Hall's Closet to the Rescue!

Not too long ago I posted a write up about Hall's Closet. A cute little Etsy shop that specializes in personalized doo-dads, jewellery, and décor items. I had selected ten gorgeous personalized coasters to hand out at Christmas time to all my lucky co-workers. Offered at a fabulous price, I couldn't resist their uniqueness and charm.

I mean, how great of an idea is this? Everyone at work drinks some sort of beverage- whether it be coffee, tea, or just water. This great gift idea is perfect because it shows that you've taken some time to think of something different and just for them, while still taking it easy on your pocket book.

After I ordered my coasters, Hall's Closet was quick to go to work. She shipped them off after completion and they began to make their way over to the Hand Crafted Cottage. Somewhere along the way, however, my precious gifts got damaged. And I mean REALLY damaged...every single shining one of them! Now, I am telling you all this because I am so impressed and pleased with what happened next. Not only was Hall's Closet absolutely understanding of what had happened but they were super quick to rectify the situation. I now have my new coasters which are the picture of perfection!

As thanks I wanted to recognize the job well done by Hall's Closet. I also wanted to post some pictures of her new beauties and encourage everyone to check out her shop! Thanks again!!!


*********************************************************************************

I love many of the elements in this piece of wall art. The colour combinations really appeal to me, along with the simple geometric shapes. Additionally, the personalization included with the cute saying makes everything about this ideal!

Adorable ornaments full of whimsy! I love the traditional shape of this Christmas staple with the twist of a modern font and polka dots. Great gift for anyone who celebrates the season!

THE coasters!!! I love these ceramic gems and I now see that Hall's Closets offers the option to have a last name or an initial appear on them (with the font and colour of your choice!).

Gifts of Thanks

Today is the first official day of fall! I have been saying it for a while now but if you have not started to think about the upcoming holiday season you are going to miss the boat!!

I am busy getting the Hand Crafted Cottage all ready with oddly shaped pumpkins and gourds, deliciously spicy smells, and even a goblin or two. I love fall and I love the traditions it brings. For us Canadians, the first holiday on our radar is Thanksgiving. Turkey, stuffing, pumpkin pie, family, friends, and love. What's not to like about this time of year?

One of my fall traditions is to bring a small gift to the people at work and others I see on a daily basis (the wonderful lady at the day home, our neighbours, etc.). I like to recognize this special turkey day and say "thanks" to those around me, I appreciate you! Of course, Christmas is coming soon, so I don't want to break the bank going too extravagant with my little offerings. Something that is small, special and shows that I care - that's what I'm looking for.

These mouth watering sweet and spicy caramels from Bliss Candies are all individually wrapped and would look so beautiful displayed in a jar, wrapped with an orange satin ribbon around the lid. Described as creamy and sweet, with a kick, any co-worker or friend would love to receive some of these little gems. Bliss Candies provides only fresh, handmade and hand cut, delicacies that I can tell you, from personal experience, are absolutely heavenly!

Vegan Propamanda is another shop on my shortlist of fabulosity! Offering delicious cookies made of pumpkin, chocolate, cinnamon and nutmeg, they are a great way to show your vegan or vegetarian friends that you are thinking of them (and honouring their choices)! I think this shop is great because they will work with you to create any vegan friendly baked good you may be looking for.

Another wonderful option that I have found on Etsy are the vast arrays of jams and jellies. Bovines Bubbles and Hogwash Ltd. offers a great selection of fresh, homemade jams and jellies, even providing a sugar free option for our diabetic friends. With names like, drunken winterberry jam, autumn pear and cranberry jam, and chocolate raspberry cheesecake, how could you possible resist? They do offer a three pack which is great for allowing you to choose a few different options or split them up between co-workers.

I simply adore these organza flowers from Every Day Diamonds. Instead of offering some nibblers to your special friend why not offer them something beautiful to wear on Thanksgiving day instead? Usually, as hostess we are so busy organizing the meal, cooking, and filling drinks we sometimes forget to look after ourselves too. There is a great variety of flowers to choose from and you just can't beat their prices (stay tuned for a feature on Every Day Diamonds..coming soon!).

The idea behind a thanksgiving gift is that it should be small, thoughtful, and not too hard on the pocket book. It's just a nice way to say that you are thankful for those in your life and a fun way to get started on the holidays.

