Give without expecting a return...

Winter break is so close and I have so many plans made! But before I head off to break, I wanted to make sure that I gave a little something to my three best friends. They are all receiving necklaces that I had bought in China; I couldn't resist buying them because I loved how each necklace was different from all the others.

Of course, my inner scrapbooker also wouldn't let me use store-bought tags, so naturally I made my own. :)

Glittery ribbons are the best...until they start to shed!

It's December!

For reasons I might not even be able to explain, I get really excited every time winter comes around. All of my other friends dislike winter because they complain it's always cold and drab (though the weather rarely drops below 50 degrees...), but I love the still crispness of the air and the sentiment of the upcoming holidays. I suppose it's my inner New Englander coming through; I actually prefer winter over summer...

The card I made for the start of the winter season was one of the most time-consuming because I cut out the snowflake by hand. It required a small knife, a very steady hand, and a lot of patience, but I'm glad that the end result turned out so well! 

It's very hard to see...but I wrote a little inscription in silver pen that reads "Love, Hope, Peace, Joy." Yes, I'm a pretty sentimental person; I can't help it!