Whole Wheat 'n Honey was bursting at the seams with Christmas fun on Friday. With the floor filled with tables of great local arts and crafts and gifts of all kinds, there was standing room only as people browsed the gifts and enjoyed good conversation. The Santa Claus Parade came right by the window for everyone to watch while sipping on free hot chocolate!

There was beautiful pottery by Shannon Butler, cool recycled seatbelt purses from NEAT, gorgeous paintings, handmade earrings, fingerprint jewelry from Baby Tags Jewelry, custom gift cards and wrapping paper by Catherine Ruddell, cozy hats from Redd Karr and so much more!

Check out some of the photos from the Christmas Craft Fair and leave a comment to let us know what you thought about the evening!

So with December creepin' closer and Christmas starting to twinkle in the not-so-distant future, it's about time to think about putting up trees and decking your halls and wrapping up great gifts for the friends and fam.

We are all about the great artists and businesses here in Fort St. John so when you're making your list, before you check it twice, think about the great gift options you have right at your fingertips. From unique pottery to hand-knitted winter accessories and from locally-roasted coffee to spa gift certificates, there's a wealth of people and places in town with really cool gift ideas.

And what better way to browse and get a taste of what our creative community has to offer then by taking in some of the awesome Christmas craft fairs happening this weekend!

On Friday, there's the Christmas Peace Country Craftsmen Art and Craft Sale kicking off at The Legion Friday at 1pm and continues 'til Sunday, 6pm, Whole Wheat 'n Honey is hosting the Christmas Craft Fair at 5pm, and Ten Thousand Villages will be at the Co-op Mall starting at 5pm and running until Sunday at 4pm.

On Saturday, the Northern Lights College Christmas Fair will begin at 10am while the Care Home Ladies Auxilliary Craft Sale at the Peace Luthern Church starts at 1pm.

There's also the Magical Christmas Market at the Peace Gallery North which runs until December 24th and the ReUse, ReCycle, ReJoice Decoration Sale at the artsPost.

And lastly, don't forget Northern Groove's online Community Gift Guide with lots of cool gift ideas - all local and all awesome!

Happy gifting!

Join us for special evening of Latino seasonal decoration making with local, Mexican artist, Olivia Kabat. The event is free and includes appetizers & craft supplies.

Please register by November 22*!

Contact: Leslie at 250.785.5323 Ext 23 (leave a message)

*** Only 25 spots available so register soon!

Just a little update... the Arts Fair has been postponed until next Friday (November 25th). Hope to see you all there!

Whole Wheat 'n Honey is totally stoked about their Christmas Arts Fair this weekend! Not only is it a great hangout for a crispy winter evening but there will be tons of great local artists to see and the Santa Claus Parade to watch!

Come see Shannon Butler's beautiful and quirky pottery from the kilnhouse. Check out the styles of Chantelle Bourgeau's Red Karr fashion. Get cozy with Trisha Clark and Grandma's Button's custom cushions and pillows. And more!

But it doesn't even stop there because there's room for more! If you have crafts or artwork that you'd like to show at the Christmas Arts Fair, please call Marie at Whole Wheat ( 250-787-9866 ) and get involved.

Come downtown to Whole Wheat 'n Honey on Friday, November 18th from 5 to 8pm - there will be lots of Christmasy, artsy goodness to look at and you get a front row seat for the Santa Parade!

If that's not tempting enough - there's also free hot cocoa and coffe and cookies... 

The Protect the Peace Silent Art Auction Fundraiser is happening at Whole Wheat 'n Honey on November 19th at 7pm. The funds raised will be used by the Peace Valley Environment Association to assist in presentations to the Federal/Provincial Environmental Review to help protect the Peace River from the possibility of flooding the Peace Valley from Site C dam. The silent auction is from 7pm - 9pm. Joe Ulrich and friends will be entertaining during the auction on accordian and guitar - there will also be dessert and door prizes!

Robert Bateman, the internationally acclaimed B.C. Wildlife artist has personally donated two prints for the auction. One of his prints will be on display at the acclaimed documentary, “Peace Out” at the North Peace Cultural Centre on Saturday, Nov. 5. There are many other local, regional, B.C. And Alberta artists donating their work to this auction to help protect the Peace River.

Update: The arts fair has been postponed because of SNOW until next Friday, November 25th! See you then.

Come to Whole Wheat 'n Honey on November 18th from 5:30 to 8 pm for a Christmas Arts Fair. There will be free cocoa, coffee, and cookies to snack on while browsing the handiwork of Shannon Butler, Red Karr Clothing, Grandma's Buttons, and more! You can also stay to watch the Santa Claus Parade starting at 6pm.

Call Whole Wheat 'n Honey at 250-787-9866 for more info!

Have you got one or five story ideas floating around in your head? Wanna write a book? 

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing on November 1. The goal is to write a 50,000 word, (approximately 175 page) novel by 11:59:59, November 30.

The Fort St. John Library is challenging the our community of writers and potential-writers to become wordsmiths for the month of November! They will be holding a kick-off meet 'n greet on the 1st of November at the Library at 7pm. At the kick-off, the goal is to meet other writers, brainstorm, and get excited about the project. If participants would like to see things like a mid-month write-a-thon or a “Phew, it’s Over!” party, they should definitely come out to the kick-off to voice their opinion and get the planning started.

CJ’s Java on Main, Patch Java and Whole Wheat & Honey as well as the Library have all posted "Caution: Novelists at Work" signs in their windows, signaling that these are welcome places for novelists to camp out, drink some coffee and work on their novel.

For more info check out the Library's website. Now whether you're a novelist or you've only written shopping lists, here's your chance to get connected with the writing community as well as get your story down on paper... or laptop or iPad or scraps of napkin...

Word on the Street is presented by the Welcoming & Inclusive Communities & Workplaces Program

Location: Whole Wheat & Honey Café
Date: Sunday, October 16, 2011
Time: 3-5 PM
Free Event! Everyone is Welcome.

On Friday, October 28 at 7pm come and join Kelsey Jane in her first official art show and book launch! Most of her friends and family already have her book, but she will have many copies for those of you who don't.

There will be many prints available for sale, some originals, as well as a sign-up for anyone who wants cartoon family portraits created in time for Christmas!

There will also be snacks and coffee and the Whole Wheat girls will be there to serve specialty coffees and wine for anyone who feels so inclined.

Let's celebrate the Autumn while it lasts and get together to have some fun!

Tickets are $15.00 (including tax). If you are interested, give Kelsey a call at (250) 261-9920 or send her a message on Facebook and she'll add you to the list. The limit is 60 tickets, so get one while they last!