Discover Burien is sponsoring its annual “Letters to Santa” campaign, which is a great opportunity for Santa himself to communicate directly with your child, grandchild, niece, nephew, spouse, friend or heck, even enemy!

For just $5, Santa will write to whomever you’d like (make checks payable to “Discover Burien Association”) – let St. Nick tell your son he’s been a good boy, but he needs to clean his room more. Or compliment a behavior change, good grades, sports activities, a good haircut – you name it, Santa will write about it (okay, within reason of course…).

But hurry, as the deadline is Dec. 17th!

All monies collected will go toward this year’s Winterfest in Olde Burien on Dec. 5th. It’s a great way to keep your money local, support another great local cause (Discover Burien) and treat someone to a special, one-of-a-kind gift.

To download the form, click here for a PDF file.

Here’s more from a flier:

Create Excitement, Sparkle & Joy This Holiday Season!

Santa provides this great opportunity to communicate with your child, grandchild, niece, nephew, spouse or friend. Share the excitement and joy of opening a personalized letter from Santa from the North Pole, sealed with a gold foil seal.

Let Santa tell your son he’s been a good boy, but does need to clean his room more. Or, compliment a behavior change, good grades or activity in sports.

Send one to a friend to tell them they have been naughty and they need to call you more! Tell your husband that he needs to take his wife out to dinner!

Create excitement and joy that will last for years and will be the family discussion of the season.

Be part of the magic this holiday season with a specialized letter from Santa. Complete the form with as much information as possible and Santa will create a personalized letter for everyone to enjoy.

Create lasting excitement and joy this season.

Letters From Santa
916 SW 152nd Street
Burien, WA 98166

These letters are being produced by Marketing Innovations for Discover Burien Association. All monies collected will go toward the WinterFest Event on SW 152nd Street in Olde Burien & Downtown Burien, to be held December 5th. Discover Burien is a non-profit association working on economic development, promotion/ marketing, education and design of the Burien community.

For more information call one of Santa’s Elves directly: (206) 941-7199.

Click image to download PDF form.

Owners Alan McGuire and Dennis Nash, also known as The Garden Guys, will be awaiting your arrival at Lavina Mays on Tuesday July 13th at 10 a.m, and their “guard dog” Edgar Martinez — a Corgi, not the baseball player — may be there to welcome you as well. The Garden Guys guarantee us that he’s very friendly.

Alan McGuire, one half of The Garden Guys

As we previously reported, Lavina Mays Garden, Gift and Home Decor store is… well… a home furnishings, garden, home decor and gift store.

Some, but not all eco-friendly merchandise includes:

• Garden products including soils and organic pest control
• Bio-degradable bamboo pots that decompose
• Bio Bags for dogs, compost and kitchen material
• A large variety of decorative lamps made from re-cyclied leaves and bamboo.
• Handbags
• Soaps and oils from Indigo Wild, makers of “Zum” products.
• Woodwick Candles

Lavina Mays will also feature handmade twig tables crafted by a Seattle artisan. Most represented wood pieces in the store are from the Northwest.

Just a tiny slice of the products shoppers will find at Lavina Mays

As far as home furnishings and gifts you’ll be able to select from:

Dennis tells us that the store is about 95% “Eco-friendly.” We’d estimate the merchandise representing the other 5% includes pottery, yard ornaments, garden tubs, hoses, watering wands, garden equipment and Woodstock Chimes — already tuned and ready to go, in both metal and wood.

Lavina Mays 2,000 square foot retail store will open on July 13th. But wait there’s more, their 500 square foot garden area will open on Thursday July 17th outside (behind the yet to be built fence) with summer color and perennials. They’ll also have house plants.

Dennis Nash, the other half of The Garden Guys

When asked about why Dennis and Alan are leaving their long-term business of Alki Landscape Company in West Seattle, they replied in unison “we’re getting too old” (to work as landscapers). Dennis is a long-time landscaper and Alan has had a previous career in retail, so it seemed right to them. Both have lived in Normandy park since 2001.

And why Lavina Mays? Easy for them. To honor the memory of Alan’s mother Stella Lavina McGuire and in honor of Dennis’s mother, Oma May Nash (who will be visiting next month to inspect the new store).

