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*Live like you mean it.
Change∑ No. 2
ISSUE
FALL 2010
) Editor’s Letter
Hello again, and Happy Fall!
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I want to thank you for coming on over to our little corner in the vast internetosphere. (Did I just coin a new term there? William Gibson, author and creator of the word cyberspace, eat your heart out!)
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There are lots of other online places you could be right now – great blogs, fancy schmancy web sites, brand new zines… but you’re here. We’d like to think that’s because you know that we’ve put together a great group of writers and articles, and that this issue of Delish (a De-lissue, if you will) is just chock full of amazing stuff. It’s also big (a Grande-lissue, if you will… okay, I’ll stop now.) This season inspires so much great storytelling. It so happens that Fall is my favorite season of all. For me, it’s cozy sleep under a winter-weight duvet, with crisp air seeping in through half-open windows. It’s warm sweaters, leather boots, soft scarves wrapped high up on my neck to my ears. It’s leaves falling from the trees and crunching underfoot, going back to the earth in the eternal cycles of life and death. It’s a contemplative and wistful time. At this time of year, all I want to do is settle in, hunker down and get ready for the winter. My husband and I call it “filling our coffers”, and when he recently brought home a freezer, jars and a home canning kit, well, I told him those were the best gifts he has given me since my engagement ring (and I really meant it!). I’ve had this deep hankering to make jam and pasta sauce and our own ketchup, and can ‘til the cows come home. I have talked for years about how I’ll sing “We’re jamming, I want to jam it with you…” in a homemade ode to Bob Marley in my Mom Sings The Hits voice, when stirring a fruity, sugary concoction on the stove. And so with my bible — Better Homes and Gardens’ You Can Can: A Guide to Canning, Preserving, and Pickling and my trusty sidekick (Hubby), (and texts and calls to my mom and @mrs_merriman to ask for advice), we have filled our pantry with rhubarb vanilla jam, caramel apple butter, roasted garlic tomato sauce, two kinds of peach chutney and peach jam, and as soon as this issue gets out to you fine people, we’ll be delving into that homemade ketchup recipe. I’m learning as I go along, but it’s been quite successful already. Take the Apple Butter, for instance. I wasn’t actually sure it was very good. In the spoon it tasted way too sweet, but spread on toast over salted butter… it is heavenly. It actually brought my husband back to his childhood in a total Ratatouille moment, which is, for me, one of the main motivators for making such things — to hearken back to an earlier time when filling coffers took planning, effort and love, and not just a trip to the supermarket. My husband and I now have shared memories of making something and we are creating new family classics. The only thing that could be better is getting our son involved as soon as he’s old enough. This issue of Delish is also dedicated to the theme of Change. I am one of those people who embraces it. I have always used any change as a catalyst to new, better days. I think that almost all change can represent an opportunity for growth. You head in to a place or a situation one person, and you leave it changed — hopefully more experienced, kinder, wiser, humbler. That’s all I can hope and wish for anyone who is going through their own changing times. Live like you mean it,
Tamara
delish* magazine
*Live like you mean it.
Change∑
IN EVERY ISSUE
am Woman — Tamara Taggart 16 IWritten by: Tamara Komuniecki
CTV weathercaster Tamara Taggart is the real deal. When she washes off her television makeup, what’s inside stays the same.
oh Man — Ryan Sutter 20 Man Written by: Tamara Komuniecki
Loves 12 Delish Lovely things that make us squeal a little
to Etsy 13 Heavens Haute Handmade of Mouse 14 Word What's on our current must-click lists
Family man, firefighter and philanthropist Ryan Sutter feels so strongly about giving young people living with cancer the opportunity to challenge themselves through outdoor adventure that he’s teamed up with non-profit First Descents. This year will see him not just walking a mile in their shoes but running a marathon. Or rather, ten.
of the Cloth — Paula Prass 40 Woman Written by: Tamara Komuniecki Inside stories of the men and women behind the fabrics, patterns and books that we love and use.
of Wisdom 97 Words Written by: Cynthia Merriman Sage advice on how to get through this crazy thing called life.
Little Birdy Told Us 15 A These are a few of our favorite(d) tweets
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FALL 2010
24 FEATURES Clean and Green by any Other Name Written by: Dawn Mori Meet the real people behind some of our favorite green cleaning products.
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LIVE MAKE By-the-Book DIY Written by: Tamara Komuniecki Crack (a book) before crafting…
DIY Custom Laptop Sleeve Written by: Lindsay Wilkes Tote your laptop in style this season!
GROW Preserving Summer Written by: Stevie Rose Enjoy the flavor of summer long after the season has ended.
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Five Bulbs to Plant Now for Spring 2011 Written by: Stevie Rose Plant them now and dig them later: it’s bulb time.
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TASTE Riffin' in the Kitchen — For the Sick In Praise of Soup
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Written by: Tamara Komuniecki, Gail Nowakowsky and Kelsey Banfield What to make to soothe an aching throat? Whatever Mom used to serve.
My Family’s Flavors of Fall Written by: Clementina Llanes Learning to cook like my Madrecita, sadly, after she has left me.
Super Grains Written by: Cheryl Arkison Who is the pound for pound Super Grains Champion? The results may surprise you.
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80 NEST With the Grain Written by: Tamara Komuniecki Wood you like some of these great things?
READ Cat's Reading Corner Written by: Catherine Basso Book lovers, unite!
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24 LOOK SHINE Cleansing for Beauty Written by: Gillian Young Finding self-improvement at the bottom of a glass…of green smoothie.
GROOVE Big on Style, Large in Spirit
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Written by: Tamara Komuniecki Two larger-than-life cousins open a boutique for “Bodacious Babes”.
WORK Chick Magnate Shanda Jerrett of GumDrops Wet Weather Boutique
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Written by: Jessica Grajczyk Turning a brilliant business idea into an inspiring success story, and dodging a few puddles along the way.
GO JOURNEY Where in the World is Tracy? Written by: Tracy Lydiatt Friends, fitness and fun round out the experience of this Canuck living Down Under.
USE Chick Magnate — Umbrella Round-up Better Brollies Written by: Tamara Komuniecki These unique umbrellas will help you stand up to the wind and rain with a smile on your face.
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BE BE DELISH! Delish DyVa / Ask the Instigator Written by: Dyana Valentine Professional instigator Dyana Valentine dishes out Delish advice
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CARE NURTURE Breastmilk on my Keyboard — The Adventures of a Lactating Journalist That’s The Kind of Mama I Am
Found for the Family
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Written by: Tamara Komuniecki Figuring it out as we go along, my son and I muddle through my Arthritis together.
One Last Talk with the Quiet Man Written by: Kevin Byrne A father’s lessons echo in his son’s ears to this day.
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Written by: Tamara Komuniecki and Cynthia Merriman Good stuff for the biggest to the smallest (and even the furriest) in your household.
GREEN That’s a (Reusable) Wrap Written by: Tamara Komuniecki Committed to your reusable cloth shopping bags? Then you’re ready for the next step…
THE THING THAT IS REALLY HARD, AND REALLY IS GIVING UP ON BEING OF BECOMING
AMAZING,
PERFECT AND BEGINNING THE WORK
YOURSELF.
~ ANNA QUINDLEN
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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/CO-FOUNDER Tamara Komuniecki DESIGN DIRECTOR/CO-FOUNDER Cynthia Merriman CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Cheryl Arkison Catherine Basso Tamara Komuniecki Tracy Lydiatt Dawn Mori Stevie Rose Lindsay Wilkes
Kelsey Banfield Jessica Grajczyk Clementina Llanes Cynthia Merriman Gail Nowakowsky Dyana Valentine Gillian Young
PHOTOGRAPHY Gillian Horsey ILLUSTRATION Cynthia Frenette WEB DESIGN Green Couch Designs
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ADVERTISING 778.99MEDIA ads@delishmag.com E-mail: hello@delishmag.com Web site: delishmag.com Twitter: @DelishMag
DELISH IS...
Tamara
KOMUNIECKI / EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
A journalist since 1994, Tamara Komuniecki has taken on every kind of story imagineable. Her experiences as a broadcast and print/web journalist include attaching herself to Siberian Huskies while on cross-country skis, covering murders, wars, fires and floods, commandeering a jet, learning to surf, and writing about anti-cellulite running shoes. Media aside, she has also worked as a figure model, a clown at the zoo, a 911 operator, and a production assistant for U2. She considers herself a happy, if imperfect, homemaker and bakes, cooks and quilts with great passion. Her interests include design and architecture, sewing, and her family. Tamara’s personal motto is “Only boring people get bored”, and so she leads her three best guys (husband Konrad, son Finn, and pooch Duane) on all the adventures they can handle.
Cynthia
MERRIMAN / DESIGN DIRECTOR
A lover of all things pretty, Cynthia Merriman is a graphic designer and owner of My Girl Friday Design Company. She has been designing for web and print projects for more than ten years, taking inspiration from the oodles of vintage and retro goodies she loves to surround herself with. When she can squeeze it in, she enjoys baking, reading the occasional novel or sewing an item for a loved one. Mum to three little ones and wife to a wonderful husband, she includes two Rhodesian Ridgebacks and a cat named Zero in the menagerie. She is currently shopping for ‘the’ perfect superpower that will help her combine the pleasures of motherhood and the pressures of owning a flourishing business. For now, however, all she can hope for is that the kids play nicely while Momma gets some work done.
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WE'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE YOU TO THE NEWEST MEMBERS OF TEAM DELISH, AND OFFICIALLY WELCOME THEM TO THE FAMILY.
CHERYL ARKISON As a mom to two little girls, time is a precious commodity for Cheryl Arkison. Time to create, cook, write, and still be silly with the family. Bringing the kids into the kitchen and creating together is the perfect solution for finding balance, inspiration, and a few laughs. See more of her work on her blogs Naptime Quilter and Backseat Gourmet. You can also read more of her work at foodnetwork.ca, simple bites.net, and babble.com.
KELSEY BANFIELD, The Naptime
CATHERINE BASSO is a married,
Chef, believes parents don’t have to give up being foodies just because they have kids. On her website, thenaptimechef.com, Kelsey shares webisodes, recipes and ideas on how to fit delicious food into everyday family life, without compromising quality or taste. She is also the author of the upcoming cookbook, The Naptime Chef: Fitting Great Food Into Family Life (Running Press, 2010). Kelsey writes a daily column on Babble’s food blog, The Family Kitchen, and you can follow her on her Facebook fanpage and Twitter @TheNaptimeChef.
40-something mamma of two members of the male population. One of her favorite things to do is head to a bookstore, grab a beverage, and stroll through the aisles smelling the new books. She has stacks of journals and poetry books chronicling her life… the good, the bad, and the ugly. Always trying to live out on a limb (because that’s where the fruit is), Cat is a student with a Spiritual guide, looking to get the most of this tapestry of life and all the threads that touch hers.
KEVIN BYRNE A professional jour-
JESSICA GRAJCZYK Since she was
nalist since 1991, Kevin Byrne is a veteran newspaper reporter, TV news producer, music writer, film critic and entertainment blogger whose credentials include stints at PARADE magazine, Entertainment Weekly, CBS.com and Fox News. Devotee to a troika of hardboiled writers he refers to as “the Holy Trinity” (Cormac McCarthy, Hunter S. Thompson and Frank Miller), Kevin attempts to reduce his carbon footprint by recycling his underwear, much to the chagrin of his wife.
a little girl stapling together crayon illustrated books at her mom's kitchen table, Jessica has been in love with translating her thoughts into shareable text. She's shared her work through many outlets including TV, radio, print and online magazines across Canada, and particularly enjoys covering the Vancouver lifestyle. Follow her on Twitter @JessGrey (because she's nice and not going to try to make you spell her ridiculously Polish last name).
CYNTHIA
GILLIAN HORSEY is a stay-at-home
FRENNETTE Designer, Illustrator & DIY Maven, Cynthia Frenette's career began 19 years ago, learning in the "pre-computer" days of design. Over the years, she's been honing her craft and developing her own unique style. She now works with clients and other designers worldwide — providing them with cool and funky design solutions for print and web-based projects. Cynthia loves a good cosmo, has a crazy love for shoes and fashion, and loves to go for walks with her hubby Norm and her pup Starr.
mom of two precious baby girls. She loves venturing out for walks in the mountains, hand-in-hand with her girls, and with cameras around her neck. With a passion for photography and all things pretty, she’s a welcome addition to the Delish team.
CONTRIBUTORS DAWN MORI recently returned to
GAIL NOWAKOWSKY is Delish
Southern California after an extended stay in Minnesota where she discovered she loved to write and share stories of fascinating people, their work and their communities. She comes from a family of excellent cooks; however, she is not one of them.
Magazine Editor-in-Chief Tamara Komuniecki’s beloved Mom. Her superpower is not being able to leap small buildings in a single bound, but rather to master and excel at any craft she attempts. These range from the more run-of-the-mill sewing, knitting, and crocheting, to the more unusual and challenging pattern drafting, Moose hair tufting, wheat weaving, and pine needle basketry. She cooks, bakes, and cans in her spare time, also while manning the “Mom, how do I…?” hotline.
