Little Miss Bows and Bands

Did you know Canada..  I love head bands, wear them all the time, but do you know what I don't like, that pain behind your ears where the head band pushes too hard, but if it didn't do that then the head band would slip off wouldn't it.  Then I learned about these beautiful headbands from Little Miss Bows and Bands.

Handmade Baby to Adult accessories made with love by Farah, her head bands fit perfect, I've never had a slip and her hair ties leave your hair dent free and double as fashionable bracelets when not in use, how cool is that!  With heat sealed to avoid fraying, these ties and bands will last for ever and even with daily use they are still keeping their shape.  No more pain behind the ears from a too tight head band either.

Coming in a huge range of colours, you can have a band for every look and every occasion.  That's not all Farah has to offer either, she has sweet tutus, cute clips, gorgeous wedding wear and more!

Don't forget little mister either, Farah offers cute ties, suspenders and funky bow ties for the little man in your life, perfect for pictures!

Visit Little Miss Bows and Bands on Facebook to see everything she has to offer!

Fall Made by Hand Show Giveaway #madebyhandshow

Did you know Canada.. the Fall Made by Hand Show returning to the International Centre in Mississauga on October 19, 2013.  Check out this amazing list of exhibitors, all handmade crafts for body, baby, kids, home decor, clothing, jewellery, paper goods and more!

How would you like a $100 shopping spree at the show? We are giving away that and more, almost $500 in prizes.

 Thanks to all the giveaway hosts: Made by Hand, Mayahood Blog, Canadian Blog House, Canadian Mom Eh, Maple Mouse Mama, One Heart One Family, Journeys of the Zoo, Socially Engaged, Little Miss Kate, Did you Know Canada and Tales of a Ranting Ginger.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway 

 Open to ALL CANADIANS

ALL Prizes will be picked up in person at the Fall Made by Hand Show, October 19, between 11:00am - 5:00pm, International Centre, Hall 6, Mississauga. For more information on the MADE BY HAND SHOWS please visit http://www.madebyhandshow.ca

Canadian Made - Skights

Did you know Canada..  this summer has been a bit... off.. hasn't it?  Cooler than normal (except for the one crazy heat wave), we've been getting chilly at evening baseball games and in the shade, it's been making it hard to dress my busy baby.

That was, until I heard about Skights!  Mommy owned and Canadian Made, Skights are awesome!  Protecting from knees to toes, they keep my little man warm and toasty and protect his legs and toes as he gears up for crawling and rolls around the floor.  I remember when my twins first started army crawling we found a trail of blood all the way down the hall where my little guy had cut his "push off" toe.  We tried in vain to keep him in socks, but he always kicked them off or took them off, we usually found the sock in his mouth instead of on his foot protecting his toe!

I was so, so impressed with how well Skights fit and stayed on, even with my crazy little man kicking and rolling.  The knees are padded which is perfect for my almost crawler, and they are SO. CUTE!

Available is 6 cute colours - I think they compliment so many outfits perfectly! Skights are stylish, and don't interfere with whatever your little man it wearing!  You still have access to the diaper, doesn't effect potty training and washed perfect!

You can learn even more about Skights by following them on Facebook, Twitter and checking out this article on Together Moms! We are so excited to offer a Skights giveaway to our readers so they can see for themselves!  Enter below for your chance to win 2 pairs of Skights - one size small and one size large!

Giveaway

Wow - AeroVelo Wins $250,000 Sikorsky Prize!

Did you know Canada..  The Igor I. Sikorsky Human Powered Helicopter Competition was established in 1980(!!!) by the American Helicopter Society International to develop the first controlled flight of a human powered helicopter that meets a set of extremely challenging requirements.

The requirements to win the AHS Human Powered Helicopter Competition include a flight duration of at least 60 seconds and reaching an altitude of 3 meters while remaining in a 10 meter square boundary. The flight must also be certified by a representative of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale.

