My niece, Gabriela, arrives tommorrow. She's 8 and highly creative. Anne's exerting a positve influence in her choice of Christmas gifts, Gabby's first yarn stash: bamboo needles, an assortment of yarns and a handmade tote, which Anne just finished making.

Today Anne got the iron of her dreams, a German-made Rowenta. She also discovered Common Threads, her new favorite fabric shop on South Lamar. We drove by it and doubled back, so she could dig. She bought the material to make Gabby's (fully reversable) Yarn Tote. Nice.

Anthony Garcia
www.wineisdivine.com