With 12 more days until the start of yule, to be celebrated across 12 days, here are some final gift ideas (for a total of 12).

10: Games

You can’t go wrong with a game – I’ve recently developed a love for German strategy board games! Be it a board, computer or console game, give the gift of FUN

11: Theatre

I think buying tickets for someone to a show is a powerful gift. There is nothing like live theatre. Whether it’s a local group or a big production show, there is no experience like that of a performance on stage.

12: Donation to Charity

The biggest and best gift that you can give is “something” to those in need. That could mean giving blankets to a shelter, a cheque to a cancer foundation, goods to a food bank, or money to a charity. Think about giving to the local charities in your community – such as a woman’s shelters – or to international ones – like Heifer.

Aha, just kidding *ahem*

7: Something Norse

Ringpin by Wareham Forge

Need a Thor’s Hammer? Ringpin? The ever fashionable earspoon? Nothing says “I love you” more than a custom made pattern welded blade. Visit the Wareham Forge for all your Viking needs!

Seax Knife That I Commissioned from the Wareham Forge

8: Hats!

Musketeer Hat (from The Three Musketeers: The Game)

Who doesn’t love a good hat? Top hat, fedora, bowler, pillbox, tricorn, viking-rus style, cavalier – those are just some of the types that I own! Hats can be found all around, but do drop by to Edie Hats if you’re in the area – you’re bound to find the perfect hat gift there.

9: Socks

*imagine a picture of my feet in some really cool socks*

I have always, always enjoyed getting socks for the holidays. I always need them, and the kinds I get are always awesome – notable the ones bought by my Da (grandfather). Give that special someone a special gift for their feet – find some sweet socks at Sock It To Me.

With Hanukkah just around the corner, and Christmas, Kwanzaa, and a boat-load of festivities on the way, why not make a gift this year? You still have time!

4. Ornament/Key Chain

Holiday Ornaments

All you need is a little Sculpey and some time. There are plenty of tutorials and projects to work from over at the Sculpey site, and many more scattered all over the web. The little guys up above I made last year with plain white Sculpey, and then painted with acrylics.

5. Screenprint/Paint Clothing

Napoleon Screenprint Tie

If you have the time, the gear, and a little bit of time to practice, you can screenprint a shirt, tie, you name it! I used EZ Screen Print, which is a great ‘no-chemical’ way to make screens, but I found that the shipping was so much for the special paper, and I wasn’t using the screens to their full potential. So another method of putting a desired image onto fabric is using the freezer paper method! Much cheaper, and works just as well I find! You do need a little more time to do it, and a little more practice, but you get *fantastic* results. Here’s a few good tutorials, but there are lots of other ones out there – investigate and decide what works best for you!

Gift Giving Idea Number 3!

Bite Me! as Performed by Potatoes

Books! Graphic Novels! Comics! Give the gift of reading – it’s the gift that keeps on giving!

‘Drawn Books’ that I recommend (based on what I have in my collection):

300

Bite Me

Castle Waiting

Louis Riel: A Comic Strip Biography

Never Learn Anything From History

The Baby-Sitters Club: Kristy’s Great Idea

The Three Musketeers

Watchmen

and (while not graphic novels, these two are very near and dear to me) Dragonfeathers and Tatterhood.

You can find most of these at your local bookstore or comics store (and there’s always online).

Telsa: The Celibate Scientist (by Kate Beaton)

We're just so goofy and lovable

Huzzah! Two years ago my husband and I got dressed up with around 80 people who were near and dear to us, ate great food and drinks, laughed, tossed pigs and had a sword fight. We got married somewhere in there too.

Seeing as how it has been a very, very busy week and today is Nikola Tesla’s birthday, here’s a little blast from the past PLUS it’s also work that I actually did not do! Kate Beaton did the comic – I just decided to colour it for funsies.

Telsa: The Celibate Scientist (by Kate Beaton)

I coloured a bunch of Beaton’s comics – I got to eleven, but this was all before my wrist surgery, so one day my right hand violently forced me asked me nicely if I would mind stopping all additional activities and just sit quietly with an ice pack and watch the telly.

Happily that all has now changed! All this week I have been colouring! Yesterday? I coloured! Day before that? Coloured! What am I going to do tomorrow? Colour! My weekend plans? Colouring – both on the computer AND with ‘real’ media, oooOOoooh. And if I look at my planner I see I have penciled in ‘colour’ for all of next week. The fun never stops! (I am saying that in a serious, not sarcastic, manner – I really do enjoy colouring, and specifically, what it is I’m colouring, which happens to be stuff for our next game). There will be a smidgen of drawing that will take place, but otherwise, col-lour-ring.

I’m very excited about the current colouring. It’s in a different style that what I did above, and I can’t wait to show it one day.

5 Weeks After Surgery

So, ignoring the scars by my knuckles and those down on my arm, please witness the horizontal scar that lays across my right wrist – it is now just a reminder of all the pain, restrictions and, um, whining from the past few years (not to mention the past intense weeks). I think I am now at a turning point, able to do after-work activities and exercises (but of course I will still be ‘taking it easy). I was going to give a ‘thumbs up’ to my recovery but I still don’t think ‘they’ know whether the thumbs up was a good or bad indication in Rome, so a sideways thumb it is, in preparation for the ‘good’ call.

My wedding was awesome. It really was! It was a medieval-fantasy themed wedding where everyone (well just about everyone) came dressed in costume and there was a sword fight and a pig toss and great food and toss the duchess and nummy drinks and fun was had by all! So many people helped with my wedding, making costumes, flowers, food and decorations; it all really helped to make the wedding special and unique!

The time has now come for me to part with some of my wedding ’stuff.’ My mum and I (with a bit of help from some friends) made some nice big banners to hang from the ceiling. 20 doubled-sided flag-banners, all of them different. And now some of them are for sale! I have 7 banners up for sale on ebay (you can visit the shop here. They’re up for a *really* good price, because I know making, let alone buying, banners, can be really expensive. They’re nice and festive (we have the remainder 13 hanging up!). So pop on by, tell your friends, make haste!

And here’s a peak!

Double Headed Eagle

White Tree

Blue Bunny

…hm…I guess I should really upload the invites and table piece (they were really ‘neat’)…and other invitations…and graphic design work…hm I really need to actual design my site. I’m just too busy!

happy holidays!

Everyone have a great winter solstice yuletide religious or non-religious family and friend get together celebration!