$1000 Cat Toy

Theo and I are out enjoying the morning on the patio:

We bought a new patio set a couple years ago, and the cats LOVE it.  They're out here in the chairs every morning.  I, however, am less of a fan when it's 40 degrees in the morning, and right now at 59 degrees, I'm probably only managing it because I made pancakes for breakfast and got a little hot standing over the griddle.  They're okay with sharing as long as it IS just sharing, but they get a bit steamed when we actually have 6 people over all at once.  The patio set does belong to THEM after all............

His and Her Crafts

We are a mixed marriage--woodcraft and knitting and sewing.  In all honesty, it's hard to blend knitting and wood for gifts, but

woodworking and sewing blend pretty well.  This is going out in the mail today to our niece who is getting married next weekend.  Because of time, expense, and my back, we won't be attending the wedding, but we wanted to do something special as a gift.  Special and not breakable because they are at the time in their lives where moving frequently and on a low budget is quite likely.  The whole gift came from this idea:

a thin layer of aluminum between two pieces of wood to create the silver band.  We saw this technique at the wood turner's show earlier this year and loved how it looked.  And--shock of all shocks--we got it done ahead of time!!!!!!!!!  Okay, not really FAR ahead of time--I finished the table runner yesterday--but they will arrive before the wedding!!!!!!!!!  We don't accomplish that very often........if ever...............