In Planning Mode

With our big move to the West Coast this year and so much to see and do, we have certainly been in travel mode. I've been loving every second of it, and we had some big plans for 2013 as well - we were thinking maybe a California trip, or even Hawaii, in February... but sometimes plans change. When plans change for the better, that makes me even happier. We won't be taking any big trips... at least not early in 2013 anyway...

So after 5 years together, 1 house purchased, 1 baby and a move across country... B and I are finally getting married! We are so excited, and believe me, it was hard to not say anything before now. 

He popped the question on Sunday evening, when my parents were also in town, so we were able to share in the excitement with both sets of parents. 

I'm excited to start planning, and we're already discussing date and location. You can be sure that as we make progress, I'll be sharing projects here.

Our Week Away

Happy Monday all. I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. We sure did, and we are currently on a plane on our way back to the West Coast. It's a little bittersweet, as always, leaving family and friends, but we are so happy to be heading back home to see our Pups, sleep in our own beds, and of course start preparing for Christmas.

So, while we soar through the friendly skies, I thought I would give you a brief look at our visit back in Massachusetts.

Our first couple days were lazy. We enjoyed spending time at B's family home with his parents, and sneaking out (just the two of us), whenever we could to do a little Christmas shopping. Then, Tuesday was our big day. We pretty much enjoyed a full date day in the city. We arrived in Boston (via the Commuter Rail) around 3pm. We strolled down Newbury St., enjoyed some Berry Line frozen yogurt...

Afterwards did some more shopping and a bit of bar hopping before met up with some friends for a fantastic dinner at TICO on Berkley. If you're in Boston, do it... and get one of the taster deals. We went for the "Forgot to Eat Lunch" - $55/person, but probably one of the best dinners I've ever had! Such a great night in the city.

Wednesday B and I got out to do quite a bit more Christmas shopping. We were successful and Halle really enjoyed her afternoon with Grandma - she even napped for close to 2 hours in her playpen. Very rare even in her own crib, so we were all very happy about that.

Thursday was the big day, and Halle made sure that she was nice and rested up for all of our guests...

Then it was all the fun stuff. Food, family, drinks, football... and more food of course...

{1. B and my Apple Cider Mimosa (apple cider, prosecco & caramel syrup), 2. Family by candlelight, 3. Turkey Cake Pops - so yummy!}

{Chocolate Pecan Silk Pie and Chocolate Shop Wine - a great dessert combination!}

We aren't big Black Friday shoppers, so we had a quiet morning at home... until B's Mom asked the boys to work on a little home project for her. Come back tomorrow for more on that. In the afternoon we ran out to do a few errands and then headed to Milford to meet a couple of friends for dinner and drinks (we took full advantage of having Grandma and Grandpa itching to have time with Halle). It was a great night catching up, and we arrived home to my parents who came down from Toronto for the weekend.

Saturday started off lazy with some playing at home, and then a walk to the duck pond to feed the ducks again. It was a tad chilly, so the whole visit was rather short.

We returned home to warm up and eat some lunch, and then we prepared for the family party - what a fun day. Sunday was a whole other day of fun that I will have to share later this week... we celebrated Christmas a month early. I'll share all the details later.

How was your weekend? How was Thanksgiving for all of my American friends? Would love to hear what everyone else got up too!

Fancy (Black) Friday Love

One great thing about visiting family is I usually get a little bit of extra time in the mornings to enjoy my  coffee or tea and catch up on some blogs. Here is what I found and loved while doing some reading this week...

I simply just adored this photo of Big Ben on This is Glamorous last week. My heart aches and I long to go back to that city... it's just not in the cards for us at the moment with the wee one + us living on the West Coast. Too long of a trip right now...

I think I may just have to attempt this DIY Advent Calendar that I spotted on Apartment Therapy. Looks pretty simple and I bet the price tag works for us too. I like that I can put whatever I want in the little packages - I can make it a little more toddler friendly without loading Halle up on sugar and chocolate.

