Tidings of Comfort and Joy

Its been a very busy holiday season for us this year.  We hosted our annual holiday "Oyster and Stew" bash and then my entire family for Christmas.  It was nice to have a full house brimming with cheer and  treats.  The leftovers are still flowing.  We also now know we are able to fit 12 (very creatively) around our dining room table.  

We have almost been in this Parkdale house for a year and I still feel so lucky to call it home. It is such a bright, warm and inspiring space that I am still discovering.  Below is a glimpse of a couple of new additions to the living room, including this amazing quilt form Hopewell Workshop.  I finally put down  an area rug to camouflage the floors that are just a little worse for wear.  I also somehow managed to justify giving myself a marble coffee table for my birthday.  The hobbit closet to the right of the couch is about to get stuffed to the brim with christmas decorations…until next year! In the new year I will tackle our master bedroom (there are wallpaper plans in the works) and do a little more work on the bathroom, perhaps a little more paint.  More photos to come soon!

Beautiful Branding

I've shifted my studio to the Annapolis Valley in NS for a few weeks.  I'm hanging out with my folks again making some great dinners, watching their fancy cable and stoking the fire.  This part of the world is a whole lot different during the winter months, but there is something cozy and wondrous about it at the same time.   Businesses shut down after Christmas for a few months but at this time of year there are lots of festive parties and concerts - the community loves to come together.  We've had a ton of snow already and are due for a mighty nor'easter on Sunday.  I don't mind it.  Winter is so much more palatable in the country.  Things I'm missing about my kitchen studio at home: the light, the constant stream of CBC Radio1 and the gluten free baked goods from my Landlords.  Things I like about this new makeshift studio in my parents dining room: way more space to lay out fabric and cut, a better heavier iron and most importantly the chatter of my mom and dad in the background.

Things are ticking along with my handmade business.  Although I have a few plans for a couple of different lines, I am moving full steam ahead building my pocket square inventory.  Here is an example of the final product with the branding.  I'm really pleased with the simplicity of the design.  I have also been doing some custom orders for personalized ladies handkerchiefs.  I'm pretty pleased with how the cross stitch monograming turned out.

Joyeux Noël

The cutest little Charlie Brown Christmas tree that ever lived in downtown Ottawa. My first hotel room Christmas. Its cozy in here and cold and white outside. Just how we like it.

Granville Christmas

Some fancy Christmas salt and pepper flare. Happy holidays from la plume de ma tante