Local family business creates heartfelt, handmade wood burned gifts
My Dad & Me Everyday Ornaments is a local, father and daughter small business selling handmade wood burned ornaments and custom wood burned home decor.
Before launching My Dad & Me Everyday Ornaments seven years ago with her dad, Sarah Barnhart was working as a window display stylist in Toronto. She went back to school to pursue nursing. During this time, she discovered her love for yoga through a doula course and instead completed yoga teacher training. Since then, she has been teaching yoga and mindful movement.
In addition to being a yoga teacher and running My Dad & Me Everyday Ornaments, Barnhart also manages Fruit Salad Hamilton , which runs events for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.
The launch of My Dad & Me Everyday Ornaments was not something Barnhart ever imagined or expected. She was bringing pickles made by her friend to a pop-up market hosted by another friend in Collingwood when her parents encouraged her to bring her dad’s wood-burned ornaments as well.
Unexpectedly, people ended up being more interested in the ornaments than the pickles and their wood burning business grew from there.
Initially Barnhart’s father did all the wood burning but now she does most of the wood burning while her dad prepares the wood. My Dad & Me Everyday Ornaments is one of the few wood businesses that continues to use traditional wood burning techniques. Most of wood burned products today either paint or use laser engraving. whereas in Barnhart’s business, her dad, Bob Barnhart, creates their cut discs and cut wood from branches, making each product unique. Everything at the store is entirely handmade by the father and daughter duo—from putting on the patterns by hand to hand burning, painting and furnishing the final product.
Today, their business has evolved beyond ornaments to include various types of home decor.
Barnhart hopes her and her dad’s products will make their customers feel like they have something special and meaningful enough to potentially pass it along the family generation as an heirloom.
“I hope [customers] feel like they have something special that is unique and they can use it like something special to create tradition,” said Barnhart.
Recently, the duo started making custom recipe boards where they hand burn a person’s handwriting onto a recipe board to be used as either a serving board or hung up as a piece of art.
“It becomes a family heirloom. It's a family recipe. It's something that somebody already loves, and then it becomes something more permanent that can't get lost,”
Sarah Barnhart, founder of My Dad & Me Everyday Ornaments
Their future plans are still up in the air, but the Barnharts plan on sustaining the business and continuing with customs as long as they can.
C/O Starlight Canada
Starlight Canada’s new initiative to cheer up hospitalized children over the holidays
Starlight Children’s Foundation Canada is a nonprofit organization that helps hospitalized children and their families. The organization has been running for more than thirty years, with the ultimate goal of bringing joy to sick children.
Brian Bringolf, CEO of Starlight Canada, explained that hospitalized children can receive support from Starlight Canada from the time they are admitted into the hospital to after they have been discharged.
When children are first admitted, they are given Admit Kits from Starlight Canada, which contain age-appropriate toys, writing materials and toiletries. Throughout their hospitalization, Starlight Canada continues to provide toys and activities. Once children are discharged from the hospital, Starlight Canada also holds exciting monthly activities through their Great Escapes program.
“We're dedicated to brightening the lives of seriously ill children and their families,” said Bringolf.
“We're dedicated to brightening the lives of seriously ill children and their families.”
Brian Bringolf, CEO of Starlight Canada
This year, for the holiday season, Starlight Canada is delivering 48 Fun Centers to hospitals across Canada. Fun Centers, according to Bringolf, are brightly-coloured mobile entertainment units, each one featuring a flatscreen television and a Nintendo Switch preloaded with games.
The McMaster Children’s Hospital is one of the hospitals receiving a donation from Starlight Canada. According to Bringolf, the Fun Center at McMaster Children’s Hospital is sponsored by Air Canada.
“They can go on. They can play games. They can be distracted. They have these little headphones that they put on and they can play with their friends that are at home. They can visit mom and dad with these games,” said Bringolf.
“They can go on. They can play games. They can be distracted. They have these little headphones that they put on and they can play with their friends that are at home. They can visit mom and dad with these games.”
Brian Bringolf, CEO of Starlight Canada
Bringolf explained that when children use the Fun Centers to distract themselves from their illness, this helps them cope with pain. Bringolf cited well-known filmmaker Steven Spielberg’s involvement with Starlight Canada as being crucial to their use of distraction therapy.
“The premise [of distraction therapy is] that when you're distracted from pain, when you get distracted from your illness, there's less pain medication required. And there's a whole science behind this,” said Bringolf.
Bringolf explained that, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitalized children have not been able to receive the same level of support or distraction. Although restrictions are now loosening, children were isolated in their rooms for much of the pandemic, with family members unable to visit. Even some of the supports offered by Starlight Canada, such as entertainment rooms known as Starlight Fun Rooms, were shut down for the pandemic.
