Hi friends, Now that the Halloween candy is on sale for half price and the costumes have been packed away for another year, I feel like I can finally start to think about Christmas. In fact, this weekend I finished my Christmas shopping! Well, sort of. Here's my gift pile: Ahem. Yes. It appears that unless I want to give my loved ones balls of yarn wrapped in highlighter tape, I've got my work cut out for me. But it's not all knitting and sewing and wrapping things up in highlighter tape 'round these parts.The Festive Fridays series launches this Friday, Nov. 5, and we're starting with a craft that I've been wanting to try for ages. (Get our your painting smocks....) I'll post the shopping list and step-by-step tutorial here on Friday. Get ready for an awesomely crafty weekend! Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a wee bit of casting-on to do....