Good morning folks! I've been following the blog all buttoned up for a while now – I like the down-to-earth sewing advice that Melissa (a Canadian) provides, and I enjoy the glimpses she shares of everyday family life in Portland, Ore. As if that's not enough, last week Melissa brought back a relic from my childhood: the elastic belt. Behold: I was so excited to see this – it instantly brought back memories of my own elastic belt, one of my favourite accessories from a time when the most important item on my agenda was my daily 10:30 a.m. appointment with Mr. Dressup. Mine was also blue and red, but it said "jeans jeans jeans" all the way around it. (I know this because my mum and I talked about it at length the other day after she read the same post. We think it got hand-me-downed away – but that's OK. I don't think it'd fit now anyway!) Fabricland has a big ol' sale on right now, and I'm heading up there at lunch to see what they have in the way of awesome elastic. Melissa provides info about that fancy buckle (it's called a " surcingle buckle") and where to order them online, but you could also check at your local fabric store, haberdasher or – no, really – tack shop. And at less than a dollar per buckle...well, let's just say that's a lot of Christmas presents for not much money! (Speaking of Christmas gifts, don't forget to enter this week's giveaway.) Thank you for sharing, Melissa!