Lavina Mays is located at 17824 1st Ave South in Burien by Curves. You know, in that part of Burien that everyone thinks is Normandy Park, but it’s not.

There’ll be an official grand opening in a few weeks. Keep on reading the B-Town Blog for updates.

Dennis and Alan are looking forward to welcoming you to Lavina Mays!

If you just happen to be a local pirate looking for a last-minute gift idea, we’ve got a doozy – one of your neighbors is trying to sell a custom-milled, solid one-piece steel, “black powder cannon” that’s only been used twice for just $375!

Some of the features from the Craigslist Ad:

• Black Powder Cannon
• Custom milled solid 1 piece steel.
• Two year old Cannon
• Used Twice
• Fuse Hole
• Shoots Baseball sized objects

Our favorite part of course is this happy ending greeting:

Please email with any questions! Happy Holidays
Stacie

Wait, aren’t these things ILLEGAL?

Who cares…it’s Christmas! So act fast, and email your order in now:

sale-mrhhy-1520671908@craigslist.org

Oh, and whatever you do, don’t read this story about a makeshift cannon that killed a 4-year old boy in Thurston County in July, 2007.

Yes, “Happy Holidays” and have fun with your cannon!

Looking for a better gift than fruitcake this holiday season?

Our friends The Rat City Rollergirls would like everyone to know that they’re returning to the Key Arena for their 6th Season of high-action athletics, and tickets are on sale now at Ticketmaster locations, or online by clicking here.

From a press release:

Both Rat City Rollergirl season passes and tickets are the perfect stocking stuffer for you and your family this season. Season passes fit perfectly into any envelope, and they’re the best way to show someone how much you care (or to show them Santa IS listening).

This season, we’re bringing hard-hitting roller derby that the whole family can enjoy at an affordable new price.

General admission is now only $14 and kids under 16 are only $8.

Find greater values when you purchase season tickets before January 2010. The season kick-off is January 31st followed by 4 more chances to experience the exciting, fast paced action:

• March 6
• April 10
• May 1
• June 5

Go to Ticketmaster.com for seating and ticket information at the Key Arena or visit Ratcityrollergirls.com.

The annual “Canine Christmas Adoption Event” is this Sunday, Dec. 13th from Noon to 3pm at the Paws-Abilities Dog Training Center in Tukwila, where you’ll be able to meet (and adopt) many great dogs and puppies from across Washington in one location.

And what makes a better gift than a loving, living creature?

Here are the details:

WHAT: Annual Canine Christmas Adaoption Event

WHEN: Sunday, Dec. 13th from Noon – 3pm

WHERE: The Paws-Abilities Dog Training Center, which is located at 1007 Industry Drive in Tukwila. Directions here: http://everydoghas.com/Special%20Links/map_to_center.html

INFO: There will also be a Dog Food Drive:

Times are tough, especially for the shelters and rescues relying on donations. In conjunction with the adoption event, we will also be holding a pet food drive. Will you consider bringing canned or dry pet food to our event? The food will be distributed to the shelters and rescues attending our event.

Adopt a dog and light up your life this holiday season.

A variety of wonderful dogs and puppies will be available at this event. Experienced shelter staff, volunteers and professional trainers will be on hand to help you find the right dog for your family. Meet the many great puppies and dogs from 8 shelters and rescues from across the state. Now is your chance to meet them in Tukwila, which is just minutes from Seattle and the Eastside.

For a list of frequently asked questions regarding our events, please click here.

Click here to Download a Printable PDF Flyer.

Longtime BTB Advertiser Dan the Sausageman is having a very special FREE holiday offer that even Santa’s taking advantage of – with every order placed online, you’ll get a FREE Summer Sausage!

But to get it you have to act fast – you must order online before Dec. 10th to receive this FREE gift!

To order safely and securely, please click here.

And remember, even Santa loves high-quality, locally-produced foods!

Trollbeads are in Des Moines, and where else, but at new B-Town Blog Advertiser Kimberley’s on 7th (in Des Moines)!

Kim Beasly was the first jeweler in the state of Washington to identify the charm and fun of Trollbeads. That was a year ago. Since then she’s sold hundreds of Trollbeads.

