We are half-way through our countdown this week and things are feeling very festive. This week we are going to finish up our holiday shopping and enjoy some downtime with people we love. Here is what we have planned for days 11 - 15 of our Christmas Countdown.
Christmas Countdown | Days 6 - 10
Will it be a white Christmas? It's quite the winter wonderland this morning here in Toronto so if this weather keeps up, it just might be. The next few days are about taking the time for family and passing along some holiday cheer to others. These few days should have you feeling jolly in no time. Have fun!
Can't wait to see you on the 11th!
Christmas Countdown | Days 1 - 5
It’s December 1st today and that means it's the first day of our WSS 2019 Christmas Countdown. We are so excited about our advent calendar and hope you will follow us here and on Instagram to see what we are up to everyday.
Starting out with Days 1-5 we have a very special surprise for you. We are giving away two tickets to see the award winning musical Hamilton in Toronto! That's right, something to look forward to all winter long. If you'd like to enter, here is how to do so:
Like us on Instagram &/or Facebook
Like at least 4 posts during our West Side Storeys Christmas Countdown which runs from today until December 24th
Comment by tagging a friend in all 4 posts that you've liked
Follow along & participate in at least 4 activities during the countdown by tagging us @westside_storeys and using the hashtag #westsider
That’s it, easy peasy! Everyone who fulfills the 4 conditions above will be entered into a draw to win 2 tickets to see Hamilton in Toronto in April 2020 ($500 value).
As well, anyone who bought, sold, referred or was the subject of one of our business spotlights will be automatically entered to win! The draw will take place on January 6th, 2020. Best of luck to everyone!
Alright, let's do this, here is what we'll be up to on Days 1 - 5.
Advent Calendar
Stay warm, have fun and countdown to Christmas with us west-end style!
See you on December 6th!
2019 Christmas Countown
We cannot believe that it’s that time of year again and there is less than a month until Christmas. As you know, we like to countdown the days in December with a feel good advent calendar. This year is no different except we are kicking it off with a surprise! Check back on December 1st to see what we are up to and how we saying "thank-you" to all of you. We are going to spend December once again hanging out in our community, shopping locally, spreading joy through Random Acts of Kindness and squeezing in some “me time” as well.
Christmas Countdown 2019
We are challenging each other to complete every item on our Community Christmas Countdown advent calendar again this year and hope you’ll join us. It is a good reminder to be grateful for what we have and to show our kids that giving back is more fulfilling than “getting”.
See you December 1st.
Wabi-Sabi: Embracing Imperfection
As a follow up to our post about Hygge, the Danish concept of creating joy and coziness in life's everyday moments, we wanted to talk about the Japanese philosophy of Wabi-Sabi and how it relates to interior design and everyday life.
At its core, Wabi-Sabi is the concept of accepting imperfection. Roughly translated, Wabi means rustic simplicity or understated elegance and Sabi means taking pleasure in the imperfect. It believes that beauty is imperfect, impermanent and incomplete. Its roots come from the Japanese Tea Ceremony, which is a ritual of purity and simplicity, in which the handmade bowls and utensils that are used are often irregularly shaped and worn due to use. These items are celebrated for their beauty, which comes from their deliberate imperfections and their emotional significance.
As recovering perfectionists (okay, we may be 'in recovery'), Kirsten and I are constantly reminding each other 'not to let the perfect be the enemy of the good'. This phrase has actually helped us immensely by giving us permission to put things out that may not be 'perfect' in our minds (whatever that might be!), but it moves the process along while allowing us to make improvements and tweaks over time, or sometimes just accepting it as it is.
This aesthetic is also making its way into home design, by embracing the lived-in and weathered. It is a move away from the impractical sleek images that we are bombarded with on social media, to an aesthetic that is more functional and livable.
It’s a long awaited invitation to stray from convention and expectation and instead celebrate individuality and comfort.
Dayna Isom Johnson, Canadian Living
It is also a celebration of sentimentality, embracing items whose beauty comes from their meaning rather than their austere beauty. This could mean a weathered armchair that was a family heirloom or a piece of ceramic whose beauty comes from its uniqueness and the story that it tells. It also encourages us to choose materials that weather beautifully over time such as wood, stone and metal and to choose colours that are a reflection of those seen in nature. In this way it very much aligns with the concepts behind Hygge, in the way that it promotes natural elements, colours and simplicity, and in its belief that every object in your home should be beautiful, useful or both.
medium.com
Wabi-Sabi is the antithesis to big box stores, fast fashion and mass consumption. At West Side Storeys we like to call ourselves the Mom & Pop shop in the big box world of real estate, and Wabi-Sabi embraces a lot of what we believe in and strive for - quality over quantity, true connection with our clients, relationship building, the importance of community, shopping local, waste reduction and an appreciation for the uniqueness and history of the older homes that we buy and sell.
In the end, there really is no such thing as perfection, whether it be in design, houses, or let's face it, life. So isn't the pursuit of perfection inevitably a path to unhappiness and dissatisfaction? Wabi-sabi shifts this focus to one of gratitude and appreciation for what we already have, rather than the pursuit of the next shiny new thing. This powerful shift in perspective can help us to feel more peaceful and content in the current moment and improve our quality of life.
Why not try to embrace imperfection and maybe even take it a step further and seek it out? A good exercise is to purposely choose items with obvious flaws and love and cherish them for those flaws, not despite of them. By embracing an attitude of Wabi-Sabi, you allow your home to become a true reflection of who you are and perhaps this shift in attitude will lead to an acceptance and celebration of the imperfection in all aspects of our lives....wrinkles and all ;)
'tis (almost) the season : our favourite hostess gifts for 2019
It's coming up quickly people. One easy way to get ahead of the holiday madness is to have a stockpile of ready-to-go items for easy gifting. Growing up my mother would do a different homemade treat each year. The treats would be used for hostess, neighbour, teacher or any other gift we needed. She'd spend a weekend and package up homemade Bits'n Bites or spreads and have a few dozen ready to go. This is a goal for me this month, so I have one less thing to think about in December. Whether you want to do homemade or store bought (preferably local!) here's what's on our inspiration list for 2019. Our goal was to think functional and thoughtful, with items that were either local, reusable or consumable. Less "stuff" for the win!
photo cred: ten and co
Get a locally designed Swedish Sponge Cloth or tea towel and wrap it around a bottle of wine or some dish soap. It's a pretty way to wrap up a functional hostess gift and really is the gift that keeps on giving.
photo cred: nest of posies
Homemade croutons really do taste better. Make up a few big batches and have these pretty bags ready to go.
Give a better gift by choosing to pay it forward this year. Purchasing "giving gifts" online has never been easier, so why not choose a cause close to your heart and your hosts can feel good about it too? Make up thank-you notes and let your host know they've made a difference.
Not everyone is a oenophile so how about supporting one of our many amazing local breweries. Stop by and grab a mix of different bottles and cans and then take a few wrapped with ribbons as a gift.
And finally, the best idea of all, for the hosts who held that late night holiday party, breakfast for the next morning. Fill up a box or basket with local baked goods , coffee & maybe a sweet spread or butter you made. It's one less thing they have to think about the next morning and we bet they'll be thrilled.
If you want to browse some local shops that tend to have a lot of Canadian labels for more inspiration, check out : Likely General, Scout, Simply Beautiful and Pretty Clean Shop. It's the perfect time of year to support local shops & Canadian companies. Have a suggestion of where to shop, tag it below or on Instagram and we'll try and do a spotlight on them in the new year or during our annual Holiday Countdown.
Happy gift giving everyone!