STEVIE ROSE lives in Vancouver, BC,
LINDSAY WILKES designs and sells
Canada, where she grows over 100 edibles, 400 perennials, and countless other plants in her small urban yard and community garden plot; a hobby that continues to grow with each season. She believes that a trowel is as good as a paintbrush for creating art, that earthworms are gifts from the gods, and that everything tastes better when you grow it yourself. Check her out at GardenTherapy.ca.
handmade children's clothing through her etsy shop, The Cottage Mama. She is married to her high school sweetheart and is the Mama of two little ladies, Savannah Rose and Matilda Jane. Lindsay shares her cottage style and love of sewing, cooking, crafting and all things domestic through her blog, The Cottage Home. Check out her shop, The Cottage Mama at thecottagemama.com and her blog, The Cottage Home at thecottagehome.blogspot.com.
GILLIAN
DYANA VALENTINE I’m a profes-
YOUNG loves nothing more than sitting at the dinner table for hours over a great meal. She is passionate about French pastries, road trips, anything made with chipotle, B.C wine, picnics, dresses and poetry. She has been called a lush more than once. Get to know her better at gillianyoung.com.
sional instigator who is not afraid to ask (and answer) tough questions so you can move through your personal and professional life with aplomb. I prefer alleys to sidewalks. And, I have a sink full of dishes—would someone get on that, please? Check her out at dyanavalentine.com. Follow her on Twitter @DyanaValentine.
CLEMENTINE LLANES The daughter of Mexican immigrants who grew up in the Los Angeles area with her parents and two sisters, Clementina Llanes preserves traditional recipes in her blog, "A Little Cup of Mexican Hot Chocolate". When she is not writing for this "guide to cooking like your abuelita", she enjoys painting, entertaining friends and spending time in her garden. She currently lives in California with her husband and viejita cat Jane.
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DELISH LOVES Lovely things that make us squeal a little
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1. My lips saw a bit too much sun this summer, and heading into the cooler months I am ready to baby them back to being kissably soft. While I’m not into a heavy lipstick right now, I’m also not ready to forego all color, either. Lulu Organics Ruby Mint Lip Balm (we loved their hair powder last issue) is just perfect for me right now. It features organic ingredients, a delicious scent, a hint of color, and goes on smoothly to soothe.
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2. I’ve had a obsession over for some Fog Linen towels that was getting stronger every time I read about them on Remodelista. When I came across them while perusing the fine finds at the great new shop Old Faithful Shop in Vancouver’s Gastown, the pop of the three red stripes on beige linen pulled me to them and I’ve been using them to line a picnic basket, wrap warm handmade pies in and, oh yeah, dry some dishes with, ever since.
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4 3. With my oldest child starting just starting kindergarten, I am very excited to at last use School Years: A Family Memory Keepsake of School Memories (I bought it when he was a wee baby!). Not only does it have adorably retro illustrations by Stephan Britt, it’s chockfull of good things like an expanding pocket both parent and child can fill out — there’s one for every year from kindergarten to 12th grade — and space to record favorite subjects, teachers and friends. Cute and clever, I have two more of them ready for when the siblings start school!
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4. I like to think of myself as a crafty gal, and have recently added quilting to my arsenal of many talents. The Fiskars 45mm Rotary Cutter is by far the best tool when slicing up the many, many strips needed! The award-winning contoured handle design is a breeze to use and even though you’d think it could be a difficult (not to mention dangerous) task to change the blades, it actually couldn’t be easier. With the ability to cut through multiple layers of fabric, felt, paper, leather, and more, your next project is bound to be done in record time — or, the cutting at least!
w $10.20 at Amazon.com, from $24 at Amazon.ca
HEAVENS TO ETSY Haute Handmade
FRÉYA ART & DESIGN When I was decorating our son’s nursery, I came across these cards and posters that are so lovely, they make my heart ache and my eyes well up with tears. I ordered five immediately from this lovely Londonbased artist, and they give me the warm fuzzies when I look at them every day.
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LeMUSE
It isn’t often that the words sweater and sexy are found in the same sentence. Take the cardigan, for instance — it conjures up the words comfy and cozy, not va-vavoom. But this little number out of Vilnius, Lithuania — the LeMuse? Sexy is about the only word one could use to describe it. It looks sexy, I bet it feels sexy and I bet I’d feel sexy in it. Itchy wool and elbow patches, notsomuch.
w etsy.com/shop/LeMuse LOVE SUGAR DESIGN Self-admitted daydreamers, the husband and wife team come up with some pretty fun prints for nearly every room in your house. The giclée prints are created using archival pigment inks, and are ready to frame in a variety of sizes and colors. The hard part is picking just one!
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POOT & BOOGIE
Eclectlically fun and Earth-friendly handmade dolls! Poot & Boogie’s are sweet and simple little treasures for your little one. Be creative and customize your doll to every last detail!
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WORD OF MOUSE What’s on our current must-click lists
The Brick House Not many home makeover sites make me LOL but this one makes me ROFL. “Nobody really cares about a BEFORE picture all by itself… We all kind of want that amazingly perfect AFTER picture (usually coupled with that crap BEFORE picture for big fancy impact). Our big after is going to take much longer than expected, so here are all the ugly bits holding us up. So suck it.”
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My Scandinavian Retreat This is decor porn at its worst for me. I can lose hours on this site, but gain inspiration for projects that I have started in my own home. (Ask me — I’ll prove it with pictures!)
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Cakies Ruby Ellen, along with her hubby Benny, share the sweetest and refreshingly homemade birthday parties, gifts and more for her three little girls — True, Brave & Soul. Her creative skillz are so fabulous, lovely and pretty, plus she even has an impressive Etsy shop! Be sure to check out her '52 Weeks of Polaroid' blog, too!
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Bakerella With a unique & fun approach to baking, Bakerella’s adorable cupcake pops (her own creation), cakes, pies, cupcakes, cookies, brownies and more proves that ‘you really will find yourself smiling from all the sweetness’ (as it says in the site’s About page). Martha Stewart even agrees they are a good thing! Keep your eyes open for her new book “Cake Pops” launching this fall.
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A LITTLE BIRDY TOLD US These are a few of our favorite(d) Tweets
@joyunexpected: My daughter just walked up to me and said “we never go to Dennys!” AS SHE WAS FARTING. Most awsome moment ever.
@ModernMatriarch: I’m calling bullshit on this day and taking a nap.
@dooce: After I explain a menstrual cycle to Leta she says, "That's not very exciting. Tell me something else."
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@TheDailyDover: I just put toddler vitamin drops in my husband’s coffee instead of creamer. I should probably go back to bed.
@NZAfro: Real men do not wear skinny jeans. You either wear skinny jeans or you have a penis. I’m sorry, you cannot have both.
@clinton_kelly: Maggie Gyllenhal just smiled at me on the street! I smiled back even though she was wearing Birkenstocks.
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@JemaineC: Does Dancing with the Stars have something against New Zealanders or are they just intimidated by my sexy business?
@KidDictionary: DRINKLE (n) The liquid burst emitted when your kids squeezes their juice box too tightly.
Hey there! Find us on Twitter...
@DelishMag
PHOTO BY KA DAVIDSON PHOTOGRAPHY
I AM WOMAN
WHAT YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU GET
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TAMARA TAGGART
says you could be forgiven if you approached her and started talking like you’ve known her for years. That odd sense of familiarity could come from the fact that she’s been beamed into homes every night for nine years as CTV Vancouver’s weathercaster — but in actuality it’s less likely to do with the frequency with which we see her, and more with the fact that her real personality shines through each and every time. About that personality — it’s big, it’s bright, it’s no B.S. — and it’s the same in-person as it is on-air. You wouldn’t feel disappointed or disillusioned as can happen when meeting a media figure in real life, if you did get to talking to her…and apparently, this is something that a lot of people get a chance to do. “We can go to the supermarket and I’ll stop and talk to anybody that will talk to me,” Tamara says. “That’s who I am and that’s who I’ve always been, and that’s who I always will be.”
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That authenticity shines through and makes Taggart a woman that other women would love to have as a friend — the kind to go shopping with, for a mani-pedi, or for a drink and a heart-to-heart about guys and kids and life, and maybe even just a little bit of gossip. “I do get told that quite a bit,” she says. “I think it’s the highest compliment because who you see on TV is who
I am. I’m not a different person at all. I am fun to have a drink with! I love to talk to people and chat and have a laugh.” That zest has translated into more airtime for Tamara than the CTV weather spots. She hosted Love It or Lose It, a home renovation show on HGTV for two seasons, and when she caught the eye of the producers of the Live! with Regis and Kelly, she was invited to guest host with Regis Philbin in August of last year. Taggart also reported on CTV nationally from the Olympics in Vancouver. CTV Vancouver’s General Manager Tom Haberstroh has a theory about why the audience enjoys watching her so much. “I think that the gift she has is that basically she connects with everyone,” he says. “I’m guessing, but I would say that’s because she could be your sister, your mom, your daughter, your neighbor. She’s authentic and genuine, and TV projects that.” Taggart and her husband Dave (Genn, music producer and guitarist formerly with the Matthew Good Band and now with 54-40) have three children — son Beckett, born in August, 2007, daughter Zoë, born in September, 2008, and new daughter Poppy, born August of this year. Having wanted a family for years before she started hers, kids have always been on her mind and in her heart, and so it’s very fitting that she co-owns kid’s store EiO! on Vancouver’s Cambie Street, with two of her friends. As for beauty secrets, Taggart practices her own version of the Golden Rule. “I want to be surrounded by people who are supportive and loving and kind, and I want to be that for other people too,” she says. “I don’t have time for mean people. I want to be nice.” Her healthy and happy family, close group of friends and career success, all results of this attitude, are what put the twinkle in her eye. Delish Mag recently sat down with Tamara and posed our twenty questions — her answers resonated deeply with us, and we’re positive they will with our readers. NAME? Tamara Taggart OCCUPATION/VOCATION/DESIGNATION? Weathercaster for CTV. HOW DID YOU GET YOUR START? I went to BCIT and I took Broadcasting. I started in radio a long time ago. From radio I moved to concert promoting and from there I moved to television. And when I started at the station I didn’t start for an on-air job, Iworked behind the scenes in the promotions
department. They needed somebody to go on air one day to do something and they basically made me do it! I didn’t want to — I didn’t have any experience doing it and even when I took Broadcasting I took the radio option and my intention was to always be behind the scenes. But I did it, and it just kind of grew from that one thing. It was a big break, I didn’t know it at the time but it was. WHAT WOULD YOU DO DIFFERENTLY, KNOWING WHAT YOU KNOW NOW? The only thing I would have liked to have done differently is I wish I had met my husband earlier and I wish that I had started having kids earlier. If I did I’d probably have six by now! But that’s something that I didn’t have any control over and I’d like to say that I’d do it differently but I couldn’t because the stars weren’t aligned to meet my husband any earlier than I did. WHAT IS THE MOST SURPRISING THING ABOUT BEING AN ADULT? How much I worry. As an adult, but definitely more as a mom. I thought, “Am I the only person who worries this much?” and then the more I talk to other women who are moms I realize I’m not alone here, it sort of comes with the territory. It’s crazy how much. I’ve always been a bit of a worrier but I worry about everything now — everything. My true worrying started when Beckett was born and with three kids now I think I’m better at controlling it a little bit but I still worry, of course I do. And from what I can tell from other people, once you have kids you just worry. It doesn’t stop even when they’re teenagers or adults or anything — I mean my mom worries about me, my mom worries about my brother, so I don’t think it ever goes away. WHAT IS THE MOST FUN YOU’VE EVER HAD? My husband threw me an 80s birthday party two years ago and I had the most fun I’ve ever had! You had to come dressed as you were in 1986. It was awesome — I fall 2010
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HOW DO YOU WANT TO BE REMEMBERED? I’d like to be remembered as a kind, loving, generous and funny person who was a great mom. WHAT’S THE BEST ADVICE YOU EVER GOT? My grandpa told me to always walk with a purpose. And he’s right, and so I always walk with purpose. When you walk with a purpose it’s a good feeling.
was a twin of myself in ’86 — it was perfect. We rented a place and we had a DJ who played music from the 80s and everyone was dressed up. There were tons of people there and we had so much fun. WHO OR WHAT HAS SHAPED YOUR CURRENT DECADE? Obviously meeting my husband — we’ve created a great life together, and our kids. It’s everything I’ve ever wished for and I’m lucky to be doing it with him. Also my bosses at work, really. I’ve had a good decade, good things have happened. When it came to the Regis and Kelly thing, that was fully supported by my bosses. They are the ones that came to me with that and said how do you feel about us trying to get this to happen for you and letting our viewers know about it — that was their idea, not mine. Doing the stuff for the Olympics, that was my bosses at CTV. I definitely wouldn’t be where I am without the support of the great bosses that I’ve had at the station. I think that there’s still lots more opportunities and it’s all because I have great, supportive bosses that see me doing other things. I’ve been really lucky and I know how lucky I’ve been. WHAT DOES SAFETY MEAN TO YOU? I’m inclined to say a paycheque! I feel safe every night that I lay my head down on my bed. I look in on my kids and they’re sleeping soundly and my husband’s beside me and my dog is laying on the floor beside me. It’s a nice feeling. My husband and I, we’ve been through some things. When Beckett was born and diagnosed with Down Syndrome at five days old — those are the times when you sink or swim and you really truly find out who your partner is. It was definitely an enlightening time. It was reassuring to know who I had chosen to be with in this life because it wasn’t a disappointment, that’s for sure. I also find safety with my family, including my mom and my brother and I have some pretty incredible friends too, who I couldn’t have made it through without.
