Seasons Christmas Show

 
If you’re already in the holiday spirit, and live in the GTA, you may want to head out to the sixth annual Seasons Christmas Show this weekend (Nov. 19-21) at the International Centre in Mississauga, where you’ll find more 200 exhibits of luxurious Christmas décor, yummy food and gifts, as well as seminars by décor celebs, including Karen Kirk from Canadian Living magazine, Frank Ferragine from CityLine,and Jane Lockhart, host of W Network’s Colour Confidential. Visit the site for more information.

Feeling Christmas-y yet?

 
 
Gearing up for the holiday season and beginning to look for affordable gift and décor ideas? I love this simple, inexpensive idea using old mason jars and Walltalk - lightweight vinyl quotes, graphics, and monogram initials that can stick to a variety of surfaces, including glass. They also come off easily and won’t damage the surface. Use them in the project shown, or think about sticking a short quote or word grouping on small canvas and putting it in a vintage frame. Or try stacking three Christmas-y words (joy, love, peace) on an inexpensive glass vase from PC Home or Ikea. You could also spray paint cheap cookies tins from the dollar store or Goodwill and stick words on those. You'd fill them with home-baked goodies, of course. Or maybe espom salts that you'd scented with essential oils. You could also:

Add a quote or words to a wide ribbon and thread it through your Christmas tree.

Add a quote or thought to the edge of plate chargers.

Frame family photos from Christmas past and add a favourite saying or a line from a traditional carol to the border.

Visit WallTalk for more ideas, and a list or retailers — or to order from the site.

Next week, I'll share some ideas for creating holiday décor/gifts with Rustoleum’s Frosted Glass spray paint.

New look, new time for Real Life

I always have fun when I go to visit Sharon Caddy and Tanya Promenko, hosts of CTS’s Real Life. I was there recently talking about great style ideas that won’t break the bank, when I learned that the show has a brand spanking new set, a slew of new experts and a new time — 3:30 p.m., with a repeat the following day at 12:30 p.m. Do check it out – it’s one of my fave ways to take a half-hour break during a busy day — and I always learn something new. Check out the archived segments – I’ve actually done several this year!

She likes me. She really, really likes me!

 
 
The greatest compliment anyone can ever pay me to is to try one of my ideas at home. So I was delighted to hear that my pal Susan (well-known as a stylster to friends and family) opted for my drop-cloth table cloth tip for her Thanksgiving dinner. She sent a few shots, including one of the pretty little trivets she got at Loblaws Superstore, (two in a packet for $3.99!) Susan says The Boyfriend took other, “artier” shots but she liked her own simple pics better. I think I’m going to ask the BF to send his shots too though, because I’m intrigued by the hanging lamp that’s barely visible and I’m dying to see more of print that’s been cut out of the shot. Or, I guess Susan could just invite me over for dinner to get a closer look…

Wary of waste

 

 

 

These pretty images of Moleskin notebooks reminded me yet again of how much I love paper products. I know, I know, paper is supposed to be wasteful and the world would be a better place if we all communicated electronically all the time. Technology will set us free from wateful practices, right? Except, except, I’m stumbling on this one, as I become more and more conscious of e-waste. A couple of recent light-bulb moments:

In the last two months, I’ve had to ditch two point and click digital cameras (not cheapies) because they just stopped working. I was advised by the repair department at my local camera shop that fixing them would probably cost more than they were worth, and that because they were past the warranty, the manufacturers wouldn’t replace them.

When the digital LED-lit temperature gauge on my oven stopped working, I phoned my repair guy, thinking I was probably in for a simple, inexpensive repair. After all, it just meant replacing a little light, no? Ah, no. I was told that the entire front panel of the stove would have to be removed (and sent to landfill, presumably) and replaced with a new panel that would cost — get this — $500. That’s just plain goofy.

So I’m now asking myself – just how much electronic waste are we creating? To give you an idea, there’s some interesting numbers on U.S. e-waste on Retrevo.com.

If like me, you’re becoming fascinated by waste issues, don’t miss Ellen Moorhouse’s Trash Talk column. In the meantime, if you have e-waste you want to get rid of safely, go to Do What You Can, a site that tells consumers how and where to dispose of their e-waste across the province. I’ve also just found out about Ifixit.com, on online resource for DIY  gadget repair. So maybe those cameras aren't  fit for the pit just yet.

 

Home show here I come (albeit slowly, and with a bit of a limp)

 

 

Well, I’m back in the saddle, so to speak, after weathering not one but TWO falls over the last few weeks. (My right leg still looks like ground beef!) Fortunately, I should be right as rain in time for my appearance at the International Home Show at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. I’ll have lots of great ideas for entertaining this holiday season – none of which will cost too much. There will be sneak peaks of new décor and tabletop products from Trudeau (like the super cute little fondue pots and individual serving plates shown above) and glittery ornaments from Debbie Travis’ Christmas collection for Canadian Tire (see pics below). I’ve also been experimenting with new goodies from Hamilton Beach and Procter-Silex, and will have tips and tricks for how to use everyday appliances such as slow cookers, electric skillets and hand-held mixers to create luscious meals that can will wow dinner party guests or make something special out of a weekday family dinner. And yes, I will have a few fun giveaways. See you there!