The competition was named in honor of Igor Sikorsky and the prize is $250,000 (pledged by Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation).

Well, BIG NEWS! The prize was awarded July 11 2013 to the AeroVelo team from the University of Toronto. On 13 June 2013 at 12:43PM EDT the team managed to keep their human-powered helicopter called Atlas in the air for 64.11 seconds, reach a peak altitude of 3.3 metres and drift no more than 9.8 metres.

Check it out here, and congratulations!!  Go Canada!!

Put Spring in Your Skin with Cocoon Apothecary!

Did you know Canada..  it wasn't a bad winter here in South Western Ontario, but it's been a long one (frost warnings earlier this week for example!) and it is way past time to perk up my skin.  I was very excited to learn about the natural skincare line from Cocoon Apothecary.  I received their Ancient Mud Facial Mask and the Skin Care Starter Kit with cleanser, toner and cream.

Ancient Mud Facial Mask that contains Dead Sea mud, British Columbian and glacial marine clay infused with essential oils of rose and orange blossom.  This amazing mask mineralizes the skin, exfoliates, purifies pores and draws out all toxins.  I actually had a lot of fun trying the mud facial mask, I've never done one myself before.  Yes, there really is mud in that jar, but it smells wonderful! It was easy to smooth on, then I just let it dry and washed it off, easy peasy and actually really relaxing.

To continue your skin’s renewal, the Cocoon Apothecary Skin Care Starter Kit containing Petal Purity Cleanser, Rose Facial Toner, and Rosey Cheeks Facial Cream will take care of nourishing, restoring and maintaining your skin’s balance, giving it a healthy glow - which is exactly what we want this time of year right!  Again very easy to use and put on, smells wonderful.  I wouldn't say I have extremely sensitive skin, but I certainly can't use just anything, or I get red and itchy.  With the Cocoon Apothecary Skin Care Starter Kit I LOVED the feel of my skin.  Everything felt great and my skin felt conditioned, comfortable and smooth.

I also love that it's not a one time thing, there's enough product to have your own spa day at home all the time!  A great way to refresh and relax after a long week.

It's Jessica Burman who founded Cocoon Apothecary in 2004 in Kitchener, Ontario.  She wanted to create organic and eco-friendly skincare products that embrace the healing power of natural ingredients. Jessica’s background certification in aromatherapy and esthetics has given her the ability to create master formulations that embrace the healing and regenerative powers of rose, lavender and geranium essential oils that work together synergistically.  She meticulously prepares natural beauty creams that contain antioxidants, are vegan and gluten-free and free of petroleum and parabens.

All Cocoon Apothecary beauty creams have natural scents and don’t contain any synthetic fragrance often found in other beauty products.  Cocoon Apothecary’s natural beauty products are 100% biodegradable and are packaged in 100% recyclable amber glass bottles with plant-based labels. Cocoon Apothecary focuses on transparent corporate practices, educating customers on reading cosmetic labels and the importance of natural ingredients.

A great group of products and they would make a beautiful gift too!  Learn more at www.cocoonapothecary.com.

My Camera Couture

Did you know Canada.. Canadian company My Camera Couture, makes the most gorgeous straps for your camera.  All of their straps are hand made in the Vancouver studio.  For both SLR/DSLRs and point and shoot camera, no matter what you shoot with you can do so in style.

With the birth of our third little man we decided it was time to upgrade to a DSLR and have been having a lot of fun taking pictures, learning techniques and understand all these settings.

I LOVE having a fun strap to personalize the camera.  The kids just had a talent show at school last week and everyone had out their DSLRs and we got so many compliments on our strap and how unique it was, really makes you stand out in a crowd, I love it!

