Home Made Gifts for the Holidays

This year we had a tight budget for Christmas - a tricky situation when one is fortunate enough to have a pretty big group of friends and family! (Not that I'm complaining!) So, we decided to set ourselves an approximate budget of ten dollars per person, and make tasty gifts for people. The result? Two kinds of cookies and Swedish Christmas vodka!

We infused the vodka with brown sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and orange. We went to a second hand store and picked out five different and interesting bottles to put the vodka in. Then we washed them, plugged them with various corks and red stoppers, and gave each a bow!

Here I am decorating the sugar cookies!

We went to Michael's and bought Christmas baking gift bag sets - they were really easy to use and ended up looking great! They each came with cardboard circles for the cookies to rest on, cellophane bags, red ribbons, and cute little to/from tags. Each bag contained some simple sugar cookies as well as my favorite, chocolate chip button cookies!

I went to the Bay and bought some little ornaments (on sale) and attached them to a few of the bags. Buying ornaments, and attaching them to gifts is something that I have been doing at Christmas time for a few years now. I always go to the Hudson Bay Company during the week leading up to Christmas; they always have a great selection of ornaments at that time of year and they're always marked down (usually $1 - $2 per ornament!).

I also thought I would share this photo of our apartment, decorated for Christmas! And of course, what blog post of mine wouldn't be complete without a complimentary cat photo?

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

-Jackie

Gabriel Ross Photo Contest - Part 2

As you may recall from a previous blog post, back in June I entered into a photo contest at a local modern furniture store here in Victoria BC called Gabriel Ross. Well the results were that my photo won first place and I received a credit at the store! (Yahoo!)


As a side note, I have had a lousy cold this weekend and have basically barricaded myself into my apartment for several days trying to recover. Yesterday when I could take no more cabin fever, I set out up the street to go peruse their selection and see if anything sparked my interest. My haul? I purchased a bright red glass Chat-Board for my kitchen. 

The Chat-Board is a Danish product and is essentially a super sexy magnetic whiteboard (for writing on with dry erase markers). I was tired of writing down reminders and grocery lists on pads of paper on the fridge and I wanted something simpler and better looking. I'm sure that in the future as friends and family trickle in and out of our home the board will receive many artistic contributions and will be a source of interactive entertainment.

Here's a photo from the Chat-Board website of a wall of  different Chat-Boards. 

These pieces are fab because they come in so many sizes and colors! One could even purchase several of the largest size boards and tile the walls of a room giving it a contemporary and glossy look as well as a new practical function. How amazing would that be for a creative environment such as a play room for children or an artist's studio?

Jackie

Caitlin's Bridal Shower: Bumble Bees But No Wasps Please!

Here's a look at the bridal shower party I threw for my amazing friend Caitlin in August this year. Thankfully we had great weather as it was an outdoor patio party. If you read a few blog posts back you will see the invitations for this get-together as well! 


Enjoy the photos!

Here are the mini cupcakes I had made for the party. They were topped with these totally cute fondant bumblebees! The folks at Ooh La La Cupcakes did such a great job.

We had a table set up at the party for a silent guessing game. Different photos of the bride at different ages were displayed and throughout the party guests could walk over and write down how old they thought she was in each. The winner got a cupcake baking gift bag!

Some of the ladies hanging out under the shade of the tent.

These were the party favors the ladies got to leave with - Yummmmmmm, local honey!

Caitlin opening some of her gifts with a little help from her adorable niece.

Did mother nature somehow know the theme of this party? I'm not sure if it was the gravlax, the mimosas or just the weather, but these jerks were definitely party crashers! 


(But as you can see they endured a drunken citrusey demise)




Here is the paper banner I made for the party with a lot of help from my friend Kristal and her Cricut Personal Cutting Machine. She also cut out yellow, black and grey paper circles for me which I strung string though to make several hanging garlands which were tied to the perimeter of the patio tent. They looked fabulous, especially with all the yellow and black bunches of balloons we had placed around the patio - but unfortunately I didn't get a great photo of them.


Hope you liked the photos.
-Jackie

Open Concept - Who Needs Walls?

