Gift Guide: Christmas Card

Christmas cards, as I've said before, are my most favourite things.  Dave and I sent out so many of them and sitting in front of Christmas in Connecticut (BEST MOVIE EVER) with massive cups of tea while I write cards to all our friends is the most Christmasy thing in the world.

We haven't finalized our pick for this year but here are some of my favourites:

Top row from left: Custom Family Holiday Cards, Santa Christmas Card, Return Address Stamp
Middle row : Tis the Season Card, Pine Branches Holiday Cards, Scottish Terrier Card
Bottom row: Letterpress Pinecone Card, Tis the Season Illustrated Card, Baby It's Cold Outside Card

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Gift Guide: Stockings

Stockings are probably my favourite part of Christmas.  They are always filled with magical little things you would never buy yourself and that you can tear open without the polite waiting until after breakfast and taking polite turns (youngest to oldest in my household).  A bit of chocolate, some fancy soap, crafty things and a bit of tea. This year I would love to find in my stocking:

Rifle Paper Company Temporary Tattoos, $15 for 8 / Personalized Paper Dolls, $35  / Confetti Mittens, $49 / Bunny Pin, $15 / Tea Tin, $4.99 / Hair of the Dog Flask,$24 / OmNom Chocolate, $11 / Bunny Earrings, $17.14 / Wind Up Toy, $14 / Amethyst Soap, $4.99 / Muji Mini Coloured Pencils, $6.99

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Gift Guide: Small People

My husband and I are at the age where the number of children on our holiday shopping list is exploding.  I've got godchildren, guys,  a bunch of them.  We also have nieces and nephews galore and the fantabulous children of some of our closest friends.  Since all our friend's babies get McIntosh & Burke animals at birth we have to come up with something different for Christmases.   Clockwise from top left, here are a few of my favourite things for all the little people this year:

Anna Bond's In Bloom Collection of illustrated girls classics are my absolute favourite thing. Anne of Green Gables, Heidi, A Little Princess and Little Women, what better books are there?  I'd like someone to buy them for me but since my fondness for my my Little Women with the red cover and the ribbon bookmark will never fade I'll have to settle for buying these for my goddaughters who are old enough to have these read to them.  

Of all the cards I think that the Badgers might be my favourite.  They are going to be slipped into many a stocking around these parts.

Bunny Nightlight  - This rabbit nightlight is unbelievably sweet and gives off the very faintest glow.

Baby Quilt  - Is there a nicer present for a new baby then a quilt?  Me thinks not.  My friend and neighbor Meg makes such sweet and pretty baby quilts.  I wish I could get one for every single babe on our list.

When I was a little girl, my grandmother would sometimes send an advent present.  I love the idea of giving something before the holiday instead of the traditional gift to make the lead up to Christmas a little more interesting for little people.  Your standard Ikea tree and these little advent bags with  small toys or sweets in them would be a lovely thing to drop off on December 1.

Vintage Fair Isle Sweater -  Etsy is a treasure trove of vintage children's knits, Scottish Fair Isles, Irish arans and Icelandic lopapeysa are my current fave search terms and no one in the world looks cuter in a sweater than a round face two year old boy and they beat the heck out of the Christmas sweaters from my childhood.

Holztiger Reindeer, Fox and Penguin - Holztiger animals are always divine but I love these wintery ones for our godson.  Not only are they nontoxic and smooth for playing with/chewing on but they also look gorgeous.

Ida Bear - Because she looks lovely popping out from the top of a stocking and shes a sweet, snuggly little bear.

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Gift Guide: Wish List

It's gift guide season!  I love reading them, I love shopping off of them, I just love them!  So here we go!  To start off the Gift Guide season here is my wish list, just in case anyone is wondering what I would like for Christmas:

Herschel Supply Cap - I've exclusively worn the Red Sox cap I got my sophomore year of college (not going to count how many years ago) every time I need a baseball hat.  This one has a massive H on it though and I do love a fall baseball cap for putting unruly hair out of everyone's way while running errands or walking the dog and I think H is for HANNAH and not Herschel.

The Silver Palate Cookbook - I have a copy of The Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook that I got at a library book sale for a quarter and it's fantastic.  I want to try out the original favourite and start throwing some rad 1988 themed dinner parties, isn't that what we're all doing?

Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day - I also have the first, classic Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day and it's fantastic.  I'm not convinced that the 'healthy' bread is really that fantastically healthy but I'm a complete incompetent when it comes to altering baking recipes so I want the extra wisdom.

Ginger Cat Tea Cozy - I've been using a too thin tea cozy for two long, and this ginger dude just makes my heart happy. Plus it's an excellent homage to the elder stateswoman of our house, Cat, the 15 year old toothless ginger cat who is just as gorgeous and lovely now as she was when dropped off at my parents farm when I was 14 and thought that the only name for a marmalade cat was Cat.

Plaid ASOS Scarf - Because Christmas exists to buy the people you love plaid and for them to buy you plaid and also wouldn't this look nice at the office when I'm freezing wrapped around my favourite dress?

Stoneware Bowls - both of these are from Etsy, one vintage and the other handmade.  Growing up our main mixing bowl was a yellow stoneware bowl with a stripe and the heft of stoneware still seems like the best thing to mix cookies in.  I love the yellow because they remind me of the family mixing bowl but the blue is just gorgeous too.

Grey Off Duty Sweater - This sweater has been on my wishlist for ages, with jeans and sneakers at weekend brunch, with matchstick pants and boots at the office, this sweater looks like the kind of long, soft sweater you can wear anywhere and instantly makes you look like an adult.  

Yellow Gold ID Ring -  I love nothing more than a teeny tiny yellow gold ring and this one is so sweet.  Rings are my favourite jewelry to wear and this one with a H+D or just a good old HMB would be divine.

What are you asking for for Christmas? 

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