vancouver in december

Vancouver turns into a magical city this time of year. All of the major downtown streets are strung with twinkle lights and there are even more people bustling around downtown than usual. We have a very vibrant, busy downtown here, owing to the fact that many thousands of people live on the downtown peninsula, a condition not very common in North American cities. All of those downtown residents mean busy streets 24/7. It makes our little city feel like a much bigger one, if you ask me.

I'm looking forward to doing some holiday shopping in Gastown (seen above in the drizzle last night) and having dinner in a couple of my favourite restaurants this month. Jeff will be finished his exams this week and I'll have all of my craft fairs behind me and online orders shipped in time for Christmas. There are a few exciting pop up shops that I want to check out, and some places that I always stop by this time of the year, like Old Faithful.

I'm excited to bake some cookies, finish unpacking, and head away on Christmas vacation to see most of my family. What's on your holiday to do list? Do you have any travel plans?

i dream of gastown

Long weekend! Canadian Thanksgiving! I've had quite a busy couple of weeks and am looking forward to doing almost nothing this weekend. After being so busy a low-key weekend (and, sadly, grad project proposal writing) sounds a-ok with me. I'll be making some new jewelry to take to my newest consignment shop here in Vancouver (Two of Hearts on Main Street) and to my other shops, Dream and Little Dream, recently voted Best Local Designer Clothing Store in the Georgia Straight's Best of Vancouver 2010. You should definitely stop by Dream this weekend if you're in Gastown and check out all of the great new fall pieces they have in stock! I really love being a part of shops that specialize in local designers. Both Dream and Two of Hearts sell exclusively local goods, which is really great for local designers and artists, not to mention community-minded local shoppers. If you do find yourself in Gastown this weekend I highly recommend lunch at Finch's, simply because it's amazing! I just went there for the first time (how have I not been there before?) and the Applewood smoked cheddar baguette was incredible. It's worth going, just don't forget to leave room for Thanksgiving dinner!