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Easy Craft, Pretty Gift: Teacup Towers

So one of the local radio stations has begun 24/7 Christmas music, which means that even though it’s still warm and green here in Ottawa (thanks, climate change), it’s the holiday season and we have to face it. I love this time of year in many ways: amazing baking, sparkly decorations, gatherings, and mocktails. What I hate is the crowded parking lots, malls, and lines everywhere. Last year to avoid all of this, my then-fiancee (now-hubby) Brian and I made as many of our gifts as possible. This year because we’re moving, we won’t be able to do that, but we will, where possible, reduce our shopping list by making things with our own four hands. Here’s a fantastic and easy craft for those of you looking for something inexpensive and awesome to give to your loved ones: tea cup tea trays.

YOU WILL NEED:
1-3 tea cups
1-3 saucers, or alternatively, 1 dinner plate, 1 side plate, and 1 saucer
E-6000 glue
Windex and paper towel

I made these babies for our co-ed wedding shower, and used them again at the wedding itself. I now have about 8 of these, and I’ll be gifting some of them this Christmas; others, I’m selling on UsedOttawa just because I have way too many. At our shower, we used them as cupcake stands for mini cupcakes; at our wedding, we had them out for cookies to sit on. Now I have one in my bedroom and I drape my jewellery all over it. It’s turning out to be one of my prettiest and most versatile craft creations ever.

stack your pretty china

use glue. love the glue.

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Clean the cups and trays with the Windex so there are no body oils or scudge on them. Pay particular attention to the bottom of the tea cups.

2. Pull out your E-6000 glue. This glue is used widely in craft tutorials across the interweb, whenever a solid seal is needed. I didn’t understand how good this glue could be, until I got some for myself. Use the glue. Love the glue. It is your best friend. (Warning: it is a bit smelly, so ventilate the room.)

3. Practice stacking your plates and cups ‘til you like the way it looks. I tried a bunch of different ways, but usually you put the largest plate on the bottom and work your way up…if all your plates are saucers, it’s not so much of an issue. Sometimes the tea cup handles will get in the way if they rise above the lip of the cup; you may just need to try a different saucer on top, or you may need to try a different teacup.

TIP 1: Do not make your tower taller than three tea cups. I did all of ours with only two tea cups to be sure they were solid, sturdy, and not too easy to topple.

4. Put glue on the underside of the first tea cup (lots of it) and stamp it down onto the plate. You can clean the excess away now, or wait til the glue hardens and use a scalpel—it’s a bit like rubber.

5. Put glue on the rim of the tea cup and now place your next saucer/plate onto the tea cup.

6. Repeat for as many layers as you like.

7. Allow the glue to dry over night before attempting to lift the structure. But afterwards, do indeed lift it and give a gentle shake to be sure everything is secure. Out of all those teacup towers, I only had one plate let go, and I think I just didn’t use enough glue.

lovely cupcake stand

store your bits & bobs

TIP 2: Be sure to remove any goopy excess dried glue. It’s ugly, and technically it’s not healthy if you do put food on your tray. These babies should definitely be gently washed by hand; as we only had icing get on them, I just wiped them down with a soapy water-soaked cloth, then rinsed them.

This is such a simple craft, and all you need is old china and glue. How awesome is that?! Think about it: one trip to the craft store for glue, plus one search on your local UsedEverywhere site for old china, and you’re done. Hardly a line, parking lot, or shameful mall foodcourt lunch to worry about.

It’s Movember! Ladies, You Don’t Have To Grow Moustaches! (unless you really want to?)

You’re probably wondering why the men in your town have suddenly time traveled back to 1975, when Burt Reynolds was king, and are now sprouting some pretty gnarly (and frankly, rather weak) moustaches. Well, that’s because it’s Movember, the month where men raise money and awareness for men’s health, specifically prostate cancer. How? By asking for donations from friends and family for their moustache growing efforts. This has become a worldwide fundraiser with over 173 million dollars being raised for prostate cancer research globally since 2003.

Now I’m sure there are women out there with the ability to grow moustaches and if you want to rock the mo’ this month, I say go for it!  But for fair-haired ladies of the world such as myself, growing a moustache  to raise awareness for men’s health is sadly out the question. So I pondered…how do women show their support for Movember? Thankfully, after some digging, I found three fabulous ways that women or Mo Sistas can support this important cause without having to sport a five o’clock shadow!

