christmas goodies 2012

I was a very lucky gal this year to be spoiled silly by my friends & family. Here are some of the gifts I received this Christmas:

From Hazel: Bookhou Printed Triangle Pouch, Tattly giftcard.

Only a true friend would support my somewhat ridiculous wish for designer temporary tattoos. With so many fun tattoos, it'll be hard for me to decide how to spend my giftcard but I have my eyes on the What to Focus On Notebook Set. This print by Marc Johns is one of my favourites, one that I pasted on the front of my own sketchbook in highschool. It would seem the only appropriate next step is to plaster by favourite illustration on myself. On top of the gift of Tattly, Hazel gave me a long-time wishlist item, local & handmade from Bookhou.  

From Nic: Rilakkuma Bear Plushie, Wilfred Galope Scarf

Upon handing this first gift to me he said, "You can't return this one, but you won't want to." And he was right. Available at Magic Pony, this plush is too cute words. I love it— that is all.

I borrowed photos right from the Aritzia site to showcase my second gift, the Wilfred Galope scarf. It's so unique from it's asymmetrical look with non-identical stripes on either side. And apart from being distinct, the scarf is a 100% wool, blanket of warmth! I'll be bundled nicely this winter.

From Nina: Chloe Eau du Parfum, Herschel Laptop Case, Polaroid Photo Album

Before going on I must point out Nina's choice in gift wrap— excellent pick. Underneath the Christmas kitty wrapping was a bottle of the classic Chloe perfume. The packaging is just gorgeous! Clean, classy, and feminine. It captures and compliments the scent perfectly. Along with the perfume, I also received a much needed laptop case since the purchase of my Macbook Pro a few months ago. The Herschel one is so well-made, making me significantly less worried. And for good measure, she threw in a quirky photo album! Quite the fitting gift since we both take massive amount of film photos.

From the folks: Madewell Lace Collar Tee & Bookshop Cardigan, Free People sleepwear (not pictured), too much chocolate.

Aside from an unhealthy amount of chocolate, my parents gave me the usual suspects (PJ's & several pairs of socks) but also the cash put towards a Madewell order I placed just last week. It arrived in the mail a few moments ago (as I am typing this) so I haven't photographed them quite yet. Hence, below are the item photos right off the site. The blouse has a dressy, detailed lace collar but still a comfy and casual material, and the cardigan is just a wardrobe staple done well. It even had elbow detailing, which was a pleasant surprise. Madewell clothes are definitely made well! *cue laugh track*

Other gifts from relatives consisted of chocolate, more chocolate, money, and more chocolate. Needless to say, I might require a few sit-ups.

gifts unwrapped

This Christmas I got myself down to The Paper Place to fetch gift wrapping supplies. I have a major thing for stationery and personalizing gifts. With each person on my list in mind, I picked out a suitable print. So along with my gift wrap picks, I thought I'd give you a peek as to some of the things I gifted to my friends this year.

To Hazel: Rookie Yearbook One, Morico Rabbit Tote 

For Hazel I picked out Rookie Yearbook One, because what blog-lovin', style-savvy, design gal wouldn't want this? And I found the tote at City of Craft.

To Nina: J. Crew Nautical iPhone Case, Untitled & co. Barbie Cross Tank

I was oozing stealth this year with Nina's gifts, taking mental notes on items she swooned over as we took on a big chunk of our Christmas shopping together. And even while she accompanied me to The Paper Place and had some hand in picking out gift wraps for others with me, I sneakily purchased her favourite print while her back was turned in the store. Not too shabby, if I do say so myself.

To Nicholas: Herschel Lorson Wallet, Old Navy "Jingle Jammies", Threadless Funkalicious iPhone Case, Club Monaco Utility Jacket & Flannel Shirt (not pictured), Turtle Beach Ear Force X11 Gaming Headset (not pictured).

For Nic, I bundled a plethora of wants & needs into one fabulous, manly Christmas gift. It's always fun shopping for a guy, especially in Club Monaco's menswear. Fun fact: all of these gifts can be worn at once.

And naturally, I selected the perfect gift wrap for his present, Christmas octopuses!..

Christmas Market 2012

Let me start off by wishing everyone happy holidays! A few weekends ago was a bit early for Christmas but I started getting into the spirit by visiting the Christmas market at the Distillery District. The Christmas market is inspired by the heritage and charm of a European Christmas market. The tradition originated in Germany but Toronto's own is a mix of European as well as Canadian, complete with stalls of perogies, poutine, and chocolate covered bacon. And with it being the Distillery District there was, of course, beer. Although the event is outdoors, the beer gardens consisted of lounge seats surrounding several fire pits to keep warm. 

On top of the food & drinks, there were pony rides, a carousel, Christmas carollers, and pictures with Santa. And if you so pleased, you could even find your Christmas tree there. All the little boutiques that make the Distillery District so unique kept open for the hours of the market too. They made for a good escape from the cold. See you next year, Christmas market!

Drake Holiday Warehouse Sale

On the same Saturday I visited the Drake General Store, I hopped over a few blocks to their holiday warehouse sale on Dufferin. Although I didn't purchase anything, it was worth the stopover. I have to admit that the location was terribly questionable at first, entering to dimly lit, concrete wall hallways. But after you pass some dodgy areas you'll come up to an inviting door with the Drake logo propped up next to it.

Besides the Drake General Store's regular merch, the warehouse sale had unique salvaged furniture and vintage/retro knick knacks. Some are functional and some are just decorative but all awesome, nonetheless.

The Beatles (not so) White Album, $10! I already have a clean one though, haha.

There were a couple of vintage mini tin amusement park rides; a roller coaster and a ferris wheel. They're still working but a little worse for wear. I was afraid I'd break it by every squeak and creak it made.

If only I had a place to put all these fun things, I'd fill an apartment with these sale pieces. It'd be beautiful to mix rustic and vintage in a modern loft.

I believe the Drake General Store has seasonal warehouse sales, so I'll absolutely be back again. And if I'm lucky I'll have a second chance at some of the things I saw this time around!

Drake General Store

Over the weekend I stopped by one of my favourite Queen st. shops, the Drake General Store. Attached to the restaurant, cafe & bistro, and hotel, the Drake General Store is a piece in the entire charming Drake Hotel entity. The store itself has a flea market feel, curated with classic and modern goodies, imported as well as a good helping of local and Canadian novelties— namely the onesie. 

The reason for this particular visit was because of the onesie. They carry a darling selection of adult onesies in a few colours including a fun Canadiana print with Maple leaves, toboggans, toques, mittens, and more. I went for this one of course. But unfortunately, the smallest adult size was too big for a small gal like me. So upon this visit I exchanged my onesie for a large kids size, and lo and behold, perfect fit!

Aside from sorting out the onesies, I went around snapping my favourite bits. It's such a confined space but to every wall and corner you turn there's something new. There was this especially neat pharmacy-type wall where all the apothecary items are cleverly displayed. Consider the bunch of these photos a visual wishlist, though I have buckets more of photos not included in this post or else it would be far too lengthy.

The Drake General Store is currently hosting a holiday warehouse sale filled with discounted merch! Expect a blog post on that next because I did swing by, but I wanted to let anyone interested to know that the sale ends in two days, Sunday, December 16th. The warehouse is located at 442 Dufferin St. Unit 'I'. I highly recommend checking it out, especially if you're already near the Drake General Store this weekend. More details and hours of the sale can be found here.

Drake General Store

1114 Queen St. West

www.drakegeneralstore.ca