One Of These Ketchups Is Not Like The Others
Which of these tomato ketchup brands has chef Glenys Morgan seeing red: Heinz, President’s Choice or Western Family?
It’s Hip To Strip Metal Furniture: Here’s How
Stripped bare and pummelled with walnut shells, vintage metal furniture takes on a cool, contemporary look.
THE CREATIVE SOLUTION | Metal home or office furnishings dating from the 1950s are hot accent pieces for contemporary interiors, but painted items must be stripped entirely to the raw metal to bring them right up to date.
There are three ways to strip metal furniture. People with the space, time and muscle can use a biodegradable chemical paint remover such as Heirloom Furniture Stripper. Another method is to sand the paint off with an electric sander using a sanding pad specific to metal. Sanding leaves painty skid marks and a distinct pattern, giving the piece a timeworn look. Read more
Yes You Can! Recharge Your Alkaline Batteries
Don’t even think about recycling: used AA and AAA disposable batteries can now be given new life.
If you’re like me, you probably have a bunch of dead AA and AAA batteries rattling around in a drawer—possibly scattered among several drawers. You can’t throw them in the trash or even in the blue box. And even though since July 1 all household batteries (alkaline and rechargeable) can be recycled at almost 1,500 collection locations across B.C., you still have to take them there. Read more
Carmen Ruiz y Laza Shares Her Vancouver
Media relations maven and woman about town Carmen Ruiz y Laza shares her sources for looking good and living well without breaking the bank.
A hyper-connected media relations specialist with clients who have ranged from Cartier and Hermès to the Vancouver Opera and United Way, Carmen Ruiz y Laza knows what’s what and who’s who in Vancouver. As a producer of high-profile events like the Fashionista’s Ball (see our story here), she always needs to be well-turned out. Originally from Spain, Carmen follows the old European tradition of wearing timeless classics. She invests in a few really good quality items in neutral colours and wears them for years. Here are her five cheap, free or worth-it things to do, see or buy in Vancouver. Read more
Go Green And Go Home Awesome Salvage Sale
At this one-day warehouse sale, architectural salvage is beautiful, sustainable and cheap.
In Vancouver recycling is part of daily life. Reusing, on the other hand, doesn’t always come so naturally, particularly when it comes to old buildings. The Vancouver Heritage Foundation is aiming to change that, pointing out that reusing an old building is a literally huge form of recycling, the greenest building materials are both renewable (like wood) and used, and old house parts are often better made and higher quality than comparable new ones. Read more
Make A Lampshade From 35mm Slides
How to make a conversation-starting pendant lampshade using 35mm slides.
Have you got boxes of old 35mm slides that need to be scanned and transformed into digital files on your computer— then turfed because you’ll just never, ever look at them on a slide projector screen again? Well, here’s something novel you can do with a stack of them.
My inspiration for this retro-look pendant lampshade came from the infamous credit card dress that a fashion designer wore to the Academy Awards ceremony a number of years ago. The construction method for both items is similar. Read more
Lesley Stowe’s 5 Things You Ought To Try
Lesley Stowe, the mastermind behind everyone’s favourite Raincoast Crisps, picks five, cool things we really ought to try.
Parisian-trained chef and bestselling cookbook author Lesley Stowe is the founder of Lesley Stowe Fine Foods, the specialty food company that manufactures Raincoast Crisps, B.C.’s most recognizable snack and the number-one gourmet cracker for taste-conscious hosts throughout North America. Read more
Style Maven Anicka Quin Shops & Eats YVR
Western Living editor and style maven extraordinaire Anicka Quin shares a few of her top spots to eat and shop.
As the editor-in-chief of Western Living magazine—western Canada’s largest magazine dedicated to homes, food and wine, and travel—Anicka Quin spends a lot of time travelling the West to sleuth out her favourite design finds. A former Craigslist devotee—fed by an addiction to collecting midcentury modern furniture—she’s now a gatherer of contemporary pieces to pair with her teak. When she’s not travelling, she’s feeding her other great love: cooking fabulous food with friends and documenting it on her blog, Cardomom Pod.
Here are her suggestions for five cheap, free or worth-it things to do, see or buy in Vancouver. Read more
Jordan Eng Chows Around Chinatown
Chinatown insider Jordan Eng takes us to his favourite spots in one of Vancouver’s trendiest areas.
Jordan Eng knows Chinatown inside out. As vice-president of Success Realty and Insurance, founded by his parents in the ’60s, he works from an office on Keefer Street in the heart of Chinatown. He is also actively involved in the community as vice-president of the Vancouver Chinatown Business Improvement Association, co-chair of the Chinatown Festival and past chair of the Vancouver Chinatown Revitalization Committee. Here are his suggestions for five cheap, free or worth-it things to do, see or buy in a new Chinatown that blends trendiness with tradition.