1. Get a moustache tattoo!

Don’t worry…it’s not actually tattooed on your upper lip! I was at a comedy show last week and this young woman Eleina was pulled up on stage by the comedian who asked why she had a bandage on her index finger.  She giggled and then pulled off the bandage to reveal a tiny moustache tattooed on it and then cleverly raised the finger to her upper lip to model it.

How fun is this! I'm really contemplating getting one.

I spoke with her after the show and she told me that a local tattoo shop was offering moustache tattoos (also called fingerstaches) during the month of November with most of the proceeds going to prostate cancer research. What a fun way to raise awareness and also turn into Charlie Chaplin whenever you want! Turns out a lot of tattoo shops are offering this during November so ladies, if you’ve always wanted a tattoo but couldn’t figure out what, this one is pretty darn cute and definitely a conversation piece.

2. Wear moustache accessories

A friend of mine told me about a local designer friend of hers named Alexis Kastner (her design company is called Jovee) who has created a “Movember” line: a series of amazing moustache-style jewelry and custom made wallets and cardholders, with ALL proceeds going to prostate cancer research.

Love it!

Definitely a one-of-a-kind item!

She custom makes these!

I interviewed Alexis via Facebook and asked what her experience with this idea has been.

“I’m a one-man-band making all these pieces but it’s been a real trip! I actually have to hand turn my sewing machine so, for example: each moustache keychain that I make takes me at least an hour to sew!! Madness I tell you, but for a good cause!!”

All I can say is what a commendable and unique way to use your talent and time to support such a great cause!

So how about instead of spending $15 this month to painfully have that “ladystache” waxed from your upper lip, you think of buying a moustache necklace to show your Movember support whilst also being fashionable!

(If you live in Victoria, you can buy these items from Lark and Sparrow Boutique or you can order directly via Alexis’ Movember Facebook page.  I also recommend “liking” her Facebook page as she’ll be doing random contests to score free moustache swag!…And we all know how much I like free stuff!!! Tee-hee!)

3. Make that moustache man in your life shave it off!

Instead of getting the men in your life to grow moustaches for this cause, why not collect donations for your husband, father or brother who has been hip to the moustache trend all his life, to shave it off!  Trust me, this shows a lot more conviction and sacrifice for a moustache man to actually shave off his sacred upper lip friend…Just ask him and he’ll tell you it’s like losing a part of himself. Also, this is great way to inconspicuously get your boyfriend or husband to shave off that moustache you have always secretly hated! LOL

My father did this a few years ago…he’s had a moustache since he was 15 years old! But for charity, he auctioned the rights to shave off portions of his moustache at his office. He raised over $600 and for the first time in his adult life, his face was hairless. We, as a family, commended him for his valiant effort but later on, agreed that the moustache needed to come back (the words “Uncle Fester” kept creeping into our head every time we looked at him.  Tee-hee…sorry Dad!)

Now there is a moustache to aspire to for all you men trying to grow one right now!

But if tattoo needles scare you, you’re not a jewellery person and no one in your life sports an upper lip friend, remember you can always donate to this important cause (The guys at UsedEverywhere have formed Team Used Moustache for donations.)

Personally though, I  like the idea of women walking around this month with fingerstaches, sporting moustache earrings and secretly eliminating the dreaded hairy upper lipped friends in their lives!  Happy Movember everyone! I’d love to hear what other woman are doing to support this cause!

*** If 50 people “like” this post, I’ll post the photo of my dad sans moustache aka. Uncle Fester! Tee-hee! Love you Dad!

Coupon tip of the week:  One great way of stocking up on items you use is to be aware of the monthly sales cycles.  Each month, stores will always put certain items on sale.  For instance, because of the holidays, baking ingredients always go on sale in November.  So stock up on flour, sugar and evaporated milk now.  Plus you’ll usually find coupons for these items around this time of year.

A peek inside my collections: the natural world

What is it with kids and rocks? Why does every kid have a burgeoning rock collection in their pockets? I cannot tell you how many rocks I’ve washed and dried since we had kids. (I’m not sure if that’s a comment on their rock collecting or my lackadaisical laundry skills BUT STILL.)

