Orchid - iStock

Consider The Orchid

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The long-lasting orchid, in myriad colours, is gaining ground on the traditional Easter lily.

Orchids

 

SHOPPING AROUND | Since it was first introduced in North America in the early 1900s, the stick-straight Easter lily, with its scraggly leaves and showy flowers that look like trumpets growing sideways out of its stalk, has been a mainstay on Easter morn altars across this continent and a top hostess gift for Easter dinner. But now orchids of all types and sizes challenge Easter lilies for pride of place—on the home front, at least—because they have qualities lilies can’t match. Read more

The Nutribullet: An All-Time Favourite Kitchen Product

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Why the Nutribullet is our current favourite kitchen product.

Green Drink- Shutterstock

 

PRODUCTS WE LOVE | In 2010 it was the Sodastream; in 2011 it was the pizza stone; in 2012 it was the TopChip microwave potato chip maker—and, in 2014, the Nutribullet was the kitchen product of our dreams.  Read more

Filing Nails - Shutterstock

4 Nail Care Products You Really Need To Try

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Even the most beautifully manicured fingernails need the occasional polish holiday. Here are four great nail care products that will give them a break.

Filing Nails - Shutterstock

 

STEALING BEAUTY | As pretty as polished nails are, they need to be left bare occasionally to give them some air. About once a month, Allison Emery performs a “nail ritual” that consists of four basic steps: trim/file, cleanse, buff and hydrate. “Regular nail maintenance keeps your nails healthy and strong,” according to this beauty expert. “With a little TLC, nails that are dry, brittle or even splitting will be shining in no time.” Here’s how she gets the job done. Read more

Watch Art House Films For $2.99 A Month

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For as little as $2.99 a month, you can enjoy a steady stream of smart art house films from everywhere in the world.

Detour on MUBI

 

NEW IN CANADA | Film lovers who think the movie selection on Netflix sucks and the content from on-demand providers like iTunes, Shaw and Blockbuster skews way too whitebread American are going to love that Mubi is now “officially” available in Canada. Read more

Io moth

Here’s How To Get Rid Of Evil Clothes Moths

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How one Frugalbits warrior waged a holey war against an empire of evil casemaking clothes moths.

Io moth

 

THE FIX | There are many beautiful species of moth in the world (like the Io moth pictured here), but the villainous casemaking clothes moth is not one of them (CLICK HERE if you want to have a look).

As someone who has battled clothes moths, and hopefully won my holey war, let me predict this: if you leave your windows open a lot in the summer and have lovely 100 percent natural fibre garments (regular wool or cashmere; silk; fine cotton—whatever) evil brown casemaking clothes moths will find them, they will lay eggs, and their damn little label-savvy larvae will feast on your Hugo Boss, Mackage and Missoni.

Here’s how I retaliated when moths went to war with me. Read more

Popcron in a wooden bowl.

Make 100% Healthy Microwave Popcorn

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How to make 100% healthy microwave popcorn in minutes for pennies a pop.

Popcorn - iStock

 

EASY & DELISH | While I love the convenience of microwave popcorn, I stopped buying this product several years ago because of worrisome news about the potential health risks to humans posed by exposure to chemicals found both in the fake butter flavoring on microwave popcorn kernels and on the lining of microwave popping bags.

I also stopped buying commercial brand microwave popcorn because a friend showed me how to make a cheaper, healthier, equally quick alternative. Read more

Generic Drugs - iStock

Generic Over-The-Counter Drugs Are The Better Buy

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If you’re buying brand name over-the-counter meds instead of generic ones, nine times out of 10 you’re wasting money.

 

BEST BUY | When it comes to fashion and décor, I can be as big a brand snob as anyone, but it makes absolutely no sense to be a label slave where over-the-counter medications are concerned. Why chain yourself to a brand name “OTC” med when the no name equivalent is available at a seriously lower price? Read more

Why You Want To Visit San Diego Right Now

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Balmy San Diego is the perfect escape hatch, particularly at this time of year when even the toniest hotels are offering deals.

12 Vintage_Large_Letter_Postcard_San_Diego_California_02__45737.1345432544.1280.1280

 

TRAVEL ADVISORY| Admit it fellow workers: a monitor tan is not a real tan. Office coffee is no substitute for a pink drink with an umbrella in it. A promotion cannot take the place of a vacation—especially one in a place where the sun always shines, and we can play lighthearted tourist for at least a long weekend. Read more

The Awesome Baggu

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Why I’m replacing my cache of nonwoven polypropylene shopping bags with ripstop models from Baggu.
  Baggu Bags

 

BUY RIGHT | It was cleanup month around here so I tackled the buildup of shopping bags that had threatened to devour my closet. I don’t know how it happened, but over the past two years I’d managed to accumulate around 50 reusable polyester and nonwoven polypropylene “billboard shoppers” (so called because they often display a company logo) in every size imaginable. These shoppers are awkward and bulky even when folded and gang-bagged, and they easily turn into an unwieldy space-stealing mess when stashed in the back of a car or cupboard.

To add insult to injury, nonwoven polypropylene bags are no better for the environment than those disposable plastic bags they’ve come to replace. Read more

How To Decorate Cakes With Real Flowers

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Make me a simple, unaffected cake (or three) decorated with nature’s own ornamentation.

Purevege.com

 

EASY & AWESOME | In food TV land, cake decorating has been out of control since 2006 when “Ace of Cakes” débuted on the Food Network. The runaway success of this reality program inspired legions of pastry chefs and bakers across North America to seek TV fame by constructing crazy, teetering cakes—the more outrageous the better—on shows such as “Cake Boss,” “Wedding Cake Wars” and “Ultimate Cake Off.”

All of this excess is enough to make anyone pine for plain cake, simply iced and decorated naturally with real wildflowers and herbs. Here are three of our favourite cakes topped in this beautiful, natural way. Read more