Only 10 days remain to pick up that special gift!

We haven't had snow yet but you could feel the holiday spirit in the air today.  Both Mr. and Mrs. Claus were busy drawing crowds in at the corner of Brunswick and Bloor and within the Tranzac beautiful Christmas tunes played while shoppers perused.

Once again, we had another group of new exhibitors to check out.  Some of which I will showcase.

Delicious pickles anyone?  A vast assortment of different types and flavours of pickles were offered by 'Alchemy Pickle Company' and you couldn't beat the prices, ranging from $5 - $10.

This was a great selection of apparel and wallets by 'Claire Williams'.  Specializing in props, costumes, replicas and original designs, Claire seems to do it all.  She had a great selection at the show today of contemporary shirts and retro wallets that emulated cassette players. Prices ranged from $10 - $25.

And I positively love this booth.  Every year this group sells wonderful cat toys that support the 'Annex Cat Rescue' charity.  I picked up one of their small catnip pillows today, presented it to my two cats and after 3 hours of non-stop playing and licking, it's a bit wet but boy are they happy!  I'm picking up two more tomorrow.  Their prices range from $3 - $20.

Today's show had quite a variety of items and as usual, an amazing assortment of jewelry.  This booth from 'Black Currant Jewelry' was quite impressive.  The colours on the pendants really jumped out at you.  Prices ranged from $5 - $85, so certainly many items were extremely affordable.

Speaking of colour jumping out, check out the wine glasses from 'The Wine Glass Boutique'.  These hand painted one-of-a-kind designs were truly incredible and a perfect addition to a formal place setting. There were two prices - $19.99 and $24.99.

The theme of elegance continues with these exquisite candles designed by 'Candelure'.  At today's show they had a Christmas colour scheme; however if you visit their website you can see the breadth of colours and shapes they come in.  Each piece looks like a porcelain sculpture.  Prices ranged from $5 - $30.

This booth was interesting as it was the work of two ladies.  I guess that saying 'two heads are better than one' is applicable in this case.  They had a great selection of Christmas ornaments and decorations for windows such as stain glass decor. In addition to the festive selection, they had an assortment of jewelry to select from as well.  Designed by Lidia Cortez and Lillian Maldonado, prices ranged from $1 - $200.

Beautiful shades of reds, blues and various earth tones were certainly evident in the pieces provided by 'E & A Custom Jewelry'.  These lovely necklaces would look great with your favourite holiday outfit.  Prices ranged from $5 - $60.

A favourite amongst the kids and adolescents, 'Gillian Douglas' had a wonderful selection of backpacks and messenger style bags.  Depicting favourite cartoon characters or trendy and popular designs, prices ranged from $25 - $35.

If you're seeking a delicate glass figurine for your bookshelf or nightstand, or for your china cabinet, this is the booth for you.  'Layton Creations' had a huge selection of glass animal sculptures in the form of ornaments, sculptures, and jewelry.  Prices ranged from $5 - $10.

Still decorating your house for the holidays? If so, this is the booth for you!  This is only a portion of the large selection of stain glass decals found in 'Maggie Groves' collection.  Prices ranged from $4 - $45.

Although still 'Maggie', this collection belonged to 'Maggie Mae Jewellery'.  These items were lovely with an iridescent quality to the delicate stones and beads.  These beautiful pieces were stylish and affordable with prices ranging from $5 - $50.

A picture just does not do these items justice.  Their soft or vibrant tones really stood out and captured the essence of a true Parisian style.  There was a vast array of pouches, catnip toys, and handbags.  Designed by 'Nathalie Sanschagrin', prices ranged from $5 - $60.

If you like pepper than this was the spot for you!  This selection of hot tasty sauces is the perfect addition to you meal and cannot be found anywhere else.  Developed to fill a void in the available choices of store brand pepper sauces, these 3 sauces are a must have.  Developed by 'Pepper Brew', prices ranged from $10 - $30.

The name of the company says it all - 'Revamped'.  A great assortment of clothing created from recycled fabrics and 'revamped' to incorporate style.  Items consisted of touques, scarves, bags, and other items suitable for the winter months.  Prices ranged from $0.50 - $40.

After a long day of work, people need to rest their feet, their legs, their entire bodies and...their eyes.  Introducing the eye pillow!  Designed by 'Soothing Slumber', these beautiful pillows are an enhancement to the traditional eye mask.  Prices ranged from $15 - $20.

This booth from 'Stitch & Spoke' had too much to capture with just one picture.  A fantastic array of pillows, bags and shirts were available with simplistic designs stitched into beautiful muted or saturated tones of high quality fabrics.  The end result was either a funky fashion statement or, perhaps a perfect compliment to outfit your home decor.  Prices ranged from $18 - $60.

And continuing the theme of fashion, these amazing bags competed with many high end popular brands we've become familiar with.  The geometric patterns on the black and white bags in particular were very fashion forward. Designed by 'Taska', these works of art ranged from $19 - $100.

So December 15th ended on a high note and was a great day for everyone. It seems to get better and better as we approach the holidays.  I'm looking forward to what tomorrow brings!

Photos provided by Battey-Pratt Designs