Awhile back I had the opportunity to redecorate our back porch, a place that had become a repository for a lot of our junk. And this junk included several buckets of seashells I was not allowed to throw away and piles of seemingly random rocks. Gah. Lucky for me we already had a wire baker rack out there, so I took it upon myself to pull everything off of it and reorganize several of our family collections to create a wee bit of a display. I’m so happy I did.

First, I found a few old serving trays and secondhand teacups. Then I sorted everything into piles – rocks, shells, and random nature stuff – and grouped them on the trays. The trays work well here because they act as a catch all, and each collection can be pulled out for closer inspection.

The first tray: dead bugs and things. You think I’m kidding, but I think the girls like this one the best. There’s a butterfly or two, a bird nest, a couple of bees, pretty feathers, snake skin, the dried husk of a cicada, part of a wasp nest, and some pretty beach glass. (Keep a kid-friendly magnifying glass at hand too!)

The second tray contains sea shells from our travels, and some sand in tiny jars:

The rocks are on the third shelf. These are the best and most interesting ones in our collection:

This turned out to be one of my favourite ways to display our collections, and it’s extra special because it doesn’t just belong to me, but it’s become a family effort. It may seem like a whole bunch of extra clutter, but I think by keeping this kind of stuff around that we’re encouraging our children to be mindful of the natural world around them. And that can only be a good thing.

How to Navigate the Modern World of Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding has gone hand in hand with motherhood for thousands of years.

Some women breastfeed well into the preschool years and some women choose to forego it altogether which is essentially a personal and individual decision for every mother.

Ultimately, when there is such an intimate relationship between mother and child it is often turned into a taboo act when it’s merely the act of nourishing your child.

I am a young mom, my stature doesn’t help me in age relation either, so I normally get looks from men and women alike. Simply because I look “too young” to be a mom. Apart from that, I breastfed both of my girls until they self-weaned and had no qualms about doing it in public.

Which only meant, more stares.

Though, I’ve always preferred discretion and used a nursing cover, in those moments where I forgot it, I nursed anyway.

So, how do you navigate the modern world as a breastfeeding mama?

6 Breastfeeding Tips to Conquer the World:

Stay Hydrated:

Make sure that a BPA-free, reusable bottle becomes a staple in your diaper bag and for the duration of your breastfeeding relationship. Hydration is so important while nursing to keep your milk production going. Not only is water beneficial to milk production, it is good for your skin, bloating and an infinitude of things. It is a good habit to form.

Breastfeeding will make you parched and what better way to quench that thirst than H20?

Get Support:

Literally.

While breastfeeding support is essential, I meant invest in a few nursing bras that will aid in making nursing quick, easy and comfortable. Not to mention that your breasts get heavy and sometimes engorged and you will definitely need a good bra. Make sure that you get fitted properly and that it is super comfortable. I had a few that I could literally sleep in and were super amazing when I needed to nurse and didn’t wear nursing tops. V-necks are your BFF’s when you are nursing too!

To avoid two fair-sized spots on your shirt when you’ve produced a lot of milk and are in-between feedings, pack extra reusable breast pads and make sure you use them. I learned this when I decided to hit up my local Wal-Mart in a light beige shirt and forgot my nurse pads, thank-goodness I had a cardi on hand until I could make it home.

Cover up, baby! Or don’t.

If you choose to breastfeed and are looking for discretion, make sure you find yourself a nursing cover that works for YOU. I chose the BabyBond nursing cover, simply because of the fact that I could maintain that oh-so-special eye contact with baby. It was soft, portable and blended with most of my wardrobe and could be used with or without nursing tops. I could throw it in my diaper bag and go.

It worked perfectly for me.

There are so many on the market and they all fit differently, come in trendy colors and patterns, fair-trade, organic or do different things. There are also slings that are double functional for covering and nursing on the go!

If you think it’s something you’d like to invest in, buy some nursing tops that will keep you modest and covered up. Most importantly, use what is comfortable and what works best for you.

If you don’t think you need to cover up, and don’t feel the need, don’t.

It’s your right.

© Vladan Andrejevic - Fotolia.com

Get a good breast pump:

Now, there are plenty of makes and brands of pumps out there, it’s almost like picking out a new car. There’s single pumps, double pumps, electric, manual with all types of different power and suction and even bras that simultaneously double pump while you are hands-free. But, not every pump works for everyone. I used a double pump with a strong suction and it worked well.

