The Paper Place

I first heard about The Paper Place (formally known as The Japanese Paper Place) in university. Our printmaking professors spoke of it like it was heaven. Anytime a gallery field trip to Toronto was scheduled the print students would head over to the Queen West location and come back with sheet upon sheet of beautiful Japanese paper. When I finally went I immediately understood what all the fuss was about. The store is gorgeous. Amazing printed paper as far as the eye can see. So you may think it weird that I would recommend this paper store as a great place to buy gifts. Well, you would be wrong. They have great little items imported from Japan (some things still have the yen price stickers on them!). Calendars, water bottles, ceramic, tons and tons of super cute little stationery items and nick nacks. Fantastic place for stocking stuffers. I went on the weekend... A purchase or two was made...

Let the countdown begin!

I love traditions. And Christmas brings out the child in me. So one of my favourite Christmas traditions is having an advent calendar. My Mom buys them for me and my sister every year. It's sort of our deal. I can't (refuse to) buy one for myself. It has to be from my Mom. And she will go to great lengths to ensure I get one. In university she would send Christmas care packages with advent calendars for me and all my roommates. The best was when she mailed one to me the year I was living in Japan. (She definitely wins the awesome Mom award!) The great thing is this is a very affordable tradition to continue. We get the supermarket advent calendars. I think they cost less then $2.00. So be sure to get your advent calendar this week, and let the count down to Christmas begin!

Assistance from a shopaholic...

All of my friends know that I love to shop. LOVE. IT. When it comes to buying gifts, I take a lot of time considering what to get someone. I search. I scout. I go on reconnaissance missions. I'll think I've found the perfect gift. Then I see something else. Now the debate begins. Which item is better. Which one will the recipient like more? Oh how I agonize! And yet, I still love shopping and buying gifts for people! And not to toot my own horn (toot toot!), but I think I'm pretty good at it! It's not uncommon for friends to ask for my assistance when buying gifts for their loved ones. So, I thought I'd be helpful to everyone this year! Over the next couple weeks, I'll be posting my gift ideas and favourite stores so you can easily shop for everyone one your list! And if you are searching for someone in particular, please feel free to post a question!

(the photo is part of Holt Renfrew's fabulous holiday window display. Famous fashion influencers in snowmen form. Too cute!)

It's one of a kind!

I try to go to the Christmas One Of A Kind Show every year. It's a great place for gift shopping. But it can be overwhelming. There are a LOT of vendors. A lot of stuff. If you try to look at every booth, you'll be there for ever. I like to power shop. So to help you make your trip to the show a little easier, here are some of my favourites:

There are tons of food vendors. And almost all of them have samples(!) The Bean Ladies and Tickleberry's are always crowd pleasers. Great for stocking stuffers. Wicked Gourmet makes fantastic dips and sauces - and they have some great deals available at the show. My new favourite is Sohot Sauce (Cilantro Sutra was the best!) You also can't go wrong with cookies from Mad Batter Bakers.

If you're in the market for cute baby and children's stuff, Mally Bibs makes the most adorable leather bibs. For clothes, check out Red Thread Design. And then there is Monster Factory. They make the cutest stuffed animals (or rather monsters) for your little monster!

If you like pottery and cermanics, you're in luck. There are some great vendors at the show this year. Richard Fisher Pottery makes beautiful stuff. I got one of his mugs last year. It's the perfect size for your Sunday morning coffee. The designs also remind me of being at the cottage. At The Wroot Of It makes super cute and very girly pieces. Their mugs have cute little messages at the bottom so you get to see them as you finish your beverage!

Maybe you're like me and have a thing for bling. Well they've got that too! I loved Eles Designs. Saw her stuff earlier this year at the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition. Gorgeous. I also love Dushka Jewellery. I bought one of their necklace about 4 years ago, and still love today! There pieces are beautiful (although the owners are not necessarily the friendliest...)

Perhaps my favourite purchase was courtesy of Ophelie Hats. They make the most fabulous (slightly over the top) hats and hair bands. I bought a felt flower hair band from them. It's very similar to ones I've seen in fancy shops on Bloor St. but it only cost $20! Score!

I also loved the clothes from Luved. They make super comfy and stylish tops and jackets. Sweatshirt material but way nicer then a plan old hoodie. Perfect weekend wear. I sadly didn't buy one, and am now kinda kicking myself about it. Fortunately, they sell at stores downtown and online. So I can still get something!

Those are my favourites vendors from the show, but they have SO MANY things, you're sure to find something for everyone on your gift list! The One Of A Kind show runs until Dec. 6. I recommend going around dinner time as the crowds aren't as crazy. Happy Shopping!!

Say cheese!

So last Friday at the Gourmet Food & Wine Expo my cousin Sarah and I tried many great wines and samples some REALLY GREAT cheeses! They were so good that we had to buy them right then and there. One was a soft surface ripened cheese called Sir Laurier D'Arthabaska. The second was a ash covered goat cheese called Le Cendrillon. I've happily discovered both are available at Loblaw's

On Monday night I had dinner at my friend Traven's. (He made a fantastic batch of chili!) I decided to bring my yummy new cheese purchases for snacking. I think it's fair to say we were both glad I did! Upon trying the Sir Laurier Trav's only comment was "Wow!". I had to agree. It was even better then I remembered. Same goes for the goat cheese. However, I do agree with Traven's observation - it's delicious if you can get past the fact that it looks rather unappetizing. (The ash on top looks a lot like mold). Fortunately, we were able to get past it. Both cheeses were amazing!

