catching up...

Hi there, I hope you had a great weekend! 
When we didn't have to be out and about we were staying cozy indoors because winter has officially set in. Brrr! 

I did manage to start decorating for the holidays again (visit here for that back story)... 

Here is a little peek at a couple of the holiday touches I have added.





the Peace on Earth print is available in my Etsy shop here



So catching up...

1. This past week has been busy in my Etsy shop. We are having a special holiday sale! 20% off orders $25+. You can pick up the coupon code in my shop here.





2. I'm looking forward to attending the One of Kind Christmas Show & Sale on Thursday morning for a preview. This years show will feature 800 artisans and designers from across Canada and there are over 90 new participants debuting.

I'll be sure to report back to you on some of my new finds at OOAK. There is always lots of great talent to share. In addition to shopping you will find seminars and diy workshops. I'm hoping to catch one of the seminars hosted by some of my favorite magazines including Canadian House & Home, Chatelaine, and Covet Garden.

3. Next week I'm hosting my annual cookie swap. I'm still trying to decide on a recipe. Yikes! My friends at Style at Home Magazine are hosting their annual Holiday Cookie Swap. More details and some great recipes can be found here.


I'll be back with some Gift Guides this week to share! I've had fun putting them together and it's helped me narrow down my shopping lists too.

Cheers!

Debra





best sources for holiday wrapping



some of my favorite wrapping embellishments 
gathered together


One of the things I like to plan ahead of time is how I will wrap holiday gifts. In an ideal world, I would wrap the gifts as I pick them up. However, the reality is that we have a marathon wrapping session(s) on the nights prior to Christmas. What makes it all go smoothly is a plan, supplies and lots of wine.

Here are some great places to source 
holiday wrapping supplies.

Omiyage.ca - a great source for Japanese Washi Tape

The Paper Place - shop online or visit their gorgeous store (my favorite) in Toronto for specialty papers, embellishments and gift items.

Creative Bag - online or in-store they are a great source for packaging materials such as boxes, bags, paper and ribbon.

Goodwill/Thrift shops - vintage books abound here and are perfect for repurposing into handmade embellishments.

Dollar Stores - I'm not a big fan of dollar stores but in an age when items such as craft supplies all seem to come from the same types of manufacturers you can't go wrong here. You will find many items that you will pay more for if you shopped in a big box craft store. Gift wrap, kraft paper, sometimes great ribbon and twine, kraft paper boxes and bags too.

Paper Parade Co. - in addition to custom stationery and art prints I have started to offer fun packaging supplies such as tags, baker's twine, paper bags that are great for small gifts and treats and some other goodies. Be sure to stop by my shop too! If you are local, give me a shout as delivery may be available for your area.

and of course Etsy is a fabulous source for creative gift wrap/packaging ideas. You can see some of my favorite Etsy sources here



Gift Wrap Tip: 

Try sticking to simple paper options such as kraft paper or another solid colour and then spend your time on embellishing your gifts to make them special. It doesn't take much to take a wrapped gift from ho-hum to cheerful.



Here I used simple white paper, twine and a scrap of 
paper from a vintage book.





and the winners are ...


It's time to draw the winning entries for 
the book giveaways!



Cue the dramatic music and flashing lights ;)

Congratulations Interior Groupie (entry #7) and Grace (entry #1) on winning Matthew Mead's newest book Christmas All Through the House. Please contact me at paperparadeco@gmail.com with your mailing address.

P.S. I used Random Generator for this draw.

Debra


All that glitters...

Tick, tock... Christmas is just 6 weeks away.

Don't hate me for reminding you. 
I'm here for the next few weeks to help you get started - with holiday decor ideas, gift giving suggestions and more.

Also a reminder to enter the giveaway on my blog. Hurry! 
---> just leave a comment here
The giveaway ends Friday at midnight.


Vintage Soviet Alarm Clock from Mirtime


G O L D 
caught my eye this week as I browsed Etsy for some holiday inspiration. 