Easy to attach, strong and secure, you don't feel nervous about letting go of the camera while around your neck.  Their handmade SLR and DSLR camera straps are reversible with the fashion fabric on one side and "Capture Everyday Life" at least twice on the reverse.  My Camera Couture wrist straps are strong enough to use with your SLR/DSLR camera or any other device that takes a 3/8" strap and their point and shoot straps have a sturdy loop that attaches easily attach to point-and-shoot cameras, cell phones, GPS devices, and more!

We have a great surprise for our readers!  We have this beautiful strap to give away in this gorgeous fabric, enter below for your chance to win Canada!

Giveaway

This Saturday - The Made By Hand Show!

Did you know Canada.. the Made By Hand Show is THIS Saturday, April 20th at the International Centre, Hall 1 in Mississauga (with FREE Parking!).

Featuring over 190 Canadian exhibitors, this will make a fun day for the whole family.  Children enter free, there's free face-painting, balloon animals and a princess photo booth, lots to do and see for everyone!

What a great way to support local Canadian businesses, with free parking and only $5 to enter, you can browse, snack, chat and shop.

At the Made By Hand Show you'll find original artwork, baby/toys, body, candles, clothing, ceramics, fashion accessories, jewellery, photography, knitting, pottery, paper goods, wood and a range of gourmet goodies.  Click here for a preview of the 190 exhibitors; they include some friends we've featured in the past, like Warm Fuzzies and Lala Soap Company!

Buy tickets online for advanced entry, the first 100 families through the door also receive a swag bag!

Spring Trends with Luxe Box

Did you know Canada..  The beauty team at Loose Button have been working with Steven and Chris from CBC to create the Spring Luxe Box, and it's a good one!  A Luxe Box is a seasonal mail out with 7-8 deluxe size beauty samples, I've received these in the past and have found some awesome products that I now buy all the time.  It's a great way to be introduced to new products without spending the big bucks for full size bottles.

Arriving in a awesome shaped box, especially for us that get our mail delivered to community boxes, I also loved the bag the deluxe samples where stored in, both can be repurposed.

First up was browsing the Spring Trends 2013 booklet which gives you info on the products that were sent out in the Spring Luxe Boxes (you do not receive every product listed, everyone gets 7-8 of the available products, so you might end up a bit sad that you didn't get one of the products listed).

Here are my favourites from the box..

Moroccanoil's Body Buff - I'm a huge fan of Moroccanoil's hair products, which I first sampled from Loose Button and have been purchasing ever since.  The body buff arrives at the perfect time for spring to buff away our dull winter skin, because we are ready to shine!

Pandora's Makeup Box Mascara - which, check it out, is Made In Canada!  Developed for sensitive eyes and an exceptionally long handled brush, it goes on easy and really is clump free.  I also loved the clear strip on the side so you can see when it's running low.  I was glad to try this mascara, because at $19 a tube, I would have been hesitant to purchase it, but now I know it's a great product.

Eternity Aqua by Calvin Klein - I shared this one with my Mom as she is the queen of perfumes, she thought it was nice, light and refreshing.

Blending Sponge - this was a fun treat, not something I would purchase on my own thinking it wouldn't make a difference, but it does, it works fabulous at blending - can be used with liquid, cream, loose powder or pressed powder makeup in a bouncing motion.

I also received..

Lancome's Genefique Youth Activating Serum - while I know an expensive product, this one doesn't do much for me, and I already received one in the Loose Button Advent Calendar so it wasn't much of a treat.

Blue Lagoon Iceland rich nourishing cream - while just kind of a bonus item, I thought the sample packaging was silly and there wasn't enough to really see if it made a difference to your skin or not.

Chroma Captive by Kerastase - great shampoo for colour treated hair, no complaints there, but the price point is extremely high for a full size bottle, I personally wouldn't be able to afford it as a daily shampoo.

Are you a Luxe Box subscriber?  What did you think of the Spring Box?

Northern Biscuit

Did you know Canada..  my doggies, Maddie and Bailey, love to snack, as all doggies do.  We try our best to give them healthy treats but as our dogs like to tell us some of those don't taste so good.  Thanks to Northern Biscuit, we've found a Canadian Made treat that start with fresh foods and simple, honest recipes. No dough risers, no artificial anything.