The place I call home is an apartment in a hundred year old brick heritage building in down town Victoria BC in the Design District. I loved this space from the moment I laid eyes on it and was over the moon when my husband called me at work one day to tell me that our landlord had accepted our application as tenants. We've lived here for the past three and a half years and during this time I've had a blast making the space our own, one piece at a time.

One interesting feature in the main living space of our apartment, is that is has a built in folding wall on hinges, which creates the option of having an additional room with privacy or an entirely open space. For the past three and a half year we've lived here with our bedroom tucked away in the optional room, walls folded out. We always wanted to try folding the wall back and opening the room up to join our sleeping, living and dining areas but it took us a long time to get around to it because we enjoyed the cosiness and privacy of our bedroom and we knew that making the change was going to be a lot of work. 

Recently when feeling the need for a change and somewhat ambitious, we decided to go for it! And now I can't believe we didn't do it sooner! As we predicted, the improvement was amazing. The space is so much bigger now, and easier to live in; it's easier to move around in and to clean too. It's also a real treat to be able to lie in bed and see the whole apartment and the windows, and talk to the other person from bed if they're in the kitchen or the living or dining spaces.

I've also come to the conclusion that walls and bedroom privacy are not as important to me as I thought they were. After all we live alone and although we do have the occasional house guest who will sleep on our sofa or the fold out bed in the office, they're few and far between and usually they're close friends or family :)

I'm glad to say this rearrangement has given me one more reason to enjoy our space, and one more thing to share on the Government Street Blog! I only wish we'd done this a long time ago, but perhaps there's a lesson there. So here's to positive change, and to actually doing the things that we say we're going to do!

I was a bit concerned that the folding wall was going to look out of place in the room when folded flat, but with the bed pushed up against it and the big blue painting (by the very talented Seattle artist Elena Korakianitou Pors) hanging above it's actually not that bad! It almost feels like it's a headboard.

Yes, Potato knows she matches, and she knows she looks good...

 Our smaller television, which was previously mounted in our bedroom closet (we had to open the closet doors to watch it) now hangs on the wall in the photo above and sits at a much more comfortable watching distance from bed. Life is good!

Here's another angle of the open space. Pants Boy's on the table looking suave (as per usual) and Pelle is throwing up the dubs. I love you Pelle.

One more shot of the new, bigger, brighter and better space!

Bumble Bee Bridal Shower Invitations

These invitations may have bees on them but they're certainly not too busy! I was very happy (and relieved) this weekend to finally get these bad boys all finished up and sent out as the shower is in August, and the clock is ticking! I'm really looking forward to this party, which I'm throwing for one of my best friends in the whole-wide-world, Caitlin, to celebrate before she ties the knot with her other half Pat; a guy who everyone agrees is absolutely perfect for her :) 

I liked making these invitations because I really think they suit my friend's style! They're simple and somewhat contemporary, with a clean font on a shimmery grey backdrop - but - they're also playful and friendly with a pop of yellow and three little bees buzzing around! Perfect for a summer party thrown for a stylish chick who's always been a sucker for cute things! (Caitlin you know you are!)

As Caitlin's already seen the invites I really don't have any reservations about posting these pictures. That being said, I don't want to reveal any of the other details of the event until after the fact, so more pictures and posts will have to come at a later date. Stay tuned!

Jackie

Grolsch Bottle Cap Upcycled

Last night we had some friends over and one of them was drinking Grolsch beer. I was admiring the bottle today while I was gathering my recycling when I decided to remove the swing top cap and keep it (thank you Sara!). Pelle (my husband) sawed the bump off the back of it for me and then I epoxied it to a small round magnet. As you can see it actually turned out to be a pretty cool and somewhat retro little fridge accessory. It also really reminds me of a trip I took to the Netherlands to visit my brother when I was in high school, a happy memory. 

Hooray for upcycling!

Jackie

Sophie Conran Dinnerware

Thought I would share my new Sophie Conran plates and bowls that I received for my birthday last month from my mother-in-law Billie :) Every time I look at the bowls I think of how much I want to make some pumpkin curry soup!  Thanks so much Billie I really love them! xo Jax ♥

Gabriel Ross Photo Contest

Well - I entered into a photo contest on Facebook put on by a fabulous modern furniture store here in Victoria, Gabriel Ross. Here's hoping I win! The finalists will be determined by which picture has the most Facebook "likes" and then the designers at the store will decide amongst themselves which of the most popular photos receives first, second and third place prizes (which are all gift certificates to the store). There is also a "Cuteness Factor Prize" which they've just added to the list of prizes as there were so many submissions with people's children and pets present! 


