December 1, 2009 – It is so appropriate that the snow began flying this morning. It is as if we flipped the calendar and voila! It is Holiday time! And so a holiday party can not be overlooked. This Friday, December 4 from 5-9, Love, Me is hosting a holiday party. This will take place during the Spring Garden Area’s Shopping Under the Stars night so there will be plenty to see and experience. We will have some treats, as well as prizes and discounts at the Point of Sale. And Zack Gough will join us from 6-8 pm and do custom 8×10 portraits for $8. Plus we have the store stocked with great gift ideas for everyone on your list.

Also don’t forget to check our Hot Picks link as we add our favorite gift suggestions. Today we talk teacher gifts.

November 27, 2009 – As some of you may know, I was born and raised in the good ol’ U S of A. And while I have been a proud Canadian since the mid-eighties, there are definately some things about my homestate of California, specifically, and homeland of the US, generally, that I do miss. I miss the Rose Bowl Parade on New Year’s Day. I miss Trader Joes. I miss the Northern Coast. But I don’t miss the congestion or the freeways or the stretches of stripmalls with the same boring offerings. I don’t miss the traffic pile ups the day after Thanksgiving known as “Black Friday” – the day after Thanksgiving where merchants seem to over night remerchandise their stores to “Christmas” and have crazy sales and promotions to jump start the holiday spending. It can truly be madness!

In recent years there has been some backlash to this tradition with “Buy Nothing Day”. And while I am a retailer that stands very left of center, I never felt good about either end of that “Black Friday” shopping spectrum – buying lots of crap and buying nothing. Today I read a great article by Nick Aster in Triple Pundit suggesting that this day (and I suggest everyday) being more about making good responsible consumer choices. Responsible might be buying from local shops, buying from artisans (or artisan shops like Love, Me), buying organic, buying consciously. And so, even though I am most likely speaking to the converted here on this blog, I will use this opportunity to plug our weekly paper, The Coast’s, efforts to challenge everyone to Shop Local for the holidays as well as their latest publication called Buy Local Halifax – full of great listings of local businesses.

And not to be over shadowed by a little political/economic speak….

Speaking of shopping responsibly and the US/Canadian connection, I would like to give a huge shout out to one of the artists showcased and sold here at Love, Me. Robyn Stephens of Shibang Designs  is the (only) Canadian representative in the Etsy booth at the Chicago One of a Kind Show and Sale. The show takes place December 3-6 and I am sure she will have show visitors salivating over her stunningly gorgeous bags. Congrats Robyn!

November 24, 2009 – Whoa where is the time going??? It is one month until Christmas Eve. Are you kidding me??? Well this site just added a page that has been in the vault for a bit – Hot Picks. We get lots of “order from away” requests. And while this is no E-Commerce site, it is a chance for us to feature certain items that we may be able to easily describe and therefore help out our “away” fans. For this time of year, however, this page will serve as an inspiration page for gift giving with lots of ideas and suggestions of hot picks inside the bricks and mortar shop of Love, Me Boutique.

The site has also updated its Artist at a Glance. It has been awhile since we featured an artist but it has been well worth the wait (I think). In this installment, the artist known as Heartfelt and all her felted whimsy are showcased. She just stocked the shop with lots of great tea cozies, Christmas socks, cup cozies, delightful Holiday banners, and felted balls. After reading this interview, come on in and check it out her work for yourself.

November 20, 2009 – Early in any pregnancy, not only can one become emotional, exhausted, and queasy, but you can lose your mind. Literally. Pregnancy brain deadness can range from putting the milk ‘away’ in the cupboard to losing track of important dates and “to-dos”. To make the foggy situation worse, you have appointment after appointment to keep track of, especially if you are one of us “old gals” and are 35 years +

After realizing that I had a stack of itty bitty appointment cards floating around in my purse and no closer to remembering which appointments were when, I went on a search for an agenda in July. I wasn’t too picky but felt I simply couldn’t do the standard stationary store variety with pictures of fruit or small animals. And it couldn’t be so heavy that it weighs down my already tweaked body. In the end, I made myself a quickie version that would suffice.

