I’m pretty sure we all have a few folks in our lives who adore coffee. Did you realize that Calgary is home to several famous coffee roasters and baristas? Indeed. No shortage of fabulous coffee inspired gifts when you want to shop local. Here’s some of my top picks:
Yes. Seriously. My life still revolves a lot around dinosaurs each day, so trying to find interesting dino gifts is definitely on my holiday shopping list. My need for dino gifts is mostly to satisfy our almost-four-year-old, but dinosaurs aren’t just for kids. Here are some ideas that work for the “big kids” too.
Welcome to my next holiday gift guide, where you can find inspiration for the lovely ladies in your life (or maybe you want to add a few of these things to your own wish list). All the featured shops today are from, right here, in Calgary. Which means you can check off both “handmade” and “local” from your list.
Here’s the next edition of the Holiday Gift Guide, featuring great ideas for the dudes in your life. Some guys are hard to shop for, but when you start poking around at all the unique, handmade goodies out there, you’re sure to find something for him.
I’m diving in good & early with my holiday gift guides this year. I’ve already started quite a bit of my Christmas shopping online from local and Canadian shops, so that I don’t have to worry about things getting delivered in time for gift giving. I also wanted to share some of my ideas with you now, so that you have a chance to work in a few local, handmade goodies into your Christmas shopping list {or even your personal wish list}.
Annnnd it’s HERE!! This weekend is the first Market Collective Holiday show of the season! Come on down to the Chinese Cultural Centre Friday 4-9pm, and Saturday & Sunday 10am-6pm. There’s a $5 entrance fee for the weekend (kids under 12 get in free) or you can score a THREE weekend pass for only $10 (limited quantities available). Yep, THREE weekends of shopping local, unique, handmade items. This little gal will only be at one of the weekends, so you best come out and say “Hi” this Friday, Saturday or Sunday!
I have a nice variety of Love Catchers waiting for new homes, including a few festive ones to decorate your home for the holidays.
I will also have some adorable stocking stuffer options, including colouful Button Hair Clips & the every popular Button Magnets, both of which I have in holiday colours & limited edition “Frozen” inspired colours. I know, right?! Very pretty, and very awesome.
If you’re looking for a super unique gift, then check out the one-of-a-kind Upcycled Cuff Bracelets in pretty much every colour you can imagine. I will also have the more simple Love Cuff Bracelets available. That my friends, should have you covered for some nice gifts for all the gals in your lives. And then of course, there’s all the other amazing vendors that will be at the show to meet your remaining gift needs. I’ve got a few items to pick up myself. Looking forward to seeing you all down there!
For the third installment of my Holiday Gift Guide series, we turn to treats for all the wonderful gentlemen in our lives. The only thing is, most of the gents in my life are rough-around-the-edges, cabin-bound or farm-bound men, so my gift guide is inspired by them. Cheers to all the rugged gentlemen out there! (And don’t forget to check out the other posts in this gift guide series.)
NGNG (No Guts, No Glory) Gift Soap Set from Medicine River Soap Co. (Red Deer, AB)
Wood Covered Journal from Forest Nine (Calgary)
Hazelnut & Hemp Beard Oil Sample from Mammoth Beard Co. (Calgary)
Don’t forget to check out ideas from more great local shops on my Etsy Holiday Gift Guides page. Hope you’re starting to feel like you’ve got a number of things checked off your gift list. Would love to hear your own gift ideas for the gentlemen in your lives! I always find shopping for the gents the most challenging. So let’s hear it! What are you getting the menfolk for Christmas this year? {post in the comments}
Next up on my Holiday Gift Guide series is beauty products for all those lovely ladies in our lives, be it moms, friends, girlfriends or wives. Don’t forget to check out my previous posts in the series. Once again, these products are made by fairly local or very local folks in the Calgary area. I’ve included a few of my personal faves this time around too.
All Natural Lip Balms Set of Eight from Handmade Therapy (Calgary) *my fave lip balm*
Bubble Gum Bar Soap from Eliza Jane Soap Company (Delburne, AB)
Cherry Blossom Glitter Polish from Seven Sins Polish (Calgary)
*Who knew there were folks in town making custom nail polish?! Need to try this out for sure*
Cheeky Cosmetics (Okanagan Valley) from Cedar & Sparrow (Calgary)
*really enjoying the lip gloss & eye shadow these days*
You can check out more great ideas from all my Holiday Gift Guides over on Etsy too. Just remember that shipping deadlines for ordering outside of Calgary will be fast approaching!
