Buy Canadian First - Your destination for good shopping

It's beginning to look a lot like the holiday season, well maybe not quite with our wacky weather, but the holidays are coming nonetheless. Celebrations all across Canada will soon begin: (Eid) Al-Adha, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa are but a few but there are many winter festivals across the globe where gifts are exchanged in celebration.

Retailers in our great nation cary so many Canadian-made products that make awesome holiday gifts (more to come on that soon), but we thought it would be a great idea to write a post in praise if Etsy, in praise of handmade gifts and how the Trans-Canada Etsy Team fits into all this.

The Trans Canada Etsy Team mission:

The Trans-Canada Etsy Team envisions an online, global market where Canadian artisans are successful, respected, and competitive. It is our aim to support each other by establishing professional relationships, sharing knowledge and participating in collective marketing opportunities.

The team is a collection of 45 Etsy members and their shops containing a plethora of goods from these talented Canadians, located coast-to-coast in nearly every province and territory. Whatever you are looking for, you are quite likely to find it with the Trans-Canada Etsy Team. You will find links to all of the members below.

The Trans-Canada Etsy Team has launched their Holiday 2009 promotion: 12 Days Of Christmas, which runs from November 25th through to December 6th. It is a fun filled 12 days of shopping specials, daily blog posts, letters to Santa and more. Your participation and purchases grant you ballots for a draw, of a most spectacular prize! It includes a wonderful polymer clay donut pendant with adjustable cord necklace from fellow Buy Canadian First Blogger Chicki (pictured on the top left of the photo below). It is a prize pack worth at least $200 and YOU could win it! Check all the details and participants here.

According to Canada post you still have plenty of time to get your packages out for Christmas. So shop at the Trans-Canada Team shop or if you want to shop hyper-local, shop at the individual Trans-Canada Etsy Team member's shops listed here by province:

Maritimes
Wild Woman Jewlelry & Creations, The Garden shed, La Paperie, Clean & Bright Soaps and candles,  Enthral, louloubell, My Handbound Books, My Marbled Papers, Pixel8ed Paper Party, Sea Glass Designs, String me Along

Ontario
BlackJam, Designed by RJ, RJ Charms, RJ Beads, Ella Kat's Closet,  Five Forty, IvaArt, Loopy4ewe, My Belle Bijoux, Lutrell Studio, Piggy Tails Stationary, RikRak Studio, Studio 17, Tangante, Minouette, Vintage Paper Parade, Mythical Matters, Elle Cools, Cooked, Persephone's Awakening, Creative Art Studio, Zig Zag Stitches, Motivated Motion, My Spare Time Designs

Saskatchewan
Bovine Bubbles and Hogwash, Too Aquarius, Clay Chicks, Chicki, Chicki Beads

Alberta
Carvel Country Soapworks, Intuibeads, Off the Hooks

Manitoba
Prairie Peasant, Prairie Threads, willowcat.studio, willowcat.vintage, Sew Dandee

British Columbia
Inky spider, Kootsac, Trace's Treasure, Kazeeli

Quebec
Paisley Baby, MarKhed

Territories
Lotus Paperie

Happy Shopping Canada!!

I believe we are all particular and peculiar about our jeans. To the layman, jeans are just blue pants but in all reality they are not. There are countless cuts and styles to choose from but what can one do when our jeans start to fall apart? When I was a kid I had the best pair of jeans in the world (at least that's how I felt) and when they started to fall apart I patched them. Eventually the back side looked more like a tatty quilt held together with lazy whip stitches, dabs of crazy glue, and (yikes) safety pins.

Our grandparents and great grandparents were the masters of reusing. Tatty clothes were mended or refashioned into new clothes and worn-out fabrics were turned into quilts or rag rugs. Certainly this practise is returning with words like upcycle and repurposed. Artists, designers and crafters are using previously used textiles to create new items. This phenomenon is both easing the burden on our pocket books, but also on the environment (think: the 3 Rs). So how does this apply to you? Well you too can hop on the upcycling bandwagon and go for a ride, a crafty and new jeans shopping ride.

Do-it-yourself demin
It's handy to have a little something laying around to soothe aches, pains and sprains. This DIY project allows you to put the heating blankets, hot water bottles and cool packs away for now. These fantastic hot and cold sacks can be filled with rice, buckwheat, cherry pits, flax seeds, feed corn or oatmeal, just heat them up in the microwave or leave them in the freezer. Using 100% cotton denim is a fabulous choice for your creations, think of different shapes for different purposes. Here is a great tutorial from Tipnut.