Equally enjoyable was the movie we watched after dinner - The Brothers Bloom. Funny and completely charming. Made me fall in love with Adrien Brody again. (i LOVE him!!) Traven had Rachel Weisz to enjoy, so we were both happy campers.

Good movie, good food and a good friend = good times!

Like sand through the hour glass...

So are the days of our lives...

This post is dedicated to my friend Lindsay. She and I are big Days Of Our Lives fans. Like HUGE. I blame Lindsay for my new found obsession. It started about a month again. It was the night before our friend Sibylle's wedding and we had to get together to work on our speak for the reception. I had been telling Lindsay that I had recently discovered Rogers on Demand. I was thrilled that I was able to watch Young & the Restless when I got home from work. She wanted to know if Days was also available. It was. She got very excited. After our dinner arrived (Swiss Chalet of course) I remembered that I still had a load of laundry to pick up at the laundromat. I popped out of the house for a minute to pick it up. When I got back and opened the apartment door I was greeted with the funniest image - Linds curled up on the couch, eating her Swiss Chalet and watching Days Of Our Lives. Too funny!

So I started watching with her and within 5 minutes was hooked! I had watched Days YEARS ago and it took all of 10 minutes to figure out what was going on. Linds helped fill in the blanks. One episode was all it took. I had to watch more. It's my new guilty pleasure. Now Lindsay and I send each other hilarious "Disclaimer" emails through out the week, recapping our favourite moments. We share a love of a "Dashing" englishmen named E.J. (short for Elvis Junior) Our conversations go something like this "Is he a bad boy who wants to be good? Or a good guy who does things that are bad? Either way we LOVE him!"

So if you have a desire to see really funny over acting, loads of tears and drama and at least one passionate makeout a day - I highly recommend watching a soapy soap opera!

Give a gift

It's Christmas time again! It's so easy to get caught up in the fun of holiday parties and gift shopping. But it's important to remember that there are those out there that are less fortunate. This year especially. My office organized a teddy bear collection. It's great to walk by the reception desk and see piles and piles of cuddly stuffed animals. Hopefully these will help make someones Christmas morning a little brighter. I also hope this will encourage others to give what they can to those who really need it. Like the saying goes "it's better to give, then to receive!".

It's that time of year again!

It seems the Christmas season starts earlier and earlier every year. This year I saw stores that still had Halloween decorations out when they started setting up their Christmas displays. (That is a little too soon for my liking) Now don't get me wrong. I LOVE Christmas. The decorations. The caroles. The presents. The treats! LOVE it all!

And as always, my beloved Starbucks has it's own take on seasonal treats. Every year they bring out Holiday themed lattes. I like the Peppermint Mocha. It's like a candy cane in coffee form. Delicious. But my favourite thing to get is the Holiday Turkey Sandwich. It's got cranberry sauce and stuffing. Just like the holiday dinner leftover sandwiches I make at home. So good! My friend Sibylle and I had these goodies at the Santa Claus parade this year. Perfect way to kick off the holiday season!

Stop and smell the roses. And daisies. And tulips...

I love fresh flowers. They just make a space look... well... fresh! Pretty. Cheerful! They make me happy. Especially as the weather gets colder, it's lovely to come home to a beautiful arrangement of flowers. But, as with most things, I've very particular about what I like. I like to keep my arrangements simple. Sticking with a single type of flower in different colours, or a couple different types of flowers in the same colour, or the same flower in the same colour. Some might find this boring. I think it's simple. Elegant. Chic. Displayed in a simple glass vase, it's the easiest way to add a little cheer to any room.

There are two places in Toronto I go to buy flowers. The first is along Avenue Rd, just South of Davenport, there are a string of little flower markets. Each shop has buckets and buckets of beautiful fresh flowers. Tons of variety and fantastic prices.

My second favourite is a little store on College St. called Pink Twig. It's adorable. Girly and modern. The store owners remind me of me and my friends. If I were to own a shop, it would be like Pink Twig. They always have a great selection of seasonal blooms and other pretty home decor pieces like vases and pillows.

Cheers!

Are you legal drinking age? Looking for something fun to do this weekend? Don't worry, I'm not trying to proposition people. But if you like good wine and good food, you should check out the Gourmet Food & Wine Expo. My cousin Sarah and I went last year, and are going again this year. It's great! Fantastic way to try a lot (repeat a LOT) of different wines. We like to start with champagnes, then whites, then reds, then finish with a port. The vendors are very informative and can offer great food pairing ideas. Be sure to take a card of the wines you like. After a few samples its hard to remember what you had earlier. (wow, sounding like an alcoholic here...)

The show is on all weekend. You can buy tickets on their website: www.foodandwineexpo.ca