This morning's commute was a total bear. Two hours in bumper-to-bumper traffic is just not how I like to start the day. Photo, Helen K, Flickr The dark cloud over my head only blackened when I found my desk in the same state of disarray in which I left it last night. Remember the fairy tale about the elves and the shoemaker? Well, apparently there are no naked elves who enjoy editing cookbooks in the dead of night. But Austen helped dissolve my sour mood by sharing a little treat that came with her recent order from Omiyage.ca: Patterned origami paper in pretty pastels! There are dots and teardrops and stripes – even some tiny squares with a sweet calico pattern on one side and a bright solid on the other. Those are perfect for making two-tone things, like a Star Box. (Though I'm sure I'd never survive the process with such a tiny piece of paper.) In a much cheerier mood, I took a couple of minutes away from those piles of files and whipped up a quick crane and set it on a thank-you note. Nothing fancy, but just a little something personal to say thanks for making me smile. It beats coming back to (yet another) folder full of edits, right? Happy folding!