HALLOWEENY TIMES

THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR!

It's nearly here!  Time to get your ghoul on!  Halloween is definitely my favourite holiday.  It's the no stress, no gift pressure and no huge dinner to cook holiday. There are so many fun elements about Halloween - here are some of my picks.

DECOR:

Paper Source, one of my faves (if only we had it in Canada) has tons of great spooky ideas!  I bought this spider garland when I was in NYC, but you can order on-line.  Brianna (my 4 year old) and I put it together! So easy!

Pumpkin carving has come a long way from cutting out triangles! For some great tips check out this link.

www.today.msnbc.msn.com

TREATS  

I need to make some Halloween treats for both of my daughter's classes.  I dream of bringing in the treat that all mother's swoon over, envying my baking and creative prowess.  So I did a little Google search.

How cute are these witches?  I love them.  Could I make them?  No.  For these and a ton of other Halloween treats that less than 1% of the population can pull off, check out Parents. (How ironic is that?)

Now I can probably do these.  The owls maybe, but I could totally kick the fruit skewers and cheese & crackers out of the park.

One Charming Party

GREETINGS

Don't forget to send some spooky wishes to friends and family.  Here are some of our Halloween designs.  Available on www.flauntshop.com

So as it stands (this inevitably will change on the day of) we have a strawberry short cake and a tiger hitting the Halloween streets.  Dave and I will be gunslingers, though I am a tad worried that the costume I ordered is sluttier than anticipated.  Must find a way to tone that down for the kiddos:)

And alas, the best part of trick-or-treating is to have wine in hand - it's become our adult tradition.  See, red wine can look scary:)

Happy Halloween Everyone!

-Shannon

MAMMA MIA - IT'S ALMOST MOTHER'S DAY!

Mother’s day is nearing... get ready for brunch and flowers.  At least that's what mother's day has always been in my family.  As long as mimosas are on the menu, most mom's (including myself) will take this lacklustre celebratory meal in style:).  But when it comes to gift giving, I suggest you opt for something a little less traditional than flowers.  Like:

Some Sid Dickens wall art from GiGi B on Granville Island:

or

Some Ethical Shoes. My mommy friends and I have fully jumped onto this comfort bandwagon. These are the only shoes (other than runners)that I haven't had to break in! With every pair you purchase TOMS gives a pair of new shoes to a child in need.  Pretty Cool!  Check out TOMS for their latest!

TOMS Corbet Wedge Sandal

or

Some macarons. Ces't bon non? In Vancouver Thomas Haas has the best ones! They are a perfect little treat.

or

A fabulous book like The Paris Wife from Chapters. The Paris Wife is a sweet love story about the relationship between Earnest Hemingway and Hadley Richardson - the first of Hemingway's four wives.  This book made me want to go back in time and experience Paris in the 1920's.

or

If you are opting for the "homemade" presents and are over the acceptable "make-a-present" age of 10, here's an easy and kinda hilarious idea that I found on pinterest.  

To make: you can either, print your picture on to sticker paper: Avery, or you can have a picture copied onto a transparency at a store like Kinkos slide it in to the soap and use the tip of the pump to place it against the side.

And of course, please please please don't forget the card! Mother's love them, really they do! All available at www.flauntshop.com

Here is a picture of my Mamma (Nana Joy) with my two little girls, Sydney and Brianna:

"The future destiny of a child is always the work of the mother."
Napoleon Bonaparte

Lots of Love to all you mothers out there, enjoy!

Shannon

VALENTINE'S DAY GREETINGS

Vintage Valentine - 1909

There is a lovely history behind Valentine's Day beyond what poopy-pant anti-Valentine people say (and you know who you are:).  It's not just a "manufactured" holiday, but rather an annual ritual that began in the middle ages and really got it's legs in the Victorian Era - that's when those gorgeous and elaborate (and confining) dresses had their heyday.
Valentine's day was named after St. Valentine (270 A.D.) - the Catholic patron saint of love.  He was a Roman priest who was locked up for defiance and legend says that he wrote a farewell note to his lady in waiting and signed it "from your valentine."
And there you have it - the start of a "holiday" that would forever be marked on our calendars.
With the busy lives that we all lead it would be nice to take the time to send a dear friend, a grandmother, a spouse or a child a little Valentine to let them know that you are thinking of them.


Here are some vintage reproductions circa 1950, which my girls will be giving out to their classmates (so, so cute!):

Here are some selections from Flaunt's Valentine 2012 collection:

FL429 Two Red Owls "owl always love you"

(on the top of our love list this Valentine's Day

are paper source and anthropologie for ordering 

so many of this card. xox)

FL428 Pink Guitar "you rock valentine!"

FL431 Globe with Heart "you are my world!"

e-mail us for a retailer in your area.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Shannon