As the festive season approaches and baking is on everyone's mind it might be a good time to invest in some beautiful but functional pottery bowls by Thomas Aitken. They are lovely to look at, wonderful to use and with a limited amount of care will last a lifetime. Reminiscent of the bowls in grandma's cupboard they will be a valuable addition to your kitchen. 
Kitras Glass Studios in Fergus, Ontario produce a number of different glass products but these vases are particularly lovely. They would work well as display or accent pieces in a room and would look fantastic with flowers.
John and Deb Sturrock, of JD Leather in Waterloo, have been making quality leather bags for over thirty years and Village Studios has been carrying them for that long. Each bag is hand sewn using high quality upholstery leather. Recently they have added a small and large version flat bag to their design collection. The zip pocket at the front of the purse is divided in half, with each half being large enough to hold a passport or other travel documents. As with all JD bags the inside has lots of zippered compartments. The large market bag, shown here in an acid yellow, is perfect for shopping or for travel and is also available in black and dark grey.
We have some beautiful new work by Collingwood, Ontario jeweller, Elaine Wigle. Elaine designs all her own work using unique stones and pearls, accented with handmade components in sterling silver and gold. Each piece is a wearable work of art. The first piece is a large white and grey pearl pendant on an 18" knotted grey pearl necklace. The second piece is an ammonite fossil pendant on brown pearls. Each necklace can be worn as shown or the pendant can be removed so that the pearls can be worn seperately and the pendant can be combined with a sterling chain. The earrings are sterling silver and sterling silver with white pearls.
Berry season is finally here and nothing would make your berries happier than being in a Thomas Aitken berry bowl. After you have washed your berries and let them dry think about serving them in a bowl turned by Thomas and beautifully decorated by his wife Kate Hyde. Kate has done a series of bowls, pitchers and vases with a clothesline motif as seen above and we have some new tulip vases and pitchers that have just arrived in the store also by Kate. You can keep the joy of summer around all year long by having a piece of pottery painted by Kate Hyde in your collection.
These beautiful 'live' edge cutting boards are made by Gary Kennell of Brockville, Ontario. Gary has been making quality wooden cutting boards for a number of years but we especially like these boards with the rough 'live' edge. They are not only functional but also a great conversation piece. All wooden cutting boards are better for your knives than plastic or glass and will last a life time if treated properly.
Muskoka artist, David Standfield, has been collecting and carving traditional decoys for a number of years. Recently he decided to create something a little different and the result is this beautiful little Emerging Loon carved out of Cherry. The piece reflects David's intimate relationship to both subject and material. *Sold
'The Girls' are back this season, filling the store with their over the top personalities. Mary-Jo Lang, from Sarnia, Ontario is the talented doll maker who gives each of her ladies a creative twist. They are sure to make you smile and will probably remind you of a favourite friend or family member. Be sure and drop by and see the whole collection.
