Festive stitchin'

I have featured the work of Water Rose here before so I was delighted to see some very festive designs appearing in her shop this holiday season. So talented and original. Lovely!

Found - carved wooden owl with attitude

I love this carved owl. Doesn't he look like he's going to say something and then waddle off. I think he's very funny. When we were kids we had a piggy bank on the mantlepiece that was a big ceramic owl - he reminded of that. Must ask my mum what happened to that. This charming owl is available at Henry Road :-)

Found - vintage asian ceramics

I'm always drawn to Asian character ceramics - whether they are real vintage or reproductions. I especially love these lamps(and I know my friend 'Linda the lamp shade maker' will be drooling over these.) I think they bring an interesting and colourful detail into your home even if it's decorated in a modern style! Available here.

Vintage chalkware bust

I was looking for something else at Henry Road and I spotted this chalkware bust - luv luv luv this - everything about it - speechless! Paula, WHERE did you get this?

Need a gift idea?

I miss magazines - don't you? I really notice it at this time of the year. I used to be so excited to get my Martha Stewart holiday mag every year and I have kept them all (as I'm sure many of you have.) We need to support print media. We all love the blogs but we need to make sure that no more of them fold. We need to keep our favourite publications alive by ordering subscriptions just like we used to before we all got obsessed by blogs. A magazine's bloodline is their advertising - and these days there is less and less advertising dollars - that's why some of the holiday magazines seem so thin this year. One of my new years resolutions is to support print media like I used to. We've all gotten very excited by some of the fabulous online magazines that have popped up in the last year - but let's not forget where it all started! Renew your subscriptions and give subscriptions for holiday gifts. It's great value and there's nothing like seeing all those mags in the mailbox every month.

Here are some of my fave holiday crafts from Martha Stewart - enjoy!

Inspiration - vintage Noma light boxes

I love these old Noma Christmas light boxes. We had a few of these but I think I sold them at a garage sale. They're classics aren't they? These are available Carmen and Ginger.

Inspiration - vintage packaging

Need some typography inspiration this morning? - How about these simply stunning examples from the Die Line. Absolutely amazing. If you can't be inspired by these, you can't be inspired by anything!

Window shopping - Sadie Olive

Sadie Olive has a lot of really cute vintage stuff in her shop right now - nice soft muted colours - a wintery palette!

Random Object

I thought this was pretty interesting - from Marie Claire. There are always loads of these old glass insulators in junk stores and I think they make very cool, industrial light fixtures for quirky, high ceilinged place.

Ruffle your feathers!

I first spotted these watercolour painting by United Thread on the Paper Cakes blog. I really love how realistic these owls look, while at the same time so decorative. We see lots of owls around here and I always love how scruffy and ruffled(scruffled?) they look - just like these . . .

Felted fun.

What can I say? These are just too darn cute. Love the subtle colour palette and the gestures. From the very talented Mouse Pants.

A few days ago we lost Doug's dad. It was a fast and furious fight. 12 weeks ago he was fit as a fiddle. Today we'll say our goodbyes. We'll miss him. He was one of a kind - that's him on the left - a young cowboy on the Guichon(Quilchena) Ranch in BC's Nicola Valley. (That's his brother on the right.)

Found - vintage pennent

I picked up this sweet little vintage moose hide pennant at the local junktique store this weekend - it reminded me of Doug's dad. The Cariboo is an area of interior BC with beautiful ranches and grasslands. His dad would have liked this a lot. The type is so pretty - love the capital R in the middle!