Do you have a journal with a really awful cover? Well fret no more this adorable blue jean journal cover project will turn that ugly cover in to something awesome from Craft at Home.

Who doesn't need a tote bag or little over the shoulder mini bag? try this Denim tote tutorial from Canadian Living.

The possibilities are endless with denim: pillows, skirts, shirts, quilts, scarves, yarn, pencil holders, hats, rugs, toys and wall pockets are to name just a few. Whatever your imagination wants to make, a pair of jeans can take you there. Here are some examples of the brilliant creativity of Canadian artist: Painted Skirt By Fantazya Fantasie, Recycled Jeans Purse by Annyma, Earrings by Tomate D'Epingles and an Oven Mit and Pot holder by LG Frog.

Don't forget to upcycle your t-shirt too!

Buy new Canadian-made jeans

Now that you have cut and sewn your old jeans into fabulous new creations, have you found yourself without pants? Here are a few Canadian Brands you should check out.

Fidelity Denim jeans have been a Hollywood darling since 2005 (their press section certainly attests to that). These jeans are designed in Vancouver and are manufactured in both the US and in Canada, so be sure to check the label.

Montreal-based Naked and Famous Denim are true purists and lovers of jeans and it shows in the craftsmanship of each piece in their collection. They manufacture "proudly and ethically" in Canada and source their denim from a prestigious Japanese mill that has perfected the art of denim-making.

Upon further research, a Canadian truly has little to no excuse to not buy Canadian when it comes to jeans especially with other big brand names like Parasuco, Lois Jeans and Point Zero who manufacture some or all of their collections in Canada and independent designers like Valerie Dumaine and Second Clothing. That's right, buying Canadian-made jeans doesn't necessarily cost more. It costs about the same as foreign-made jeans (or foreign-made designer jeans if that's what you are after). So next time you are shopping for a pair, check the labels and look for that sweet phrase 'made in Canada'!

Image sources: isida16 (flickr), craftathome, annymay (flickr), FidelityDenim.com, NakedandFamous.com

Last month, Ottawa launched it's very own Buy Local - Support Local campaign which will last an entire year. What a great initiative! I wondered what we could do at Buy Canadian First to help support that campaign. So, together with our friends at "A" Morning show in Ottawa, we put together a segment highlighting the great companies and products made in and around Ottawa.

As soon as we have the segment, we'll post it here so you can watch it.

Here are the products that were showcased:

1) Organic herbal products made in Glengarry by Glengarry Gardens

2) Woodworking tools made in Ottawa by Lee Valley Tools

3) Rim roller made in Russel by Novel Solutions

4) Sponges made in North Lancaster by MySponge.com

5) Flax products made in Winchester by Natunola

Unfortunately, we ran out of time to feature the following products, which were also on display:

6) Health products made by Herbal 1

7) Wall art made in Ottawa by Out of Ruins

8) Powerstick made in Ottawa by Ecosol

If you know of a Buy Local initiative in your community, please let us know about it!

Influenza and the common cold. These are  words we have been hearing a lot about the last while from the news on television to radio and even on the internet.  This tends to be the time of year that these viruses make their appearance annually. Influenza, though commonly referred to as the flu, is a infectious respiratory  infection caused by a virus. It can produce aches and pains, chills, fevers, sore throat, coughing, weakness and general discomfort.  Vomiting and nausea can sometimes be caused by influenza but is often gastroenteritis which is unrelated and caused by a different virus. 

The common cold also circulates during this time of year and can also be misinterpreted as influenza. There is a great article in Canadian Living Magazine explaining the differences between the two. Generally the flu comes on suddenly leaving you feel very tired and "wiped" along with chills, fever, aches and headache. The cold usually presents with a stuffy and runny nose with possible nasal congestion, mild cough and dry, scratchy throat. The main difference is the sudden onset of the flu with fever and aches. The Government of Canada also has many great articles on their website such as this article about influenza. There is also Fightflu.ca which is a comprehensive guide with a wealth of information.