WHAT’S THE WORST MISTAKE YOU EVER MADE? I don’t know if it’s a mistake but I spent my entire relationship with my father trying to change him. My parents had a very tumultuous divorce, and I had a very tumultuous relationship with my father. I left home when I was 15 and I never went back. He passed away 10 years ago and it took me until just before he died to realize that you can’t change somebody. My dad was an alcoholic and not an easy person to be around. I spent so much energy trying to change that and change him into the dad that I wanted him to be… I look back on that and think, what if I had just realized earlier that I couldn’t change him? Because once I realized that I couldn’t change him, I sort of found peace and things were easier, instead of me constantly struggling with him and trying to create this person that didn’t exist and was never going to exist. WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM THAT MISTAKE? I learned that you can’t change somebody. It was a very hard way to learn. And it took me decades… but you can’t change somebody. No matter who they are and no matter what they do, you can’t change somebody. BIGGEST (NON-ROMANTIC) HEARTBREAK? I was with both of my grandmothers when they passed away. It was at different times and both were heartbreaking. I had a very close relationship with my grandparents. When my grandpa died I was still at BCIT and it was definitely the most heartbreaking thing I’ve ever been through. And it didn’t get any easier when my other grandparents died. And then my dad died too, ten years ago. I still think of all of them every single day. I think that’s where a lot of my worry comes from. I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to those people quite yet. You never are, ever. BEST DAY OF YOUR LIFE (LEAVING ASIDE WEDDINGS, BIRTHS, ETC.)? The best day of my life so far was four weeks ago today — Poppy was born. I came into my room at the hospital and my entire family is there, and Dave’s entire family is there and there’s my kids. It’s kind of a surreal moment because you’ve got some drugs pumping through your veins, and I was very mellow. To come into the room and see everybody and hear everybody laughing and see my kids… my mom and Dave’s mom and dad and his brother and sister, and my brother were all there. My best friend and her sister and my aunt and uncle —
PHOTO BY KA DAVIDSON PHOTOGRAPHY
ably be the number one thing. No child should ever go hungry, no person should ever go hungry. Surely we can fix that.
everybody was just there and there was this moment in time in this tiny room in this hospital where we were all together for a very joyous moment. To feel that aura of everybody was overwhelming and great — it was a good day not only because our third baby was born, but just to have everybody in the same spot to just celebrate something. There’s just not enough days like that — everybody is just so busy and for everybody to come together, it feels nice and old-fashioned. HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE YOU MET IN REAL LIFE AFTER GETTING TO KNOW THEM VIA SOCIAL MEDIA? I don’t know the exact number but quite a few. I have had a lot of women and men contact me through Facebook or Twitter because they either know somebody that just had or is having a baby with Down Syndrome or they are a person who just had a baby with Down Syndrome. There are people that now I have friendships with and I met them strictly through Facebook or Twitter.
WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER THE MOST PRESSING ISSUE IN TODAY’S WORLD? I think there’s a few. In the world there’s probably a list as long as my arm. In our own community, in our province, there’s the whole homeless issue. I don’t think that we take care of each other well enough, and I think it’s huge thing, whether it comes to people living on the streets or people with mental illness that aren’t cared for properly or people that have addiction issues. We just don’t take care of each other. There’s so many people that we could easily lend a helping hand to as a community and fix the problem, and we don’t. And we haven’t… and we should. Every day you can read the paper or watch the news and there’s another heartbreaking story about somebody who needs a helping hand. There’s a lot of pressing issues but I would say that — whether it’s in our city or whether it’s in the world — I don’t think there’s any excuse for somebody going hungry. And so I guess in the world that would prob-
HOW MANY CAREERS HAVE YOU HAD? Well, believe it or not I’ve had quite a few. I have had a lot of jobs and I’ve been fired from a few. My CTV career is definitely my longest career, I’ve been there for 13 years now. And before that I was in radio for quite a few years too. Before that I worked in an x-ray office for a few years and I developed x-rays. And I also worked in retail for a while too, I sold shoes and I worked at The Bay in the Seymour Buffet. And I worked on a horse farm for quite a while. And I think from the age of 12 until I was 15 I was the most sought-after babysitter. I was a heavy duty babysitter, I made a lot at $2 an hour babysitting. WHAT OTHER CAREERS ARE WAITING FOR YOU? I don’t know, I have no idea. I love what I do and I love where I work and I feel like I’m really lucky that I ended up where I have. I’ve been there for 13 years, it’s longer than I’ve ever done anything, ever — and that says something because I am a person that is very easily bored. I have a short attention span, so it says something that I’ve been at the same place for 13 years. I love it there, and I love the people that I work with, I work with some pretty amazing people. I hope that I get to stay at CTV for another 13 years. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CONCERT? It was Shaun Cassidy at the Pacific Coliseum. Dying! Dying inside. And the funny thing is that it was also my husband’s first concert. I think it was 1977 or 1978 — I was in elementary school. My mom took me and my brother, and my brother fell asleep at the concert. Dave’s mom took him and his brother and sister. WHAT DO YOU DO TODAY THAT YOU SWORE AS A KID YOU’D NEVER DO? I hear myself say things to my kids where I think, “Oh my gosh did I just say that or did my mother just say that?” You hear something come out of your mouth and you’re like, “I just said that. I. Just. Said. That.” It’s funny because when someone says “Oh my gosh, you’re so much like your mom”, you’re like “Noooo!” And now when I look at my mom I go, “Oh my gosh, she’s so much like her mother, my grandma.” And my mom’s like, “No I’m not” And I say, “You are!” And I see myself in my mom too and it’s so funny. And I probably say things to my kids that I swore I would never say. I think we all do. MORE of TAMARA web: tamaramodernmommy.ctv.ca twitter: @tamarataggart
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MAN OH MAN
THE BEST
DAY OF MY
LIFE
w
WRITTEN BY TAMARA KOMUNIECKI
RYAN SUTTER was introduced to a viewing audience on the first season of The Bachelorette, when he was one of 25 men vying for the hand and heart of Trista Rehn, a woman who could easily be called America’s Sweetheart… and who’s now called Trista Sutter. It was a perfect example of the nice (and yeah, hot) guy who got the girl, albeit after an initially unconventional courtship. Since the Last Rose Ceremony and their subsequent televised wedding, he and Trista have slipped into a quiet but far-from-uneventful life in Colorado. Sutter has been busy being a husband, a father of two young kids (son Max, born in July 2007, and daughter Blakesley Grace, born in April 2009), and a firefighter.
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It’s not like he wasn’t already busy enough with life itself, but empathy compelled him to dig a little deeper (well, a lot deeper), when he decided to embark on the 10.10.10 challenge for First Descents, a non-profit organization run by his friend Brad Ludden, whose goal is to help provide healing experiences to young adults with cancer, through outdoor adventures. “10.10.10” represents ten races to challenge 10,000 people to donate $10 to First Descents in honor of their 10th anniversary. The grueling training and competition schedule through a busy summer stressed his body, even beyond the level that he had anticipated. Sutter’s lowest point came in the month of July, when he competed in races three out of the four weekends while suffering from a nasty cold and an infected root canal. And he has been surprised to face perhaps even more difficult challeng-
es during this project than the obvious physical ones. “I didn’t anticipate how it was going to affect my personal life as far as the load I was going to be putting on my family,” Ryan says. “My wife especially had to sort of pick up the slack while I was out training.” Trista agrees with her husband, saying the experience has given her a new empathy as well — for single parents. While she always handles things on the home front during Ryan’s 48-hour fire shifts, she’s had to go a few extra miles herself with the kids and household in addition to her own work, designing children’s clothing for My Vintage Baby, while he’s been occupied with 10.10.10. “It’s definitely been hard,” she says. “I’m not gonna lie. But, we’ve experienced the camp first-hand and know how inspirational and crucial it is in these patients’ lives. He feels like all of the people that he’s trying to get into First Descents camp, they’ve got cancer — they don’t have a choice in the matter. And they’re doing what they can to get through it every day.” Which is why the Sutters are doing what they have to do to make it through this demanding year as well.
“That’s kind of the point,” Ryan says. “The whole idea was to throw this significant challenge into my life to sort of relate to the significant challenge that young adults are facing when they are diagnosed with cancer. I thought, man that’s me — I’m a young adult, I have two kids, I can’t imagine having cancer right now. It would be such a difficult thing, confronting a deadly disease as well as the thoughts that must run through your head about taking care of your family and your future. They were a demonstration of how people can dig a little deeper, how they can summon more strength than they knew they had physically and emotionally to overcome tremendous obstacles, and there’s really no reason that you have to have cancer to utilize that ability.” Sutter’s last race this year is the New York Marathon on November 7th. To date he’s raised more than $36,000, which means that already 36 people between the ages of 18-39 who are dealing with cancer get to go to adventure camp, to grow from the experience and challenge of dealing with something other than their illness. Ryan Sutter has been blessed with a beautiful wife and wonderful kids, as well as a successful career and the gift of his health. When Delish Magazine posed our twenty questions to him, we were pleased to find out that he is more than aware of his great good fortune. NAME? Ryan Sutter OCCUPATION/VOCATION/DESIGNATION? Firefighter, Vail Fire & Emergency Services – Vail, Colorado fall 2010
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WHAT IS THE MOST FUN YOU’VE EVER HAD? I have fun every day. My kids are a blast and make me laugh with little more than their smiles and the things they say or do. Before we had them though, Trista and I took a vacation to Dominical, Costa Rica. That was really fun. WHO OR WHAT HAS SHAPED YOUR CURRENT DECADE? The addition of love to my life in the form of a beautiful wife and two amazing kids have shaped my current decade. I have also taken a tremendous amount of inspiration through my work with First Descents, an organization benefiting young adults with cancer. Beyond that, as always, I’ve gained pleasure and strength through experiences and adventures from within the natural environment. WHAT DOES SAFETY MEAN TO YOU? Safety is knowing that everything will be alright, no matter what. HOW DO YOU WANT TO BE REMEMBERED? I guess I don’t really care as long as I am happy with the life I have lived up to that point. I’ll leave the details up to those who are around to form them. WHAT’S THE BEST ADVICE YOU EVER GOT? Before an Ironman triathlon Paula Newby-Frazier told me that there would be times I will want to quit, that HOW DID YOU GET YOUR START? Hmmm. I’m not sure really. I sort of came about the profession organically. I had been playing professional football and when that career ended rather abruptly, I was stuck looking for something to do. I wanted something with a certain degree of challenge and adventure as well as a career that would be rewarding on a personal level. I remembered playing firefighter as a youngster and decided to give it a try. I liked it and the rest is history. WHAT WOULD YOU DO DIFFERENTLY, KNOWING WHAT YOU KNOW NOW? I am actually pretty satisfied with how things have turned out for me in life thus far. The path I’m on has been chosen by important events in my life. There are times, however, that I wish I would have taken some time off and traveled more. I may still have that chance though and would not want to change anything in my past that would affect where I am today. I am happy where I am. WHAT IS THE MOST SURPRISING THING ABOUT BEING AN ADULT? You can still be a kid a lot of the time. Sometimes I feel that people get a little too caught up in being grown up. Having children of my own has allowed me to see how simple the pleasures in life are.
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my body will tell me not to go on. I need to recognize those moments and address the root issues, then keep going. Kind of works in life as well. WHAT’S THE WORST MISTAKE YOU EVER MADE? Having a girlfriend in college. WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM THAT MISTAKE? Not all love lasts. BIGGEST (NON-ROMANTIC) HEARTBREAK? Getting hurt on the first play of my NFL career and never making it back. BEST DAY OF YOUR LIFE (LEAVING ASIDE WEDDINGS, BIRTHS, ETC.)? I know it’s cheesy but every day I wake up is the best day of my life. Why shouldn’t it be? HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE YOU MET IN REAL LIFE AFTER GETTING TO KNOW THEM VIA SOCIAL MEDIA? None, I don’t think. WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER THE MOST PRESSING ISSUE IN TODAY’S WORLD? The preservation of the natural environment. As it goes, so do we… HOW MANY CAREERS HAVE YOU HAD? Two. Professional football player and professional firefighter. WHAT OTHER CAREERS ARE WAITING FOR YOU? I’d like to run my own business someday. Or be a news anchor. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CONCERT? Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5 when I was about 10. It was my birthday present. WHAT DO YOU DO TODAY THAT YOU SWORE AS A KID YOU’D NEVER DO? Worry.
MORE of RYAN web: ryansutter.com twitter: @ryansutter
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Clean BY ANY OTHER NAME
w WRITTEN BY DAWN MORI
FEATURE
hile there’s no doubt that some products and companies fabricate brand names and histories as a part of a marketing plan, there are also real people with unique stories behind the names of some of our very favorite brands. Dr Pepper (Dr. Charles Pepper), Marks & Spencer (Michael Marks and Thomas Spencer), and Maybelline (Maybel Wilson) are a few, and there is even a real person behind Tupperware (Earl Tupper). Cleaning products are no exception. Although Proctor & Gamble invented the persona of Mr. Clean to market a brand in 1958, Nellie, Mrs. Meyer, and Dr. Bronner are the names and the real people behind a new generation of green cleaning products. Meet the real people behind each product’s sparkling success.