Once you have a pump picked out and if you are returning to work while nursing, you need to bring it with you and ask your boss if there are designated areas for you to pump. All workplaces should have them, if not – you may just have to find a quiet room or somewhere private to pump. Make sure you store that liquid gold in the fridge too. If you happen to forget your pump one day, make sure you self-express and massage your breasts in order to avoid engorgement and duct blockages that can lead to mastitis, a breast infection.

Be in the KNOW.

Once you’ve established a breastfeeding relationship and are ready to head out, know which places have washrooms or “nursing rooms” where you’ll be able to change your baby and feed them in a nice, private and quiet area. Most malls have these and a few retailers have followed suit and have them. The nursing rooms or family rooms come equipped with gliders and changing tables. They often, not always, have the essentials on hand such as diapers and wipes in the case you forgot them.

Get accustomed to different positions to nurse your baby, you know that they have their favorites but, sometimes space and confinement of those spaces don’t allow for them. The cradle hold, the cross-cradle and my favorite, the football hold are best for when travelling outside of the home.

Most importantly, I don’t know if I was one of those people who are considered crazies but, I carried a small nursing pillow for extra support. I would throw it in my stroller, on top of my diaper bag and go. I had a small one that came in a small bag so it was always clean. It came in very handy and comfortable for both baby and I.

Getty Images

Get Out THERE!

Sometimes women feel the need to confine themselves to their homes while they are nursing because of the stares or even the comments they may receive. That was never an option for me because that would be a VERY long time cooped up. I breastfed at the mall, in restaurants, at the park, at the movies and in any place you can imagine. I even went on weekenders and breastfed everywhere we went.

If discretion is an issue, there’s the aforementioned covers and some women find it easier to pump before leaving the house and giving their child breast milk via bottles. I’ve never tried this but, I can see how it may work for some ladies. I rather give my baby their milk at perfect temperature and when they need it. But, if you do choose to do this, usually nipple confusion isn’t a problem once they are a bit older and can be the perfect option if you do not want to nurse publicly.

I say get out there and live your lives as you normally would and when your babies wants to eat, let them eat! The more of us moms who feed in public, the better and the more accepted it will be. If you do receive stares, stand your ground and return the gaze. You aren’t doing anything wrong and most likely, they will walk away knowing that you are confident and aren’t going to be swayed otherwise.

Day trips, weekenders or even week-long trips can be done without a hitch if you plan ahead, have your pump, cover, breast pads etc. Just be prepared to take a little longer for everything because you will be changing and nursing your little one throughout your outings.

So, go out for a day of shopping, hit up your local zoo or museum and have fun. Even have that glass of wine, studies show that it is perfectly safe. Though I’ve never tried it–I know many moms who have and they and baby are perfectly fine.

It’s a journey that we travel on a day to day basis and just because you are a breastfeeding mama, doesn’t mean anything has to change.

UseBlog Eats: Wild Mushroom & Artichoke Pie

If that baby could talk, he'd tell you the pie was delicious

It’s mushroom picking season! Well, actually it could be drawing to a close depending on where you live. But here on the West Coast the hills are still alive with the sound of mushrooms. I’ve been picking wild mushrooms for a few years and I still consider myself an absolute novice. I’m pretty religious about the whole “when in doubt, throw it out” mantra. And to go one smart step further, when I’m in doubt, I don’t pick it and kill it for no reason. I stick to picking five types of mushrooms: boletes, hedgehogs, shaggy manes, horse mushrooms and chanterelles. And still I inspect very carefully as there are poisonous look-a-likes out there — false chanterelle, I’m looking at you. In short, be very, very, very careful. It’s no joke. Another thing to consider, is that some people have difficulty digesting wild mushrooms. Apparently, par-boiling mushrooms  can help make them easier to digest, but I’ve never bothered and I’ve never had a problem. So, yeah. You’ve been warned. Consider this my legal disclaimer. Trust me, it wouldn’t be worth your time to sue me. You’ll have to get in line behind student loans and Columbia House.

Right, so if you’ve never picked wild mushrooms, go with someone who has. Many cities have mycological societies (mushroom clubs) that meet monthly. These groups often arrange beginner’s forays and offer workshops and lectures. I recently joined SVIMS here in Victoria and I attended my first mushroom club meeting last week. As you might expect it was an eclectic gathering — students, academics, first and second-generation Europeans and me. It was very interesting and I can honestly say I learned a lot about the Fungi Kingdom. Oh yes, there’s a kingdom.

