It’s been awhile!

Our latest Craft Menu has been in the shop and online for over a week now. I printed and posted it on our website just before heading to Toronto with my daughter. She used her frequent flyer miles to get our tickets; it was her gift for my 60th birthday back in September.

We were both born in Toronto, moving to Minneapolis in 1995 when Charlotte was 5 years old. We kept our Canadian connection very much alive, visiting family and friends annually. Last year, we decided a fall trip each year should become part of our tradition. I felt I was too busy this year but she insisted and I am so glad we went. Years from now, I won’t remember the work I left undone but I know I will very much remember our time together there.

Toronto is big and bustle-y; it snowed and was cold while we were there. I have never seen so many Canada Goose parkas per acre in my life! With Canadian Thanksgiving in early October, the dividing line between fall and Christmas is less distinct than we have here. At my shop, we make a point of not playing Christmas carols until the day after our Thanksgiving. Toronto though was in full festive swing; our last night there we attended the opening night of the Christmas Market in the historic distillery district. So I returned to Minneapolis holiday ready!

We have been excited receiving boxes of holiday gifts and treasures, and then creating pretty displays with all the things! As a small business owner, I can’t afford to order everything all at once or even very far ahead of time. So we expect several more shipments over the next two weeks.

 

We LOVE beeswax candles at Heartfelt! This year, we have expanded our selection, along with holders for them. The smell is heavenly; we need all the light we can bring as we head into the darkest days of the year.

 

And of course, our Handmade Holiday Crafts! Like Santa’s elves, we have been making samples of the projects since September. I am proud and happy to present them to you now. I love making little dolls so you will find several kinds–our Festive Clothes Peg Kids even have removable clothes. As a kid, I much preferred dolls whose clothes could be changed. I remember a little doll I bought on a school trip to Niagara Falls. Her clothing was glued on–but not for long!

 

We hope you will join us for crafting and shopping this season. We have several special events (detailed below) and our walk-in crafts are always ready to go. We will have some expanded hours for the holidays–see our website for details or give us a call. We are always happy to hear from you.