Buy Canadian First - Your destination for good shopping

Holy whale tails! It's the May 24 Long Weekend and not a moment too soon, Canada ... well, at least not for me!! It's been a full week, with two assignments, an exam, work, housekeeping, my wonderful kids, the rest of the family, the cat, the garden and my darling ... all have been squeezed into one itty bitty week. If I can make it to four o'clock Friday afternoon with success at school and a happy collective of loved ones, I shall deem myself a superhero. It is reassuring to know that backyard party and BBQ season has begun! Good times with friends, play dates outside and just relaxing with my kids in the yard are just what I need!

 

Buying Canadian during the Summer season to enhance your BBQ event has never been easier! What is Summer without a Mr. Freeze ? These wonderful frozen treats from Buy Canadian First member Kisko Products  are a Summertime classic. Keeping things chilled is also the job of Buy Canadian first member Ravi Solutions  and their wine cooler. This great little tool cools your wine as you pour it from the bottle! 

 

An outdoor BBQ with great friends is always a wonderful time! Imagine Buy Canadian first member True North Salmon and their skewers  marinating in fellow member's Mari foods Wafu Japanese carrot ginger vinaigrette , then grilled. Finish the dish with a side of Noasap Harvest wild rice  and everyone will vote your backyard as "The Place to Be"!

 

Summer has almost arrived in Southern Manitoba and I'm celebrating What's on your grill this May 24 weekend, Canada?

 

Image source: Buy Canadian first nenbers: Kisko products, Ravi Solutions and Mari foods 

I love coffee bean sacks! Not only is the burlap perfectly rustic, but the stamped graphics offer an artful quality to anything you make with them. 

This round, I decided that my own kitchen windows were the perfect candidates to get hit with a little rustic charm, so faux coffee bean sack shades were born.

Sacks can be found at places that roast their own coffee beans. I find mine at a lovely Canadian home-run business, The Back Porch , locateded in Harrison Hot Springs, BC. But keep hunting and ask for referrals! They’re everywhere if you learn where to look.



How to make the shades:

 

1. Pick up a closet dowel and accommodating brackets. Install inside your window frame by cutting the dowel down to size and screwing in the brackets.

2. Cut your sack to the size of the dowel, creating a fray around the edges. Burlap is transparent, so select a fabric to line them with, hot gluing them into place.

3. Run a bead of hot glue on the rod and sack and attach.

4. Install the rod in your window. If your rod ‘unspins,’ drill a hole into the side of one bracket and place in a screw. Works like a charm.

5. Add a little junky relic for your ‘pretend’ pull and enjoy the new rustic look!

Another great no-sew burlap idea: check your local hardware store during flood season. The $1.50 sandbags make awesome pre-sewn pillows. Really!

What creative projects have you made with burlap sacks?

Photos and design are courtesy of Donna Williams of Funky Junk Interiors. You can find the entire tutorial on the blog HERE .

It's that time of year again - graduation clothes need to be bought, parties need to be planned, lots of plans and discussions for the future!  I have a few great Canadian-made gift ideas for the graduates in your life. See what I came up with and save your self some shopping time!

 

Diane Balit, a Buy Canadian First member, paints miniatures on enamelled copper using delicate feathers and very fine brushes, which is then fired in high temperature ovens to create absolutely gorgeous watches.  What a perfect grad gift and something to cherish for years to come.  

 

 

Buy Canadian First member SIMS Jewelry Co. makes a gorgeous jewellery set - this 30mm ravishing ring incorporated with black glass ovals and semi-precious large ovals of spider agate. They've also created a matching bracelet and earrings.  What a beautiful set for a new grad, something to wear to a new job or college next fall and something to enjoy for years.

 

A Deerskin Journal from Buy Canadian First member Deliciously Canadian would make a treasured gift.  It won't break the bank and would be a gift your grad would be proud to take to their new job or use for a new year of school.

Do you have a graduate in your life this Spring?

Images courtesy of Buy Canadian First members Chapters-Indigo, Diane Balit, SIMS Jewelry Co. and Deliciously Canadian.

If you gave me a choice as to whether I’d prefer to cook dinner or mow the lawn, I’d personally be mowing the lawn before your question was even completed. This girl just LOVES the Canadian outdoors!

Because of that, I love to bring the outdoors in with my decorating. This super easy to make, branch-handled tray, was loads of fun to create. You can make it any size that could easily be used indoors and out. It makes a super cute table centerpiece as well.



   

 Here’s how!

1. Cut a long board in half then brace them together by screwing smaller boards across the underside.

2. Measure out and cut your branch handles and handle supports.

3. Pre-drill holes in the handles and supports, then screw them together from the top.

4. Screw on handles through the bottom of the tray.

5. If you wish for matching coasters, simply cut chunks of wood to the desired size.

My own tray is more decorative than productive, so just be sure to test the handles for strength before carrying anything around with real weight to it.