Baked in small batches, our pups have sampled a few of Northern Biscuit's flavours, including their most patriotic flavour - Canadian Bacon!

Wheat-Free Canadian Bacon uses food-grade Ontario and Quebec Pork, Canadian maple syrup and blueberries for antioxidants. Pumpkin Pie features Pure Ontario pumpkin sprinkled with cinnamon is great to aid digestion and settle upset tummies.

Grain-Free Beef Tripe is Canadian beef tripe mixed with Manitoba-grown potatoes and is gluten free.  So is Grilled Bison, which features Alberta Bison from the ranches of Western Canada also with Manitoba-grown potatoes.

Our Maddie's favourite has been the Beef Tripe, and Bailey, well, she likes everything..haha..  for me, I like that these treats are dry, they don't get all gooey or gross up my carpet.  They actually smell pretty good too and the pups think they smell great!

I love that the ingredients are front and centre on the packaging - how often will you find a company, especially one producing for animals, that are proud of the ingredients they include in their product?!  Wouldn't these biscuits would be perfect for a sweet gift for a doggie friend? :-)

What a great company to support, supporting this Canadian company means you are supporting a whole host of Canadians, from Canadian growers providing their freshest, food-grade meats and vegetables. The packaging (which I think look great by the way) is made from compostable, recyclable, renewable Canadian paper, manufactured only one hour from their bakery.  Folks from Community Living Ontario groups affix the labels to their bags; Northern Biscuit also supports local animal rescue organizations and local environmental initiatives.

Find Northern Biscuit on the web, twitter, facebook and pinterest to keep up to date on their tasty treats!

Posterjack

Did you know Canada..  well of course you know we have a new little man in the house, 6 weeks old now.  When he was just a week old I took him over to a friends house where she took the SWEETEST photos of my little guy, they are so beautiful  I stare at them everyday.  One in particular was my favourite, and so I was SO excited to work with Posterjack.ca on a review to check out their service and get a print of our babe for the wall.

First up, Posterjack.ca offers the COOLEST services, all made from their Toronto location (get this, they actually produce more photo art than any other company in Canada!).  Not only can you get the more usual photo enlargements and mounted prints, but you can also get a canvas like I did, METAL prints (how cool is this?!), gorgeous acrylic prints, peel n' stick - I could redo all the wall art in the whole house with Posterjack's services!  The hardest part would be picking what photos I wanted.

Knowing I wanted to print this specific picture of my newborn I didn't have that problem this time, I decided on canvas because I thought it would really stand out and it's something different than other pictures we have on the wall.  So all I had to do was select Canvas Prints on Posterjack.ca - upload my image, pick a size and I was good to go!  I really liked the features on Posterjack that let me know my image quality was excellent, I could crop the photo right there if I wanted to, everything was very simple yet robust - not an easy combination!

Checking out was simple and talk about fabulous customer service - my image was just the right fit for the canvas, if any of the picture wrapped around the frame part of the baby's head would be cut off.  Posterjack emailed me to let me know about this and gave me options on how to do the wrap around frame, including the option they thought was best.  This means they actually LOOKED at my picture, they made sure something crazy didn't happen like just doing it and sending me an awful looking picture, I was so, SO very pleased with the fact they they obviously don't just run off the next project in the queue, they actually look at your photo, let you know if something isn't going to work, and give you options on how to make it look the best, THIS is customer service.  So I choose for them to use a mirror image of picture for the wrap around frame, and it looks fantastic!

When this arrived, my heart stopped, I was so happy, as any of my Facebook friends can attest, I posted about it immediately, praising my friend for the photo, Posterjack for the great work.  This canvas print will be on my wall for the rest of my life, I will always cherish this image of my baby boy, and thank you so much to Posterjack for making it happen, having amazing customer service and quality products.

