Gift Idea: Kobo e-reader

I sometimes read books on my iPad, but it’s really heavy when you hold it up for a while, and it’s hard to see in bright sunlight.  So if you’re really into books, an e-reader makes a good gift idea.  I recommend the Kobo, not the Kindle, because it uses the ePub book format, and not Amazon’s proprietary Kindle format.  Basically, that means that if you have a Kindle, you can only read books from the Kindle bookstore.  With a Kobo, you can read books from the Kobo bookstore (which has excellent selection), and you can also get e-books from the library (for free!).

There are 3 different Kobo e-readers, and you can find a great comparison chart here.  The Kobo Vox has some great features, including a colour screen.  Personally, I’d go for the Kobo Touch, mostly because the battery is better than the original Kobo. And it’s on sale right now as part of Indigo’s black Friday deals – you get $20 off until December 4.

Gift Idea: 25% Off at Pinhole Press

I was just sent a discount code for Pinhole Press that I’d like to share with you.  It’s good for 25% off all their products, and it’s good until December 2.  The promo code is PINHOLEFAMILY.

I ordered a few photo notepads and a personalized desktop calendar from Pinhole Press last month.  They look amazing – the paper quality is really good, and the printing is lovely.  A great Christmas gift idea!

Gift Idea: USB car power adapter

It’s that time of year… time to start thinking of holiday prezzies.  I’ve been perusing gift guides, and I’d love to share a few gifties I’ve see that I think are pretty neat.  First up is a great stocking-stuffer idea I saw in this roundup of 30 Tech Gifts under $50.  This is a USB power adapter for your car’s cigarette lighter.  You could plug your iPhone or BlackBerry charger right into it (or anything else that plugs in with USB).  It’s super tiny, and super handy.  And at only 8 bucks, it’s a great stocking stuffer.

 

Sawdust City Brewing Co.

Ian’s good friend Sam Corbeil is a brewmaster.  Having previously worked at a few breweries (including Mill Street), Sam has moved back to his childhood hometown (Bracebridge, Muskoka) to start up his own brewery, Sawdust City.

They just launched their first beer – Golden Beach Pale Wheat.  They’re working on building a brewpub at the Muskoka Wharf in Gravenhurst, but in the meantime, you can try Sawdust City’s Golden Beach Pale Wheat at the Griffin Gastropub in Bracebridge.  Not heading up north any time soon?  You can have a sip at some of Toronto’s best beer bars – Golden Beach will be on tap at The Only Cafe, Burger Bar, C’est What?, Highway 61, Grapefruit Moon, Bryden’s, and Bar Volo.

Congrats on your first brew, Sam!

Congratulations Erin!

One of my rad clients, playwright Erin Shields of Groundwater Productions, won a Governor General’s Award for her play If We Were Birds.  Kinnon and I designed the Groundwater website last spring.

I saw If We Were Birds when it premiered at the SummerWorks Festival in 2008 (it then went on to a critically-acclaimed production at Tarragon Theatre in 2010). It was amazing. Congratulations Erin – you deserve it.

Crafternoon Tea

Another great event happening in the ‘hood next week – Crafternoon Tea!  Go check it out next Saturday, November 26, from 11am – 5pm.

It’s a “curated crafty/fashion market & charity tea-party” hosted by Nathalie-Roze (of Nathalie-Roze & Co).  But it’s not at her shop – it’s at the church down the street,Queen Street East Presbyterian Church (947 Queen St. East at Carlaw).

Some confirmed vendors include Knotted Nest, Clay Girl, and The Happy Seamstress (whose Beard Knitting Kit, above, is genius!)

See the Crafternoon Tea Facebook page, or follow Nathalie-Roze on Twitter for the latest information.