Other creative tray ideas: chalkboards, old cabinet doors, vintage signs.

Have you created a unique tray out of unusual, reclaimed items? I’d love to hear about it!

Design and photos are courtesy of Funky Junk Interiors. The full tutorial can be seen here .

I am told that this weekend is the time to get my seeds in the ground in Southern Manitoba . So, the girls and I are heading outside and we'll officially start our garden this Mother's Day weekend! Once we get the beds ready, we will be planting them with some red onions, pumpkin, zucchini and radishes and in our container's we will be growing red and blue potatoes, carrots, beans and peas.

 

We are very excited as this week, I received two yards of dirt from Brunet, a local construction company. We were also given nearly a dozen, five gallon pails from the school my middle child attends, as the pails would just have been thrown away otherwise. Last night I visited Hillbilly's Garden Centre . I couldn't resist it when I saw the "shamrocks" and ivy and knew that planting them would be a great activity for us this evening.

 

As we move through Spring, the girls will be a great source of help in the garden and will, I hope, feel a sense of pride and accomplishment when the vegetables start coming. I would like to give them something that they can plant on their own and nurture. So, when the risk of frost has waned, the girls and I will go back to Hillbilly's Garden Centre and they will each have a chance to make their own container gardens. I saw the Tubby Containers  by Buy Canadian First member Garant in several awesome colours there and the girls will have the opportunity to choose their own plants and colours for their Tubby.

 

I love the idea of a child's garden and envision it as a space they can call their own, to dig in, plant and tend to plants. While space is limited, I would like to cordon off a corner of the yard and fill it with their Tubby containers and large natural elements like logs, stumps, large rocks and maybe even a pile of dirt to dig in and explore. I would adore watching them within this mini, natural playscape. One final detail I keep forgetting about is getting some catnip and cat grass seeds to plant. My handsome Mitty Kleeburger loves to play outside with us and his latest joy is to dig, burrow and play in my two yards of soil. I'm sure that cat grass would be preferable to just soil!

 

Are you going to plant a child's or a pet garden in your yard this Spring?

 

Image source: Andrea Williowcat, Melissa Lacelle and Buy Canadian First member Garant. 

May is truly the month of Spring.  I think of new flowers, fresh faces, kids on bikes, walks in the park and Mother's Day!  Those fresh faces need some Canadian-made products for some Spring skin care and I have a few favourites to share with you! (Any of these would be great for Mother's Day gifts, too!)

 

Caledonia Soapworks is a Buy Canadian First member that makes beautiful products like this Soothing Lavender Bar. They handmake their products in small batches for the best quality. Lavendar is perfect for relaxing and it's soothing scent is rejuvenating. I thought this feature was really cool - this bar contain actual lavender buds!



I have a tin of Fit Lips in my purse right now! This Buy Canadian First member makes high quality lip balm with no petroleum or parabens. It's smooth and easy to put on without making a mess, I love the vanilla scent, it's perfect year round, but especially in Spring!



Buy Canadian First member Soulful Sister Aromatherapy has a really cool Aromatherapy Mister, I think this is awesome! What an easy way to access the benefits of aromatherapy. Perfect for the home, car and travelling, you can take your favourite scents anywhere.



enVy the anti-aging/wellness pillow is designed to keep the side and back sleeper in perfect spine and airway alignment and off their face. This Buy Canadian First member is hypoallergenic and promotes a deep restorative sleep, perfect for keeping those dark circles away.



For the kiddos, Buy Canadian First member Nature Clean makes fun products like lotion, body wash and shampoos. Made without parabens, sulphates, petroleum, gluten, wheat or nut - these products are perfect for children's sensitive skin.

Where are some of your favourite skin care products made? 

Images courtesy of Buy Canadian First members Caledonia Soapworks, Fit Lips, Soulful Sister Aromatherapy, Envy Pillow, and Nature Clean.

I love my coffee! There’s nothing like that first jolt, first thing on a fine Canadian a.m. In fact, it’s so important to me, I have a ritual that’s never broken... no food passes my lips without my first cup. (Have you ever noticed that the coffee magic spell breaks after your first bite?).

Today’s coffee drinking comes with its challenges though. With the newfangled, one cup coffee makers that are all the rage these days, all those little, itty bitty coffee pods need a home.

The true blue  junker in me grouped up a  crate and a deep fryer basket (yup!) for a unique little coffee station that is totally productive, takes up little space and looks cool to boot.

  

Did you notice the creamer? It’s the best kept secret for storing sugar... the lid stays intact. Brilliant, I know. :)

How are you storing all those coffee pods, K Cups and discs?