Easy to hang, quality job done, I couldn't be happier!

I can't wait to order more prints in the future, would love to try a metal or acrylic print, what a great talking piece for your home! Truly, a work of art!

We tried a new dish with #CavendishFromTheFarm

Did you know Canada..  with our new baby on the way NEXT WEEK, I've been sending hubby and the kids to the grocery store, which means instead of wandering around and deciding my menu on the fly I've had to pre-plan everything.  Hubby is a great shopper, but he ONLY gets what's on the list, drives me nuts..haha..  So it's been a challenge to come up with some fun meals without looking around the store first.

Thankfully this past week I became a Cavendish From the Farm blogger, which introduced us to their 3 products - Cavendish From the Farm Wedges, Rustic Reds and Straight Cut potatoes.  Low in saturated fat, prepared with the skin on and are made with 100% canola oil and lightly seasoned with sea salt, they were a perfect addition to meal times.

Hubby had no problem finding the Farm Wedges and Rustic Reds at our local Real Canadian Super Store.

Instead of just a side dish we decided to try a main dish with the Rustic Reds, a potato casserole!

First we added a whole bag of Rustic Reds to a casserole dish.

Drizzled a little bit of olive oil over top and popped them in the oven for about 10 minutes.

While they were heating up I cut up a chicken breast, topped with salt, pepper and garlic powder and cooked it up.

Removed the potatoes from the oven, added about 1/4C of hot sauce to the potatoes, mixed well, added the cooked chicken, shredded cheese and a bit of green onion.

Popped it back in the oven for another 20 minutes and served, so good!  Even the kids, MY KIDS, loved it!!

Later this week we are thinking about making poutine with the Farm Wedges.

2 great ways to change up our dinners, easy to plan ahead even when you are off grocery duty and the kids loved them!!  I can think of so many more ways to change up a potato casserole with the rustic reds, the wedges and straight cuts are great side dishes on their own or easy to dress up.

Best of all - they are Canadian!!  Harvested exclusively from the rich red soil of PEI, they carefully select only the most delicious, premium potatoes for the Cavendish From the Farm line up.  The kids already heard my stories about our family vacations to PEI in my youth, such a beautiful place, I hope I can bring my own kids there some day.

Disclosure – I am participating in the From the Farm blog tour by Mom Central Canada on behalf of Cavendish. I received compensation as a thank you for participating and for sharing my honest opinion. The opinions on this blog are my own.

Made in Canada home renovation

Did you know Canada..  a friend and her husband's Christmas gift to each other this year is to redo their kitchen.  Home renovation does not sound like the best thing during the Holidays, but it works for them as they are both off work for two weeks, they have been saving up the money and are doing much of the work themselves.  Plus, practically everything in on sale one way or another this time of year right.

Now is also the time to get in any last minute renovations that can be used towards the Home Renovation Tax Credit!

It got me to thinking about the best way to home renovate the Made in Canada way.  The first step would be to ask your local lumber yard where the wood comes from, and find a place that deals with local producers.  Visit locally owned shops like Home Hardware to purchase products and tools.  You won't be able to find everything you need Canadian made, but at least you are supporting local businesses.

If you are looking for garage doors in Burlington as part of a renovation, we found a company that sells and services Made in Canada products!

There's also Canadian made kitchen cabinets, flooring, furniture and more available from companies throughout Canada.  If you are using a contractor ask about ordering in Canadian made pieces.

Have you done a home reno this year?  Do you know where your new updates were made?

New Twenties tomorrow!

Did you know Canada.. tomorrow (Wed. Nov 7, 2012) is the day, Bank of Canada will begin circulating the new $20 polymer bills.

Here's a link to see the new bills, perfect for upcoming Remembrance Day, the images include red poppies and the Canadian National Vimy Memorial.