Photos were to feature products purchased at Gabriel Ross in customer's homes - so I took this photo of our Artemide Tizio desk lamp in it's place in our own living room next to our two kitties, Buddy and Lulu (otherwise known as Pants Boy and Potato). The contest which has been running for weeks now, is over tomorrow and my photo is in the lead, so hopefully I'll get one of those gift certificates and get to buy myself a new modern something for my place!


If you are in Victoria, and love modern furniture, I highly recommend you check this store out - it's definitely one of my favourites!


Cheers,
Jackie

Chocolate Chip Button Cookies

 

I love these cookies because they are simple and delicious and have an appealing look to them. They are somewhat healthier than other chocolate chip recipes because they're not too sweet and are made with whole wheat flour.They're charming because they're small but tall little cookies and if they're done right they'll crack open slightly during baking giving them a somewhat 'old fashioned' look. 

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup of brown sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 package semi-sweet chocolate chips

 

Before baking, leave the butter out to soften. After the butter has softened, stir it together with the brown sugar in a large mixing bowl until creamy. Add the eggs, vanilla and olive oil and stir the mixture until it's runny. Next add the flour and the baking soda and then stir in the chips.

Place the bowl of dough into the fridge for at least one hour to allow it to cool and thicken. Preheat the over to 350 degrees. Once an hour has passed and the dough is cold and firm to the touch, use a spoon to scoop out small amounts and then use your hands to roll the dough into balls about the size of chestnuts. Place the balls on an ungreased 12" X 18"baking sheet (making approximately 3 rows of 4.) Put the baking sheet into the fridge and cool for 5-10 minutes. 

Place the baking sheet in the oven on the second to highest rack setting for 9 minutes, and then remove and let cool. Do not put dough into the oven that is runny or sticky because it will cause your cookie to 'pancake' during baking and possibly burn the edges. The drastic change in temperature during the baking of cooled dough allows the cookie to set in a bubbly round shape and develop a slightly cracked open surface.

Tips:

• Place balls of cookie dough onto the baking sheet so that the side with the most chocolate chips is face up. This will make the cookies look great after they're done.
• If any edges of the cookies are burnt or overcooked, gently trim them down using a spatula or a butter knife.
• Make sure to store these cookies in a sealed container otherwise they will dry out and lose flavor.

For Julia: A Bridal Shower in the Garden

These are a few pictures from the bridal shower I threw in July, 2010 for one of my best friends. We were so lucky that it turned out to be one of the most gorgeous days of the year! Since the party was going to be held in an garden in Oak Bay I set out to incorporate floral patterns, summer colours and elements of nature like the paper butterflies and wooden birds pictured below. This event was so much fun to put together because the theme was colourful, summery and civilized, and it was fantastic to be able to do something like this for my friend to celebrate before she got hitched!

  

Pictured above is the assembly line of invitations for the event on my dining room table, being guarded carefully by our cat Potato!

Here's a closer look at the invitations and paper butterflies I made. I used the butterfly template from the Martha Stewart website. 

Here's a shot of the table under the tent before more food and snacks were brought out. My mother in law Billie baked these delicious crunchy cheese crackers.

These were so pretty!

I couldn't believe how we lucked out on the weather! It was a good thing we had this tent otherwise the guests would have cooked!

Here are the lantern decorations I made. The great thing about these is that they are reusable. For example, they were used to decorate the couple's rehearsal dinner as well!

The large oak trees in the yard provided just enough shade on the hot day for a friendly game of croquet!

 

Here's the gifts for the bride, brought to the shower by her guests. These ladies sure knew how to gift wrap beautifully! 

These goody bags were fun to make and to give! I put together crisp white paper bags filled with fresh red cherries for guests.

         

The mini-cupcakes pictured above were from Crumsby's Bakery. If you are ever in the Estevan Village in Victoria or are planing an event, consider trying these beautiful and delicious little creations.

The photos in the banner were of the bride and the groom!