25 Days of Etsy Christmas Gifts. Day Eighteen: Ontario

today's list features gift ideas from ontari-ari-ari-ari-oh! (my dad and his siblings used to sing that out loud every time they drove over the ontarian border, when they were young, and my brother and i did the same when we were little guys). 

i was born in montreal but moved to ontario for a year when i was seven. i returned for a few years, when i was sixteen, living in ottawa and then toronto, until i was almost twenty. my three best friends are in toronto and i love visiting both the t-dot (i actually get annoyed when people say that so i have no idea why i just did) and ottawa on a regular basis so i'm thrilled to share these ten ontarian etsy shops with you!

1. for classic contemporary home decor gifts, i recommend studio liscious, a shop based in toronto. 

2. meg mithcell, who runs priscilla mae, offers up what she calls "an artful celebration of women" and i absolutely love her cushions and totes. be sure to check out her toronto-based shop!

3. anista designs, also from toronto, offers over four-hundred-and-fifty fun, vintage-inspired items.

4. based in keswick, ontario, geek things is a shop you must visit if you have a geek and/or gamer on your list. i'd spotted this shop when i made a list just for this type of gift but decided to save it for today. 

5. we're back in toronto for vera viridis, a small but wonderful shop. i look forward to seeing what else vera comes up with!

6. also from toronto, we have meagan dibb jewellery. i know this would have fit wonderfully into my geek list but i wanted to support as many canadian shops as possible in this series and so here we are!  if you have a gamer on your list and you want to surprise them with lovely, wearable art, then this is for you!
*** please note that this seller does have four negative feedback ratings but they are all related to the amount of time it takes for items to arrive. a)keep that in mind if ordering and b)i know that buyers can sometimes exaggerate and have very unrealistic expectations with regards to how much time it takes for items to make it to other countries. i often had to remind american buyers that, even if we're neighbours, we're still another country and items need to clear american customs. buyers from elsewhere also don't understand that we don't automatically get tracking numbers. canadian sellers would have to charge american buyers too much for shipping in order to get a tracking number. communication is usually all it takes to clear that up, though...

7. in-bloom is based in london, ontario, and offers  over three-hundred original and beautifully handcrafted pieces.

8. back in toronto, we have the art and designs of ron & indy. be sure to check out their special offers!

9. if you live in the greater toronto area and you've got a holiday party to attend and you want to impress the heck out of your host and/or hostess, gucci's goodies dessert house has what you need, including some dairy and gluten-free options. check it out!

10. i really like soap star canada, based in cobourg, ontario. be sure to check out their seasonal scents-- mmm!

Posted in: artisans,canada,cobroug,cookies,cushions,desserts,etsy,geekery,holiday shopping,holidays,keswick,local business,london,occupy christmas,ontario,shopping guide,toronto,toronto bakery