It's fairly easy to avoid 50s and 100s but I think we all have a few 20s in our wallet from time to time, how do you feel about the new polymer bills now that they will be part of most people's cash flow?

Wantizen

Did you know Canada..  have you heard about Wantizen?

Instead of just searching for hotels online and bidding on prices, you can now search for rental properties and bid to get amazing savings!  How cool is that!  Why search for rental properties instead of a hotel?  Well for one, packing!!  These days, vacation rental properties come with a host of amenities that you would otherwise have to pack if you were staying in a hotel.  Never worry about your iPod dock, sand toys or lawn chairs, and especially not cooking oil, spices, tea & coffee, paper towels, fresh flowers - everything you need to enjoy your vacation will already be available to you in  a rental property!

When you search for vacation rental properties on Wantizen you can type in all the amenities you want, so there are no surprises when you get there (no Mom needs surprises!!!!), and you will often get a lower rate than the one you offer to the property owners - since the property owners are "bidding" on your business and know they are bidding against other property owners, so they'll likely offer you back a price that is lower than your original offer.  Offering one price and getting it even cheaper?  This is the way to plan a holiday!

Wantizen absolutely makes things easier for busy Moms trying to plan a family vacation.  Wantizen helps to significantly reduce research time and it is the economical and practical solution when planning your next trip.

Not only perfect for those of us planning a trip, but if you own a rental property this is such a great place to list it and have access to so many potential renters!

I also, of course, love that this service is based out of Vancouver BC, that makes the service even more trusty worthy to me, knowing it's Canadian.

Not only did we want to share this fantastic new service with you, but we have TWO contest alerts for you!

Visit the Wantizen Facebook Page for your chance to win one of two iPads in their photo contest!

ALSO, visit the Wantizen website and enter their sign-up to win sweepstakes where you could win $500 off your next rental booking with Wantizen - wow!

Who is planning an upcoming vacation??

Made By Hand Show is almost here!

Did you know Canada..  mark your calendars, the Made By Hand Show is almost here!  On October 27 the Fall Made By Hand Show is being held once again at the International Centre, Hall 6 in Mississauga.

With Over 190 Handmade Exhibitors, FREE Face-Painting, Surprise Princess Visit, FREE Swag Bags to the 1st 100 families, and FREE Parking, this is one event no to be missed.  Only $2 for admission, and remember, door proceeds are benefiting Crafting for a Cure and children are free.

Get all your Christmas presents and be ready to wrap in no time!  Handmade gifts chosen with care make gorgeous gifts and they don't have to break the bank.  Plus, of course, they are all Made IN Canada!

I am loving the Made By Hand Show's Gold Sponsor - Curbside Cupcake Bliss! Curbside Bliss Cupcakes is where they bring you delectable, mouth watering, baked-from-scratch goodness...curbside from their mobile cupcake kitchen - how awesome is that??

So, visit the Made By Hand Show website so you can check out all 190 exhibitors and be ready to shop Canada!

MommiesFirst

Did you know Canada..  this September a new Canadian company began delivering care packages to the homes of new expectant and new moms. MommiesFirst sends its members a beautiful box each month filled with 4-5 of the most relevant products for a mom to discover during that particular stage of her pregnancy or her baby’s life (from 0 to12 month in age). MommiesFirst is the first service of its kind in Canada!

MommiesFirst was started by Lorena Pacheco Scott, a Toronto mother of two, in response to her own experience as a new mom.   Lorena says, three years ago when my first son was born I was scared, overwhelmed, and confused. At first I thought I was the only one who felt this way, but in talking to other mums, I very quickly discovered these are emotions many of us experience. I never forgot those feelings of despair and loneliness, and after my second son was born, I resolved to do something about it.  MommiesFirst was created to help make a difference for all the other new moms out there.