I'm pretty sure Joy has the cutest family portraits ever...

A beautiful kitchen, from Daily Dream Decor. My favourite bits are the wallpaper and green chairs. How about you? 

How perfect and beautiful is Caitlin's new Gold Holiday line of textiles. Seriously, to die for!

I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am for this weekend! My parents arrive today for a weekend with us here in Massachusetts. We'll be seeing all kinds of family and friends and officially kicking off our Christmas season. There will be yummy food, gift giving and hopefully a visit to La Salette Shrine to see all of the lights. We'll be back in BC early next week and I look forward to sharing our week away with all of you! For now, I wish you a happy weekend. What do you have planned?

Happy Thanksgiving - Round TWO!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!! Most of you probably guessed that Halle Handmade is on vacation this week because we are in Massachusetts celebrating with B's family. It's been a great and busy week so far, with still more fun to come! My parents will be joining us tomorrow for an early Christmas celebration this weekend (since the three of us will be in BC this Christmas). 

So, I'm off to watch the Macy's Day Parade, enjoy some delicious food with some wonderful people, have a turkey coma nap (I think I can get away with it again this year), and if I don't sleep for too long, enjoy some Patriot's football as well.

{via oh so beautiful paper}

So Happy Thanksgiving to all of my American readers and friends... and for those of you elsewhere in the world, Happy Thursday I guess! :)

Head's Up!

Hi friends! No Fancy Friday Love this week since it's been absolutely crazy... and still is. I'm preparing for a shopping night tomorrow that I will be a vendor at, both with my Stella & Dot jewellery, and my Halle Handmade gift tags. As part of this, as of tomorrow my little Etsy shop will be "on vacation" for a week. Any tags that are not sold by the end of today will be coming with me to the shopping night and be up for sale! 

If you are interested in shopping my Stella & Dot site, feel free to do so at any time! It's a great place to grab some Christmas gifts, and have them shipped directly to your home! You can find some of my favourite picks for Christmas below. So why not cross some items off your list with my two little shops today? 

{1. Love Bracelet - Friendship Bracelet: $19} {2. Geneve Lace Bib Necklace: $138}

{3. Bryant Park Scarf - Poppy: $64} {4. Mercer Zip Wall - Poppy: $84}

{5. Joy Candle: $32} {6. Secret Garden Ring: $42}

Shoot me an email if you have any questions and I'd be happy to answer them, or help you find the perfect gift for the people on your list! Happy Shopping & Happy Weekend!

Other Little Shops

Since opening up Halle Handmade, it's fair to say I've been spending WAY more time on Etsy. I'm definitely not complaining though as I've come across some really great shops and have been finding some great pieces that may make it onto my wish list or gifts for others. 

I thought with all of the pretty stuff I've found recently, it was high time I did a quick round up of some of my new favourite items/shops - check these out...

I came across the sweet little shop of Layla Amber, last Thursday. These handmade creations were so cute and won me over immediately! Though everything made me "oooh" and "awww", this sweet little British Bunting Necklace was the star attraction for me. Adorable, don't you agree?

Last week I was lucky enough to win one of Sara's giftaway's that she is doing this month. I was extra excited that it was something that I myself could gift to Halle for Christmas. How cute is this sweet doll from the shop, Melissa Love? If you are looking for a sweet doll for a little one in your life, I highly recommend her shop! You can even customize your own doll, but I was able to pick a ready made one and this blonde hair blue-eyed Holly was perfect!

cabin + cub is another "wet coast" shop, and one you may recognize as Valerie was a featured seller the other week. Each piece in her shop is beautiful and fun, but my favourite piece has to be her Map & Pin set! This is something I've wanted to add to our home for ages, and I may have just found the shop to purchase it from! 

You may already be familiar with the stunning work from the shop of Eye Poetry Photography. Her work is beautiful and I would love her Wanderlust Calendar to adorn my wall for all of 2013...

There are just so many treasures to be found on Etsy - I could spend as much time on there as I do on Pinterest (usually pinning the things that I find and love). 