Vintage glass ornaments, Milleseem Designs

I love vintage ornaments. I also love the old cardboard boxes these orbs are nestled in. I have a collection which I will share with you soon.



Gold leather coin purse, Razolly



Antique gold garland, Couture by Ayca


Garlands aren't just for parties. 
Go ahead hang one in your house and it will make you feel all festive ;)



Brass mid-century reindeer, Charlies Nest

I have a soft spot for deer. That's all.



Metallic gold pillow cover, Chanee Vijay Textiles


I have been coveting the pillows from this Etsy shop for too long. I must own one soon.



Raw citrine and gold necklace from Shop Clementine.

So pretty. Holiday sparkle for your neck.



Faux taxidermy, Mahzerandvee

Gold dipped moose.



sparkly sequin pouch from Plain Cases

such a gorgeous evening purse don't you think? holiday parties anyone.


Do you like to decorate with metallics during the holidays? 
What do you prefer, gold, silver or the new trend copper? 


Holiday Inspiration & A Giveaway from Matthew Mead



It's hard to believe that last week we were decorating for Halloween and now the holiday season is on our minds. Our American friends will be celebrating Thanksgiving this month and Christmas decor has hit retail stores in full force. I've also just finished planning my annual cookie exchange, 
so you know it's soon ;)

I thought I would share some images that Matthew sent me from his gorgeous new holiday book "Christmas All Through the House" . It is full of inspiration for the upcoming holiday season. I love the simplicity of this kind of decor. Subtle and fresh with the pops of greenery.

Scroll to bottom to enter the GIVEAWAY!











There are loads of craft, decor, baking and gift ideas that you will enjoy creating. I refer back to these holiday books every year. You will too. I'll share some images later next week.

The issue is available to purchase now on Amazon, Indigo and I've seen it on several news stands. 

I'm thrilled to be able to offer a giveaway for two lucky readers to win their own copies of Matthew's book.

To enter to win please leave a comment below. 
For additional entries please share this post on Twitter and/or Facebook. 
Make sure you leave me an additional comment so I know you shared.

This GIVEAWAY is now closed. 

Giveaway open to residents of Canada and the U.S. 
The giveaway will close November 15th.

Good luck! 
Remember the more you share the more entries you get!

Debra



sneak peeks

I wanted to share a little sneak peek of the story I recently produced for Canadian Family magazine. It's on news stands now so you need to run right out and pick up a copy ;). Really. It's a great parenting magazine. Fabulous articles. It is my go-to parenting mag - modern and stylish.


Here's a little peek!





Gorgeous photography from the uber-talented and fun to work with Michael Alberstat.




This issue also features its annual Toy Guide ahem...Christmas shopping anyone?

Coincidently, we shot this story in my house. Yep! It was feeling a lot like Christmas around here a couple of months ago. The hardest part about producing a story in your own home is letting all the great props go. I'm telling you, I wanted to keep everything. Especially the coffee table from West Elm.

Speaking of West Elm, I went to a tour of their newly renovated store in Liberty Village on Tuesday night. West Elm's Creative Director Vanessa Holden was in town from NYC to give us a tour. She was very engaging. Before West Elm, she was EIC of Martha Stewart Living and Martha Stewart Weddings, creative director of Real Simple, and co-founded Donna Hay Magazine. Not too shabby...

I thought I would share a few pictures of the store and some of my favorite things. Because... it is one of my fave shopping destinations not because this is endorsed. Although I wouldn't turn them down..wink, wink.





This is the view from the Market area into the store. It's huge! And...there is a coffee shop now. As if I needed another reason to visit!

Oops I didn't take a picture of the coffee shop. How could I forget that? I guess I got caught up in the perfect crema on my americano and chatting with blogger friends. You'll just have to go see for yourself. You will fall in love the rustic wood island with the marble countertop.


I love the Market. I want it all for my kitchen.

I like how West Elm incorporates locally sourced products for the stores in each of its cities. So some of the food products above were local.


Canvas tote bag that my pickling buddies would love!!! 
Colleen this is for you :)

Happy friday!

Debra