8 Ornate Ornaments

One of my favourite holiday traditions is the one I share with my "Toronto girls". For the seven years we've been friends, we've gathered together for a gift exchange. It started out as small gifts, and we tried a cookie swap once or twice, but for the most part we've given each other Christmas ornaments, and there couldn't be a better gift for this group of Christmas-loving girls. I love shopping for them each year even more than receiving them, and I have to say it feels pretty warm and fuzzy knowing I have a special place on all their Christmas trees!

I always seem to buy my ornament last-minute, but if I were on the ball (har har!), I would have ordered one of these unique beauties from Etsy. Perhaps I should pre-order for next year, ladies?

left to right, top to bottom

1. Reindeer by Raceytay
2. Origami Christmas Decoration by aboutCRAFTS

3. White Felted Wool Heart by FishHollow

4. Snow Scrabble Tile Ornament by hendersweet

5. Candystripe Ticking Ragball Ornaments by smilemercantile 

6. Custom Wood Snowflake by TimberGreenWoods

7. Miniature Bows by cornflowerbluestudio
8. Winter Wonderland by TwigsandBlossoms

Santa's Workshop

I sent off the last of the Dear Edna Christmas orders to be shipped today! Woo! And now I can breathe.

It's been an incredibly busy holiday season this year and I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone for shopping handmade this Christmas and for supporting my little business. I couldn't have asked (or sewed) much more. In the middle of the craziness, Mike reminded me of how special it is that I get to be a part of so many people's Christmases all around the world. It's so true and it's what kept me sewing night after night. I felt  like Santa as I trotted to the mailbox everyday with my bag full of prezzies. From the bottom of my heart, thank you, thank you, thank you!

Now it's time to sew all my local friends' orders and to enjoying all the things I love so much about the holidays! Speaking of which, let's get back on track with the 12 Days of Christmas programming, shall we?

{Guest Post} 9 Gifts for Kids

Surrounded by friends and family who are expecting or already have a little one (or two) in tow, I knew I needed to add a gift guide for kids this year, but nowhere near the baby game myself, I had the sense to ask for some help in curating it. I immediately thought of Bess, from the English Muffin Blog, and I'm so glad she agreed, because she found some of the most adorable handmade goodies, perfect for kids of all ages! Thanks, Bess!

What a fun little blog assignment this was! Erin approached me about curating a children's gift guide a little while ago, and I jumped at the chance to share my holiday gift picks with all of you. I have to admit that I'm a little new to the world of buying gifts for kids, mostly I work on the other side of things, creating artwork with little ones in mind. However, over this past year we've had some new additions in our extended family, and my husband and I will be welcoming our own little baby early next year. So, needless to say, my Etsy favourites and Pinterest folders have been filling up with gifts for kids that I love.

1. Vintage Handmade Wooden Truck Toy & Blocks by ethanollie, $29 USD
2. Rocket Musicbox by esthex, €29.50
3. Wooden Berries necklaces for girls by Koukku, $20 USD
4. Upper and Lower Case ABC Blocks by cornflowerblue, $27 AUD
5. Bandit Fox by adatine, $33 USD
6. Butterfly Doll by fidoodle, $46 USD
7. DIY Paper Puppet - Bear by Furze Chan, $8 USD
8. Woodland Masks Pack by Mahalo, $56 USD
9. Wooden Toy Camera by twigcreative, $35 USD

10 Hamilton Happenings for the Holidays

Maybe I've always been too busy at this time of year to notice (shame on me), but I was shocked at how many festive events are going on in Hamilton this month! I just may allow myself to be lured away from my sewing machine for some of these. Have fun, stay warm, and shop local!

Santa Shuffle Fun Run and Elf Walk / Dec. 3 / 10am / St. Mary's H.S. / This 5k run has become a tradition with me and my friend Carla ever since we lived in Toronto together. It was the first race I ever ran and it ignited a love of running that took me through several marathons. But this is the first year I've run it so completely unprepared. I haven't had my runners on since September! But, isn't tradition  what the holidays are all about?

Maker's Market Holiday Edition / Dec. 3 / 10-4 / Christ's Church Cathedral / Skip the mall and come out to support our vibrant local art community. From handmade jewelry and art, to delicious baked goods, you are sure to find some unique one-of-a-kind gifts here.

A Kenny & Dolly Christmas / Dec. 8 / Carmens Banquet Centre / Anyone that saw me carrying around my newly purchased Kenny Rogers Christmas album at last month's art crawl can attest, I love me some Kenny. I also love me some Dolly. Unfortunately, that's a lonely island of love, so I doubt I can convince anyone to join me for this tribute so I'll throw on my record instead.

