Kidding Around Vancouver Island » Gift Ideas

Pottery heaven awaits in Lantzville

kimmom — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 22:18:45 +0000

After taking pottery classes as a family, our girls have become pottery fiends and recently at a gift shop they fell in love with some very fun pieces. The shop owner told us they were by a well known artist named Heather Goldminc and it turns out we pass by her studio every day and never knew it. In fact, when I looked her up on the internet, we found out just how well known she is.

So we decided to drop in an say hello. Well, the girls were like kids in a candy shop. There were so many delightful pieces. Ella immediately took to a clay rocking horse, while Grace had her eye on a snowman. Heather was very patient, showing them all the different pieces and explaining how things were made – of course the girls said they were experts, having taken a pottery class…

My favourites, I think, are the birthday cake pieces – one for each month of the year.

Anyway, whether it’s last minute holiday shopping or gifts for all seasons, you can find this world-class artist in Lantzville, at the Clayworks studio, just off Dickenson road at 6998 Strait Rd.

Bottles for Wells project makes a great gift

kimmom — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 11:28:03 +0000

If you’re looking for a great gift that’s useful and helps give to others, then you should consider buying a stainless steel water bottle that supports the Ryan’s Well Foundation. These commercial food-grade stainless steel bottles are the brainchild of a couple of Nanaimo moms. Cathy Aniceto and Michelle Bigg started their Bottles for Wells project to help the Foundation with its work providing water wells to developing nations and they figured a water bottle was the perfect way to do it.

Schools, businesses, and other organizations are selling the bottles or you can buy them individually through Cathy and Michelle’s website. Every bottle sold provides one child with clean drinking water for life, and that not only means preventing disease, but many children can’t attend school because they spend so much time travelling to get drinking water from dirty rivers.

You can read about the work of the Ryan’s Well Foundation here.

Crafty outings for early December

kimmom — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 10:54:01 +0000

Christmas craft season has been in full swing here on the Island for a while now and just the other day the four of us were off to visit the Kris Kringle Craft Market in Qualicum Beach. When I say the “four of us” that means my mum was substituting for George, who often finds that chores around the yard don’t look so bad when the word ‘crafts’ is mentioned. Anyway, it was a girls’ trip out and we weren’t disappointed.

Ella was old enough this year to really get into the crafting experience. If it was fluffy, flowery, frilly or fancy, she was on it. She looked so sweet in her little dress, oohing and aahing at just about any table. And when she saw there was face painting too! Well, even a fancy girl’s allowed to let out a scream every so often. Grace on the other hand was on the lookout for the cool, the wacky, or the edible. She was particularly impressed with anything to do with pottery – we’ve been taking pottery classes and we have a much greater appreciation of how difficult it is to do!

While the Kris Kringle show is over now, there are still some craft shows you can catch for last minute shopping. There’s the Denman Island Christmas Craft Stroll this weekend, Dec. 6 and 7th and on Dec. 6th the 15th Annual Christmas Faire is on at Morning Glory School on Hilliers Rd. in Qualicum. Up in Courtenay, the 34th Annual Christmas Craft Fair continues until Dec. 31 at the Comox Valley Art Gallery. On Salt Spring Island, the Wintercraft show begins Dec. 6 and runs until Dec. 21 with over 100 artists on view. And the Errrington Hall Christmas Arts and Crafts Fair takes place on December 13th.

My Little Pony Magazine…?

admin — Thu, 01 May 2008 06:03:13 +0000

I love Save-On-Foods – the one at Woodgrove Centre mostly – it has the best in-store music – more 80′s and that makes shopping more enjoyable. Well, today, Ella Rose and I were doing the grocery store wander and headed down the book aisle. I love that aisle! Out of the corner of her eye, Ella Rose spots this PINK magazine – it is a My Little Pony Magazine… all ponies all the time. I knew that there was Chickadee and Owl for kids, but My Little Pony magazines?

