Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays everyone!  This is my last blog post of the year.  Ian and I are spending the weekend with my family and then jumping on a Porter flight on Monday.  We’re going to Chicago for 4 nights for a little getaway, just the two of us.  I can’t wait for some fun time off work.

I’ll be back at my desk on January 3, which is the same day the kitchen reno adventure begins.  Scary and exciting!

I hope all of you and your loved ones have a nice Holiday break – eat lots, sleep in, and relax!

[img above: Michigan Avenue in Chicago, decorated for the Holidays.  The crowds look daunting, but I can’t wait to see the Christmas windows and decorations.]

Julia Rothman Holiday Gift Tags

Are you doing some last-minute Christmas wrapping this week?  If so, you might want to download and print these free gift tags, designed and illustrated by Julia Rothman.  And if you have sticker paper or labels, print them on that, fill them out, and you’re done!  Too cute.

Click here to download over at Design*Sponge.

Belle and Sebastian’s Holiday Spectacular

You know I love Belle and Sebastian, and their live show back in October was delightful.  This afternoon you can watch the band’s “Holiday Spectacular” on NPR’s All Songs Considered website. Description: “frontman Stuart Murdoch and the rest of Belle and Sebastian will dig deep into their archives to share popular classics, fan favorites and a few festive surprises. Video of the performance, from the group’s hometown in Scotland, will be webcast live on NPR Music.”

Tune in here at 4pm (Eastern) today.  Enjoy!

Gourmet Cookie Book

Yesterday Ian and I were watching CBS Sunday Morning (yep, we watch Sunday Morning and 60 Minutes every week – we’re quite the old married couple), and we saw this story on Gourmet Magazine’s new Cookie Book.  The editors of Gourmet have gone through their archives and selected one cookie recipe per year from 1941-2009.  Of course, the book is great for bakers looking to expand their repertoire, but it also offers an interesting look at social history, as it features “headnotes describing their cultural context, the recipes present a fascinating bite-by-bite history of how our appetites evolved.”

The Gourmet Cookie Book would be a great last-minute gift idea for the baker or cookie historian in your life…

Funny on Friday: Regretsy

I’m sure you’re familiar with Etsy – the online marketplace where you can buy all kinds of wonderful handmade products.  But have you ever checked out Regretsy?

Billed as “where DIY meets WTF”, Regretsy features all kinds of products that probably started out with the best intentions, but something went terribly wrong.  My favourites include the Hitler/Tinkerbell painting and the Cabbage Patch ear muffs (pictured above).

If you need a good laugh, check out the masterpieces on Regretsy.

PS – can’t get enough?  There’s a book.

In the ‘Hood: Bobette & Belle

A new cake/treat/coffee shop has opened a few blocks from me – Bobette & Belle.  This is their first retail store, but they’ve been around for a while… turns out the owners (cake decorator Allyson Meredith Bobbitt and former Canoe pastry chef and Soma chocolatier Sarah Bell) are quite celebrated in the wedding industry for their spectacular cakes and beautiful treats and macaroons.

Pop in to their gorgeous shop for a cup of Balzac’s coffee, sit on a comfy sofa, and enjoy a sandwich, tart or scone (with clotted cream – yum).  A perfect way to spend a winter afternoon.

[image from the Eye Weekly writeup of Bobette & Belle]

Caribbean Vacation Deals

It’s minus 10 degrees in Toronto – time to start planning your Winter Beach Getaway.  Or if you’re not taking one, you can still dream (like me).

Budget Travel magazine has just released a great list of the Best Caribbean Vacation Deals for 2011.  Of course, this is all for Americans, but with the dollar basically on par, there are some insane deals here, including Guavaberry Spring Bay, where you can get your own treehouse style vacation home that’s only a 10 minute walk from the Baths on Virgin Gorda (British Virgin Islands – pictured above), starting at $155.  Crazy.

Pantone Announces 2011 Colour of the Year

And it’s Honeysuckle Pink.  And if Pantone says it’s gonna be hot, then you can bet it’s gonna be hot.  Kind of like a chicken-and-the-egg scenario, Pantone knows what’s hot, announces the colour, then it becomes more hot, etc.  Take last year’s pick of Turquoise as an example.  Or 2009’s Mimosa.

I’m sure I’ll have at least one client in the coming year who wants to use Honeysuckle in their design…