Art Crawl / Dec. 9 / James St. North / A great opportunity to pick up some unique gifts and support some amazing small businesses. I imagine the evening will be full of holiday treats and surprises.

Dundurn Castle / Dec. 9-29 / There are some wonderful events planned for Dundurn Castle this entire holiday season, from baking and craft workshops, to caroling and, of course, seeing the castle all decked out for Christmas. I've been meaning to revisit for awhile now and this unique opportunity just might get me there.

Kitestring Christmas Spectacular / Dec. 16 / Hamilton Conservatory for the Arts / This third annual bash features a holiday pageant accompanied by a candy buffet, a Cake & Loaf cookie and milk bar, a Red Hill Coffee bar, and food from Gorilla Cheese. There's also an after party complete with live music, spiked snow cones, and cupcakes. It sounds like the party of the year and all profits benefit Culture for Kids in the Arts!

Toronto All-Star Big Band / Dec. 17 / 2 pm / Hamilton Place / I had the opportunity to see this big band play a few months ago and was blown away. These kids can really belt out the oldies. When I heard they were playing a holiday show in Hamilton, this carol lover couldn't resist!

Gingerbread Holiday at the Market / Dec. 17 / 10-2 / Hamilton Farmer's Market / Perfect for the kiddies, make traditional gingerbread cookies and a unique holiday ornament with guest cooks Jennifer Haartman and Kelly McKinney. Santa just might drop by for a cookie.

The McQuesten's Childhood Christmas / until Dec. 31 / Whitehern / I have a strange fascination with Whitehern and the family that lived there, so I'm pretty excited to see this historic home decorated as it would have been for Christmas in the 1880s, complete with a whimsical Christmas tree, original toys, and a table set with special-occasion china.

Outdoor Skating Rink Pier 8 / Discovery Drive / weather permitting / Ice skating is one of my absolute favourite winter sports, but for some reason I haven't laced up my skates in years. This is such a perfect spot to do it, with a view of the bay and Williams hot chocolate only a few strides away.

Image by Andrew Joyce

{Guest Post} 11 Things for Himself

Hey, I'm Mikey J... you may recognize me from being mentioned in such blogs as this one, and my part time stint as an Etsy apron model.

Below is my official list of must haves for himself - the modern gentleman - in this year of 2011. If this list, made for purely selfish reasons, helps any of you clueless shoppers out there, you're welcome. 

I apologize in advance for any lack of the exclaimation (!) you may be accustomed to in a Dear Enda blog post.

top to bottom, left to right

1. Paradise by Slow Club: I'm hooked on the song "Two Cousins" (a high pitched number I've been attempting to sing around the house, much to Erin's chagrin), among other tracks from this solid second album. Really, this could just be a list of albums (Wilco, Bon Iver, Cults, etc.), but that's probably not good blogging.

2. Windowfarms: The future is here and it's me growing greens and herbs indoors all winter, while remaining the worst at watering.

3. Leather Belt by robynchristopher: I need a belt - mine is an embarrassment. Also, this buffalo one is a good choice from Amy Kenny, whom Erin got my badass bike grips from for my bday.

4. Canadian Wool Blanket by Old Faithful Shop: Sold out but also available from the source, Macausland's Woollen Mills - I dream of a day when I can lie on the couch and have both my feet and my upper torso covered by woolen warmth at the same time. A thousand curses on you short throw makers. 

5. Felted Moose Slippers by FeltingbyEglut: Erin's been singing the praises of slippers for years and I think I'm ready to join the slippered masses with these moosed-up fellas.

6. Demetri Martin live: last minute entry: I've watched all of the episodes from his show, his special, his Daily Show correspondences and I own his book (albeit unread). My brother and I even did a homage to his sketch pad routine at my mom's wedding 4 years back.  I need this.

7. Soft Core Wool Vest by Outlier: I know, I'm hooked on their gear... it's crack for the bike commuter. It's too pretty to be technical.

8. Letters of Note by Shaun Usher: I've been a regular on this site the last year - perfect material for a book.

9. Merino Socks by pawfelts: Warm feet are always a theme this time of year and merino has to be near the top of my all time favourite wools list. 

10. Rushmore / Criterion Collection: Probably Wes Anderson's best just got the Criterion Blu-ray treatment. All that quirky better pop. Also accepting The Darjeeling Limited.

11. Desk Caddy by PegandAwl: I think this may be the difference between an organized painting nook and my painting nook. Next step: painting something again.