In response to this, Starlight Canada launched numerous virtual programs, such as crafts and bingo games.
“We did still try to be there for them,” said Bringolf.
“We did still try to be there for them.”
Brian Bringolf, CEO of Starlight Canada
Bringolf explained that Starlight Canada is constantly growing and changing, based on what kind of support is needed by hospitalized children.
“I always say that Starlight Canada is not what we were five years ago and we're not today what we will be in five years. We continue to evolve with the needs of the kids,” said Bringolf.
This holiday season is Starlight Canada’s first time bringing Fun Centers to hospitals. The COVID-19 pandemic has made the past year especially challenging for hospitalized children, but Starlight Canada looks forward to brightening up their holiday season.
Photo C/O Unsplash
By: Katie van Kampen, Contributor
Finding the perfect gift while holiday shopping is hard and will likely be time consuming, nerve wracking and frankly, stressful. Clothing, in particular, is nearly impossible to get right. What size is the person you’re shopping for? What styles do they like? Do they prefer fitted or oversized? With so many variables to consider, you’re overwhelmed. To help you find gifts that everyone would appreciate, here are fashion items that you could buy for anyone this holiday season.
Let’s Sock n’ Roll
Price: $
There has been a recent resurgence in sock subscription services and an increasing demand for trendy sock designs. A well-picked pair of socks can complement your outfit while adding a splash of personality. A great place to find a variety of socks within the city is floorplaysocks (194 Locke St. S). They have walls filled with socks, neatly organized and displayed for easy browsing. One reliable brand that the store carries is Stance—. my favorite brand for fun and durable socks.. They have many different designs to choose from that’ll be sure to appeal to anyone on your holiday list.
Green (T-Shirt) Sleeves
Price: $$
T-shirts are one of the best gifts you can give someone. Just like socks, they come in a variety of shapes, colours and designs. As trends in 90s fashion re-emerge, it’s becoming cooler to wear oversized t-shirts or to tuck them in. So, go out there and get your Secret Santa their favourite band t-shirt or a comic graphic t-shirt, and don’t worry if it’s a size too large. There’s lots of ways you can style a t-shirt — perhaps through a french tuck, layering the shirt with shorter items or by rolling the sleeves. Omnes (191 King St. E) has a selection of second hand vintage shirts from brands like Adidas to Guess. Or, you can take a walk down James Street and browse through boutiques like The Pale Blue Dot (240 James St. N) to find the perfect t-shirt for whoever’s on your list.
The Holiday Sweater
Price: $$
‘Tis the season! What’s better than an aggressively adorned holiday sweater for those office parties, unbearable family events, or themed parties. Holiday sweaters vary in their design from “My Grandpa made this in the 1970s” to “Minimalistic snowflake” and can be found at a variety of stores. Depending on what you think they’ll like or how much you actually want them to wear this sweater, there’s a variety to choose from. The McMaster Campus Store carries their own McMaster Christmas sweater so you can get some Mac swag while also purchasing a festive gift. If your friend won’t buy one for themselves, and always complains about not owning a holiday sweater, you can easily fix this situation. They’ll soon be sporting their new sweater to every holiday event.
Backpack, Backpack, Yeah!
Price: $$$
A backpack is a necessity for students, so why not take the opportunity to turn it into a fashion item? Even if they already have a backpack, having different styles and different sizes to choose from can be useful if they ever want to downsize their daily carry-all. Pair it with the right colours and it can be easily integrated into any outfit. Check out the Campus Store for a variety of backpacks featuring designs by Hershel and Fjallraven.
Jean-eology
Price: $$
While it is a bit chilly for denim jackets, they can prove useful and fashionable during the warmer months. As I said, oversized clothing is in style. Buying someone an oversized jacket can help elevate their style as they can experiment with layering other fashion pieces. Jean jackets come in a variety of linings and colours. Some non-conventional colors to check out are grey, white, black and olive. Denim jackets are a great item to find at a thrift store, especially since they’re quite durable and timeless. One close option to Mac is Deja Vu Used and New (262 King St. W). Here you’re sure to find different styles, colours and sizes of jackets. If you want a vintage, retro aesthetic you can take the trek to Ottawa Street and visit Out of the Past (308 Ottawa St. N). Whoever you’re buying for will surely appreciate this item as it can be styled in many different ways, creating a great addition to their wardrobe.
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Kyanite crystal allows the creation of new pathways and the opening of one’s mind to new positive possibilities. Lauren Campbell was wearing kyanite when the idea for a bright, quirky store with crystals, tarot cards and other magical items came to her. The name for the store, Witch’s Fix, also came to her in that moment.
At the time, Campbell was working a full-time job in Toronto and wasn’t entirely happy being a commuter and working a nine to five job. She couldn’t get the idea of Witch’s Fix out of her head, so she decided to quit her job and try to make her dream a reality.