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Nellie’s All-Natural For Canadian inventor John Roberts, it was the product that came first when he created Nellie’s Dryerballs. The concept itself was simple — placing two plastic balls in the dryer with your wet laundry separated your clothes as the dryer turned, allowing more air to circulate between the fabrics. This not only relaxed the fibers for softer clothes, but also reduced dryer time by up to 25%, reduced wrinkles, and eliminated the need for the chemicals usually found in fabric softeners. In 2003, Roberts was marketing his product, known only as Dryerballs, through direct sales and consumer shows. Looking for an identity, Roberts was struck by an early photograph of his late mother, Nellie, then in her late twenties. He renamed his product as a tribute to his mother, a nurse and a mother of four children, using her values and her image to guide the Nellie’s All-Natural brand. He remembered his mother cleaning without packaged products, using only basic solutions such as vinegar and water. “…with Nellie’s, it has been simple and clean from day one,” he said. “All of the renderings on our products are of her and it was good for all of her hard work to be recognized.” Now, the Vancouver-based Nellie’s All-Natural markets a full line of laundry and dishwashing products, including Nellie’s Dryerballs, recently made available in a PVC-free, thermo plastic rubber. Nellie’s estimates each set of Dryerballs can last for up to 1000 loads of laundry. Lavender fragrance sticks can be placed inside one dryerball to scent items with essential oil fragrances. There is also a natural Laundry Soda, containing no whiteners or perfume, with only a single tablespoon needed to clean an average load of wash. Premeasured
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Nellie’s Laundry Nuggets are available in a package that bears the image of Roberts’ childhood dog — a Boston terrier named, yes, Nugget. In addition, Nellie’s carries a chlorine-free, biodegradable oxygen brightener that doubles as a stain remover. For the kitchen, there is an automatic dishwasher powder, premeasured dishwasher nuggets, and a hard water rinse agent. During this past year, Nellie’s introduced a line of tin containers as alternative packaging for some of their most popular products. The move has brought positive reactions from both customers and Roberts, not only for the fun retro look, but as another way in which Nellie’s is reducing its carbon footprint. “In the 1940s and 1950s, there was a lot of metal packaging — I remember taking the labels off soup cans to use them again,” said Roberts. The new packaging gives Nellie’s the opportunity to use only the packing materials they need, as the rectangular shapes create an easy fit for shipping boxes. “And metal is easy for customers to recycle,” adds Roberts, “although we’re finding that people are saving and reusing the tins!”
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Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day as what is inside each container. Concentrated formulas reduce the total amount of necessary packaging and all packaging is made from materials that have been or can be recycled. The look of the packaging, designed by Werner Design Works in neighboring St. Paul, reflects the “no-fuss, nofrills, hardworking products with the added bonus of smelling fabulous,” said a company spokesperson. “The brand and packaging is designed to represent this work ethic and be informative, with a dash of fun.”
Just as there really was a Nellie, there really is a Mrs. Meyer of Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day. Thelma Meyer is the mother of nine children, including former Caldrea CEO, Monica Nassif, who saw a need for simple, efficient cleaning products. In 2001, she launched Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day, an affordable line of green cleaning products, named in honor of her mother and her straightforward Midwestern values. “A clean house is a happier house,” said Thelma Meyer, 79, in a company statement. “The faster you can do away with the messes, the more time you have for what really matters — children, relatives, friends and neighbors.” The Minneapolis-based Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day products use garden-inspired fragrances in their Basil Collection (basil, apricot leaves, parsley, and eucalyptus) and their two best selling fragrances — Lavender (lavender and orange), and Lemon Verbena (lemon, lemongrass, peppermint, clover, geranium and fir needle). There is also a scent-free line. All Mrs. Meyer’s products are made with natural essential oils, and use naturally-derived ingredients such as corn, sugar cane, coconut and palm, whenever possible. And the outsides of Mrs. Meyer’s products are as environmentally-conscious
Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day is a collection of about 16 home cleaners and five laundry products, made up of more than 100 different products, from baby detergent to dishwashing soap — and the real Mrs. Meyer also is an author. Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Home (Hachette Book Group, 2009) is a 240-page book that features well-practiced advice (“serve the kids ‘Musko’ [must go] for dinner, using the items that are fast approaching expiration”) and helpful household hints (“Never use vinegar and water on wood floors – one part dish soap and four parts water is the only way to truly get them clean.”) It all adds up to Mrs. Meyer’s recipe for a clean, happy home. “I don’t understand why people think they have to be a perfect housecleaner. I don’t think anybody can accomplish that,” says a practical Mrs. Meyer on her website. “You need to have a happy medium about perfectionism and a happy home.”
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Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps A more complex story is behind Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps. This popular line of natural cleaning products recently celebrated its 60th anniversary but can trace its roots back to 1858. It was in the Jewish quarter of Laupheim, Germany, when a certificate for soap manufacture was issued to Emmanuel Heilbronner who made soaps in the basement of his home. In 1908, Emmanuel’s youngest son, Berthold, and his wife became the parents of Emanuel (Emil) Heilbronner, the man who eventually would be known as Dr. Bronner. In 1929, Emil emigrated to America and found work as a consultant for various soap and chemical manufacturers, eventually dropping the ‘Heil’ from his last name. Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps was launched in 1948 with the introduction of their liquid peppermint soap. The brand’s popularity grew as Dr. Bronner’s was embraced by the counter-culture in the 1960s and then experienced wide distribution into health food stores in the 1980s. One of the most distinctive features of Dr. Bronner’s products is the intensely narrative labels printed in small type. Each label was created by Dr. Bronner himself to spread the word of his personal philosophy of a unified mankind. He updated each label as he was inspired by current events, introducing new products to extend his message. “Basically, whenever he ran out of room on the current label, he’d come out with another,” explained Michael Bronner, Vice-President, Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps, and Dr. Bronner’s grandson. The original peppermint oil soap line first expanded to include eucalyptus, then an almond liquid soap. As a memorial, the labels have not been changed since Dr. Bronner’s death in 1997. Headquartered in Escondido, California, Dr. Bronner’s was certified as a Fair Trade company in 2007 and celebrated its milestone anniversary a year later. Now led by the fourth and fifth generation of the Bronner family, this pioneering
business in green cleaning products and alternative marketing remains as progressive as ever. “In prior decades, social media for my grandfather was the personal phone number he put on every bottle of soap, and the bank of red rotary telephones that he surrounded himself with to field the resulting phone calls,” said Bronner. “With Facebook and Twitter, we are able to personally engage with our customers in a much more efficient and consistent way, and offer a personal venue for the Bronner’s consumer community to engage with themselves." He continued with more of the story about the man behind the product: “Note that my grandfather was blind [in his later years], had no advertising, had no sales force, had a label that violated all current concepts of graphic design, and still managed to be the number one selling natural soap in America. With this generation, we have taken the environmental and social aspects of the label, and have applied them to our sphere of influence by going organic and fair trade. We know that these features help us make our products and company more appealing to more consumers, but to us the marketing potential is simply a value-added benefit.”
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Our homes are now cleaner and greener because of the very real people behind product names. Their legacy is more than a piece of consumer culture — it is one of vision, values, and beliefs which tell the story that there is more to successful products than just a brand name. Dr Pepper was invented in 1885, in Waco, Texas, by Charles Alderton, a pharmacist at a drug store owned by Wade Morrison. It was Morrison who named the drink “Dr Pepper” after the father of a young girl with whom he was once in love. (SOURCE: DRPEPPER.COM) Earl Tupper was an inventor who specialized in plastics. In 1946, he discovered the airtight seal of the rim of a paint can could be inverted and used on a plastic container to prevent food from drying out in the refrigerator. Two years later, Tupperware wasn’t selling well in retail stores so consumers received demonstrations on how the seal worked through the groundbreaking Tupperware Home Party. By 1951, all Tupperware products were sold through direct sales, a distribution system that now includes dedicated mall kiosks and the internet. (SOURCE: TUPPERWAREBRANDS.COM)
The famous Aunt Jemima may have been invented for marketing purposes, but here are real people behind some other well-known brand names: Marks & Spencer began in 1884 when Michael Marks, a Russian-born Polish refugee, opened a market stall in Leeds where every item sold for one penny. Ten years later he would take on a partner, Thomas Spencer, the head cashier of an early investor. By 1900, Marks & Spencer had 36 penny bazaars and 12 high street shops, on their way to the nearly 900 stores the Londonbased retailer now operates around the world. (SOURCE: MARKSANDSPENCER.COM)
In 1913, Maybel Williams was in love with a man who loved another woman. Her younger brother, Thomas Williams, a Chicago chemist, helped her grab that young man’s attention by adding carbon dust to the petroleum jelly she was using to enhance her lashes and eyebrows. Two years later, Maybel got her man and Thomas founded Maybelline. In 1917, Thomas launched Maybelline Cake Mascara, the first everyday eye cosmetic. (SOURCE: MAYBELLINE.CO.UK) The man behind Joe Fresh Style is Joseph M i m r a n , creator of the Alfred Sung and Club Monaco brands, and current chair of the Fashion Design Council of Canada. Mimran is also head of design and branding for the apparel and home divisions of the Brampton, Ontario-based Loblaw Companies. Hugely popular, Joe Fresh Style is a line of stylish, affordable clothes for men, women and children, overseen by Mimran and available in a third of Loblaw’s 1,000+ stores across Canada. (SOURCE: JOE.CA)
Originally from Kentucky, Duncan Hines was a traveling salesman who in 1930 compiled a list of recommended eating establishments as a Christmas gift to friends. He self-published an expanded guide and, after a profile in the Saturday Evening Post, his recommendation became a nationally recognized seal of approval. His business, Hines-Park Foods, would use his name on more than 250 canned, bottled and boxed products, before merging their business with Proctor & Gamble who introduced Duncan Hines cake mixes in 1945. (SOURCE: DUNCANHINES.COM)
Joyce C. Hall was the youngest of three sons born into a poor family in Nebraska. In 1910, at 18 years old, Hall traveled to Kansas City where he started selling postcards by mail order. Joined by his brother, Rollie, the Hall Brothers were in business until a fire destroyed their offices in 1915. With postcard sales declining as people sought more privacy, and still in debt from the fire, the brothers began printing their own Valentine’s Day and Christmas cards, all to be mailed in envelopes. The name Hallmark was inspired by a combination of a goldsmith’s mark of quality and the brother’s last name. They also are credited with inventing printed gift wrap when, in 1917, they ran out of solid colored paper and substituted the printed paper used for envelope linings. (SOURCE: HALLMARK.COM)
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Be sure to come back to this page in every issue of Delish for the MOST delish books on craft, decor and more..
By-the-book
LIVE: MAKE
DIY
There is more to life than sewing and stitching, but that seems to be all I want to do these days… Autumn weather makes me want to curl up next to a warm sewing machine or snuggle on the couch with embroidery hoop, needle and thread in hand, and a cup of hot chocolate and a pile of these books on the coffee table.
w WRITTEN BY TAMARA KOMUNIECKI
Built by Wendy DRESSES: The Sew U Guide to Making a Girl’s Best Frock Written by Wendy Mullin, with Eviana Hartman Published by Potter Craft Wendy Mullins is a New York-based fashion designer, creative consultant and author. She’s also an incredibly generous spirit, because while we could be spending our hard-earned bucks on her gorgeous creations available at builtbywendy.com, Wendy also offers patterns for us to make our own clothing, and books that make the task of sewing easy even for newbies. (This newest book joins her two others in the Sew U series.) The book features 25 different dresses based on three basic shapes: the sheath, the shift and the dirndl. There's truly something here for every woman.
w $24.99 at Random House
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Bend-the-Rules Sewing Written by Amy Karol/Published by Potter Craft You might know Amy Karol by her online moniker Angry Chicken. I really enjoy her tutorials and recipes and now I’m wiping my mouth with her Mixy-Matchy Napkins, the first project I made from this book. Enough grabbing a quick paper towel or paying for paper napkins we just throw away after one use. They were super easy to make and with the book’s great stepby-step instructions I’ll be moving on to more complicated projects next.
w $21.95 at Random House
Appliqué Your Way: 35 Pretty Sewing Projects and Patterns Written by Kayte Terry/Published by Chronicle Books This book begins with the question, “What do you think of when you hear the word appliqué?” — and my answer was, in a word, “frumpy”. I’m totally willing to admit when I’m wrong, and this is just such an occasion. Hello, Coco Sweater, Rose Petal Tee and How Does Your Garden Grow? Apron — totally of the moment items to wear. The cute and even beautiful embellishments don’t end there, though. Ballet slippers, handbags and pillows get a treatment, plus so much more. Thanks to this book, "appliqué" will no longer conjure up images of a kitty cat stitched onto a rose-colored sweatshirt. Amen.
