's This from the movie The Nightmare Before Christmas)

brown

It's the final day in Poppytalk's color week, and I'm sad.  It's been fun routing through my old pictures to find some not based on subject, but rather color.

Here's hoping that Poppytalk will do a winter color week in a few months.

I've been enjoying autumn color week so much...

that I'm going to have to hold my own Halloween color day.  On Halloween, I'm going to post pictures of the following colors:

red, brown, {bright} green, purple, orange

My goal is to get out and shoot some of these colors in the next few days so I have some new work to post.  If anyone actually reads this and wants to join, go for it and comment me your link!

Gray

Appropriate color for a gray day.

orange

It's orange day during Poppytalk's autumn colors week - the day I was most excited for!  I can't wait to see what orange photos people post to the flickr pool.