Advent of a Better Year in 2024

in which our plucky heroine starts something new...

I began gathering folks to come and play along with the "Advent for a Better Year" swap challenge:
My pal Cricket suggested an advent calendar swap in late 2022, but that didn't seem to me like enough time to really do the idea justice. Then Acantha sent me the most amazing advent calendar filled with trinkets, toys, and treasures, all fitting in 1¼" cubic drawers. I decided to set up one in 2023, for the future winter holiday season, with the concept "Advent of a better year in 2024". I will share ideas and tutorials ongoing throughout the year, and hope to persuade friends to join in and make this idea a reality.

With the intention of making it non-sectarian and inclusive to whatever celebration folks prefer, my thought is to swap 31 tiny gifts that could be used to count down to the first day of the new year. Of course, nothing would prevent making the final day be, maybe 12th Night, or Solstice, or whatever... just begin and end as desired! If we can get at least 31 people to come play along, each person would then receive 31 surprise tiny gifts to add whimsy and joy to their everyday in December...

So, how would this work? Basically, over the course of 2023, make or find or purchase tiny gifts that are no bigger than would fit in a 1¼ x 1¼ x 1¼ size cubic. The gifts need not all be identical, or even similar, just be something that would be a real delight for someone to receive. In the interest of safety and inclusion for all, no food or scented items please. By the middle of, say, October, all the gifts get mailed to a central location, probably Acorn Cottage. and then get mixed and matched and sent out again to their various participants, who receive a box of tiny surprise adventitious treats. We would have to figure out how best to handle the postage costs; the gifts would all fit within one of the small flat rate USPS shipping boxes, which currently cost about $10.40

Ideas for gifts ~ buttons, block printed patches, pop bottle lid pincushions, shrinky dink charms, ornaments, glass headed pins, origami, baskets, pouches, fridge magnets, lampwork beads, embroidery floss, tiny artwork, garden seeds, ribbons, vintage handkerchiefs, glass headed pins, stickers, fossils, gemstones, pearls, trim, googly eyes, miniature books, etc, etc...

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scribal re-start:

After many months delay I have returned to working on the Scythian-inspired scroll for my pal Raven. The artwork will be bordered with the text done in a Roman Rustic calligraphic hand, since we do not have any extant script for the ancient Scythians or Sarmatians. I have been practicing the writing first, and now am at the stage of tuning in the size and density of the lettering to properly fit to the space allotted for it. I have been marking pages of graph paper with the lines and distance needed, as is obvious, I am getting closer but not yet there...

This sample is still a little too dense, and the letters just a little too big. My next practice piece I will use a slightly smaller pen nib. I'm hoping to have it to where I can start on the actual page within a week, my goal is to have this scroll finished by the end of the month. Calligraphy is not my strong point in the scribal arts, but with effort I intend to learn new types of writing hands beyond the Gothic (Blackletter) which was my first. Because it is difficult for me, I always need to do it first when creating an SCA scroll; the decorative painting and illumination are aspects where I am more confident of my ability.

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Ugh... some kind of insect? bit the back of both my calves day before yesterday. I have large, terribly itchy welts half the size of my palm on each leg, in a spot that is hard to reach. I have been being very careful not to scratch, which is a challenge. Today I put bentonite clay poultices on each one, using non stick pads and paper bandage tape to hold in place underneath my compression socks. Hopefully this will bring some relief as I change out the clay periodically over the next few days. Topical benedryl is no help. I have had these types of bites before, though no idea what causes them, and the one time I saw my PCP she also had no clue. I think it must be some kind of house spider, as it isn't mosquitos or anything transmissible from other humans.

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January SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	striped tabletweaving	drawings for Vikki	recycle bin
2	night socks toile	2023 calendar masters	yard waste bin
3	2nd set of calendars	pocket flap pattern	recycle bin
4	night socks	-	yard waste bin
5	music broadside	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. the advent calendar swap is being interesting to folks
2. made a tiny bit of progress on the raincoat project.
3. it wasn't raining, so I managed to prune away the nandina berries, and some of the hardy fuschia in time for yard waste wheelie bin out for pickup tomorrow

Time of Isolation - Day 1048