Photos and ideas courtesy of Funky Junk Interiors

May is always a nice month in Canada. Trees and bulbs are blooming, while we shed extra layers of clothing and dream of the summer ahead. And of course, May is the time to celebrate Mom in a special way with Mother’s Day!

We all know Moms are special. Personally, I never realized just how special my Mom was until I became a Mom myself. Being a Mom is an all-encompassing experience, one filled with both joy & pain, pride & disappointment, happiness & frustration. And of course, many sleepless nights. On this subject, I never forgot something funny my friend Tina’s Mom told me when I was pregnant: “I have not had a good night’s sleep since my children were born!”... and they were all adults! I laughed at the time, but I can sort of understand what she meant. The worry and concern are constant. Sorry, Mom...;-)

So if anyone deserves to be spoiled at least once a year, it is surely Mom! With the help of some awesome Canadian companies, we have put together a prize-pack filled with very special Canadian-made gifts fit for a Mother. What’s in it, you ask? A whole lot of awesomeness!

1) Gorgeous SIMS jewelry set made in Alberta. Includes Crystal Cluster Attachable Pendant, Plus Matching Earrings and 18" Sterling Silver Filled Necklace. (value: over $65)

(Warning: Attachable Pendants SIMS Style are addicting as they clip to any necklace, and come in every colour to modernize any necklace in a flick)

2) Treat Mom to a well-deserved youth-restoring lift with AgeOff Face & Body Nutrition and Ageoff Wrinkle-Reduction Serum, made in Ontario by Nuvocare. Mom will look radiant AND feel great! (value: $100)

3)  Whispy Raspberry classic handbag, made in Nova Scotia by the lovely ladies of Michique. Mom will no longer be able to go anywhere without someone commenting on how gorgeous your handbag is! Trust me, I know from experience! (value: $ 284)

4) A really sweet treat from New Brunswick' famous Ganong chocolate confectioners. An assortment of chocolates and candy, not necessarily what you see below, but guaranteed to please Mom! (value: $ 50)

5) "Give your Mom something she hasn't had since you came along... A good night's sleep!" These words are from the ladies at Ontario's enVy Pillow, the anti-aging/wellness pillow. A patented ergonomic pillow designed to keep the side and back sleeper in perfect spine and airway alignment off their face.(value: $200)

Check out this hilarious "Sorry Mom" video to find out why every Mom deserves a Good Night's Sleep!

6) Pamper Mom with all-natural skincare products made with love (and fresh goat's milk!) in PEI by The Great Canadian Soap Company. An assortment of sweet-smelling luxurious scrubs, balms, creams and soaps. Yummy! (value: over $ 60)

 7) Nothing beats a new fragrance for Spring! A Canadian classic made by Fragrance Dutal in Quebec: Kimono by Simon Chang. A beautiful gift set containg an Eau de Toilette, body lotion and shower/bath gel. Pampering at it's very best! (value: $ 104)

 8) An last but definitely not least: natural health products made in B.C. by Enzed Nutricorp. How awesome does this sound: Relax-Eze (soothing & calming formula), NITE-Eze (sleep inducing formula) and Anthocin, an immune-boosting formula to keep Mom healthy. (value: $ 100)

Total value: over $ 950.00 !!!

To enter the giveaway, do as many of the 3 following things as possible, as they each count for one entry. The more the merrier (and luckier)!

• Leave us a comment below telling us what you love the most about your Mom (Comments are moderated, so don't panic if your comment doesn't show up right away!);

• Follow us on Twitter and mention the following: @BuyCndianFirst loves Moms #madeincanada;

• Like us on Facebook.

The giveaway ends on Saturday, May 12th at 5:00 PM ET. We will pick one name at random from all entries and the winner will be announced on Mother's Day, Sunday May 13th.

Good luck!

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. CONGRATS TO OUR WINNER: BRAD, FROM GUELPH, ON.

Images courtesy of Buy Canadian First members, as listed.

Canada is one of the top producers of ethical diamonds that are conflict-free. Rough diamonds, from countries like Sierra Leone and Angola, have been used to fund armed conflict and other illegal activities ; once these diamonds are cut it is impossible to trace their origins. Canadian diamonds come from the Northwest Territories  and are traced from mine to retailer; Canadian made and conflict free. This diamond solitaire ring, from Buy Canadian First member The Shopping Channel, is absolutely gorgeous! I would be satisfied to just dream of owning one.

 

I also adore this multi-bangle from Buy Canadian First member Prep n Pretty Boutique . It's chunky and yet looks light and easy to wear, plus, its affordability will even make me feel comfortable wearing it to work.  

 

Mmmm wood! I love wood pieces! My son bought me a handmade necklace when he went on vacation to Banff with his Nana and Pa Dan many moons ago and it has been one of my main pieces ever since! These beautiful, large hoop wood earrings from Canadian Etsy artisan, Jillian Driedger of In Bloom Designs , would be a perfect pairing with my necklace or perfect on their own.

