Alynne Kugler
Yvonne Laflamme
Tuan Vo
What do two "ole" ladies and a tattoo artist have in common you might ask? Well the answer is creativity and a vision.
Our Story
Alynne and Yvonne first met as co-workers and quickly became friends over twenty years ago. During one of their many conversations, Alynne shared one of her family’s beloved Christmas traditions. They found themselves completely inspired to share this tradition so that other families would be able to create this wonderful tradition as well. Both being grandmothers; it is important to them to create special moments so children have fun and lasting memories. With this vision and combined creativity, they put pen to paper and began to write “The Li’l Elf Shoe”. With the text taking shape they now needed a truly exceptional artist... meet Tuan.
Tuan, originally from Vietnam, is a very talented multi-media artist who owns and operates his own tattoo business in Edmonton, Alberta. When they approached him about illustrating their book he graciously accepted. Tuan brought this story to life through the beautifully detailed artwork showcased in the book.
This book is a Christmas tradition we are sharing with you and your loved ones. It has been passed down through generations and has always been one of our family's most memorable traditions.
Usually starting five days before Christmas, it comes with the arrival of Santa's elves who are tasked with checking his naughty and nice list and ends on the morning of Christmas Eve.
On these evenings before bedtime, each child puts their li'l elf shoe out for the elves to find. We were told that after we fell asleep the elves would visit our home and if we were nice that day a treat would be left in our shoe, if we were naughty the elves would leave a sprinkling of coal dust instead.
We always awoke in the morning with curiosity and excitement to see what special treat was left in our li'l shoe. After all, we knew the elves were watching and we always tried to be perfectly behaved. Well...almost always....
So, this is how our book came to be. This whole process from writing the story to designing the shoe has been a wonderfully enlightening experience for both of us, and it is our wish that you get as much enjoyment sharing it with your family, as we did creating it.
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