w $19.95 at Chronicle Books
Embroidered Effects: Projects and Patterns to Inspire Your Stitching Written by Jenny Hart/Published by Chronicle Books I’ve been into embroidery since I was very young, because my Baba (my paternal grandmother), always had something in the hoop and on the go. The projects in this book are quite different than those Baba did, but that’s their charm — old school roots with a modern twist. Before you even get started with needle and thread, though, you’ll find out whether you are a stabber or a sewer (it’s not as violent as it sounds!), and there are pages dedicated to different stitch techniques. Then the fun really begins… while the rain falls outside, I’ll be using some of the floss that Baba gave me for the Let Me Sleep pillowcase.
w $24.95 at Chronicle Books
Embroidery Companion: Classic Designs for Modern Living Written by Alicia Paulson/Published by Potter Craft Author Alicia Paulson’s blog Posie Gets Cozy is on my visit-every-day list. The projects on her site (especially the Ollalieberry Ice Cream Quilt — the first one I had ever made) are easy to follow and the pictures of her creations, her workspace, her home, and her sweet pup are completely inspiring. Best yet, Alicia seems like someone I’d enjoy sharing a cup of tea and a slice of pie with. And after leafing through this, her wonderful second book (the first was Stitched in Time: Memory-Keeping Projects to Sew and Share, published by Potter Craft for $22.99), she’s officially on the top of my Stitch-N-Bitch wish list. What would I be working on as we chat? Her Country Time Quilt from this wonderful book, which I’ll be making for my son this Fall.
w $22.99 at Random House
Craft Corps: Celebrating the Creative Community One Story at a Time Written by Vickie Howell/Published by Lark Books Vickie Howell, the writer/designer/television host/Caron spokesperson/hot redhead introduces us to the people behind the crafts in this, a celebration of artistic individuals and the larger creative community. In these pages you’ll get to know the celebrities of the craft world — the men and women behind the web sites, television shows and books we have been enjoying for years, and also 60 regular, everyday, lesser-known crafters too. All are compelling stories that reveal people who create for different reasons — Erin Stoy of lachapina.etsy.com, for instance (page 114), started hand-sewing stuffed animals out of her adopted daughter’s outgrown baby clothing when she, her toddler and her husband were confined to their apartment during political unrest in Guatemala. Amanda Soule, author of The Creative Family: How to Encourage Imagination and Nurture Family Connections and Handmade Home: Simple Ways to Repurpose Old Materials into New Family Treasures ($18.95 and $15.37 from Shambhala Publications) and creator of Soule Mama, is profiled on page 249.
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Her interview reveals an early interest in crafting and her belief in the importance of passing that on to her own children. She is passionate about craft’s ability to bring family members together, as well as its power as a connecting force in a larger societal context. Here she shares an eloquent exchange on craftivism and her Mama to Mama project: “There are so many reasons why we craft: out of necessity, love, or for pleasure. And we craft, sometimes, to bring a little peace to our lives, our hearts, and our everyday moments. Taking that just a step further, we can—and do, like so many crafters before us—turn our crafting into peace for the world beyond our homes. The simple act of creating something with intention and heart for someone in need can have a beautiful effect on the lives of others. We can, indeed, do something to create a more just and peaceful world, all with the simple, mindful, and crafty work of our hands.” Adored quilter Denyse Schmidt, Project Runway winner and designer Jay McCarroll and famous fabric designer Amy Butler are among the 30 well-known craft celebrities interviewed. By the time you put this book down, you’ll be inspired to break out the glue gun, beads, thread, fabric, scissors or whatever else catches your creative fancy. You’ll also feel like you’re part of a larger community and movement, all bound together by the expression of art.
Don’t pay boutique prices— get creative and recycle!
w $17.95USD, $23.50CDN at larkbooks.com MORE of Vickie web: vickiehowell.com twitter: @vickiehowell
SAVE ON CRAFT BOOKS! Save 20% on all books! Use coupon code LS01 at checkout
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at ChronicleBooks.com!
It’s not about how much you spend, but what you can make from the things you find. And now, with FABRIC REMIX, Sandy Stone proves that decorating “scavenger style” is not only eco-friendly, but gorgeous. It has all her stitchery secrets for transforming unexpected materials—like canvas signage!—into one-of-a-kind accessories you’ll love to show off.
$19.95 ($23.95 CAN), in paper
LarkCrafts.com
DIY
LIVE: MAKE Custom Laptop Sleeve w WRITTEN BY LINDSAY WILKES
FALL
is upon us, which means back to school and back to work — which of course means new back to school and back to work clothes! What better way to accessorize AND tote your laptop to class or the office, than with your own custom laptop sleeve. This pattern can be made for any size laptop, Kindle, or iPad by adjusting the measurements accordingly.
SUPPLIES CHECK-LIST Cotton fabric for exterior Fleece fabric for lining 2 buttons Sewing machine Seam ripper Thread Iron & Ironing board Fray Check (optional) Fabric marking pen, chalk or pencil
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1
Determine the sizing for your laptop sleeve. First, measure the height of your laptop, then measure the length and finally, measure the width.
Once you have these measurements you can determine your pattern size. Here is how you calculate your dimensions for the large fabric pieces (interior and exterior):
(L + H + 1) X (W + H + 1) For example, my laptop was 9 inches wide (W), 12.75 inches long (L), and 1.25 inches tall (H), so my calculation was (12.75 + 1.25 + 1) X (9 + 1.25 + 1) = 15 X 11.25. I cut my interior and exterior fabric pieces 15" X 11.25" (4 pieces total).
2 For the straps, draw a pattern for yourself (freehand) on a piece of paper and use this as a template. These straps are 2.5 inches wide by 7.5 inches tall (up to the very top of the curve). Cut two from the exterior fabric and two from the fleece (lining). Place exterior fabric right-side down on top of your lining (fleece).
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Stitch along both long sides and the curved top, leaving the bottom open (1/4" seam allowance). Trim the excess fabric off around the curve. This will help it to lay nice and flat. Turn both straps right-side out. Press with a hot iron.
3 4 Top-stitch on both long sides and the curved top (1/8" seam allowance). Do this in a coordinating thread.
5 Prepare to sew a button hole in each strap (according to your machine’s directions). Start button hole 1/2" from the end of the strap. Make it as big or as small as you need, depending on the buttons you have chosen to use. Now it’s time to open both button holes. You will need your seam-ripper and Fray Check for the next step. Take your seam-ripper and open the inside of both button holes. Use Fray Check on each button hole after opening. This is entirely optional, but it really helps to prevent any additional fraying.
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Pin both sides of your exterior fabric right-sides together. Pin the two long sides and one short side. Stitch all three sides (1/2" seam allowance). It is important to remove the extra fabric in the two corners. Clip both corners to remove any extra bulk from the fabric. Turn right-side out and press. fall 2010
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Pin the straps into place. Line up the raw edge of the strap with the raw edge of the exterior fabric. Measure in approximately 1.5" on each side. Baste straps into place. Set machine stitch length to 3.5 and stitch along the edge (1/4" seam allowance).
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Pin both long sides of fleece (lining) together. Stitch down both long sides (1/2" seam allowance). Stitch part of one short side together, but leave an opening in the middle. Make sure to only stitch in about 1/3 of the way on the short side of the fleece. The opening needs to be in the middle for you to be able to turn the laptop sleeve later. Clip the corners to remove bulk.
Feed the exterior fabric in through the hole in the fleece.
10
11 Line up the raw edge of the exterior fabric and the raw edge of the fleece. Pin in place, right-sides together. Stitch around the top (1/2" seam allowance).
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Now pull the exterior fabric back through the hole you left open in the fleece. Turn the fleece right-side out as well.
12 13 Close the hole in the bottom of the fleece by slip-stitching it closed by hand.
14 Tuck the lining into the exterior fabric. Work the corners from the interior and exterior fabric into one another. Top-stitch around the top opening. Use a coordinating thread (1/2" seam allowance).
15
If you would like to sew on your personal clothing label, do so at this time. I placed mine on the back side in between the two straps.
16 Fold over both straps. Using a fabric marking pen, chalk or pencil, mark your button placement. Stitch by machine or hand-sew buttons into place. Slide your laptop into the sleeve, button the straps and you’re ready to head back to school or your office in style.
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... For more great DIY projects, creative ideas and delicious recipes, visit Lindsay at The Cottage Home! THECOTTAGEHOME.BLOGSPOT.COM
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LIVE: MAKE
Paula Prass - WOMAN OF THE CLOTH -
w WRITTEN BY TAMARA KOMUNIECKI
When a woman finds out she is going to be a grandmother, everything can change in that instant. The thought of her own child having a new little baby to love and cherish has the power to put a smile on her face and a pep in her step, and for Paula Prass, it also meant yet another life-changing development. For when her daughter decided to start her own family, the seeds of the next phase of Paula’s career were planted as well.
PHOTO BY LOREE ALAYNE PHOTOGRAPHY
She had been working in interior design for years, and, with the motivation of building the perfect baby nursery, she took to her drawing board and put together a portfolio book full of decor ideas. She had design ideas for a girl and a boy, and included items like picture frames and wall art. And while her grandbaby was growing and getting ready to meet her eagerly awaiting family, the seeds of Paula’s new business grew. A friend who was also an interior designer had taken a look at the nursery portfolio, and urged Paula to take it to market (where products get shown to stores, and designers take orders for the next season’s goods). Paula said she just couldn’t, given the lack of money to develop prototypes — her husband had lost his job after 9/11 and the couple were living as frugally as possible on just her salary. Paula explains that what happened next got Paula Prass the brand really blooming. “My friend said, ‘You have to do this, you can’t keep this to yourself.’ Then she left, and she came back in about half an hour and she handed me a cheque, and she said, ‘I’m investing in your business — you have to go to market.’”
The market was in Atlanta (Paula lives in Carmel, Indiana), in two and a half weeks’ time. She continues, “I called and they got me in, I was so surprised. My husband and I made picture frames. We were hand painting — my original line was all hand painted — and we did bedding and the fabrics weren’t mine, but anyway we went. We took orders at the market, didn’t know what the heck we were doing. Once we took those orders I knew there was no turning back.” And for two weeks, they went crazy, working through days and nights to fill orders of picture frames, lamps, wall art and bedding. “That’s how that got started,” Paula explains, “And that was in 2003. So from there I ended up selling to over 500 stores. I had children’s décor called Mimi’s Collection and then the home décor was Paula Prass.” (In June of 2009, Prass decided that handling the manufacturing and fulfilling the orders was not sustainable, and has licensed the designs for picture frames and wall art.) When it comes to her now-famous textiles, she remembers, “People kept asking, do you have fabrics that coordinate with all of this and I would think, ‘Well no, aren’t I doing enough?!’ And so they said it enough… and then Kathy (Miller, of Michael Miller Fabrics) called, and she said based off of the picture frames and wall art, that this would make a great fabric.” Paula spent some time with her husband in Hawaii when he had to travel there for three months with his work, and her first collection was born on her travels.
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here, where else would I be and what would that look like?”, so I did that collection in three different colorways. One was Nantucket, one was Manhattan, one was Miami. Then I did another collection after that, Woodland Delight, but I didn’t get to go anywhere with that one — it was supposed to be just an interim one.
PHOTO BY LOREE ALAYNE PHOTOGRAPHY
This next collection is all inspired by a trip that I just took in May to Southern California. I took tons of photographs and I sat and I drew. If I’m sitting at the beach or the pool, I usually have a sketchbook. Starting from there and then when I’m in the room, I always take art supplies with me. Other people really go on vacation; I go on vacation to work.
