Go Green And Go Home Awesome Salvage Sale

/1 Comment/in /by
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

This Little Teapot Can Relieve Allergy Symptoms

/0 Comments/in , , /by
This little contraption is a time-honoured tool for the relief of allergy symptoms.

CHEAP + GOOD | It’s great when you can find a simple and inexpensive item that actually does what it claims it can do. I’m talking about the Neti pot, that little contraption that looks like a mini Aladdin’s lamp, only instead of rubbing it, you use it to engage in a strange water dance with your nostrils.

The practice of nasal irrigation, which is what the Neti pot is used for, is old as Shiva and pursued by yoga practitioners in India to clear their nasal passages for enhanced breath control, controlled breathing being central to yoga. Read more

Drinking Tap Water

Stop Drinking Bottled Water This Instant

/6 Comments/in , /by
Why you need to stop drinking expensive bottled water this instant—and something amazing to do with the money you’ll save.

Drinking Tap Water

 

JUST SAY NO | Since this is Drinking Water Week (May 1-7), we’d like to point out that anyone in Vancouver who continues to drink bottled water at home or in restaurants is choosing to waste their money, simple as that. Also, there’s every reason to believe that by purchasing packaged water, which is so effectively hawked by celebrities like Jennifer Aniston, they’re actually saying yes to a seriously inferior product. Read more

Swimming Pool With Infinity Edge

Home Upgrades That Really Don’t Pay Off

/2 Comments/in /by
Renovation projects that experts say aren’t worth your time (or money).

Swimming Pool With Infinity EdgeNEVER DO THESE | Not long ago, the website real simple.com ran the headline we’ve republished above. When I first saw it, I jumped on the story, only to find myself disappointed when some of their suggestions didn’t seem to compute: like never changing a bedroom into a home office because people won’t be able to imagine reconverting it into a place to sleep. Or that you shouldn’t install a concrete patio because it can crack and is too harshly reflective; hello, concrete done right should hold up—oh, and it can be repaired btw. Or the idea that you mustn’t waste wads on tennis or basketball courts, as if these were popular additions.

In the spirit of the realsimple idea, we decided to create our own Never Do List. Here are three reno projects local realtors say aren’t worth the time or money.

What Not To Renovate Read more
Beautiful Ming Vase

Ming Got A Ding? Where To Get It Fixed

/0 Comments/in /by
Antique china is irreplaceable—but if it {or any glass or pottery item} breaks, here’s where to fix it locally.

Beautiful Ming VaseDARE TO REPAIR | My grandmother passed on to me not only a love of beautiful things but some of the beautiful things she loved—like a set of delicate Czech glass goblets. I carefully packed them in a box and brought them home on the plane from Winnipeg as carry-on. At least that was the plan. As I watched the box go through the airport security x-ray, I realized to my horror that I’d carried on the wrong box and the goblets were taking their chances as regular luggage. Read more

Blow Dry

Get A Solid Blow Dry Quick & Super Cheap

/0 Comments/in , , /by
Having your hair blown dry and styled professionally is expensive. Here’s where to get a solid job done quick and cheap.

Blow DryCHEAP + GOOD | While the newly minted Duchess of Cambridge was confident enough (after a few private lessons) to do her own makeup on her wedding day, she left her hair in the hands of professionals. That’s because she knows, as do celebrities who globetrot with hairdressers in tow, that it’s downright impossible to DIY a salon-calibre hairstyle without plenty of time and considerable schooling—and even then, most tresses will still look better if they’ve been styled by a pro. Read more

Celebs In Burberry Trench Coats

The Coat, The Bag, The Shoes, The Blouse ***

/1 Comment/in , , , , , /by
Made to last a lifetime, these high-fashion designer classics never go out of style. That’s why they make worthy investments—at any price.
Burberry’s London Trench Coat

Celebs In Burberry Trench CoatsI keep fallin’ in and out of love—with the trench coat. That’s just what happens when an iconic piece of clothing rolls back into fashion every few years. Last year was huge for the once-and-still-utilitarian raincoat invented for British soldiers by Aquascutum during WWI. I’ve owned inexpensive versions over the years but been understandably reluctant to pony up $1,300 for a Burberry’s London line long, double-breasted cotton trench with epaulettes, gun flap, belt with metallic D-rings and leather buckle, and a Burberry check under the collar—the coat by which all other trench coats are weighed, measured and found wanting. The great thing about the London trench is that really can be worn over everything from a business suit to nothing but stilettos, if you’re Ellen Barkin seducing Al Pacino in the movie Sea of Love. Read more

Grass Fed Cows iStock

Have You Tried Non-Medicated Meat?

/9 Comments/in , , , , , , /by
Beef, pork and chicken from “naturally” raised animals are purer than conventionally produced meats—and way less expensive than organic.

Grass Fed Cows iStockMONEY WELL SPENT | We’re fast coming up on barbecue season when everyone eats more beef burgers, lamb chops and chicken parts than usual. It’s no lie that meat is expensive and that organic meats, much as I would prefer to eat them, are even more so. So I was happy to learn about a less-expensive but solid alternative to the hormone-laden conventional meats in most grocery stores and many butcher shops. Read more

Old School Slides Used To Make A Pendant Lamp Shade

Make A Lampshade From 35mm Slides

/3 Comments/in , , , , , , , /by
How to make a conversation-starting pendant lampshade using 35mm slides.

Old School Slides Used To Make A Pendant Lamp ShadeHave 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

Purebread

Lesley Stowe’s 5 Things You Ought To Try

/5 Comments/in , , /by
Lesley Stowe, the mastermind behind everyone’s favourite Raincoast Crisps, picks five, cool things we really ought to try.

 

PurebreadParisian-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