Enter by Veekee. Literally. Vikki Wierzinski entered my store the other day with an offer to carry her handmade agendas. The by Veekee agendas are the pretty agendas I have ever seen. Vikki is a typographer and graphic based artist with a keen sense of colour and texture so believe you me these babies are gorgeous. And seriously practical - they are “undated” and have a “notes” section. Oh yeah! And a page of adorable stickers!

If you have a busy, stylish paper loving person on your holiday gift list, this is a great gift idea.

November 18, 2009 – Haven’t we been having the most stunning late fall/early winter? This year I might actually get the lights on the house without doing the “blow into your hand dance” and see the Holiday Parade without doing the ”tap out the frostbite dance”. Yes – we must count our lucky glass ornaments for this gorgeous sun.

Now, gorgeous sun being said, the past few nights I definately felt the nippiness. For me the nip is a reminder of COLD that is to come. Well thankfully – from woven wools, to felts, to cottons and cordoroy – we have the chills covered here at Love, Me.

Prolific weaver Nancy Boyne dropped a great collection of scarves and shawls as well as some stunning mohair throw blankets. (Ooooooh makes me want to curl up and nap.)

Local sewing maven Pip Robins dropped off a stack of cowls to keep our necks warm. What is a cowl?? This is a cowl… 

Pip Robins’ cowls are often made with rescued materials are a simple “tube” style cowl that fits in or outside your coat. Added bonus: the cowls are reversible.

We are also stocked in hats of  reversible cotton (Meversible Hats), of  boiled wool and knitted wool/cotton (T-Art), and of a faux fur nature (Leave Your Hat On). OOOOOhhhh – and if your legs are more cold than head or neck, Leave Your Hat On whipped up some rocking faux fur legwarmers! I KNOW!!!!

And finally we received a sweet stock of wooly accessories like pins, bangles, purses and wallets too!

November 5, 2009 – To my daughter, who just turned four, everything about underwear is funny. And I have to say I kinda agree. The very word “underpants” makes me smile. So I say go with it (the sillies) and have fun with your undergarments. My favorites – the Candi Factory undies of course! Candice Levine is the artisan behind (he he he) these fabulous underwear for men and women. She has a keen sense of colour and has crazy fun with print and pattern.

Adorable, non?? But(t…seriously how old am I?) the best part is the fact that are super comfy.  They are made with suplex. This man made material is the same stuff that athletic manufacturers are using to prevent chaffing and encourage wicking – good stuff, I assure you.

We have been carrying this line since we opened and have only heard and experienced really great stories. One male customer was given a pair by his girlfriend and subsequently asked for many pair for Christmas and birthdays. One female customer purchased a pair, wore them the next day to work and returned to the store on her way home to buy two more pair b/c “they are just so freakin’ comfortable – and cute!!” And if you are like any four year I know, it is important to have the undies drawer filled with fun & happy undies because you never know when you’ll want to peel off your clothes and dance around in your favorite underwear.

I don’t really want to drop the H bomb on you but.. it wouldn’t be right to not give you adequate warning. These babies sell out fast – especially as – here it comes – holiday gifts. These are great gifts for lover, brother, sister, mother, best friend – you name it. Great gift idea. Because as Candice has said, “they’ll love your bum for years to come”.

For those of you who like to follow Federal politics, we have something hilarious new in the store:

They’re politician finger puppets by Fish on Fridays. We’ve got all five party leaders, some cabinet ministers (like John Baird and Jim Flaherty), and a few other political household names like Bob Rae, Justin Trudeau, and Stephan Dion.  And there are two Nova Scotia MPs in the mix: Scott Brison (in red) and Peter McKay (comes in NS tartan).

These will make great stocking stuffers for political junkie in your life. Or for yourself. In case you’re wondering what you’d do with one of these puppets, here are some ideas:

• have a leaders debate (with or without the Green Party – it’s up to you if Elizabeth May gets an invite)
• grill the PM on the issues of the day in your own Question Period
• pass your dream budget
• have a no confidence vote
• start a coalition government
• stage a musical variety hour starring the party leaders

It could be fun for the whole family! Or just look awesome on your desk at work.

And they’re not the only new things in store. We’ve got some really pretty reversible hats from Meversible and more cards than we can fit on our shelves.  The postcards by local artist Joanna Close are new to the store and we’ve replenished our stock of cards from artist Katie Muth and The Regional Assembly of Text. Stop by to pick up that perfect card for someone special.

