Handmade

One of the things I love about this time of year is creating gifts for friends and family.  Though I am also working on a couple of commissions, I always make sure to make time for this as it is so important to me.  There is something that I absolutely love about handmade gifts, both giving and receiving them.  There is an energy and sense of something special and unique in an item made by hand. 

I've also been enjoying Joseph Boyden's latest book, 'The Orenda'...it's absolutely fabulous! I have loved everything I've read that was written by him.  The only problem is that I've been staying up far too late as I cannot put the book down.  The novel is set early in the European trade and spotlights the Hurons, the Iroqoius and the Jesuits with a focus on three main characters, Bird (a Huron), Snow Falls (a young Iroquois captive), and Christophe (a Jesuit).  I'm especially taken with the descriptions of the Huron and Christian beliefs, both so similar and yet, they keep the main characters at an impasse.  

Snowy days often make for the best creative days so needless to say I've been enjoying the snow we've been experiencing.  Here's to a beautiful winter.