 

 
  

 

Bruised blue is the new black

Dear Reader, I know I've been remiss this week in not posting more. Blame it on the fact that on Monday, on my way to Rogers TV in Richmond Hill, laden with goodies that I'll be showing at the Fall Home Show, I went head over heels down my front steps. Miraculously, none of my stuff for the home show was broken, but my ankle is swollen to the size of a grapefruit and my legs look  like ground beef. Plus my ribs hurt. Not pretty. So I've been nursing my wounds quietly (well, not that quietly, says my family) so I'll be ready for my home show appearances, starting tomorrow. Come down and see me - and don't forget that Friday is Toronto Star Day. You can see Colin & Justin, Mark Cullen, Ellen Moorhouse and moi at the casalife StyleLab. See you there - I'll be the one NOT wearing high heels!

Testing trimmers

In principal, I like to use manual garden tools wherever possible because a) they’re more environmentally friendly and b) I so need the exercise. But when it comes to trimming our 30-odd feet of hedge — which grows like a weed, requiring several summer/fall trims — we gave in last year and bought a cordless trimmer. Our first purchase was a house brand from a major retailer that turned out to be, well, pretty crappy. There was a problem with the switch, in that it would sometimes jam, making the tool suddenly stop in the middle of a cut. Cute. The replacement we got did the same thing, convincing us once and for all that cheap garden tools are no bargain. This summer, the gardening team at my house (my husband, 15-year-old son and myself) tried two trimmers, both of which we liked.

One was the Black & Decker 18-volt cordless hedge trimmer (on sale at Home Depot now for about $110, I notice.) It’s supposed to run for about 30 minutes, but we found it ran longer than that, getting us all the way through the hedge job on one charge. It gives a nice clean cut on larger branches (up to about ¾ of an inch thick) and did not shred smaller, finer branches.  (For bigger branches, I still like my older, corded Black & Decker Alligator lopper.) At 22 inches, the blade is longer than that of the Ryobi we tested.  Using both made me realize that blade length can be a somewhat personal choice, depending on the depth of what you are cutting, and what feels best in your hand. I may actually like a slightly longer blade, the result, perhaps, of having short arms? The recharge time on the battery for this model is long; between nine and 11 hours, according to the manual. Because I do deplore the way power tools add to outdoor noise level, I have to say that I think I like the sound this one makes slightly more than the Ryobi (although husband and son says that’s silly.)

Overall, I was really impressed with the Ryobi cordless 18-volt trimmer.  It sells exclusively at Home Depot (regularly for $139, now on sale for $99) The company claims its 18-volt lithium battery will hold  charge about four times longer than its Ni-cad counterpart, but I can’t actually vouch for that.  I can say that the recharge time is fast – about an hour. It also gives a very clean cut on branches up to 3/8 of an inch and like, the Black and Decker, did not make a mess of thin new growth. We all found the Ryobi to be very nicely balanced and easy to manoeuvre. There’s also one stand-out feature to note.  It’s got a wrap-around handle, so that you can turn the blade simply by tilting your steering hand. So simple, so clever - it makes shaping bushes and hedges quicker and easier. That was true for both myself and my strong-as-oxes guys.

In the end, I think  my son said a mouthful when he suggested that picking the right trimmer is probably a bit like choosing the perfect hockey stick – it’s got to “fit”. So make sure you handle several before you buy.

An outdoor chore I can get behind

Looking for an excuse to spend a few hours outdoors this weekend? You know you are. If you’re a Type- A personality, you may feel you have to justify your al fresco time by doing a “chore”. Here’s one that’s I actually enjoy — giving outdoor furniture made from hardwood an annual going over with Teak or Tung Oil. It’s an environmentally-friendly way to protect wood and really brings out the grain. I became a fan of these oils after doing one or two refinishing jobs and getting queasy and loopy while using stains and sealants. I switched to oils in subsequent projects. LOVE IT.

Minwax also has a new water-based Woodsheen product out that I’m planning to try. It promises a hand-rubbed finish that’s easily applied with a rag, dries on one hour and cleans up with soap and water. Sounds good to me! To give your furniture an extra layer of protection, you can apply a topcoat over a layer of oil. Just choose the right one. Minwax says its Helmsman Spar Urethane can, for example, be applied over its Teak Oil. But I’m sure I’m read in a recent article in Canadian Home Workshop  that putting a hard finish over a softer one can lead to cracks in the top coat, so do your homework on this one. And don’t use Teak Oil on deck floors.

If lovingly rubbing oil into your outdoor furniture doesn’t sound like fun to you (no, but it is – really!) you can opt for a pre-finished or painted version, like the one from PC Home shown above ($100).

DIY Design

If, like me, you’re a person of a certain age, who grew up surrounded by mid-century modern design (which promptly got tossed out in the seventies to make way for rough and wobbly pine pieces from Quebec and - I am greatly pained to admit - macrame plant holders) you may experience sticker shock when you look at the prices some of that same stuff is now fetching in second-hand vintage shops. Like me, you may now kick yourself for not hanging onto those great teak pieces, sleek lamps and colourful enameled clocks. If you want to get the look and find your budget is tight, or if you simply enjoy using your hands to make something beautiful, as do the good folks at Curbly, you’ll want invest in a copy of Make It! Mid-Century Modern, a soft-cover booklet with 12 mid-century design projects with detailed, step-by-step instructions and photographs. I came across the booklet one day when I found myself ignoring a deadline researching trends by visiting Curbly, an online community where homeowners share DIY ideas, inspiration and advice. Truth be told, I spend way too much time on Curbly trolling for inspiration. You can download a copy of the booklet  for U.S. $10 or get a print version delivered for U.S. $18