So yeah, we went out into the woods last weekend and stumbled (literally) on to a marvelous patch of hedgehogs. Hedgehogs are a late-season mushroom, so there were quite a few of them despite the recent cold weather. And once we were on the ground plucking hedgehogs, we spied a patch of chanterelles a few feet away. Heaven! Chanterelles are selling for a bazillion dollars a pound in the stores right now. A bazillion – look it up. So, we picked and wandered and picked and wandered until our baskets were full and the sun was starting to set. It was time to head home and cook up our bounty, but not before we found five fat boletes just waiting for us to save them from the slugs! Score.

Once I saw how many tasty fungi we’d collected, I knew I wanted to make a mushroom pie. Usually we fry them up with butter and garlic and spoon them over bread. Delicious…but today we had enough mushrooms to justify a whole pie. Here’s the BBC GoodFood recipe I kind of followed :

Ingredients

• 400 grams of wild mushrooms (hedgehogs, chanterelles & boletes) – I weighed mine, but I think it was roughly 2 cups
• 1 medium golden onion
• 125 ml grilled artichoke hearts (jarred & sometimes found in the ethnic foods aisle)
• 1 large garlic clove
• 3 tbsps olive oil
• 1 tsp fresh thyme
• Italian parsley for garnish (large handful, roughly chopped)
• package of frozen puff pastry (shameful, I know)
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp water

Prep work

Preheat oven to 400° F.

You don’t wash mushrooms or they get waterlogged. You just want to brush off the debris and grit. This is why I’m grateful my mushroom picking partner (and life partner, o lucky man) insists that I brush off the pine needles and soil BEFORE I toss them in the basket. It makes cleaning them go by much faster.

Once the mushrooms are clean, slice the bigger ones in to bite-size pieces and leave the little ones whole.

Get cooking

1. Chop the onion into small-ish pieces (if you’re feeling “rustic” you can chop them a little bigger). Saute the onion in half the oil for 12-15 minutes until soft and slightly brown on the edges. Your kitchen will smell very, very good.
2. Put the onions into a bowl and mix with the drained artichoke hearts. Add salt & pepper. Season to taste.
3. In the same pan, heat the remaining oil in med-high heat. Add the mushrooms and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes until soft.
4. Throw in garlic and thyme and continue to cook for a minute.
5. Remove from heat, season with whatever you fancy (I added more salt & pepper) and allow to cool.

Roll out the Dough

Yes, of COURSE a lovely homemade pâte brisée would be perfect for this recipe. But after scrambling across the forest floor for a day, I didn’t have it in me to make pastry. So, I picked up a handy-dandy package of frozen puff pastry. Besides, the recipe called for frozen pastry. True story.

1. On a floured surface, roll out a circle roughly 40 cm in diameter
2. Use an off-set pastry spatula or a regular old spatula to lift the dough and drape it over a large lightly oiled baking sheet.

Putting it all together

1. Pile the onions and artichokes into the middle of the pastry and spread them out evenly, leaving a 10cm border around the edge, then pile the mushrooms on top.
2. Bring the edges of the pastry up over the filling.
3. Beat the egg with the water and brush the exposed pastry edge with the egg glaze.
4. Bake for 25-30 mins until the pastry is crisp and golden brown. Check the bottom. Mine was still pale and doughy at the 25-minute mark. I let it bake the full 30 minutes.

Eat

Colour Confident: How to Choose Your Decor Shades

We’re in the process of moving. For reasons we’ve highlighted on the NEST–our blog–we had really no choice but to vacate a situation involving a melting floor and copious amounts of mould. But what’s great is, we’re moving up, not just out. Our new place is the top two floors of an old house, and we’re going to have our bedroom in the attic! The art studio/office will also be up there, with a big window where my desk will look out over our street. Our kitchen’s a bit tiny, which I have no doubt will lead to frustrated blog posts in the future, but we’re hopeful that we can work out a hanging system on the wall for pots and pans. What’s novel is that the apartment is actually separated into very definitive rooms—our current place is quite open-concept—so we’ll be able to have some fun with decorating. Thus far, we’ve managed to gather a number of things for our place with over 90% of it coming from UsedOttawa.com, thrift stores, and freecycle groups. But when you’re not buying a coordinated furniture suite, and most of the items up for grabs are really outdated, you have to have some imagination. The first step, without a doubt, is choosing a theme and colour palette.