“It was my only opportunity to add one more thing to my to-do list. I took art supplies, I took laptop and printer and went out there and that’s where I designed Flights of Fancy. I handed that in as soon as we got back, and that’s how it all got started. It’s not like I didn’t want to do it but I didn’t think that it was even a possibility until everything just fell into place. I’m so glad that I did because it has opened up a whole new world for me.” In a recent phone interview, Paula dropped a few hints about new developments and a new hand-painted collection that will be released soon, and indulged us with some more of the details about her creative process and what life is like as a Woman of the Cloth. Q. WHERE DO YOU FIND YOUR INSPIRATION? A. I don’t want to be cliché but nature does do it for me and if you pay attention to my designs, for every one of them I designed it when I went away. When I’m here I am so bogged down in answering the phone, answering emails, doing orders, all that kind of stuff. I kind of lose sight, I become like a robot. I just have to get away, and fortunately with my husband’s job, I from time to time do get to follow him. My first collection Flights of Fancy was inspired by my trip to Hawaii. The second line Summer Soirée was Southern California. But I did it based on, “If I weren’t
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Q. WHEN YOU ARE DESIGNING, IS IT BY HAND AT FIRST OR ARE YOU A COMPUTER DESIGNER AS WELL? A. I’m not that great on the computer. I know a bit but I usually have to get help and it’s painstaking. This particular (new) collection, Kathy said not that many people paint their work like they used to years ago, and she really wanted me to try it. The disadvantage of painting your work is you can’t pop different colors in and change the background, change the scale, things like that. It’s a lot more complicated but the advantage is that it’s exactly what I wanted it to be. It’s going to be different than my other line but I believe my personality and character is going to shine through. Q. IN TERMS OF YOUR PAST COLLECTIONS, IS THERE ONE THAT STANDS OUT AS YOUR BEST WORK, YOUR ABSOLUTE FAVORITE? A. There are particular designs that are my favorite but they’re all so personal to me. The first collection Flights of Fancy was so personal because I was so new, I didn’t even know what I was doing — what you could do, what you couldn’t do. I didn’t know how to do repeats,
I had to learn. But it was so exciting and exhilarating to be able to do. Par Avion and the Garden Trellis are still really popular. Summer Soirée I really like too because it has more of that interior design look to it that suits what I do so well. My third collection is Woodland Delight and I really liked it. Q. WHEN YOU SAW THE FIRST GARMENT OR QUILT MADE WITH YOUR FABRIC, WHAT WAS THAT LIKE? A. I lived in Nashville, Tennessee for fifteen-some years and I personally knew some of the music artists. If I was in a store and I heard an Amy Grant song playing I would think, “I know she shops here too.” I mean, what would that be like for her? I just could never imagine, like, would you want to tell somebody, “I’m Amy Grant!”? So I always wondered what that would feel like. It never ceases to amaze me even now. Any time I see something new I’m just blown away. I’m like, “Is this my life, is this really happening?” because I never, ever expected this. I just get excited every time. It’s very very thrilling. Q. DO YOU SEW WITH YOUR OWN FABRICS, AND WHAT DO YOU MAKE? A. I do and I don’t do it nearly enough! I am supposed to be making a quilt for my granddaughter who is now five and a half. I’m trying. I’m coming out with some patterns so I’m playing around with all of that. I just don’t do enough. I like to be the designer and create ideas but I’m not so good at just sitting there and sewing. If I’m doing that then I’m not doing artwork or another aspect of what I do. I do have something in the works that’s kind of
major and I can’t talk about it, so then my mind is going there. I think, “That kid’s going to be a teenager before the quilt is done!” Q. WHO ELSE WORKING IN TEXTILES DO YOU REALLY ADMIRE? A. I like a lot of people, I really do. It’s very different from the interior design world where everybody was very cutthroat and this is very different. We do seem to really care about each other. Right off the top of my head I would say Jennifer Paganelli. She has impressed me because she’ll forward emails to me from customers or people that follow her saying how they love using our fabrics together and I can really see that. I would say right off the top because of her style; it’s similar to mine. I love Anna Maria [Horner] because she’s artsy. I enjoy her writing, and I enjoy her perspective and her outlook and her artsy fartsy side. Q. WHAT IS THE BEST PART OF WORKING IN TEXTILES? A. I like every single aspect of it. I don’t like so much the technical part of it, it hurts my brain, but the designing and the imagining. I just had someone the other day say that they love my fabrics because (and this was something I never thought about or realized because it comes naturally to me), I hit all of the lights and mediums and darks and all the different hues. And one of the things that I do that I understand isn’t common, is that my first collection will have colors and designs in it that coordinate with my third collection. I try to do things that are fairly consistent, popping in new colors and new patterns but it all has a thread running through it. I think about people, I really think about who I’m doing it for while I’m doing it and that brings me that satisfaction. MORE of PAULA web: paulaprass.blogspot.com twitter: @paulaprass
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LIVE: GROW
PRESERVING SUMMER Gardeners know what a tomato is.
And it’s not the geneticallymodifiedmushyblandwateryshippedfromfarfaraway tomato that can be found in grocery stores. It can be perfectly round, or bulbous and odd looking. Red, orange, yellow, green, pink, purple black, or all of the above. Grape-shaped, cherry-shaped, strawberry-shaped, lemon-shaped, eggshaped, or whattheheckisthatshape-shaped. A garden tomato can be meaty and sweet, with such a big punch of flavor that you can easily chop a bit up and add it to eggs or sautéed veggies to brighten up the flavor. Or it can be a cheery cherry tomato treat still warm from the sun that bursts in your mouth as you garden. Some are lemony, tart, sugary, earthy, salty, buttery, but never, never the blah of the non-garden variety grocery store tomato. With all this variety it’s no wonder we gardeners wait all year for fresh garden delights to be in season. We plan out our seed lists in the chilly winter, start our prized
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w WRITTEN BY STEVIE ROSE seeds in heated trays and grow lights while still under frost, watch the temperatures rise in the spring until that magical day of last frost that the seedlings can be set out on their own in the garden. We spend the summer pruning, staking, watering, and nursing our leafy babies, praising their flower buds and watching the fruit grow bigger week after week. Until one day in the heat of summer, when we can’t wait even another day, there it is: the first tomato.
Finally! The recipes that swirl around in our heads fall victim to our primal urge and we just gobble it up right there in the garden. Luckily, before long there is another and another and another of those prized globes. In summer and fall, garden goodies will ripen faster than you can get your harvest basket out and soon your friends and family are overflowing with your bounty as well. Amidst the lavish cornucopia of fresh foods available during fall harvest, it’s difficult to remember days spent in front of the fire with seed catalogs and desperation for a freshly picked goodie. But when the leaves and temperatures have dropped, so does the flavor and freshness of the produce available. You can’t buy a strawberry, pear, tomato, corn cob, cucumber, beet green, apple, fig, or pea pod from the grocery that tastes like the garden variety in season. With the explosion in popularity of growing food at home, farmers markets, and local eating, it’s no wonder the lost art of “putting food by” (preserving, pickling, and canning) has experienced a resurgence in popularity among foodies and gardeners. How wonderful to plan and work ahead to preserve the delicious harvest when it is plentiful, to enjoy at a time when it is not. Once I started canning foods myself, I learned just why the practice was abandoned in my mother’s generation for prepackaged foods with eon-long shelf lives. It’s much more difficult to make applesauce than to buy a can of applesauce at the store. It takes time, which is increasingly difficult to find in today’s busy schedules. But preserving foods back in the day was a family activity; a skill passed on to the next generation that in many cases remains a fond memory. It didn’t mean adding chemicals for shelf stability nor adding thickeners and artificial flavors. It meant extending the harvest to feed your family throughout the year. And today, it means taking a snapshot of the flavor at its ultimate peak, capturing it in a can or jar and reliving the memories in a much less abundant time. And I can tell you, it’s worth the work.
Putting food by in the modern age You’ll likely be familiar with canning, which means preparing foods into jams, jellies, compotes, relish, salsa, and sauces and processing them in canning jars. Whole fruits and veggies can also be canned in syrup (fruits) or brine (pickles), or be fermented in jars as in olives, kimchi, and sauerkraut. Other foods benefit from drying (yes, bring out that Ronco Food Dehydrator you bought from late night TV) like plums, apricots or tomatoes. And perhaps the easiest way is to simply freeze what you harvest in bags, freezer jams, sorbets, and even single-serve pesto in ice cube trays.
Regardless of the method chosen to preserve food, it is important to follow a trusted recipe. This is not the time for creative additions or substitutions — as hard as that may be for many a home chef. The recipes are designed to balance the flavor of the end product with the right mix of ingredients to ensure food safety. All foods that need to be preserved are perishable by nature; the goal of preserving is to slow this process but be mindful they will not last forever. I’ve yet to run into the problem of having anything left over in my pantry come summer as what I don’t dish up for myself, I give as gifts, keeping lots of shelf space available for next ingredient inspiring me to dig out the canning pot. Whether you are a gardener, a chef, a foodie or all of the above, growing an edible garden breeds appreciation for how freshly-grown produce is supposed to taste, and preserving gives year-long joy. What I can’t fall 2010
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Remembering an afternoon the gang got together to make jam from our U-Pick bounty warms me from the inside on a winter’s morning. Popping a spicy bean in a guest’s New Year’s Bloody Mary makes me resolve to grow more beans the coming year. And with a belly full of fresh pasta and last fall’s tomato sauce, I curl up with my seed catalog once again, planning the next year’s crop and what it will all become: a jar of summer’s bounty, a comfort and an art, stimulating time travel for the senses that can’t be bought.
Impress your friends with this unique and elegant recipe. It’s a wonderful holiday gift or a showstopper with cheese and crackers.
Fig Ginger Jam SERVINGS – 8 CUPS
grow myself I hunt for: organic and local ingredients where possible and as close to the farm as I can get, all the while being mindful of what is in season to ensure I get the freshest, best-tasting produce to start with. Many ingredients will be available year-round, yet the growing conditions required for global transport will surely affect quality, so be on the lookout for monstrous displays at the market of organic sun-ripened produce on sale and ask for the price of buying in bulk. Ask a neighbor if you can pick their fig tree instead of letting the fruit go to the birds. Or even just plan to grow a few more tomatoes next year to make your own pasta sauce. I do the work in the early months and then enjoy the ease of short days reaping the rewards of past labor.
D
MO
R E ON GA RD
Visit me at:
E
WEB:
GARDENTHERAPY.CA TWITTER:
@GARDEN_THERAPY
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,
TO
A
NG NI
RE
With a wealth of great recipes to tackle, I may never have a month go by without a new gem to add to my pantry shelf. The time is well spent, gifting me with a year-long reminder of longer, warmer days.
INGREDIENTS 8 cups fresh ripe figs 4 cups sugar 2 whole organic lemons (zest & juice) 2 thumbs of fresh ginger (peeled & finely grated) 1 cup finely chopped candied (crystallized) ginger DIRECTIONS Wash figs and slice them in half, being careful to remove any blemishes. Stir in sugar, cover and let rest overnight. The following day add lemon zest, lemon juice, and ground fresh ginger, then boil mixture at medium-high heat, reducing to medium-low when it comes to a hard boil. Simmer, stirring occasionally and skimming away the foam, until the jam is reduced by 1/4 and is no longer runny (could be anywhere between 1-2 hours). Using an immersion blender (or transfer to a blender/ food processor) pulse until all remaining skins are blended into the jam. Add finely chopped candied ginger when jam is still boiling hot and let rest for 10 minutes while you prepare your canning jars. Ladle into 8 sterilized 8oz (250ml) jam jars and process for 15 minutes in a boiling water canner. For directions on processing please click here.
LIVE: GROW
Preserving Summer Reads w WRITTEN BY STEVIE ROSE
There are many great reads to guide you through the forays of preserving. Here are a few of my favorites:
On my Bookshelf Stocking Up by Carol Hupping and the staff of the Rodale Food Centre is a classic guide with instructions and recipes for preserving foods of all kinds. I love the basics listed in this book such as how and when to harvest and the best method for preserving a particular food. It covers freezing, canning, drying, underground storage, pickles and relish, jams, jellies and butters, and even juicing fruits and vegetables. Dairy, meat, poultry and fish, as well as nuts, seeds, sprouts and grains are also included. Everything you need is in here. Get Stocking Up: The Third Edition of America’s Classic Preserving Guide for $14.96 on Amazon.
The Complete Book of Small Batch Preserving by Ellie Topp and Margaret Howard has over 300 recipes that can be made in small batches of one to four cups. This is handy when you are getting started as the recipes are easy and the ingredient volume is not too unwieldy. There are some interesting combinations like Peach Mint Salsa and Watermelon Rind Pickles (which I made this year and they are deee-lightful). Get The Complete Book of Small-Batch Preserving: Over 300 Recipes to Use Year-Round for $13.57 on Amazon.
On my Computer Screen homecanning.com or freshpreserving.com
Grocery Gardening: Planting, Preparing and Preserving Fresh Food by Jean Ann Van Krevelen takes your food from seed to pantry. The main section of the book outlines the basics of growing, harvesting, and then preparing a selection of herbs, fruit, and vegetables, but there is also a chapter on preserving that is handy for the beginner. Get Grocery Gardening: Planting, Preparing and Preserving Fresh Food for $13.57 on Amazon.
The makers of Bernardin and Ball canning supplies offer an excellent virtual resource for first-time and experienced home canners. They offer how-to guides, product information, recipes, and an online store.
foodinjars.com An inspiring blog dedicated to canning, preserving, and all things jar related. Great photos, recipes, and easy to follow instructions make this blog a rich resource.
pickleandpreserve.co.uk You’ll find tons of recipes and ideas on this UK-based blog on, well, pickles and preserves.
wellpreserved.ca Bloggers Dana and Joel share their experiences in hunting for food, and cooking, pickling and jarring, among other things food and design related.
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LIVE: GROW
5plant
bulbs
TO
Spring
NOW FOR
2011 w WRITTEN BY STEVIE ROSE
love to wander around my garden in spring, taking delight in the brightly-colored blooms popping up everywhere, even through snow-covered frosty ground. It’s during those times that I reap the benefit of having taken the time the previous year to plant my fall bulbs. Bulbs are identified by the season they are planted, not that in which they grow — so with bulbs, it is important to think ahead to what the garden will look like in future seasons and find the right space, color, height and number to create the design you desire.
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Allium Alliums are in the same genus as the onion, yet the decorative varieties don’t have edible bulbs. What they do have is have is fascinating blooms with structures that decorate the garden long after the flower has faded. While there are over 750 species, some are wild, some are edible, and a few are absolute showstoppers in a garden.
Buy Fall Bulbs Online: IN CANADA brecksbulbs.ca veseys.com IN USA bloomingbulb.com veseys.com colorblends.com IN UK avonbulbs.co.uk IN AUSTRALIA gardenexpress.com.au tesselaar.net.au
Anemone If you fondly remember picking buttercups at as child, you’ll adore the grown-up version — Anemones — meaning “daughter of the wind” in Greek. These delicate low-growing blooms will surely perk up the front border with rich color and what seems to be an all-knowing eye dramatically darkening the center.