There’s something new and cozy on the shelves today:  a new shipment of hoodies from Clothing Brand Experiment (CBE).

CBE started as an experiment to make a perfect hoody that is locally made using locally sourced fabric. Owners of that original neon hoody (which we’ve sold out of) get to join the experiment and become “wearholders“.  The experiment with that first hoody must have been a success, because they’ve got a couple of new styles out for Fall 2009 – and we’re carrying three of them.

Freeman Classic:

Freeman Slim:

The Freeman style is named after/inspired by Freeman Street in Greenpoint, Brooklyn - the northernmost neighbourhood in Brooklyn.

The third style on our shelves is the Humboldt Classic:

We’re carrying this one in grey.  The Humboldt is named after/inspired by the Puerto Rican Festival in Chicago’s Humboldt Park.

These hoodies need to be tried on to be believed. They are super cozy and warm. The thumb holes in the sleeves are a great touch.  They might just be the perfect sweatshirt for a chilly Saturday afternoon.

The weather is all over the map today. Drizzle one minute, sunshine the next. I guess that’s Halifax for you. One thing it was consistent about was a nip in the air. Even when the temperatures get into the teens, the air still has that fall chill to it. And while some people might get sad about that, others embrace it fully because it means Sweater Weather is here!  And we’ve got just the sweaters for those chilly days.

Based out of Toronto, Paper People Clothing is taking unloved sweaters and turning them into something lovely and cozy. Like this cowl neck sweater:

It’s the sort of sweater that makes you feel like you’re giving yourself a hug.

The double breasted military sweater is not only made of recycled sweaters, but pants and vests as well:

What’s great about this is that you can pair it with a pencil skirt for work or jeans for the weekend. Either way you’ll look great.

Fall doesn’t mean you have to put away your favourite tees or tanks. Paper People has two great shrugs that help you keep those pieces going well into the colder weather. First up is the boatneck shrug, which really is perfect for wearing with a tank top:

And for a slightly fancier look, the Doillie Shrug uses a vintage doillie as embellishment:

And last, but not least, a mini skirt that does double duty by being reversible (front to back):

Two skirts in one! This wool skirt is made for Fall weather – just add tights.

September 29, 2009 – Well…there is no denying it any longer. Fall is offically here. This morning I was well aware of all the wet leaves in fall colours sticking to the pavement and took note that I am wearing a turtleneck (albeit cotton) for the first time since early Spring.

Some of you lucky ladies have already been in to touch and take home some the newly arrived Smoking Lily. But there are still plenty of SL goodness for you all to partake in.

I am lacking in images for this entry; I am hoping my enthusiasm for Smoking Lily will translate into some great visuals. Plus – they are way cuter in person.

While I love all the pieces, I do have special affection for a few sweethearts. I love the jersey DC skirt which will pair up with some tights and boots so fabulously. The side panel in the skirt creates great swing and sweep and keeps the jersey from clinging. The love the Petra top whose 30% wool appeals to my always cold self. With a stunning cowl collar and simple draped body, this is a great work piece. (But the great subtle nuts and bolts print on the cowl will indicate that you are not an office monkey!!) I am also quite smitten with the Ship Disturber which might become my favorite “time off” “casual” go to. It is perfect for those casual gatherings that you agreed to attend but as the day approaches you would rather just put on your jammies and curl up on the couch. It is like an adult / dressed up version of a sweatshirt but it has amazing contours and great printwork. I love that it is long-ish and has a thick waist panel. Stellar piece! My other love is the tshirt dress. The printed tshirt dress is perfect for a gal who needs options. It can be a summer bathing suit coverup. It can be a slouchy tshirt. It can be a dress over pants. It can be layered with a longsleeve or turtleneck underneath. It can be worn with tights. It can be worn front to back or back to front. It is the easy peasy no effort but super adorable tshirt dress! (And super affordable BTW.)   

Oh…and before we part…check out this shop review for HGTV’s blog: http://www.hgtv.ca/BLOG/archive/2009/09/27/shop-review-love-me-boutique-in-halifax.aspx