I ended up buying it for two reasons – I was curious and second, it was Ella Rose’s birthday and it made her so happy. We brought the publication home and it’s pretty good.There’s stories, activities, cut-outs, crafts, secret pony codes (don’t ask), a math page, mazes, matching games and much more. Ella Rose had a blast when we got home – she poured through the magazine and coloured and printed and traced. She loved it. I loved it because she was having fun and learning things at the same time. Check out www.redan.com to check out the Pony magazine and the others they have.

Oh, I did the “find your favourite pony” quiz and surprise, surprise, I am like Pinky Pie! “You are both loyal to your friends, love to party and are good at planning fun things! Your favourite colour is pink and you both love a hug!” Hmm – wonder if I can put this on my resume?

Pantomime Theatre….Such a Treat!

sharimom — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 07:40:34 +0000

Having traditions is very important for kids – even if they don’t always recognize it until later in life – and one of our traditions is to attend a pantomime each Christmas. A pantomime is a tradition in British theatre dating back to the middle ages – something between a music hall production and Italian commedia dell’ arte – and it’s alive and well on Vancouver Island, where many theatre companies run a pantomime, usually from Boxing Day until just after New Years. What’s so special about a “panto,” as they’re called? Audience participation is not only ok, it’s mandatory. Cheering the heroes and booing the villains, among other things, is crucial to a panto – and that’s something you don’t get sitting in a movie theatre.

Here’s a quick rundown of some pantomime in the area:
The Chemainus Theatre has Rumpelstiltskin running from Dec. 20 – Jan. 3,
Ladysmith Little Theatre features A Very Sticky Christmas from Dec. 26 – Jan. 6,
Peter and the Wolf plays at the Nanaimo Theatre Group Dec. 26 – Jan. 5,
Echo Players Village Theatre in Qualicum will be putting on Puss in Boots Dec. 19 – 31st,
and Courtenay Little Theatre has Snow White at the Sid from Dec. 26 – 31st.

Do Try and catch some of these showings…

Beauty and the Beast

sharimom — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 07:07:35 +0000

If you haven’t had a chance to introduce your children to the magic of live theatre, there’s no better time than the Christmas season. Most theatre companies have something for families at this time of year and a set of theatre tickets makes a great Christmas gift. Both of our kids attended their first live theatre having seen several big-screen movies, and there was something magical for them about actors on a stage, the costumes, the sets – it had a spectacle all its own.

Speaking of spectacles, a trip to Vancouver is definitely worth it for the kids to see Beauty and the Beast. We had a chance to go last week and this Arts Club production at the lovely Stanley Theatre is top-notch; from the excellent singing to the costumes to the amazing sets on the revolving stage, our kids were enthralled. Our three year old sat through the entire production without moving a muscle – her eyes riveted on the stage. Her favourite bit? The smooching at the end. It doesn’t matter how many times they’ve seen the movie in theatres or on DVD, the live production will impress. The show runs until January 6th.

Batteries…..or a Vacation??

sharimom — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 18:33:56 +0000

We were at the store the other day buying yet another pack of double-A batteries. If we kept track of how many batteries we buy these days…hmmm, batteries or a Mexican vacation? It doesn’t bear thinking about. We managed to put a little dent in the battery budget recently by getting the kids a pair of those battery-less flashlights that run by hand-cranking them. We also put up hooks in the kitchen where the kids have to hang their flashlights when finished playing with them; not only do we know if a flashlight is missing, we all know where to go for a flashlight in an emergency. As you put one under the tree for the kids, think of those warm Mexican beaches…

4 Cats Art Academy

sharimom — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 18:33:00 +0000

There are two things I’m not much good at: painting pictures and cleaning up after my kids have been painting pictures. However, I am good at googling, so I set out to find an art class for the children. They’ve been having a ball at the 4 Cats Arts Academy, which holds classes in Courtenay, Nanaimo, and several locations in Victoria. While having fun doing their own art, the kids are learning about different artists, different styles, and different media, all under the direction of someone who knows what they’re doing. And working with a wide variety of proper materials – canvasses, paints, brushes, etc. – is something we couldn’t afford to do at home. We’ve already hung up a couple of their works in the living room – people get a great kick out of Grace’s Andy Warhol-esque can of soup. I highly recommend looking into arts classes at your local community centre or places like 4 Cats.