 

My last pick is just as important as the rest and also happens to be the creation of one of my favourite people on the planet! We don't talk nearly as often as we should but she is always in my thoughts. Introducing my talented and lovely friend, Peg,g of Five Forty on Etsy. I have a couple of pieces from both her jewelry line and woven rug line and love them all! I find myself visiting these amazing orange enamel earrings  in her shop often. Perhaps I should splurge a little.  After all, it's Mother's Day!

 

This is the short version of my Mother's Day jewellery wish list and if all I end up with is some burnt toast and a whole truck load of hugs and smooches, I'll be a very happy mommy!

What are you wishing for on Mother's Day?

 

Image credits: The Shopping Channel,  Prep n Pretty Boutique, In Bloom Designs and Five Forty.

 

I am so proud of my new knowledge about Canada, thanks to this month's book, "The Imposter Bride". Canadian author, Nancy Richler, introduced a part of Canada and Canadian history to me that I did not even know existed. You can read my review of this book in last week's Good Shopper Blog. I also have a book winner to announce at the end of this post!

Nancy Richler was born in Montreal, moved around for school, headed to Colorado and then,  in the mid-1980s, back to Canada. She says that she did not begin writing fiction until moving to Vancouver in 1988. She is now back in Montreal, and though "The Imposter Bride" actually takes place in Montreal, she was still living in Vancouver when she wrote it. She mentions on her website that writing "The Imposter Bride" helped to distill her memories and impressions of the Montreal of her childhood. I am so happy to have had a chance to interview Nancy and share it with you!

Good Shopper Blog: I admit, when I think of Montreal, I do not think about the large Jewish community that gathered there, post-Second World War. Do you find that you often surprise people with this history?
Nancy Richler: I'm glad to hear you learned something new about Montreal and its Jewish community from reading my book. That's one of the great pleasures of fiction for me. It can open a window onto a world I didn't know about before. Until the late seventies, Montreal was the pre-eminent Jewish community in Canada. It was already a large and lively community before the Second World war, and then the large influx of Holocaust survivors in the late forties and early fifties added another layer of cultural richness as well as a psychological complexity that I tried to capture in this book.

GSB: The layers and layers of this book - between Ruth's journey through growing up without a mother, to Lily's travels and Ida Pearl's story ... how did you weave it all together? It read beautifully.
NR: It took many years for all the layers to weave together. I started writing this book in 2004, but there were so many strands and levels to it that I had to be patient and allow it all to percolate. Finally, after about 6 years and many, many revisions, I was able to integrate the various layers and themes into a cohesive story.

GSB: I've read that The Imposter Bride includes settings from your own childhood growing up in Montreal. In fact, your own paternal grandmother immigrated to Canada for the purpose of marriage and, like Lily, was rejected on arrival. Are any of the actual characters in The Imposter Bride based on your family members or people that they had described?
NR: My characters all have aspects of people I've known but there's no one character that represents anyone real. (Although, family members and friends are all calling me now to tell me that they're sure I modeled a particular character on them!).

GSB: I found so many themes running through the pages, from loss and abandonment, to racism, poverty and Jewish history, to name just a few! When first planning the book, what was the main theme you wanted to share with the reader?
NR: I always start my writing with a character and situation that interest me. The themes then arise from the lives and situations I'm depicting rather than the other way around. In this case, the themes that you mentioned arose from the particular events that my characters experienced, from the historical and cultural settings in which they were living their lives.

GSB: What advice can you give hopeful Canadian authors, especially those that may have some very interesting family history to tell?
NR: My advice is to sit down and start writing, even if you only have an hour a day to devote to that writing. There's always a hunger for interesting stories, so if you can put in the time and work to tell your stories well, you'll eventually find a readership for your work.

I thank Nancy so much again for the opportunity to interview her. It was such a great experience!

Time to get ready for our next book from HarperCollins Canada,  "Forgotten", by Canadian author, Catherine McKenzie.

"Emma Tupper is a dedicated lawyer with a bright future. But when she takes a month-long leave of absence to go on an African vacation, she ends up facing unexpected consequences".

What a fantastic premise! For now, congratulations to "The Imposter Bride" winner, Kim Barrett! You will be receiving a copy of the novel "The Imposter Bride". Let us know what you think! I would love to discuss it with you!

To win a copy of our next book, "Forgotten", please answer the question at the end of our review, which will be published on Monday, May 21, 2012. The winner will be announced the following week. Good luck and thanks so much to everyone for participating! Don't forget to Like us at the Buy Canadian First Book Club on Facebook ! 

:: Books and images courtesy of HarperCollins Canada.