So, we are now on a mission to make lives for Canadian moms a little bit easier and a lot less stressful. How are we doing this?  With the help of the MommiesFirst Council, a group of moms, dads, and baby experts, we are doing a ton of research on behalf of our mom members.  The MommiesFirst Council is tasked with finding, testing, and reviewing the HUGE amount of baby and mom focused product out there in order to create the right care package for our members. It is our hope that sending MommiesFirst care packages that are both beautiful and helpful, we make it easier for moms to discover the best products for them and their babies.   We don’t pretend to be able to solve all of a new mom’s challenges, or worse yet, sugar coat these issues. Instead, we appreciate the difficulties because we’ve 100% been there too.

Overall it has been an unbelievable journey since launching our website in May and then shipping our first boxes in September, and the response from moms has been wonderful.  Their feedback serves as a constant reminder of why we started MommiesFirst.  Another incredibly rewarding aspect of creating MommiesFirst is supporting Canadian mompreneurs.  There are A LOT of Canadian businesses started by mothers who were inspired by their own personal journeys and decided to create great products to help other moms. MommiesFirst is giving these amazing women a platform to tell their stores and showcase their lovely products (many of which are also designed and manufactured right here in Canada). 

If you or someone you love is interested in signing up to receive a MommiesFirst care package, please visit www.mommiesfirst.com. A subscription costs $25 per month, with free shipping.  All of our boxes are delivered with love and care! 

Additional Information:
Company website:  www.mommiesfirst.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mommiesfirstbox
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MommiesFirstBox
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/mommiesfirst/
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/mommiesfirstbox?feature=results_main

Apple Picking (or lack there of)

Did you know Canada..  you might remember back in May when we posted:


Did you know Canada.. some sad news going around Southern Ontario. With our unusually warm weather in March followed by cold April nights there has been devastating losses to farmers in Southern Ontario. Most apple farmers have lost almost their entire crop of apples for the season. As we've mentioned before Ontario is Canada's largest apple producer and an industry that is worth up $400 million in Ontario.

Environment Canada refers to this spring as one that has produced four seasons in one - I suffered the same thing in my garden. The warm weather had trees and flowers budding and blooms and the below freezing April nights killed them all off.

It's not going to be a happy fall season in Southern Ontario this year!

Well it has come to pass, MANY apple orchards across Southern Ontario have NO apples.  I've called around to a few local orcahrds, hoping to take the kiddos out picking this weekend and there are either absolutely no apples, or only a very minimal amount available.  I'm quiet sad about this, it's been a family tradition for years, we've been taking the boys since they were only two months old!

Ontario is Canada's largest apple producer and the McIntosh, which is the only variety grown in all apple-growing regions of Canada, makes up half of all Canadian apple production.  Apples are also Canada's largest fruit crop in terms of weight of food produced - so this is big (sad and frustrating) news in Canada!

Rustic Metal Creations

Did you know Canada..  I love jewellery, there, I said it :) Some woman love shoes, some love purses, I love bracelets, rings, necklaces, earrings, the works!  I don't mean I'm dripping in dimaonds, far from it, but I do love a funky ring, a sparkly necklace and hoopy earrings.

I was so happy to find Liz from Canadian company Rustic Metal Creations where all her designs are made in her private home studio.  She says the best way to describe her designs is a combination of rustic elegance and trendy styles. Each piece is custom made using non-tarnish stainless steel, aluminium, sterling silver, rustic copper, brass, swarovski and natural stones and the best components.  The end result is quality jewellery, at affordable prices that will last years to come and I completely agree!

I received the most beautiful necklace from Liz, in gorgeous packaging, with my boys initials stamped on small pendants.  She was also so nice to send a note letting me know the font she used so that when our new little one gets here we can get a matching pendant with his or her initial on it.

I also really appreciated the little cleaning pad that was include in the package, it's small things like this that make you feel that your business is wanted, appreciated and your new piece was made with respect.  Liz is very proud of her work and that makes me proud to wear it.