Crocus One of the first bulbs braving the frozen soil, the crocus offers a taste of what’s to come while still covered in winter’s frost. Generally, crocuses are found in purple and yellow hues, but there are also blue, white, and orange to brighten your outdoor space. The shorties are best in the front of flower beds, but I absolutely love crocuses livening up the ground under a deciduous (as they bloom before the leaves grow), or wildly dotted through a green lawn.
Narcissus Bearing the same name as the Greek God who fell in love with his own reflection, the Narcissus is a true symbol of beauty. Many may be familiar with the standard yellow Daffodil (a common English name), but the genus also includes a variety of 50 to 100 frilly gems in yellow, white, orange, and everything in between.
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Tulip The butterfly of flowers, the tulip is decorative and delcate, with as much variety in appearance as the gardeners who plant them. Small or tall, early or late blooming, ruffled or smooth, multicolored or striped, the tulip is the perfect showpiece for almost any garden. The hardest thing about growing tulips is how to choose which ones.
Marking Bulbs Unless you have x-ray vision or a superhuman memory, the likelihood is that you won’t remember where you planted all of your bulbs months later. I have neither of these powers and year after year I would shovel up a pile of them when working the beds. Not being a fan of plastic plant labels garnishing the garden beds, I took to marking the bulbs with a smooth river stone and a garden marker. A garden marker is meant to last through outdoor weather condition and UV exposure, but any permanent marker should have some staying power.
How to Plant Tulips FIND THE RIGHT SITE: Most tulips grow best in full sun in loose, rich soil with good drainage. Make sure to plant bulbs where you have room for them to grow (with enough height and space between other plantings). GROUP TOGETHER: Plant bulbs in groups of five to nine. Odd-numbered plantings in groups (as opposed to lines) present a more pleasing and natural display. DIG IN: Plant bulbs approximately six inches deep, with the pointy end facing up and the roots down. MARK AND MULCH: After you plant, cover with a layer of mulch such as leaves, peat moss, or pine needles to protect over winter. PLANT EARLY: When you see bulbs for sale in the garden center that’s a clue it’s time to start planting in your area. Read the package’s instructions for the best time to plant a particular type of bulb, but don’t play chicken with your frost date — get them in early to make sure bulbs have a chance to root in the ground before frost.
TO READ MORE ON GARDENING, YOU CAN VISIT ME AT: WEB: GARDENTHERAPY.CA TWITTER: @GARDEN_THERAPY
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LIVE: TASTE RIFFIN' IN THE KITCHEN
o u S p for the Sick f o e s i a r P In w WRITTEN BY
w ILLUSTRATION BY CYNTHIA FRENETTE
TAMARA KOMUNIECKI, GAIL NOWAKOWSKY & KELSEY BANFIELD
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If there was a competition between me and my husband to see who makes the best soup, I am not sure who would win. My offering would have to be a roasted red pepper/butternut squash/sage soup with a bit of grated parm on top, and his a mean pot of Zupa jazynowa (a recipe for soup from his native Poland — his version features yummy grated, pan-fried onions, carrots and potatoes that are done when they get a delicious crusty, starchy quality, then they get thrown into the pot). I think the judges would be hard-pressed to find one superior over the other, and it would be a draw. Those are not our only recipes, either. We put together huge pots that are so good, in fact, that once in a while we entertain the thought of opening up our own soup shack. But as good as our creations are, when I’m sick, all I want is the simple flavor of my childhood cold cure — my mom’s chicken rice soup. It was delicious at any time, but it seemed to be just what the doctor ordered when the sniffles started. I tried to make a pot of my own a few years ago for my husband when he was sick, and what do you know — it tasted just like Mom used to make! I decided I should ask her about the cure-all.
Chicken Rice Soup 2-3 lbs chicken pieces or whole stewing chicken Water to cover 1 1/2 tsp salt Put into a large stock pot and bring to a boil. Turn heat down and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes. Stir a few times and skim scum off top using slotted spoon or small strainer/sifter. Repeat in a few minutes, after stirring, if necessary. 1 large onion, diced 3 large carrots, small cubed 3 stalks celery, diced Add to boiling chicken and allow to simmer together until meat is easy remove from bones — could be up to two hours. Add water as necessary as it will evaporate. The pot can be covered to reduce evaporation. If broth seems a bit flat tasting the flavor can be enhanced by adding some chicken bouillon or bouillon cubes. Remove chicken pieces and allow to cool. Add 1-1 1/2 cups rinsed rice depending on amount of broth and how hearty a soup is desired — 1 cup will do in most cases. Simmer until rice is well cooked. Add about 2 tbsp of finely chopped (fresh if possible) dill and parsley about 5-10 minutes before end of cooking time. Remove meat from bones and add to soup. Add salt if necessary, and some pepper.
Mom’s Little Bone Soup from Gail Nowakowsky, Tamara’s mother There is that old saw that chicken soup is a cure for the common cold. I don’t know if you could consider it a “cure” but I do know that it was something I made for my children when they were young and under the weather. It is a comfort food and it does get congestion running when you have a cold, so I suppose it does make the patient feel better. If the rice is a bit overcooked or if there is leftover soup that sits in the fridge for awhile the rice sort of splits and looks like miniature bones. My kids used to ask me to make “little bone” soup! It was and is a family favorite.
I have to add that I never use a recipe when I make soups so this is an approximation and certainly does not have to be followed to a “T”. You can add or subtract ingredients as you like. I do know, however, that this method will produce a wholesome, tasty soup. For an more economical soup try to purchase chicken necks, backs and wing tips — you can ask the butcher if he has chicken soup bones. There will be sufficient meat on these bones to make a fairly meaty soup. I sometimes purchase chicken legs with backs attached and cut off the thighs and drumsticks leaving the backs for the soup pot and the leg pieces for other dishes. If you have used a whole chicken there will be too much meat for the soup, so use the remaining meat in other dishes. Boiled chicken is not really flavorful but can be used in chicken salad sandwiches by chopping fall 2010
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the meat and adding some flavor enhancers like finely diced raw onions and celery, and some mayo. The left over chicken can also be with a dill, onion and mushroom flavored cream sauce. Potatoes and carrots can be cooked in a separate pot and added to the chicken mixture to make a complete meal which can be served with a salad starter.
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I have been reading and cooking recipes from thenaptimechef.com pretty much since Kelsey Banfield started this web site, and I thought I would also ask her about her own childhood remedy that she makes for her own family now. I thought she’d be a great resource as her mandate is… “reminding parents that cooking great food for their families can be a pleasure.”
Only-if-you’re-REALLY-sick Soup from Kelsey Banfield, The Naptime Chef
wonder I won my elementary school attendance award two years straight?! However, when I did get sick I was taken care of to the nth degree. My parents, both compassionate, kind people would snuggle me in flannel PJs, treat me to all my favorite movies and make sure I did not set one toe outdoors until I was on the mend. These were the days that I enjoyed my Mom’s chicken soup. Fat cheesy tortellini floating in an herbaceous tomato broth was just the thing to perk me up when a fever got the better of me. These days I make it for my daughter when she is feeling under the weather. Unfortunately, I have learned from my parents and don’t let her get away with much in terms of fake illnesses, but I do take after their proclivity for TLC when the going gets tough. I tuck her into her bed, read her books galore and make her a big batch of soup — a sick day tradition we both enjoy.
My Mom’s Chicken-Tortellini Soup is my favorite thing to eat when I am sick. The only catch is that I have to be qualified as sick in order for her to make it. I grew up in a family of doctors, you see. Surrounded by medical professionals on both sides of the family certainly came with its benefits. I never had to wait in line at the emergency room when I needed stitches, and I always had a near instantaneous prescription if strep throat ever reared its ugly head. The only problem with this arrangement was that it was impossible to fake illness in any shape or form. Did you ever come downstairs complaining you were not feeling well in order to get out of school? I did. Once. I was asked if I had a) broken a limb, b) thrown up, c) spiked a fever north of 100º or d) was bleeding. If all answers were NO then I was deemed “healthy as a horse” and sent to fetch my backpack. Is it any
Chicken & Tortellini Soup 2 T. olive oil 12 oz. chicken sausage, sliced (I prefer sun-dried tomato flavor for this soup) 3 cloves garlic, chopped 1 medium onion, chopped 4 c. chicken broth 2 t. Italian seasoning 9 oz. fresh cheese tortellini 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes with juice 8 oz. baby spinach, roughly chopped Salt & Pepper Parmesan cheese
In a heavy bottom pot heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic, onion and chicken sausage. Cook until onion is wilted and sausage is cooked through. Add chicken broth and Italian seasoning. Bring contents to a boil and add tortellini. Continue boiling until the tortellini is cooked through. Lower heat to medium low, stir in tomatoes and simmer for about 10-15 minutes. Then, add the spinach and cook until wilted, about 2-3 minutes. Taste a touch of the soup, and salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot with a generous handful of parmesan on top and a crusty baguette on the side.
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LIVE: TASTE MY FAMILY'S
FLAVORS OF
FALL w WRITTEN BY CLEMENTINA LLANES ear summer, will you please leave? Take your sunburns, busted vacation romances and cutesy island cocktails and just go away. When you are gone I will put on my favorite worn-out sweater. Then I will lose myself in una dulce melancholía — a deeply felt, but sweet sadness. I want to wistfully stare out my window and watch as my liquid amber tree drops its russet-painted leaves one by one until los vientos del otoño — autumn’s cool blustery winds come and blow them all away. And I want a hot bowl of my mother’s caldo de rez — vegetable beef stew brimming with calabacitas (zucchini), potatoes, corn-on-the-cob, carrots and cabbage while I am doing it. I wish that I could tell you that I got this hearty but wholesome stew straight out of my Mexican mother’s box of recipes, but I can’t. Like many great home cooks, she had absolutely no use for written instructions. Whenever I used a cookbook to make anything, she would smile and gently shake her head as if to say qué tontita — my dear little simpleton, can’t you even tell the difference between a tomato and a tomatillo? Then one day, my loveable ranchera music-loving madrecita died, taking my heart and the unwritten recipes for most of our favorite family dishes with her, except this one and a few others.
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Since then, I’ve become a Mexican food crusader of sorts, an overzealous pain-in-las-nalgas champion of homemade corn tortillas, tamales and tender nopalitos cactus cut straight from the bush — eaten without the stingers for those of you who are cringing as you read this. Pity the Mexican women who haplessly cross my path — be they the dignified matriarchs who have lived in America for the last fifty years, or recent arrivals, like the Mixteco-speaking women whose Oaxacan cooking is a source of fascination to me — for they will be pummeled with endless questions: Señora, how do you roast fresh poblano chiles so they won’t fall apart when you make chiles rellenos? Is it true you can put hoja santa (Holy Leaf) in pozole? Where can I find the freshest calf and pig’s feet for menudo (tripe stew)? All have kindly shared their recipes and invaluable advice. Such is their generosity and spirit of hospitalidad. Such is my regret for not learning to cook just like my mother when I had the chance. And so I sit with my mother’s caldo before me. I take a bite of the tender beef and savor the sweetness of the corn-on-the-cob. Some apricot-colored Mexican rice goes into the bowl along with a squirt of lime and a bit of chopped cilantro, coming together in a way that makes me swoon over the subtle color explosion of contrasting flavors in each spoonful. If this is what la melancolía tastes like, then summer will just have to leave without me.
What would my madrecita say of my cooking now, I wonder? I like to think she would approve, but would be, quite frankly, (secretly) astonished. “¡Ha!” She would have remarked in that off-handed way of hers. “No crees que ya era tiempo — well, it’s about time!” And as always, she would be right. You know, I’m starting to feel happier already.
CLEMENTINA LLANES
blogs about food a family at tazadechocolate.blogspot.com
mexican style vegetable beef stew with zucchini squash, corn & cabbage CALDO DE REZ CON CALABAZAS, ELOTE Y REPOLLO This stew contains no chiles or tomatoes — a surprise for those who think that Mexican food is all about bold flavors. Add a spoonful of hot chile salsa if you want some kick. Plus, you might think it a pain to keep boiling the beef and tossing out the water until there is no more foam, but you will be rewarded with a nice scum-free broth. INGREDIENTS 3 pounds beef shanks Plenty of water About 1/2 tablespoon salt 8 peppercorns; or, 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper 1/2 onion 2 cloves garlic 1 bay leaf A pinch of dried thyme 3 thin-skinned white boiling potatoes, cut into not too small cubes (peeling is optional) 4 small or 1 large carrot, peeled and sliced into 1/2" to 1/4" disks depending on your preference 2 or 3 fresh ears of corn, cut to 2 to 3" pieces 2 or 3 zucchini, sliced crosswise less than 1/8" 1/4 head of cabbage, coarsely chopped 1 celery stalk, very thinly sliced, about 1/8" Fresh sprigs of cilantro Fresh limes cut into quarters Homemade chile Salsa (click here for recipe); or, your favorite chile salsa. Mexican rice (click here for recipe).