Cleaning Day

It's the weekend!! Most of us look forward to the weekend because it means two glorious days of rest. It means long delicious breakfasts of freshly ground coffee and pancakes with sweet fruits. It means sleeping in an extra couple of hours and waking up with a smile on our faces. It means doing whatever we want, whenever we want. It means....oh who am I kidding?? Really, the weekend usually just means more work - but this time, in our homes unstead of at the office!


For most of us the weekend is the time of the week to get things done around the house. The work week is generally so busy for most of us, at it's no different at the Hand Crafted Cottage. By the time I get home from work, feed my bébé, walk the dog, do the dishes and tidy up for the night, it's already time to go to bed. On the weekends we can air out the cottage, do our laundrey, clean the floors and do any other pressing home repairs/clean ups that have been bugging us over the last week.


Now, normally these choirs are just that...choirs. How annoying. I say "normally"because I recently came across an amazing shop that helps in these weekend rituals and, dare I say, make them bearable! Grandma's Best Kept Secrets specializes in homemade cleaning products.



When you think of laundrey do you imagine warm cinnamon hugs, festive peppermint kisses, or a soothing ocean breeze? Well, now you can! The homemade laundrey detergent offered at Grandma's Best Kept Secrets comes in a variety of scents, giving your clothes an injection of lovely. One of the best aspects of this natural home cleaning option is the cost. Ten dollars for fifty loads of laundrey...and one hundred loads of laundrey if you have a high efficiency machine! How can you not afford this luxury? Another perk - many people using this product have found that they do not even need to use a fabric softener.


I also love this natural option for the dishwasher. There are no chemicals use in this product which is not only great for us and our families but for the environment too! Like the laundrey detergent, this product is also sold for a phenomenal deal. At only thirty five cents a wash (shipping is extra) I can't even imagine picking up something this economical at the grocery store. It is avaiable in a refreshing lemon scent or, upon request, orange.


I really like this shop because they also offer other great options such as sample packs, if you want to try a smaller amount of detergent before going for full quanitity. Another great product - relaxing bath salts composed of Epsom and dead sea salts. So, after a long day of cleaning you can relax in your bath with a good book.



So now that we've taken care of some of the choirs at the cottage I think it's probably time to take a break! Who knows, maybe I will even be able to convince my husband to make me that fresh ground coffee and pancakes with sweet fruit before I start on my next task.

Time is a Tickin'

Love it or hate it, the holidays are just around the corner. Personally, I love it. This is my favorite time of year…it’s starting to cool down; the leaves are becoming crunchy and colourful. Before you know it, it’s Thanksgiving (if you are in Canada anyways) and then soon, Halloween. It’s starting to get colder and darker, the malls are getting busier. We pay homage to our brave veterans on a cool and crisp November day. Then, just as we least expect it, an e-mail goes around work promoting the office Christmas party. How can that be, it feels like it was just summer!?

Yes, it does go by that fast and if you are a true Etsian at heart, as we most definitely are here at the Hand Crafted Cottage, you must be prepared. There are so many amazing things on Etsy to help you prepare for all these upcoming events but you have to stay on top of things! You might find that perfect Halloween costume or Thanksgiving centerpiece but if you don’t order it on time, you my friend are certainly out of luck. This is especially true when looking for any Christmas items as almost everyone else will be attempting to monopolizing your favorite shop’s time as well.

With this in mind I set out to find my beautiful bébé the perfect Halloween costume. With Etsy at my finger tips I was confident that anything I could think out could be realized by one shop or another. I was right. Now this may seem odd but I really wanted my 14 month old daughter to dress up as Gene Simmons from KISS. Our family always jokes around, calling her our little Gene, because for some reason her tongue is always sticking out! As I came across Square Jane I knew I found the shop I dreamed of!


I immediately convo’ed the shop to inquire about my slightly odd request. NO PROBLEM! I loved dealing with Square Jane and adore her quirky sense of style. We convo’ed back and forth coming up with the ultimate Gene Simmons baby…complete with hair, KISS body suit, a cape, and boot toppers.

Square Jane was so quick to respond and work with me I felt like a truly valued customer. She made my costume at a phenomenal value and I couldn’t be more pleased. This is truly a costume that our family will remember forever and that’s part of what makes Halloween so special – I still have vivid memories of the pink unicorn costume my mom made for me when I was a toothless grinning eight year old!