For those of you out there who find colour to be a little daunting, here’s the most basic first steps for you:

1. All colours are derivative of the primary colours: primary colours are red, blue, and yellow. Secondary colours are made by mixing together two primaries, and the results are orange, green, and purple.

2. Colours have a friend on the colour wheel called their complimentary colour. That’s why, defying all logic, yellow and purple look good together: they’re complimentary. Same with orange and blue, and red and green.

3. So when you go to decorate a room, you have a few colour options:

a-Decorate all in shades of the same colour: navy blue, sky blue, blue-tinted white.

The colour wheel. Credit: http://mydreamwedding.ca

b-Decorate in shades from one-quarter of the colour wheel: yellow, to green, to blue.

c-Decorate with one or two main shades, then have a complimentary colour to add some pizazz.

(Note: this is a really simplified how-to, and if you have a creative idea that you think looks good but doesn’t fit in this tutorial, try it out anyway. You can always start over!)

It’s option ‘c’ that I love to do the most, and this is why we chose the bedroom colours that we did: Caribbean blue, a fresh pure orange, and some hints of butternut yellow. Our theme is folkart owls, deer, and mushrooms, but done in these updated colours. For the most part, all we have so far is a comforter, bedskirt, and ideas…that is, until we painted our nightstands.

These nightstands were a freebie, found online through UsedOttawa.com. You can see they are a)from a different era, and b)made of fake wood. Actually, they’re made of real wood but someone painted them with fake woodgrain. I don’t understand the logic behind this. No matter: we set to work fixing them right up…

First step is usually a sanding, using a really nubbly sandpaper to give the surface some ‘tooth’, a fancy word for scratches. After that, a coating of primer will be your best friend: primer sticks better to slick surfaces, plus it is toothy, itself. If you’ll recall, I am a big advocate for letting your primer dry: don’t rush layers when you’re painting, or you’ll end up with more work in the end, trying to cover up the mistakes that arise. We did  two coats of paint on the nightstands. We asked at the store for the best paint to stick to a poorly primed, nasty surface. This is because, as much as I preach good priming, I am not a detail person…I know the primer is important, but I may not work on it all day, meaning that my paint needs to be good and sticky. It also needed to be resilient, as the surface of a nightstand is exposed to water glasses, coffee cups, pens, notebooks, and various lotions and toiletries.

Whatever line of paint you go with, there will be different mixes and different finishes; go with the recommended formula in terms of wear-and-tear, but for the finish, I’m a fan of semi-gloss. Sometimes a high gloss paint can be a bit translucent and give you more grief with bold colours.

The nightstands now go perfectly with the $2.00 thrift store lamps that I found, and so we now have a good start on our grand bedroom vision.

What a change a bit of paint makes, right? We are debating on using an applique technique to decoupage on some paper owls, but I think we’ll have to see how everything looks in our new apartment. If you want to keep apprised, follow our nesting journey on our newlywed blog; in the meantime, I DARE you: be brave and bold, embrace a rich colour and try pairing it with its complimentary. Then comment below and include a link to photos, if you can.

And always remember: colours are trendy. They always change, so there’s really no way to choose colours for the long haul. Almost guaranteed, your shades and tones will be outdated in five years’ time. What does this mean? It means have FUN and don’t worry too much about playing it safe: even the most subdued taupe will eventually be considered blatantly gaudy. If you’re going to raise eyebrows, raise ‘em with something that will make you love your home.

OMG! Christmas is Almost Here! Relax with a DIY Facial

You probably look like this around Christmas!

Christmas is officially upon us!  As I mentioned in my last post, not a single moment was wasted last week tearing down the Halloween decorations and putting up the Christmas ones.  With ONLY 46 MORE DAYS till Christmas (Seriously? That sounds like a lot of days to me! ) some people are already switching to panic mode, running around frantically shopping for the perfect gift for all 100 people on their Christmas lists this year.  Not to mention, the kids who have been writing out their own Christmas lists since Dec.26th last year.

For example, I was at Costco this weekend, which is normally pretty hectic — but with the holiday spirit in the air, the place was crazy. Almost every shopping cart was either loaded with various toys for the kiddies or the must-have decorations for the season. They had these Christmas ball decorations for the tree that were the size of a small child and literally every second person was buying a set!