On Feb. 26, 2018, Campbell opened an Etsy store and began to sell spell kits and mugs. Throughout the year, she attended craft markets and hosted candle rolling workshops. Exactly a year after her online store opened, her dream of a physical store came to life. The store is located in the historic Treble Hall, which Campbell had had her eye on for some time.
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“Before I even had the Witch's Fix, I'd drive by this space in Treble Hall and I would look at it and… say ‘if I ever have a store, I want to be there because it's so cute’… And one day I was on Kijiji… I saw this space [and] I was just like oh my God… that's my dream space… I'm going to do it,” Campbell said.
“I'm going to take the plunge, take a huge risk and do it because this was the space that I always wanted. It was going to be here or it was going to be nowhere,” she added.
The store is a realization of Campbell’s vision. The storefront is welcoming, with the glass walls serving as a window to an enchanted world. Inside, the shop is charming and cozy with Victorian elements and the feel of a library mixed with a traditional witch’s shop. A playlist of hot jazz, saxophone-containing music and songs from Campbell’s favourite magical movies adds to the ambience of the store and makes it feel as if it is in another place and time.
The store sells a variety of gifts and enchanting items, several of which the crafty shopkeeper makes herself. She makes Abracajava mugs and candles and puts together mystery bags, spell kits and crystal kits. As for the items that she doesn’t make herself, like the tarot cards and zines, she tries to source from independent makers, especially those who are female and female-identifying.
She wants the products to be mostly those that cannot be found in big box stores. While they may be a little more expensive than similar products in other places, her customers know that they are supporting creative entrepreneurs. In the future, Campbell also hopes to rent out the parlour at the back of her store to individuals who do readings to make this type of magic more accessible to the community.
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“Honestly when people come in the store, I really just want them to feel inspired… [I]inspiration and creativity are such huge parts of magic for me. So I hope people come in and feel like they can be curious… ,” said Campbell.
“I want to awaken a childish enthusiasm in them that makes them remember when they were a little kid and anything seemed possible, [when] they just looked at everything with wide eyes and believed in magic,” she added.
Campbell has been drawn to magic and magical items since she was a kid. As she grew older, magic became more about having a connection to nature. Campbell understands that the store might not be for everyone, but she wants it to be approachable. Having experienced the benefit of everyday magic in her life, she wants to bring a little magic to everyone else’s life too.
Campbell put the word witch in the title of her store to help change the perception of the word. She wants to do away with the idea of long fingernails and cackling laughs and replace it with the idea of magic as ownership of one’s human nature and connection to the world around us.
“I mean there are so many days where it seems like there is no magic in the world and being able to spot it in the tiniest things… [it] makes my mental health better. It can be as simple as just birds on somebody's front lawn hopping and chirping, like that is magical to me… It's just really about finding things that make me smile and are really accessible,” Campbell said.
Once the dust settles a little more, Campbell will plan a grand opening celebration to mark the fruition of this vision. In the meantime, she looks forward to watching the store grow. With the warm responses that she has received thus far the online and Hamilton community, Witch’s Fix should continue to grow and become the store for all-things sorcery and magic downtown.
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I’ve always struggled to give special and personalized gifts to those I care about without breaking the bank. One of the best ways I’ve learned to navigate this is to find unique creators for holiday shopping. Etsy is a hub for original products that make great gifts and by choosing local stores, you lower your shipping cost and support local creatives. Check out these local Etsy shops that sell great products for under $30 (including shipping!) The best part? You don’t have to trek through the snow.
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If you know someone who likes light-hearted quotes or gold foil, then consider getting them a gift from The Blonde Orphan. The store is owned by Daniela Stajcer, a self-taught graphic designer who calls Hamilton home. She incorporates real gold or copper foil in many of her prints. Her home décor prints are a pretty addition to the wall of a friend likes positive pick-me-ups or quirky quips. She sells instantly downloadable prints for as little as $5. Actual prints start around $13 with $3.35 shipping within Canada.
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The Pendulum Shop sells simple but stunning crystal jewellery. Hamilton-based store owner Lana Burley is a crystal lover who makes the pieces herself. In addition to the unique earrings, necklaces, rings, bracelets and pendulums that she creates, she also sells a crystal guide that she created with her production partner Cetina Farrugia. Her jewellery makes the perfect gift for those in your life with a simple and refined style. Shipping is $4.50 within Canada. While some of the pieces are above $30, there are cute rings and earrings closer to $20 and cute pieces in the clearance section of the shop.
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Greg Smith is behind Blind Pig Press, which specializes in letterpress and sells various notebooks, posters, prints and books. Blind Pig Press is actually a private press in Grimsby, Ontario that has been around since 1991. The Etsy store provides a place to buy these letterpress products, such as notepads starting just under $7 and posters just over $20 with $4.10 shipping costs. These items would make great gifts for those in your life who are frequently drawing or jotting down things.