What are some of the great Etsy shops that you have stumbled upon recently? I'd love to hear what some of your great finds are (so I can check them out), and what's on your wish list for this Christmas season!

AND if you haven't already, be sure to swing by Halle Handmade. I've just added a new design and restocked the shop after my first couple of sales. I'd really love to hear what you think of my work!

Another Weekend Road Trip

We did it again. We snuck off this weekend for some more exploring and family time. We were up bright and early on Saturday and began our trip southwards for a weekend in Oregon. Our first stop was in Washington state where we enjoyed breakfast. We tend to plan the places we eat based on shows like Diners, Drive-In's and Dives, Man vs. Food and Eat St, and this trip was no exception, since we started off at Voula's Offshore Cafe.

We were lucky we arrived just as they opened, because by the time we left people were starting to line up outside to wait for a table. The food was delicious, the service was fast, the staff was friendly and the whole thing was easy on the wallet - that all added up to the perfect start to our weekend. When we were finished there, it was pretty much a straight shot on down to Oregon (with only one stop to change a fussy Halle and let her stretch her legs). Our first stop there - you shouldn't be surprised to hear that was also for food. 

Our lunch destination was Cartlandia - a whole food pod dedicated to delicious food trucks (which I later learned were scattered ALL OVER Portland). We enjoyed some delicious eats from three different carts, and Halle enjoyed playing a little basketball. It was a win/win situation and the perfect opportunity for Halle to once again stretch her little legs and burn off some steam...

Then again, she really didn't need to burn off too much steam. We decided that since it was still before check in time, we'd make another stop before heading to the hotel. Where to? The Portland Children's Museum. I've been dying to bring her to one, and when I read about the one in Portland I knew this was our chance. So - what did Halle think about the experience? I'll let the photo's do the talking...

{The cow outside the Museum . Playing with the "Pups" at the Animal Hospital}

{Looking at the fish with Daddy . Playing on the wobbly bed}

{The toddler slide was a hit . Looking through the plexiglass holes in the tree house}

{This giant lite-bright was the biggest hit of the day... for all of us}

{Driving the ambulance . Driving the bus}

{Playing trains . Digging in the "dig pit" with Daddy}

Yup! It was a BUSY day and I think Halle really, really enjoyed it. The next best part of the day for me? When we headed to "The Pie Spot" that evening. I'd seen them on "Eat St" and begged B to visit when we were in Portland. I even went so far as to state if we ate dessert there - it would be the only dessert I wanted. Let me tell you, it was well worth it. I will forever think about their delicious Lemon Vanilla Bean hand pie - like my own personal lemon meringue. Heaven! (Yes, I wish I had photos but we just DUG IN).

Sunday we spent at the outlets and a few other places just getting on shopping on. How could we not when Oregon has 0% retail tax. Love that! Halle loved lunch where she would dump all of the crayons out of the cup and then put them back in. In between B was often found collecting all of the crayons off the floor...

After all our shopping, we badly needed to refuel, so we headed back to a place right next to The Pie Spot that we had eyed up the previous night, called 24th and Meatballs. YUM! The food was fantastic and the place was empty (everyone else was getting their food to go), so it turned into the perfect dining experience for us. Halle walked around the table (mostly watching the boys in the back of the restaurant) and running over to me whenever she wanted another bite of pasta. It was all so good and exactly what we needed after eating all kinds of things the last couple of days - a simple, delicious meal. Definitely recommend this place!

The rest of the trip was just filled with more of our favourite things - cuddling, shopping (Halle will have a great Christmas), eating and colouring...

It seemed like a pretty quick trip, and we didn't see as much of the city as we had originally planned. At the end, we did accomplish what we went for - we got a lot of Christmas shopping done (especially for Halle). I'd like to go back and visit in the warmer months, and next time Voodoo Donuts will definitely be on our list.

Have you been doing any travelling or planning trips recently? I'd love to hear what everyone else has been up to recently!