My Finds: A Flock & Gather Winter Wonders 2016 Simple Gift Guide

KR Jewelry  - Beautiful jewelry for your best girl friend

Mortise & Tenon Shop  - Do you know someone that appreciates beautifully crafted 

wood products that are incredibly useful? These cutting boards 

and coasters are perfect

Junipermoon Puppets  - Always an excellent place to find something for the littles in your life
 that are into imaginative play...and some adults too :)

Carole Epp Ceramics  - Perfect little necklaces for the growing girl in your life, or 

your friend that loves cats

Something From Nothing Mittens  - Made from rescued sweaters, these are perfect 

for anyone on your list

Mimi & Lala  - An excellent shop to find a gift for the littles in your life

Clair Ashley  - Simply beautiful cuffs that have a secret message inside, perfect

 for your mom, sister, or your best friend

Lone Tree Handcraft  - We all know that our friends cut vegetables on gross plastic
cutting boards. These ones are super solid, one of a kind, and easy to care for

Willow & Wheat  - A great gifts for those new little people in your life

Uncle Mike's All Natural Products  - Perfect for your husband, dad, uncle...

Three Leaf Apparel  - Perfect for the person that likes to be cozy and warm

CMB Printworks  - A wonderful gift to grab for a friend that's looking to dress 

up their Christmas Trees

Last Shoes  - Perfect for people that appreciate handcrafted shoes and other leather goods

Femmebroidery  - Looking to empower your girl friends with some of the best 

sayings that can hang from their walls? This is the best spot to find them

Birch Artisan Studios  - Perfect finds for your wife, mom, sister...

Small Shapes  - Perfect for anyone that would like a sip of tea, or a chug of hot chocolate

The Rosy Deer  - We all know someone that would love and appreciate the softest fabrics

 and yarns you could ever find -- one of a kind, too

Callista Prints  - Perfect Christmas cards to make your and your family giggle, and art 

prints to make them all smile

Salgado Fenwick  - An excellent gift for your friend, or funny uncle, that
 likes animals...in sweaters, and so much more

Hinterland Honey  - Sweet and pure. A perfectly quick and easy gift to grab for anyone 

that likes something sweet in their tea, or on their toast

North Birch Grove  - Perfect for people that love the prairies...and Ontario

Joyweave - Perfect for a friend that's looking to dress up her walls

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Read It: Wenjack

On October 23, CBC streamed "The Secret Path" a project from Gord Downie and Jeff Lemire about a young boy named Chanie Wenjack. Chanie was 12 years old when he escaped from a residential school in Ontario and began his journey back to his family more than 600 kilometers away. A friend and I watched the above song from "The Secret Path" -- which you can now find here -- at work the following Monday.

That Tuesday, I had taken the day off of work to be with my son, and we decided to make a stop at the library to pick out some more books in the children's section. While we were returning our previous books in the main part of the library, I noticed the cover of a book that I knew immediately that I must read. It was entitled Wenjack and was written by Joseph Boyden. I had been introduced to the work of Boyden previously this year when my mom and I attended a ballet about the residential schools. I quickly grabbed the book off of the shelf and took it to the front desk to check it out of the library. The librarian told me she had just put the book out not even two minutes ago. It felt like kismet.

 photo source

Wenjack is a simple, small book, but doesn't let that get in the way of it's raw power. There is even something about the size of the book that has meaning in it. From the first chapter I knew that it was going to be difficult to get through the book. That's always the way it is with difficult and uncomfortable subject matter. It was subtle, but punched you in the chest, and I wept when I finished reading it.

I liked being able to read about the residential schools not just from the perspective of a child, but an Indigenous child, as well as the animals of the forest. The writing was sprinkled with Ojibwe words and phrases, memories of Chanie's life with his family, and memories from the residential school. You felt the connection with his family and his culture dwindling, and could notice the affects the residential school had on him mentally and physically.

The residential schools are an incredibly dark spot in Canadian history. I hope that books like Wenjack and authors like Joseph Boyden will continue to write and be written so that we can open our hearts and begin the path towards healing.

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Etsy Made in Canada Market 2016

Last weekend I had the joy of being part of the Etsy Made in Canada Market. It is a fantastic concept of markets popping up all across the country to showcase different makers that have shops on Etsy. The market that I was part of was put on the Etsy Saskatchewan Team, and they did a wonderful job as hosts. I wish that I had had more of an opportunity to shop around, but above are some of the people that I was next to, and some of the items that caught my eye. We have extraordinary talent in Saskatchewan, and I am grateful for the opportunity to be with them!