I noticed that Square Jane has had many custom requests and I can definitely see why. You can get a witch or a clown costume anywhere but really, wouldn’t you rather go to a shop that has a sense of humor and can actually pull off a fly costume that looks totally awesome?! Her Elvis is pretty sweet too!

So, don’t say that I didn’t warn you – order your Halloween stuff now! Remember that a shop may have to make your items specific to your measurements so that takes time, plus shipping. I am so glad that I had the pleasure to work with Square Jane and trust me, we will be rocking and rolling all night long with our sweet little Gene baby on Halloween night!

Babes in Toy Land

I love toys. I also, as you may know, love heirlooms. In order to combine these two things together the toy in question must posses certain qualities. First, it has to be made with exceptional quality; kids can be so hard on their toys so if you want a child’s play thing to last it better be sturdy. Second, for a toy to become an heirloom it has to be truly loved by its possessor. And finally, for it to succeed in being passed to another, someone else has to actually want it. When I think of these three characteristics - quality, charm, and appeal - there really are only a few select types of toys that come to mind. Perhaps in the forefront is the wooden toy.

Wooden toys appeal to me on so many different levels. Presently, as a collective, we are all about being “green” and eco friendly, there seems to be a constant worry about safety with all the different glues and paints being used on our kids stuff as well. This, combined with the classic look and feel of wooden toys, and the simplicity they represent makes them so much more attractive to me.


Etsy boasts many shops that feature some very beautiful wooden toys made with exceptional quality. Jumping Jasper from The Wood Garden is a perfect example of this. Crafted by a fellow Canadian, this delightful toy, is built of maple and walnut and finished off with a coat of organic flax seed oil. I almost did not want to feature him because I greedily wanted to keep him for myself and the playroom here at the cottage! I am absolutely in love with this item and if you are looking for some fun baby gift ideas I would suggest stopping by this shop.


I also adore this next wooden toy from Woman Wood Worker, for several reasons. First and foremost, I love that this female woodworker has “skills and a garage full of power tools.” Her pieces are traditional wooden toys, but built with a twist. I love that you can get a wreaking ball complete with a wall to break down, how fun! Her shop also features some really cool natural train sets as well and at an amazing price.


This next item is from Kitty Baby Love and is what set me off in search of fun wooden toys in the first place. This bowling set is so cute for any child or cat lover and comes complete with six kitty shaped pins, a wooden ball, an official score pad, and a canvas carrying case. This is a perfect game for aiding in hand-eye coordination or counting. If you are looking for something unique and whimsical as a gift for your next children’s birthday party I strongly suggest looking here.


The top is perhaps the most classic of all the wooden toys I have featured – I have this lovely image in my mind of a bunch of messy faced kids laying and kneeling around in a circle, spinning their army of colourful tops with amazement shining in their eyes. These little gems from Urban Turn are made of hard maple and come in a variety of colours. Check out this shop for a selection of cool wooden buttons as well.



If you have a baby you know that they love to put anything they can get their hands on into their mouths. It’s kind of yucky to think of what is actually going in there but with the marvelous selection of teething rattles and toys available in Little Alouette you can rest easy. I love this uncomplicated giraffe teether which is made from Ohio maple and coated with organic flax seed oil. It is amazing how something so simple can be so great for developing fine motor skills, grasping, creativity and free play!



And finally, there is a huge genre in the wooden toy category that encompasses the doll house. When we were little girls we probably all had Barbies (or some other variety of her) and, obviously, she needed somewhere to live, right?! Jacobs Wooden Toys has a fantastic variety of functioning doll house items that would put a smile on any little girls face. This kitchen set is made of spruce and Baltic birch, along with a coat of beeswax. The nice thing about the items found in this shop is that you can also request for your doll house bits and bobs to be unfinished so that you and your girls can paint them yourselves!

I am so happy to fill the playroom here at the cottage with such extraordinary toys. I feel good on so many different levels letting my bébé play with them. Kids don’t always need those blinking, noisy, vibrating, loud toys that most of us have littered on our living room floors – an imagination and a simple plaything is often enough. And, I’m willing to bet that at the end of the day, it’s these classic toys that our kids will still be hanging on to when they have a little person of their own.