And with a turn of the calendar page, it is December…the start of the holiday season and soon to be the end of another year. I’m sure there will be plenty of celebrations throughout the month, but hopefully some time for quiet reflection as well.

For me, there is nothing better that signifies the start of the winter season than the coziness of warm wool sweaters and socks. There’s a comfort and familiar nostalgia when I pull out my wool sweaters for the season. A couple of years ago I noticed that several of my favorite sweaters and a couple of pair of socks were becoming threadbare and full of holes (when I love something, I wear it into the ground - I never want to give it up!) Resisting to relinquish them to the rag bin, I challenged myself to get creative.

These “vases” are simply the sleeves of worn wool sweaters slid over recycled glass jars. A bit of twine, a sprig of holly, an old metal jingle bell and you have a festive table decoration or a quick hostess gift.

But why stop there…candle holders were another inspiration…and you can find the complete tutorial HERE on my old blog, four corners design.

Recycling/Upcycling has always been important to me…when an item’s original purpose is worn/depleted/outdated, it can be given new life and a new purpose, often with just the smallest amount of ingenuity. Last month’s newsletter talked about my desire to help out some humanitarian cause as part of my celebration of the holiday season…as soon as I sent out the November newsletter, such an opportunity arrived in my inbox.

I discovered Ragfinery last year - it is a retail shop/workspace/training center located in Bellingham, Washington that is working to divert unwanted textiles from the waste stream and upcycle them via a variety of opportunities for low income populations, artisans and the general public.

They recently put out a call for volunteers to assist in assembling sewing kits for low income adults and youth assessing social services in the community. These sewing kits, made from old blue jeans, will contain simple materials needed to mend clothing. They were in need of donations of materials for the kits - I easily filled a box with plain buttons, spools of thread and spare sewing needles and shipped it off to them.

They will be assembling these kits at their Bellingham retail location on Saturday, December 20 from 1-4 pm. I plan on driving up to Bellingham to help out…if you are interested in joining me there, that would be great…many hands make light work! If you decide to help out, let me know and we can coordinate a meet-up with either lunch before or a drink afterward…a time to celebrate community and connection.

Whatever you do this month, I hope you find a moment of peace, a modicum of rest and a satisfaction with life which are the greatest gifts of the season.