Now, I’m always up for making Christmas gifts and trying to avoid the malls. We do a lot of handmade holidays around our house, but there are purchased gifts too. As we try more & more to support local businesses (because that’s just a win-win for everyone) I thought I would share some gift ideas that can be purchased online from makers fairly close to home or really close to home (aka in person in Calgary proper).
Today I present my gift guide for all those little dino lovers in your life (because we have the world’s biggest dino lover right under our own roof):
Typographic Dinosaurs from Far Sky Map Works (Edmonton)
Wooden Dinosaur Shadow Puppets from J.D.B. Mercantile (Calgary)
Dinosaur Magnet 8 Piece Set from The Original Animal Magnet (Vancouver)
T-Rex Print from Ellie Greets by Elisa (Calgary)
Sammy and I picked up some cards from Ellie Greets at one of the crafts shows and that T-Rex print will probably find it’s way into our home also. DO poke around to find out when and where the Calgary artists will be this season. Still plenty of craft shows coming up to catch them at. DON’T hesitate to contact them about doing local pick-up or drop-offs either. That’s the beauty of local makers… you don’t necessarily have to worry about shipping deadlines. Merry Christmas to all the little dinosaurs out there! Rrrrrroar!
December is not far off. Goodness! Where did the month of November go?! At our house, it was consumed by colds, potty training, and more colds. I’ve been squeezing in little bits of crafting time where ever possible, but there’s been very few big chunks of making going on. Market Collective is only 10 days away now. I’m busy simplifying things in my head for the show, knowing what’s possible & improbable at this point.
I’m also being very mindful of what is most important at this time of year. This is the season, that one can most easily get caught up in the expectations of the world and lose focus on the true celebration of Christmas. So I make what I can for the craft show. I make what I love; make what I wish to share with my customers to fill their homes and help them express their love to others.
I also made the point to prepare myself for the coming Advent season. I don’t want to let it pass me by. Over the summer months (our craziest time of year), I managed, for the first time in my life, to make Bible reading and reflection through journaling a DAILY habit. A habit that was sadly broken during our Disney trip and subsequent chaos at home, but I’m really looking forward to committing again with the start of Advent right around the corner. I ordered an Advent journal from Naptime Diaries (I loved their Lent one last year) and even splurged a bit on their Advent calendar so that I could fill our house with mini-devotional prints (and God’s message to us). I might also follow along with the reading plan from Love God Greatly (formerly Good Morning Girls, which I did last year). Advent isn’t about spending money, but I saw the difference it made in my own Bible reading habit to have inspirational resources at hand (purchased or free).
Peering into December, it’s easy to see Christmas as a looming deadline. With chaotic parking lots, busy, busy malls, and the pressure of getting just the “right” gift, it’s no wonder we all get stressed out and miss the point of the season. Each year, hubby & I make another small step in avoiding the crushing chaos of December. It started years ago, when we began making the majority of our gifts. Then we incorporated Gifts of Change (gift certificates to World Vision & such, where recipients could choose the way they would like to impact the lives of others). Christmas craft shows start in September and this year I attended several before the shopping season was in full swing. It allowed me to support local businesses & feel a wee bit more prepared for the giving season. I also discovered the ease of ordering locally and having it delivered directly to my door (shout out to Cedar & Sparrow for the lovely natural beauty products, all made in Canada, that will be gifted to friends this year). Making small changes to simplify the season.
Throughout the entire year, we purchase & collect items for Christmas Shoe Boxes. I have a little cubby in the sewing room where I squirrel away items to donate. We make organizing half a dozen Christmas Shoe Boxes a priority every November and we try to volunteer at the Operation Christmas Child warehouse each year, when possible. I’d love to volunteer there more than just one shift. Perhaps in coming years. I also really want to do more random acts of kindness during Christmas. We managed to do several last year and I’ve collected more ideas on my Christmas Pinterest board. I’m not trying to boast, but trying to encourage you. Our season of Christmas is becoming less about the pressure of giving and more about the experience of giving and ultimately, the deeper enjoyment of it. It is well worth the time to take a look at your own Christmas season and see if there are any changes, big or small, that can be made to embrace the true meaning of this most wonderful time of year.
