It's day number fourteen of my quest to find some of the best gifts in Toronto.Today's Pick: Touch the Dutch Canadiana brooches. I met one of my best friends when she followed love North of the border. While the relationship went sour, her love affair with our "home and native land" did not. She's back in NYC (that is, until I can find her a nice Canadian husband), and I am always on the look out for cool Canadiana to cure her second-homesickness. Touch the Dutch's Canada-themed brooches are made in Toronto by designer Anneke van Bommel, and are souvenir-worthy without the cheese-factor (please, no more "Moose Droppings").

Brooches are not usually top-of-mind when I'm buying for the men in my life, but Van Bommel's axe silhouette pins have a masculine appeal. The boy's-boys on my list might also appreciate the grizzly bear high-five brooch, while I personally love the little wooden stumps and beavers.

Additional Specs: Various designs, price points and materials, including nickel silver, wood and 18K gold plate

Best for: Urban lumberjacks and those brimming with "true patriot love"

What they'll cost you: $18.00 to $320.00

Where to get 'em:

The Guild Shop 118 Cumberland Street, Narwhal Gallery 680 Queen Street West or Anneke's own studio at 550B Queen Street West (by appointment)
Photos courtesy Touch the Dutch, used with permission.