We have several pictures of this ADORABLE little girl!

It may seem hard to believe it, but we’re less than 4 months from Midsommarfest 2010! With the snow on the ground, June 12 & 13 seems very far away, so we’ve compiled some of the best pictures from Midsommarfest 2009 to get you dreaming about warm summer weekends spent shopping unique vendors, eating festival food, drinking cold beer, and listening to fun bands.  More photos after the jump!

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You may or may not have noticed, but the Smorgasblogg has been inactive since Christmas due to some technical difficulties with our web hosting platform. We are now back online and will soon be bringing you new posts about all things Andersonville!

equinox-ornaments-blog

It is two days until Christmas.  Is your shopping done yet?  If not, there is still time to pick up those last minute gifts in Andersonville.

And thus we come to the last store featured in the Andersonville Holiday Gift Guide, Equinox.  And what a fitting way to finish.  Equinox has long been a great destination for a wide variety of gifts, from beautiful lamps and pottery, to fun jewelry and accessories, to really silly gag gifts.  In fact there are so many options sometimes it is difficult to choose what exactly to buy!

Today’s featured item from the Gift Guide is something that Equinox is well known for:  holiday decorations.  These Chicago-Themed Holiday Ornaments ($10-$18) are a great gift for that hard core White Sox fan or the relatives who love visiting you in Chicago and would love a reminder of the City of Big Shoulders hanging on their Christmas tree.

And don’t forget to check out Equinox’s after-holiday sale, a great place to pick up holiday decorations at steep discounts.

Equinox, 5621 N. Clark, 773-878-5785.  Hours: Every day 10:00 am – 5:00  pm.

picture-frames-blog

Long before Andersonville became so well known for its home and design stores, Cassona Home Furnishings owner Alma Gutierrez was on Clark Street selling stylish imported furniture at reasonable prices.  But what you may not know is that Cassona also offers a wide variety of gifts for the home and many different prices.  So if you don’t have the budget to by your loved one a new couch or wardrobe, you can still find things for a lot of people on your list.

Like for instance our Favorite Thing featured in the Andersonville Holiday Gift Guide, there great Enameled Leaf Frames ($14.95).  With room for a 4″x4″ pictures, these are a perfect small gift for a co-worker or office grab bag, or for that person with young kids who never seems to have enough frames to display all of the pictures they have.

Also featured from Cassona are Hoja Leaf Plates and Mini Echevaria Cacti.

Cassona, 5241 N. Clark, 773-506-7882.  Hours: Monday-Saturday, 11:00 am – 7:00 pm, Sunday 12:00 noon – 5:00 pm.

pandora-blog

It’s the Monday of Christmas week!  Is your shopping done?  If not, don’t panic.  Many of the stores in Andersonville who normally are closed on Monday are open and ready to help you with your last-minute shopping needs.  Spend $20 and we will even pay for your parking or CTA fare.  Seriously.

Today’s Favorite Thing from the Andersonville Holiday Gift Guide is from a long-time neighborhood favorite, The Landmark of Andersonville.  While no longer in her iconic co-op space at the corner of Clark & Berwyn, neighborhood fixture Jan Baxter is just a few storefronts south of her original location.  With a distinctive collection of clothing, bath & beauty products, home accessories and jewelry made by American artists, The Landmark has long been a destination for great gifts.  And if you don’t know what exactly you want, Jan and her staff are an incredibly helpful resource for finding the right gift.

Pandora Jewelry is such a great gift because it is the one you can keep giving!  These modern day charm bracelets and necklaces feature a wide assortment of charms in every shape, in different metals and with precious and semi-precious stones.  I am lucky enough to have a few people in my life who wear Pandora, so if I am stumped on a gift I can always go pick out a new charm that reminds me of the person for whom I am buying.  It works for birthdays, seasonal holidays, romantic holidays both real and imagined (I’m looking at you Sweetest Day) and because there is such a wide variety to chose from you are always sure to put a smile on someone’s face!

Also featured from The Landmark of Andersonville are Lampe Berger Lamps and a wide assortment of Bath & Body Products.

The Landmark of Andersonville, 5245 N. Clark, 773-728-5301.  Hours: Monday-Thursday & Saturday, 11:00 am – 7:00 pm.  Friday 11:00 am – 9:00 pm.  Sunday 11:00 am – 5:00 pm.

ellie-blgo

Less than a week left until Christmas!  Don’t panic, everyone loves getting jewelry.

Local designer Deana Rose has always had a great eye for mixing stones, pearls, crystals and glass and making incredibly beautiful necklaces, braclets and earrings.  Available in select local stores, Deana Rose also has a space at the Andersonville Galleria, where you can see a wide selection of her pieces on display.

Like the Ellie Necklace ($68), one of Our Favorite Things from the Andersonville Holiday Gift Guide.  A beautiful hand painted porcelain pendant features the image of a tree and is one of her most popular pieces.

Also featured in the Gift Guide are Simple Sterling Necklaces and Hand Hammered Brass Earrings.

Andersonville Galleria, 5247 N. Clark, 773-878-8570.  Holiday hours:  Tuesday-Thursday & Saturday, 11:00 am – 7:00 pm, Friday 11:00 am – 8:00 pm, Sunday 11:00 am – 6:00 pm.  Closed Mondays, open Monday, December 21 from 11:00 am – 7:00 pm.