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If you know a nature lover, bring nature indoors to them with this Kitchener-based Etsy shop. Shop owner Laur Erickson is a self-taught artist mixing her love of animals and nature with her love of art. She sells watercolour and mixed media prints and cards. Her prints start as low as $12 with free shipping and cards can be picked up for $6 with $3 shipping. She also sells adorable stickers for $3.50 a piece with $3 shipping.
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Flora Hue Naturals is a Hamilton-based Etsy store boasting “love infused offerings inspired by nature.” Store owner, Kristen Taylor, uses all natural ingredients in creating the soaps, candles, face and aromatherapy products that she sells. These items make the perfect gift for those in your life that relish new scents and natural beauty products. Check the “Gifts Under 20” section for affordable gifts. Shipping costs are generally under $12.
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For a truly unique gift for the creatives in your life, check out this Toronto-based Etsy shop that sells cross-stitch kits and patterns. Shop owner Diana Watters is a designer and metal fabricator who loves to cross-stitch in her spare time. She sells original cross-stitch patterns and kits, taking the form of holiday ornaments, keychains, instantly downloadable patterns and more. While there are many affordable kits, be sure to out the sale section. Shipping is generally $6 or less.
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By: Abbey Jessome
Handmade Hamilton: A Holiday Craft Show and Sale is back for its fifth annual event. Returning to The Staircase Theatre, the craft show and sale is now being held as a weekend-long event on Nov. 26 and 27 from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Handmade Hamilton includes a mix of returning and new vendors of jewellery, textiles, ceramics, and more.
Event organizer, Lisa Pijuan-Nomura is a storyteller, dancer and artist from Toronto who moved to Hamilton five years ago. She has been doing craft shows for 10 years and started Handmade Hamilton, once housed in the James North Studio. While that gallery was closing down, Pijuan was holding storytelling events at The Staircase Theatre and decided to bring her craft event to the theatre.
The Staircase Theatre is located at 27 Dundurn St. N. The idea to use this building came from Pijuan-Nomura’s interest in historical buildings.
“We set up the theatre like a cafe so people can eat and have lunch there as well when they shop. It is an experience that is a very different [from] going to the mall or going to a big box shop.”
An increase in craft shows and events in the city have played a major role in contributing to the strong local-shopping culture. The holiday season is used by local retailers and craft makers to show off their skills and unique styles.
“We have become so inundated with malls… we've lost the importance of hand-made in our culture… I just really like knowing that what I gave someone is uniquely made and not everyone in the world is going to have it. And knowing also that someone in our city made it is kind of cool as well.”
Pijuan-Nomura hopes to use this year’s event to provide a new opportunity for vendors to showcase their goods over a whole weekend, as opposed to one-day pop-ups.
“One of my goals is to see that the city of Hamilton can hold a two day show that is worth the time and energy of the vendors. I’m just interested in growing Handmade Hamilton and support emerging and established artists.”
An exciting new addition to this year’s Handmade Hamilton is swag bags. The first 50 guests on both mornings will receive a bag with buttons, coupons, and different items from different vendors.
There is also now an admission fee this year of $2. A portion of the proceeds will be going to The Sexual Assault Centre (Hamilton Area) and 541 Barton Eatery & Exchange.
By: Olivia Mondaro
With Christmas right around the corner, students are finding themselves in the same predicament: how to give great gifts without spending a lot of money. Although candles and Tim Horton’s gift cards are always a great alternative to jewelry and expensive clothes, there is another way to wow your family and friends: homemade gifts. DIY is the new black, and it has something for everyone.
What is something that every mom, dad, aunt, or uncle lives off of? Coffee. And what do these lovely people need to drink their coffee? A mug. One great D.I.Y. gift is a personalized mug, which is super easy to make and affordable, because all the materials can be found at the Dollarstore. First you need to choose a mug — white is the best option because it allows colour to show clearly. Next, round up whatever permanent markers you have shoved in your desk drawers and start drawing. Once the ink is dry, bake it in the oven on medium heat for 30 minutes, and voila! A personalized gift that won’t go to waste.
Another great gift to complement the D.I.Y. mug is a jar of hot chocolate. This gift employs the same draw-and-bake method as the mug. Choose a jar of any shape or size, like a mason jar. Using permanent marker, draw either a name or a pretty pattern, and then bake it in the oven for 30 minutes. Once it has cooled, fill the jar with hot chocolate mix and any other ingredients that you love in your cocoa, like marshmallows, sprinkles, or pieces of candy cane. Wrap a ribbon around the top of the jar and you’ve got a fabulous addition to your fabulous mug!