What size trees are these people buying???  Is there a new trend this year where you are supposed to decorate the 20-foot Douglas fir in your front yard?

Watching all these people tripping over each other to score the giant Christmas balls got me thinking…we all need to take a big breath before the Christmas Holidays actually start (the official date is Dec.24th, not Nov.1st!) and give ourselves some time to relax!  This especially goes out to the Moms of the world as it’s usually Mom who shops, Mom who cooks, Mom who bakes and Mom who decorates for the holidays! The best advice my friends gave me when I got pregnant and became a mom, was to make sure to take some time for myself each day, whether it be having a bubble bath, reading a book for 5 minutes or simply remembering to take a few deep breathes.  I especially think this advice comes in handy around the holidays.

I was fortunate to heed this advice a few weeks ago and take advantage of a discounted spa treatment I had purchased on one of those great online coupon daily deal sites. It included a 1-hour organic facial (my first one!) which was amazing! As I was lying there being pampered, I realized that this could be something anyone could do for themselves at home.  Now I know most people at this time of year would say they don’t have time, but really all you need is 20 minutes and you will feel like a new woman (or man…men need to pamper themselves too, you know!) So based on the facial I received, I did a little research and figured out what I need to give myself an at-home facial:

DIY 20-minute facial

1. Cleanse your skin with your usual cleanser applying in circular motions from your neck upwards. Then wash off with a hot wet towel.

2. Have a hot bath so that the steam can open up your pores making it more receptive to the mask treatment. Add some lavender oil for maximum relaxation. If you don’t think you have time for a bath, fill a bowl with hot water (not boiling) and add a couple of drops of lavender oil. Place your head above the bowl of water with a tea towel over your head, and then breathe deeply for a few minutes.

3. The next step is to exfoliate your skin. Mix oatmeal with honey (try not to eat it first!) and apply to your face in circular motions. It feels weird but smells good. Gently massage it into your face in circular movements. Wash off the yummy goo in the sink or with a wet cloth.

4. Next comes the mask. The woman at the spa used an all natural honey mask which smells great. You just need 1 egg, 2 tbsps of honey, a splash of milk and 1 tsp of vitamin E oil. Separate the egg yolk from the egg white. If you have normal to dry skin use the egg yolk, and if you have normal to oily skin use the egg whites. Place the portion that you are going to use in a small bowl. Add the honey and mix a little bit. Now add the vitamin E oil and a very small amount of milk. If you use too much milk, the consistency of the facial masque will be too liquidy and the mask will not apply properly. Leave on for 5-10 minutes – pop a couple of slices of cucumber or cold tea bags over your eyes whilst you are waiting for the mask to work. Then wash off the mask.

5. Now massage your skin with whatever daily moisturizer you use and voila!  A new more relaxed you ready to face the holiday madness!!!

Now you look like this around Christmas! Much better huh?

And for an added bonus, if you really want to relax, I highly recommend purchasing one of those home foot spas to put your tootsies in while you let the mask set.  Pure heaven.  In stores they are pretty expensive but I managed to find some brand new on UsedVic for around $20.

Now…take 3 deep breathes and relax…and try not to think that there is ONLY 46 MORE DAYS TILL CHRISTMAS!!! Tee-hee. Just kidding.

Coupon Tip of Week:  Don’t feel embarrassed to ask for coupons from your friends and neighbours. Last week the P&G and Smartsource coupons came with the local paper and there were some really good ones like Pampers diapers. Most people just throw these out in the recycling so why not ask them to simply put them aside for you to use? This way you can really stock up on items when a great sale comes along.

A peek inside my collections: pocket art

This goes back awhile, but it’s one of my favourite and most extensive collections. I used to make and collect pocket art, Artist Trading Cards (ATCs) to be exact. It is one of the most interesting and fun ways to collect original art.

ATCs can be one of a kind or made in limited numbers. They can be painted, illustrated, rubber-stamped or sewn. They can be made from a limitless variety of materials including wire, buttons, eyelets and ribbon, and feature tiny windows or doors, sliding parts and secret pockets. They do however, have to be relatively flat.