Broken Dish Necklaces: Earth Sisters

Watercolour Cards: The Gift of the GAB

Blown Glass Sun Catchers: Glassy-Eyed Beads

C3PO Bag: Marjielous Creations

Crochet Pinkie Pie and Flutter Shy: Marjielous Creations

Hand-stamped Jewellery: Clair Ashley 

Crotchet Wrap: Hot off the Needles

Silk Hair Accessories: Appledainty

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World Alzheimer's Month 2016

The Forget-Me-Not flower is a powerful symbol for people with Alzheimer's and their families. It is often used to symbolise the loss of memory, but is also a reminder to remember the people that we have lost to Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia. As you may know, the disease has touched my family as my Grandma was diagnosed with Alzheimer's when I was a teenager, and so it was very special to me when I spotted these Forget-Me-Nots while we were on vacation in Banff. It felt as if she was with me in that moment.

It was two years ago that we began this journey to provide support to the Alzheimer's Society of Canada by pledging to donate 15% of our profits for the month of September. This month was a record year, and, with your help since 2014, we have been able to donate over $40 to the Alzheimer's Society of Canada. 

Thank you for the love and support that you have given so far. I look forward to adding to the number next year!

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Shop Update: Exclusive Cards at Soul Paper in Saskatoon

I am so excited to share with you that we have worked together with a local business called Soul Paper to create some cards with Canadian and Saskatoon themes that are now sold exclusively in their shop.

It was a lot of fun to think outside of the box that I am used to when it comes to coming up with, and creating new card ideas, and Susan and Alex of Soul Paper have been a delight to work with. Their passion for paper made me even more excited to get the project started.

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52 Books: Oliver Jeffers' Once Upon an Alphabet

For anyone that is a fan of Oliver Jeffers' work, there is no need to explain why Once Upon an Alphabet is one of the most awesome alphabet books in existence today. Each letter of the alphabet has a story that was written for it, and the stories begin to intertwine as you read through the book. It's not hard to read through the entire thing in one sitting, but we usually like to pick a couple of letters from the inside of the front cover -- for letter recognition -- and read those specific stories. The letters "C" and "K" are my personal favourites -- although I do enjoy when we stumble upon the owl and the octopus.

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Flock & Gather Spring Market 2016

Lou from Boolah Baguette  -  Cat Shirt from Salgado Fenwick 

Tree Gnome from Junipermoon Puppets  -  Honey from Hinterland Honey 

Sweater from Rebecca King Fashion  - Birch Wood Print from CMB Print Works

I found the most amazing treasures at the Flock & Gather Handmade Market this spring -- some of which I cannot share because they are intended to be Christmas gifts. I always enjoy perusing the handmade goods that are available from some incredibly talented people. This time it was nice to have the opportunity to browse -- for 2 1/2 hours -- without the responsibility of my own shop. Above are some of the items that I found and could not leave behind.

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52 Books: Gene Zion's Harry the Dirty Dog

I purchased Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion long before my son was even a thought in my mind -- I have always enjoyed children's books -- but as book number seven on our 52 Books journey, it has quickly become a favourite. If you are tired of taking baths, and want to follow along on an adventure with the cutest little dog, then this book might become your favourite too -- but you're allowed to change your mind about the baths.

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What I Wore: My Handmade Shirt from Pakistan

I am a lucky girl. A little while ago, a lady I work with went back home for a visit in Pakistan. She offered to have some shirts made for me by her tailor. And so she asked for my measurements, took one of my shirts with her as a pattern for the tailor, and I eagerly awaited her to return.

When she came back, she gave me three beautiful shirts that had been handmade from the most amazing fabric. She said that she had picked out fabrics that she would enjoy wearing, and what I ended up getting was the most wonderful fabric that feels like you are not wearing anything. It is so soft and floats away from my body in the most breathable fashion. 

I am told that it is the summer fabric that is used on the tunics and clothing that is worn during the hottest part of Pakistan's year, and I know that it is going to be perfect for our hot days here.

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Shop Update: Cards for Honorary Moms

Because You've Helped Me Grow  -  My Chosen Mom

This year I've made the card that I made for my own mom last Mother's Day available -- Because You've Helped Me Grow -- and included another card for all of the women in our lives that aren't our mothers, but hold a special place in our hearts. I chose to make a card like this -- My Chosen Mom - because I thought of all of the people out there that don't have a mom, or necessarily have a good relationship with their mother, that would like to acknowledge the ladies that have taken over that roll...for our honorary moms!

 

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52 Books: Christopher Franceschelli's Alpha Block

The sixth book in the 52 Books series is one of my favourite alphabet books. Alpha Block by Christopher Franceschelli is simple and follows the formula of "A is for...B is for..." but the illustrations are fantastic, and it's almost like a lit-the-flap book in that you need to turn the page of the giant letter cutout to see what "A" is really for. I was sucked in by the sheer size of the book during a visit to the book store. Though it's not very tall or wide, it is very thick paper, like a board book, making for a rather large book. I really like the seemingly interactive quality it has, as well. A few of the letter spawned a learning session, and we watched some videos of a violin because of it.

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Shop Update: 100% Cotton Canvas Block-Printed Tote Bags

I am so pleased to announce our new product line to you today. With the help of my wonderful mom and dad, we have created these 100% Cotton Canvas tote bags with block printed images on them -- our logo and the POP-cicle print. I think they are so cute!

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