This Saturday, Nov. 21st from 10:30am – 6pm, Kim is having a special Trollbeads party complete with food. The Trollbeads representative will be on hand with most of the 500 designs available right at Kimberley’s. To encourage you to start or add to your Trollbeads collection, Kim has a one day only special this Saturday, and that’s buy four Trollbeads charms and receive one free. Charms start at $23.

I was introduced to Trollbeads earlier this week, and fell in love with the charms thick braided necklaces and bracelets. But–WARNING–it’s not your mother’s charm bracelet, er, take it back, my charm bracelet–gold and shiny with soldered-on charms that showed the various aspects of a teenage girls’ life….

These charms are bright, whimsical (I loved the juggler) bright colored hand-crafted Italian Murano glass, precious stones, sterling and gold…the possibilities and combinations are infinite. And one fun thing, when you design your bracelet, there will be no other like it in the world. The bracelets are so beautiful, you can start with one charm and add to on special gift receiving occasions (like an add-a-pearl).

With the holidays coming up, Kim has started a Trollbeads registry to assist your friends and family in finding the ‘perfect’ Trollbeads for your necklace or bracelet.

From the Trollbeads US website:

“Charm” has a whole new meaning. More than 30 years after the first Trollbead was born in Denmark, the Nielsen/Aagard family and their team of designers continue to “charm” collectors with their imaginative jewelry designs.*

Handcrafted from the finest quality raw materials including 18K gold, sterling silver, Italian glass, natural pearls, precious stones and Swarovski crystal, each bead is a treasure to behold. Every irresistible piece has its own story inspired by love, nature, fairytales, mythology, cultures, and the diversity of the world around us.

There are over 500 interchangeable Trollbeads to choose from. New beads in intriguing shapes and colors continue to revitalize the collection. With an infinite number of combinations, the piece of jewelry you design will be completely unique and personal. The possibilities are endless.

Welcome to the “charming” world of Trollbeads, where every bead has a story and every story has a bead T.

*Trollbeads have won international artistic recognition and have been exhibited at Sculpture Objects & Functional Art in Chicago and New York.

So there you have it. Trollbeads show this Saturday at Kimberley’s Exquisite Jewelry at 22221 7th Ave in Des Moines, from 10:30am – 6pm. Bring your daughter, bring your mom, even bring your husband, but come on down.

You’ll love the ‘charm’ of Trollbeads!

[Would you like to have a “Blogvertorial” story, event listing and/or Ad like this on a popular, fast-growing website seen by nearly 40,000 interested Local Readers every month? Email us for more info, or check out our Advertise page!]

Burien’s Moshier Community Art Center is holding its annual Holiday Pottery Sale on Saturday, Dec. 5th from 10am to 3pm, so be sure to mark your holiday shopping calendar.

Here are the details

WHAT: Moshier Community Art Center’s Holiday Pottery Sale

WHEN: Saturday, December 5th 10AM-3PM

WHERE: Moshier Art Center, located at 430 S 156th, Burien

INFO: Twice a year the potters at the Moshier Art Center gather to sell their handmade wares. Come to this amazing sale to find hundreds of items such as mugs, bowls, serving dishes, casseroles, garden art, jewelry, holiday items, and more! Come early for the best selection. Cash or checks accepted.

Burien’s Moshier Community Art Center is holding its annual Holiday Pottery Sale on Saturday, Dec. 6th from 10am to 3pm at 430 South 156th Street (see map below).

This is the fourth holiday show at Moshier, and we’re told it will be full of great one-of-a-kind art at affordable prices, so mark your calendar and get set to do some serious shopping and support your local artists.

Here’s a photo slideshow of last year’s holiday pottery sale to warm you up for this one:

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

And here’s a video tour of Moshier for those unfamiliar with it:

Click here to view the embedded video.

View Larger Map

Apparently a reporter for KIRO found out that Miklosh had lost his autographed guitar in the fire, so he called Gill’s “people” and arranged for a replacement, which arrived today.

Full story here, but note that KIRO erroneously claims that only two people were killed, when in actuality three were (Edgar Omar Cisneros Velazquez, his grandfather Ramon Cisneros Sanchez and Lindy Kunimoto).

And as of Aug. 26th, the arsonist still remains at large despite a $10,000 reward.