Happy Holidays!

I love gingerbread cookies with my coffee, which i add some egg nog to, like a Starbucks' latte.



some of my homemade decorations, the stuffed bears and tissue paper heart with gold trim.


this Santa is very old, from my Grandparents tree.

Wishing you all have a very wonderful holiday season!!!!
Merry Christmas to all!!!

All the lights are shining brightly everywhere...

and the wee Christmas village awaits for a very special day!

my hall is decked with cuteness, including wee Callum (my lil' nephew)


my sis Carol, (Christmas Carol) made these wee houses and the icy tree is from the local hardware store!

the vintage drummer boy drums are from the Goodwill.

silly ol' me made these stockings for my wee creatures....


i just finished making this stocking for Miss Lulu Belle from an old patchwork pillow..i embrodiered the name with a crocheted chain.


wee Archie waits for Santa Claws to fill his wee stocking with cat treats and a new catnip toy!
I hope Santa Claws doesn't skip our house this year..... I think Archie has been relatively good! Lulu....i don't know, although i think Santa Paws will find her cute face reason enough to leave a few gifts!

It's that time of year.....

to gaze dreamily at Christmas lights.....



to make knitting/tea dates with Margaret, the nice British lady from across the road....



to wear woolen clothing.....



to bake dozens of delicious holiday treats....



to trim a Christmas tree....



to deck the halls....



to make a mess on the diningroom table....



to wrap gifts for loved ones.....



to sleep in on cold mornings.....



to snuggle with your favorite blankie...



to wear flannel pyjamas and festive looking slippers.....


to appreciate how bright the mornings are when the sun reflects off the snow and into your window.

I love this time of year! My next post shall have more holiday photos......coming soon!

it's beginning to look alot like....

C H R I S T M A S ! !

Steve and I checked out the Christmas decorations in downtown Toronto before the Neil Young concert....

This tree made up of spheres that changed colors
was at Yonge and Dundas Sq.


Steve waits his turn to see Santa...


Santa and his elves didn't look that busy....well, it is still early and a Monday night!

This tree is covered in Swaroski crystals....

but this close-up doesn't even come close to showing how sparkly it actually is!

Cinnamon Girl by Neil Young

Steve and i saw a great concert last night with legend Neil Young! It was amazing, to say the least! Steve sneakily took this movie from our nose bleeder seats!! We had to either stand or lean forward to get a good view! The first half of the concert was acoustic then Neil rocked it out with his band for the last half. I am in awe of this great musical legend and we were so lucky to get the tickets. Steve sad the concert was sold out within 2 minutes. He is performing two more shows at Massey Hall in Toronto.
Keep on rockin' in the free world!!!

Baby, the snow must fall!

i took these pictures on Nov. 22 of the first snow!

Steve is not happy about scraping the car, he says it's too early for snow! The car doors were a bit stuck this morning, as the car was coated in ice!

Yes, the first snow has fallen and I AM not quite ready, need to dig out the snow boots pronto!

dog day afternoon

Our Miss Lulu Belle has been with us for nearly 2 months now!

She is doing well with us and we love her to bits!!

Lulu loves to steal shoes and chew them.....

and she loves to smell Steve's stinky sneakers.

I love when she has her head down but her eyes look up at you inquiringly while alternatively moving the left and then the right eyebrow....so sweet!

LB loves napping on the sofa with her favorite toy.

Lulu has such soulful eyes...



and such long long ears!!!! This is my brother Tom with LB.

After nearly two months with Lulu, Steve and I just adore her and feel like real parents, since we're either snuggling or disciplining her! She is having training lessons, or rather we are being trained to deal with her, as the trainer says! We have a very spoiled beagle who is taking over the household and as a result we have some new house rules, which our trainer insists on. Now she is not allowed on the sofa because she has to learn that she can only go on the furniture when invited. Also, she is no longer allowed to roam freely, she must be on leash at all times so as not to get into mischief. Our trainer says that dog owners tend to treat their dogs and puppies like humans. As a result the dog can be difficult to train and keep in line. So training is challenging but i hope in the long run we will have a well-behaved dog who doesn't jump all over our guests or chases the cats away. Actually my older cat Eddie has become less fearful lately, and even stood up to Lulu the other day. He stood his ground and batted at Lulu with his paw. YAH FOR EDDIE!!

celebrations and treats

So another birthday has flown by, and i am not saying how old i am (add 2 + 2 (x 11) and it was also the same week that i have been on Etsy a whole year!! But i really did'nt participate in the forums and promotions until January which is when i started getting sales. I now have 2 shops - kookyhandbags and talkofthetown.....and i'm concentrating on getting more stuff in soon. The new shop talkofthetown is mainly about jewelery, since i have always had a passion for fashion and jewels and i have been making jewelery for myself for a few years now. It's simple jewelry, and i love experimenting with it, and making things that i would want to wear myself (of course!!) and i get a lot of inspiration from magazines and books.

Also for my birthday Steve took me out to the Beer Bistro in Toronto for a lovely dinner with Steak frites and mussels, and the most amazing flourless chocolate cake make with stout, so rich and dense!!! Then we went to see The Police!!!! Wow, what an amazing performance, i can't believe i got to see them!!! I used to have a huge crush on Stewart Copeland back in the early 80's and i am so blown away by his percussion skills....just amazing to watch. Sting looks good and Steve was very impressed with his performance, saying he did'nt realize how good he actually was! They also finished up with a 4 song encore...quite impressive and wonderful! I had a great birthday this year and thanks to those who sent me cards!

roses from Steven


birthday cards

This is actually soap!!! Kellarama soaps are very fun and smell amazing! This soap actually smells like a hostess cupcakes.....i used to eat a lot of these!!! I smell this soap often and keep it on a pretty blue willow plate and try to fool my guests....Steve's brother tried to take a bite out of it!!!

a birthday petit four from the Scottish bakery.....it looked better than it tasted...

but these cakes which are alot like those chocolate covered marshmallow cookies were so decandant and fluffy!!

I got these potato 'crisps' also from the Scottish bakery....as you may already know, the brits call potato chips 'crisps' and their fries are chips!

we got this old gumball machine and just recently filled it with the gumballs......we tried to purchase one with a nickel but it did'nt work!!!

i made pumpkin nut cranberry bread...

i love having it warmed with butter! so delish!