The H1N1 virus is a new strain of pandemic influenza. We are not known to have any natural immunity to this virus.  Symptoms present like seasonal influenza but are more severe.  It has also been shown that this virus can target young, healthy people as well as seniors and young children.  People with medical conditions and pregnant women are also more at risk for H1N1.  For more information on the H1N1 virus please visit Fightflu.ca. Presently, there is a mass country-wide immunization going on for the H1N1 virus.  Whether you choose to be immunized or not is your choice. For more information on the H1N1 vaccine by province please visit this page.

There are many things that you can do to help your body heal and fight off that cold or flu. 

• First and foremost, rest is key. Make sure you can rest as much as possible.

• Avoid work or school if you are feeling symptoms to prevent spreading the virus. Cough or sneeze into your sleeve so not to transfer germs to your hands. Dispose of tissues as soon as you use them and then wash your hands. Did you know Scotties tissues are a Canadian product?

• Proper handwashing and hygiene is very important as well. There is an excellent guide on handwashing here, provided by the Public Health Agency of Canada. If you cannot wash your hands because no water is available, using a hand sanitizer will work as long as it is used correctly. Soapopular hand sanitizer is available on BuyCanadianFirst.ca member's Well.ca website.

• Keep areas such as doorknobs and lightswitches, telephones and keyboards clean Attitude Eco Cleaner is a great Canadian-made product to use for such jobs as this. It can be found at BuyCanadianFirst.ca member Well.ca.

• Eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables. Drink plenty of fluids such as water, juices and teas. BuyCanadianFirst.ca member Fully Loaded Tea has many delicous teas to drink. Citrus Spiked Black Tea looks and sounds very tasty.

• Certain vitamins such as vitamin C and supplements such as Echinacea have been shown to help relieve symptoms. There are many great Canadian supplements, immune boosters and vitamins such as Echinace from St.Francis Herb Farm or Body Break Immune Health Plus Supplements.

 

These are a few  tips and products to help prevent cold and flu.  Do you have any tips that you use to help you out during cold and flu season?  Please share them with us!

 Image sources: BuyCanadianFirst.ca, Well.ca, St.Francis Herb Farm

The uninviting autumn grey skies are telling us that old man winter is on his way, if he hasn't already arrived in your region. Here in south central Manitoba we have already had our first sampling of snow, it's gone, but it was just a reminder of the mountain of snow we will soon receive. So when the blustery weather keeps you indoors, when the highways are encrusted in ice and when the windchills will claim your nose and fingers here is a fabulous list of blogs, from our members, to cozy up with. Here's Part 1. I couldn't fit them all in this post, so Part 2 is coming soon! 

Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation blog "Finding Hope" invites everyone to share their inspiring stories and experiences with breast cancer.

Chicki's Musings - A jewellery artist who showcases her work in polymer clay, chainmaille and other creative musings. Also be sure to check out her beautiful flower calendars.

Frett designs - By fashion designer Michelle Secours. Stay informed on the latest clothing designs, trends and events.

Gentle Earth - The company's blog is about healthy green living and environmental awareness.

Glengarry Gardens - They offer tips to living harmoniously within yourself. It's a wonderful addition to their natural holistic canadian-made products.

Hint of Eden - The founder of the company discusses cosmetics and more, naturally.

Hotdog All Dressed inc - No recipes here, unless it's for dog treats! Keep up on where the Hotdog team can be found with great gear for your pooch, kitty or horsey.

Monster Factory - Their blog is all about the monsters, the amazing plush monsters. Blog and products are witty, fun and totally adorable.

RIM Blackberry - Tons of updates, new BB features, help, tips and much more.

Organically Hatched - Their blog is focused on finding quality organic baby products for their consumers. It's always about baby but the information is universal for everyone who wishes to live organically and with safe products.

Safari Condo - Discover more about this very creative company, the events they are going to, as well as great new campers and camper vans models they are working on.

Salts Organic - Theirs is a great eco fashion blog.

Totem's blog - Check out the happenings and new products with these gorgeous stereo speakers and their makers.

Tuscan Farms Garden - Owner Heather's blog is a warm and inviting read about the farm, family and favourite things as well as the organic and natural body products they create.

Well.ca/BLOG - Canada's online drug store is talking about health, beauty make-up and sales. Keep on top of new products, Canadian products and everything in between.

willowcat.studio - This artist's blog is a little bit about everything. See what she is creating and doing, meet the family and follow links to her favourite places.

What are your favourite Canadian blogs? Do you have your own? Post your url here and tell us what it's about!

Happy reading Canada!