les cadeaux

Our trip to France was a wonderful combination of work and family time.

Mr. S was born in Paris and has 5 aunts, 3 uncles and 3 cousins still living there. And our jobs have us placing guests in some of the most stunning homes in Europe that I have ever seen.

A summer dress and matching "bloomers" for baby Lila - pattern from Weekend Sewing

Mr. S's family spoils us rotten when we visit so it was really important to us to bring a few souvenirs and gifts from Canada - some of Mr. S's music, classic Canadian foods and treats and a few homemade gifts from me (coin purses for the aunts, a tie for one special uncle, etc.).

And on the work side of the trip, we work so closely with our staff in Europe that is often feels like we are old friends even though we rarely see them, so we also wanted to be sure that they had a little token of our appreciation for all they do.

The gifts to our staff were simple waste aprons I made from Lotta Simple Sewing. And then to personalize each I took comments of praise that our clients have said about each of them and typed them out onto a little tag, stitched simply onto a corner of the apron.
The apron pockets were filled with a few treats, including some maple syrup and recipe for "maple syrup cookies".

It felt good to see all of these wonderful family and friends in person and tell them face to face how appreciative we are.