A proper ATC must adhere to these four cardinal rules:

• ATCs must measure 2 1/2 x 3 1/2″ – the same size as hockey or baseball cards. This is the cardinal rule that can never be broken.
• Any design technique is permissible, as long as the result is original. But this rule is subject to interpretation. In my opinion, anything goes as long as the person has put effort into their work. There are ATC purists out there who claim stickers, glitter glue and computer-generated designs are strictly verboten.
• The ATC must be self-made.
• ATCs must be traded—never sold.

I spent several years immersed in the world of ATCs (I know how bizarre that must sound) but it’s this last point that is one of the most divisive. People were shunned if word got out that they dared sell their ATCs online. Shunned!

Artists have been creating miniatures for years, but it was Swiss artist M. Vänçi Stirnemann who created the concept of ATCs and ATC trading in 1997. Stirnemann, inspired by the community of sport-card trading, created an exhibit of over 1,000 ATCs and invited people to create their own cards in exchange. No money changed hands, only art. It was this idea that really appealed to me. You can obtain art by making art. It’s highly democratic.

There are entire sites, webrings and message groups dedicated to ATC discussion and trading. It is a highly addictive pursuit. Imagine getting an envelope with these inside them:

For awhile I was even designing my own faux-postage. (See? Addicted.)

You got as good as you gave. And I tell ya, it was thrilling to open my mailbox to find a brightly decorated envelope with my name on it.

I’ve filed my favourite ATCs – ones that I’ve received from all over the world – into special binders with clear sleeves that hold nine cards each. Last time I counted I had nearly 500. Every once in awhile I stumble upon one of those binders and I wonder why I haven’t framed them yet. I would love to show them in an art gallery somewhere. They deserve to see the light of day again, to be appreciated once more.

I quit the ATC world a few years ago. I don’t know if it was burnout or what, but the bug left me and never came back. Sometimes I wish it would.

Getting Warm and Fuzzy for the Cause: Movember 2011

Mike, Jake, Jose, Peter & Jordan are Team Used Moustache

Last week I asked our Facebook community if they were planning on growing moustaches for Movember. Turns out a lot of them are participating one way or another. And so it seemed only logical to ask the guys here in the office to do their part. And so I present to you team Used Moustache!  Best. Name. Ever. Right? Check out those fledgling moustaches! Not too shabby, considering we’re just out the starting gates of week two!

If you want to support Team Used Moustache please feel free to donate! Those of us here in the office unable to grow mustaches will be sure to do our part, as well!

Help us support this cause by donating to your favorite team member below, or by making a donation to the entire team. If you’re feeling particularly hirsute, you can also sign up and join our team!

Check back here for the weekly progress report!

Can you match which teeny-weeny moustache goes with which team member? *Hint* One of the moustaches pictured might be fake…

UsedBlog Hearts Pinterest!

1957 Jaguar Astin Martin Lagonda via UsedEverywhere Cars Pinterest board

Have you heard of Pinterest? If you answered “yes”, then let’s follow each other. Forever. If you haven’t, then let me explain (and then let’s follow each other. Forever.) Actually, I’ll let TechCrunch explain with all it’s linky wisdom:

The current toast of the web is Pinterest, the visual pinboard for collecting and sharing content online. The “pinning” phenomena is spreading from its modest beginnings to appearing in national media outlets. There are over 2.5m monthly active Pinterest users on Facebook. A co-founder of the site has over 500,000 followers on Pinterest. Ron Conway (an investor in the site) remarked that Pinterest’s user growth rate is what Facebook’s was five years ago. Earlier in 2011, it was valued through venture financing at $40m and, most recently, just a few months later, at around $200m.

Okay, so that’s pretty great, right? It’s also seriously addictive. Since I created pin boards for UsedBlog, I can’t stop pinning. Stuffed Alf doll on UsedVictoria? Pinned! Vintage turntable from UsedCalgary? That’s right! Pinned! It’s fun and allows you to curate content quickly & easily. It’s amazing how interesting photos uploaded to the UsedEverywhere sites look like art when they’re grouped together.

It’s also really cool to see how other people are using Pinterest. From home renos (real & imagined) to dream vacations and everything in between – people aren’t just sharing content. They’re sharing who they are and who they want to be. It’s a truly amazing community and we’re just happy to be a part of it. But don’t take my word for it! Check out the UsedEverywhere Pinterest boards and see for yourself. Happy pinning!