Rustic Metal Creations have items for every occasion, a necklace like mine for Moms, Grammas, Sisters and more; keychains, charm bracelets, wine charms, golf ball markers, she has something for everyone!  Perfect for birthdays, anniversaries, the coming Holidays, new babies - what a sweet and thoughtful gift that can be cherished forever.

We are so excited to share a treat with our readers from Rustic Metal Creations as well, enter below for your chance to win a $25 gift code to get your own special piece!  Good luck Canada!!

Giveaway a Rafflecopter giveaway

Life of Pi

Did you know Canada..  that famous novel, Life of Pi, was written by a Canadian!  I had no idea!

Written by Canadian Yann Martel, Life of Pi is a fantasy adventure novel by Yann Martel published in 2001. The protagonist, Piscine Molitor "Pi" Patel, an Indian boy from Pondicherry, explores issues of spirituality and practicality from an early age. He survives 227 days after a shipwreck, while stranded on a boat in the Pacific Ocean with a Bengal tiger. The novel has many zoology references and is partially educational.

Did you know that this famous novel was actually rejected by at least five London publishing houses before being picked up by Knopf Canada?  This Man Booker Prize winning novel has been talked about since it was first published in 2001.

Now living in Saskatoon, Yann was born in Spain where his father worked as a diplomat.  As an adult, Martel has spent time in Iran, Turkey and India. After studying philosophy at Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario, Martel spent 13 months in India visiting masjids, churches, temples and zoos, and spent two years reading religious texts and castaway stories.

Over at The Good Shopper Blog, on BuyCanadianFirst.ca you can enter to WIN a copy of this prize winning novel, but hurry, giveaway is only open until Monday morning!!

Good Luck!!

Fall Made by Hand Show - Save the Date!!

Did you know Canada..  The Fall Made by Hand Show is just over two months away.  All summer long the team has been busy planning - As a media sponsor, we wanted to be the first to give you a little sneak peak about the upcoming fall show.

SAVE THE DATE! Saturday October 27, 2012 is the Fall Made by Hand Show, held once again at the International Centre, Hall 6 in Mississauga.  This fall their BIGGER and BETTER. 

Show Highlights:
Over 190 Handmade Exhibitors - full list of exhibitors
Free Face-painting - Farco Entertainment
Surprise Pricess Visit - Parties by Carrie

FREE SWAG BAGS to the 1st 100 families

FREE PARKING
ADMISSION $2.00 (Children free)

Door Proceeds benefiting Crafting for a Cure

With an expanded vendor line-up featuring just over 190 Canadian handmade exhibitors - It is a one-stop shopping experience not to be missed. There is something for everyone in every media: original artwork, baby/toys, body, candles, clothing, ceramics, fashion accessories, jewellery, photography, knitting, pottery, paper goods, wood and a range of gourmet goodies.  Click here for a sneak peak at the 190 exhibitors.

The Fall Made by Hand Show wouldn't be complete without their line-up of FREE children attractions.  Returning this year is Farco Entertainment who will once again be providing free face-painting and balloon animals.  You'll remember this spring Cinderella visited the Spring show, this fall there is a surprise princess provided by Parties by Carrie.  Who's the surprise princess? Visit www.madebyhandshow.com for a clue.

It's a fun family day, only $2.00 admission (benefiting Crafting for a Cure), children are free.  Best of all - FREE PARKING.

Don't delay, make it on your calendar and RSVP to the Fall Made by Hand Show facebook event - better yet invite your friends too.  More information follow them on facebook (www.facebook.com/

madebyhandshow) or visit their website (www.madebyhandshow.com) - See you there!!

Want More?

All summer long, the Made by Hand team has been out crafting with children and promoting the upcoming Fall show.  Come do a free craft with the Made by Hand team at the Momstown Mississauga Birthday Bash (Thur. Aug. 16 at Erindale Park in Mississauga), and at the Babeebloomz Family Expo (Sat. Sept. 29 at The Meeting House in Oakville).