Ornament Swap 2010: My Bounty!

This year is the first year I will have an official Christmas tree in our house and I thought what better way to adorn it than with an ornament from Micaela's Ornament Swap 2010! I was lucky enough to be paired up with a wonderful swap partner, Erin, who is a fellow Canuck [she's out west in the beautiful land of British Columbia] and has such a fantastic blog!

Yesterday, I received a wonderful package from Erin containing the cutest, most adorable little additions for my soon-to-be Christmas tree! I can't begin to thank her enough for her thoughtfulness [she read I loved elephants in a comment I made on Micaela's blog!] and originality [they were handpicked from an Etsy artist: MaiseyHandmade.]

love the twine and teeny tag.

I can't wait to put these guys up on our tree when we finally get it! Thank you so much, Erin! I hope you receive your ornament soon, if you haven't already! Canada Post promised me it would get to you safe and sound this week!

how perfect are they?

erin knows soft ornaments are best with a toddler exploring everything!

Read more...

It's beginning to feel a lot like...

blank canvas: rockefeller center circa 2006

I know it's still only November, but I'm already getting giddy thinking about the holiday season. This year, I will finally have my very own Christmas tree! Growing up in a Hindu family, we didn't celebrate Christmas [though we took advantage of the Boxing Day sales!], and I did exchange gifts with friends and spent a lot of time at my cousin's place, whose house was always festive and traditional.

E grew up celebrating Christmas, and though we both don't like the commercial aspect of the holiday, we are excited to begin our own family traditions and continue those he shared with his family.

To jumpstart my ornament shopping, I joined the lovely Micaela's Ornament Swap! I was paired up with a fellow Canuck, Erin and after perusing her fantastic blog, I set out today in search of the perfect adornment for her tree. As I was walking along Queen St West in downtown Toronto I stumbled upon a fabulously ornate store called Ten Thousand Villages.

From their website:

"Ten Thousand Villages is a nonprofit Fair Trade Organization (FTO). FTOs are non-governmental organizations designed to benefit artisans, not to maximize profits. They market products from handicraft and agricultural organizations based in low-income countries, providing consumers with products that have been fairly purchased from sustainable sources."

I only had about 20 minutes before my parking meter ran out, so I had to move fast. [I have bad luck with trying to outrun meter-maids...] TTV had so many gorgeous ornaments decorating their faux trees that it was hard to narrow down my choices, but in those 20 minutes I managed to collect about 20 beautiful, handmade embellishments that would be perfect on almost any evergreen.

I can't share my wares just yet because I want Erin to be surprised when she receives her swap package, but as soon as my tree is up and decorated, I will be sure to post it here.

Do you celebrate Christmas? What are your holiday traditions? Have you started any of your own?

one of the ornaments i had to pass up...though i may go back for him b/c he's utterly adorable!

Read more...