As I mentioned in an earlier post, we're book lovers in this family. Max still doesn't read for himself, though, so to try and encourage him to become a more active reader I've made him a "book book" in which he can write down something about each book we read together. It'll also give him some much-needed practice with his handwriting! We've been reading The Magic Treehouse books for awhile (thanks to my Mom sending them to him in regular installments!), so this 'book book' borrows from that theme - the gold M not only stands for Max (my son) but for Morgan (the Master Librarian in the series) and the fabric covering I chose for the book looks a little like the illuminated manuscripts in the volume we're currently reading. He hasn't seen it yet - I put it on his desk where he'll see it first thing in the morning.

I also found the time today to finish the main stitching for my Christmas mailart envelope exchange. This is "Reindeer Sampler" from Heart in Hand, but of course I've messed around with the colors and the chart to suit myself! This is stitched over one on a cotton evenweave I got from a grab bag last year. The front part of the envelope will have tiny primitive reindeer and the recipient's address. Hopefully I'll have it in the mail next weekend, though the due date isn't until December 5th.

The next project is a real last-minute, don't-have-time-for-it gift for Martina of Chatelaine designs to offer some support during a rough time. And then it's back to Christmas projects - the list is getting shorter!