DIRECTIONS Trim off any excess fat from along the edge of each beef shank. Rinse and place them in a large pot and cover them with water. Bring the water to a boil and then lower the heat to medium. When the water is full of foam, remove the beef and toss out the water. Wash and rinse the pot. Then, return the beef shanks to the pot and cover with water again. Repeat this process until the boiling water no longer foams up (up to three times). Then, add more water to the pot until the water level is about 1" to 1 1/2" above the beef (about 12 or more cups). Add 1/2 onion, garlic and salt, pepper corns, bay leaf and thyme. Bring to a boil, then set heat to low. Skim off any leftover foam that may rise to the top. Then cover the pot with a lid but make sure that it is vented. Simmer the beef for about two hours, or until the beef is very tender and practically falls off the bone. Fish out the onion and garlic and discard them. Remove the beef shanks from the pot. Trim off any leftover fat, etc. Discard along with the bones. Cut the beef into large pieces, and put them back into the pot. Now is the time to add the potatoes, corn and the sliced carrots. Bring to a boil. Then cover the pot and reduce heat to low and boil softly for about 30 minutes. Add the zucchini and celery. After about 15 minutes, add the cabbage and cook for about 10 minutes. Don’t worry if any of the vegetables are still a little too crisp. The stew will continue to cook them after you turn off the heat. Taste the broth. Does it need more salt and pepper? If you think that it needs more beefy flavor, you can cheat and add some beef bouillon to taste. Use large bowls to serve this stew. Top with a generous helping of Mexican rice, a squeeze of lime, a bit of cilantro and salsa. Like with any stew, it tastes maravilloso the next day. Serves 6 to 8.
LIVE: TASTE
BATTLE w WRITTEN BY CHERYL ARKISON
It is easy to get caught up in the food research and PR spin that goes on about almost every ounce of food we eat — after all, we all want to be smart or pretty or skinny or energetic or just a little more (or less) than we are today. Nearly every food out there claims to help us achieve one or more of those things (aside from the completely irredeemable nacho chips and French fries). Certain diet proponents gave any grain product a bad rap a few years back — any and all grains were evil, particularly in the form of bread. But bread recovered. Then people started raving about sprouted grains. No-cook whole grains were going to save your digestive tract, according to proponents. The jury is still out, but raw diet enthusiasts are happy and regular. These darlings of the health food crowd that are in the spotlight one moment and relegated to the back of the cupboard the next are often referred to with breathless enthusiasm as “Superfoods” – the fairly new label used to describe foods with ultra benefits. The next trend, as I see it, is for so-called super grains. Namely, quinoa and chia. But these aren’t what you could accurately call new products — both have been grown in North, Central, and South America, for centuries — they’re simply coming into their own now. Is it a case of food fad? Is it the no-carb backlash? Maybe it’s the rise in celiac disease and gluten intolerance. Or, maybe it’s the near-constant pursuit of being more (or less) than we are today. Regardless of the rea-
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son, these super grains aren’t going to fade back into obscurity any time soon.
Once grown by Mayan and Aztec civilizations centuries ago, chia became known for its more kitschy application in the 1980s — the Chia Pet. You might not have known until recently, if at all, that it’s actually edible, and considered a super grain. Chia is enjoying a resurgence as an edible product through health food stores and a number of companies selling granola alternatives. Chia is a small seed, found in a neutral or black form. Generally, it is eaten raw, so it a good menu item for raw foodies. In its raw form you can sprinkle it on food or mixed it with liquids. Try smoothies and salad dressings with chia. It has a natural thickening quality, so all you have to watch for is that your drink/dressing doesn’t sit too long or it might get a little bit jiggly. That same tendency to thicken things works great when added to a creamy soup or a stir fry — just don’t add too much or you will create a jellied salad, not a stir-fry! You can also add it to things like granola, bread, or even cookies and muffins. Think of it as an addition, like you might add sunflower seeds or flax seeds. You will get the nutritional boost, plus a whole-grain texture to your baking.
POMEGRANATE, ALMOND AND FETA SALAD see recipe, page 61
Quinoa is another ancient product making a comeback. (You know something is popular when most major grocery store chains stock it, and it starts making its way into other non-food applications, like Aveda’s Damage Remedy Restructuring Shampoo.) Health food lovers appreciate it in part due to its gluten-free qualities. The only thing that keeps quinoa from winning the super grain battle is that it is technically not a grain. It is a seed and it is similar to a grain, but it isn’t a grain. In truth, it is the seed of a leafy plant more similar to a beet or swiss chard! The only thing this minor technicality means is that quinoa can be considered kosher for Passover. All grains, properly prepared, are kosher, but during Passover grains and leavening agents cannot be consumed. But not quinoa! It is acceptable to enjoy during Passover. When it comes to cooking, quinoa can be prepared a number of ways. I’ve added it raw to granola, for a crunchy, toasted addition to my breakfast. You can cook the seed, much like rice, and use it in salads, pilafs, or as a side dish. There is also quinoa flour that can be used for gluten-free baking, and finally — looking for an oatmeal substitute? Try quinoa flakes.
Pound for pound, chia has the greatest source of omega-3 fatty acids in any vegan product. Why should this matter? Well, we know there’s a lot of food research saying that omega-3s help with brain development — making and keeping us smart. In addition, omega-3s are also reported to help our hearts, our joints, and our immune systems. Some research even suggests that there are cancer prevention qualities to these fatty acids. So, chia is a great source of omega-3s, more typically found in fish and some healthy land animal fat, which means vegans and vegetarians can now reap the benefits of good fats other than olive oil. Did I mention that chia also has a lot of protein in it? I tried a granola with chia seeds for breakfast (from holycrap.ca) that, with some Greek-style yogurt, kept me full for hours. (And I’m a girl who needs to eat, and eat often.)
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TOP: QUINOA RIGHT: RED QUINOA IN HAND: CHIA
Fighting it out for the pound-for-pound super grain champion status is quinoa. Like chia, quinoa is high in protein. It is also touted as a weight loss friend because it is a complex carbohydrate that digests slowly and keeps you full, and energized, longer. Quinoa is also high in amino acids similar in quality to Omega-3s, and contains antioxidants — those free radical fighting superheroes.
Whether you want to call quinoa a grain or not, or whether you can find chia at all, both of these new/ ancient products are worth adding to your diets. Yeah, yeah, they are super healthy. That’s all great, but they aren’t going to make you instantly smarter or skinnier or prettier. It is better, however, than eating white rice cooked with butter. And adding them to your diet on a regular basis can only be a good thing. If you haven’t been able to tell by now, I’m generally skeptical of nutritional advice and health claims. I don’t chow down on burgers and fries every day just to spite the nutritionists, but I do like to focus on real foods, cooked well. I focus on taste and texture; on what eating this food will do for me in terms of filling me up in a way that also fills my soul with peace. When it comes down to it, looking at quinoa and chia is first and foremost going to make you hungry, and then full. We’ve gathered some recipes and product listings for you to whet your appetite for these culinary superheroes. So go forth and eat. Your body and soul will thank you for it, and in the end, you are the winner. MORE of CHERYL web: backseatgourmet.blogspot.com twitter: @cheryl_arkison
SUPERGRAINS Fresh, tart lemons bring this loaf to life. Don’t settle for artificial flavors. This loaf won’t last long. 1 cup (250 mL) sugar 1/2 cup (125 mL) butter, softened 3 large eggs 1/2 cup (125 mL) light sour cream 1 tsp (5 mL) pure vanilla extract 1 1/2 cups (375 mL) quinoa flour 2 tsp (10 mL) baking powder 1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt 3 Tbsp (45 mL) poppy seeds 2 Tbsp (30 mL) grated lemon zest (about 2 lemons) Glaze 1⁄3³cup (80 mL) fresh lemon juice (about 1–2 lemons) 1/2 cup (125 mL) sugar Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Lightly grease an 8x4-inch (1.5 L) loaf pan, spray with cooking oil or line the bottom with parchment paper.
minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove and cool completely in the pan.
Cream the sugar and butter in a large bowl. Add the eggs, sour cream and vanilla. Whisk together until the mixture has a smooth and creamy consistency.
Combine the lemon juice and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly until the sugar has completely dissolved. Set aside to cool.
Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, poppy seeds and lemon zest in a medium bowl. Mix well.
When the loaf has cooled, remove it from the pan. Holding the loaf carefully, poke small holes with a toothpick all over the sides and bottom. Brush half the lemon glaze over the sides and bottom. Lastly, poke holes in the top of the loaf and brush with the remaining glaze. Slice and serve. Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Add the flour mixture to the butter and egg mixture and whisk until smooth. Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake on the center oven rack for 40 to 45
(as pictured on page 59)
Great for entertaining, this eye-catching salad has an intense flavor combination of feta, toasted almonds and pomegranate. The addition of spinach and quinoa makes for a super wholesome dish. This looks fantastic when made with black quinoa, but use red or white if you prefer. Serves 4 as a small meal or 6 as a side salad. 1/2 cup (125 mL) water 1/4 cup (60 mL) black quinoa 1/2 cup (125 mL) sliced almonds 4 cups (1 L) baby spinach leaves 3/4 cup (185 mL) crumbled light feta 1/4 cup (60 mL) sliced red onion 1 pomegranate, seeded 3 Tbsp (45 mL) red wine vinegar 3 Tbsp (45 mL) olive oil 4 tsp (20 mL) honey 1 tsp (5 mL) Dijon mustard Salt and pepper to taste
Bring the water and quinoa to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Turn the heat off and leave the covered saucepan on the burner for an additional 4 minutes. Remove the lid and fluff with a fork. Set aside to cool. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Spread the almonds on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for about 5 to 7 minutes, until they are fragrant and lightly browned. Divide the spinach into 4 large or 6 small servings. Sprinkle the feta, onion, quinoa, pomegranate seeds and toasted almonds evenly over the salads. Whisk the vinegar, oil, honey and Dijon in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle the dressing over the salads and serve.
Recipes courtesy of Quinoa 365 by Patricia Green and Carolyn Hemming.
LIVE: NEST
WITH THE w WRITTEN BY TAMARA KOMUNIECKI Fall is a smorgasbord of scents — decomposing leaves, fires in the fireplace, rain-dampened ground, and sounds — the crackle of that fire in the fireplace, rain and wind outside, and the crunch of frost in the morning. This season is evocative of a return to nature, and inspires me to bring natural elements in to my home and my wardrobe. I am drawn — never more than in this season — to what is of the earth. Here are some of my favorite things to wear, to give, to use and simply to look at, in my favorite natural medium — wood.
WEAR
PLAY
My summer uniform was a tank top, jeans, sandals and a chunky bead necklace. With the cooler temperatures, I’m throwing a cardi on over the tank and a pair of clunky black leather boots on my feet, and I’d love the Large Link Arung Necklace ($250) by Lemon Park to grace my neck.
I’m a bit hesitant to give a plastic chewing toy to a teething baby. This is a more natural, and infinitely sweeter option, from asherjasper on etsy. Organic Maple Wood Mini Honeycomb Teething Toy, $12.
You adorn yourself with jewelry, why not your handbag? Purse charms are hotttt this season, according to those in the fashion know. The Charmed, I'm Sure collection ($35) from Sontza Design Works by Tanya Van Papeveld (confession: she’s my sister) features wood discs crafted by talented hands (confession: our dad!). The one shown here is complemented by shell beads.
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These Natural Organic Hardwood Blocks or Wedges ($48 also from asherjasper on etsy) will keep active imaginations and tiny hands busy for hours.
USE
These Teak Wood Half Moon Dishes, $50 at Uncommon Goods, are just like Mom used to have. They look like they should be used to serve snacks with while the casserole is in the oven and something groovy plays on the hi-fi.
This beautiful Cherry Shaker Jewelry Box, $98 at Uncommon Goods, would be perfect to hold all of my delicate treasures.
Saving your pennies for a Brent Comber Alder Cube? At least you can enjoy a similar effect of sliced branches with the Branch Doormat ($50) at Uncommon Goods. Finally, a fan that fits in with modern decor — the Otto Wood Fan from Exclusively Home. No more noisy shop fan/ugly plastic monstrosities. ($200) I love the graceful curve of the wooden spoons from Herriott Grace, and the father-daughter story behind them. Count yourself lucky if you are among the few who has ever bought anything from here because new items sell out as quickly as they are posted to the web site. (Hint: get on the RSS feed that alerts you to new additions to the shop and you might just get lucky!) You can find other gifted carvers on etsy — two of my favorite items are from GarageWoodShop. This beautiful Tigerwood spoon is $25, and the Koa rice paddle is $18. I love the look of this wood cup from Pod, and I imagine it would be extremely pleasurable to hold in the palm of my hand with a warm bevvie inside. So very Zen. So very inexpensive ($9.50).
Available in Bamboo, Cherry, Dark Walnut and Walnut (shown here), the Vers iPod Alarm Clock Sound System has great quality sound in a great looking modernretro package. $199 at Exclusively Home.
TECH Protect your gizmos and gadgets, and combine nature and technology with these great wooden cases. For the iPhone 3G and 3GS, $40 at Exclusively Home.
For the newer iPhone 4, the Handcrafted Bamboo and Quilted Maple Case, $49.95 from the etsy shop of srinc. The cutting boards from RedOnionWoodworks actually retain the look of the tree they’re cut from, with the interesting natural edges. It took a while to decide, but my favorite is the Burl Burst Natural Edge Maple Cutting Board/Serving Tray, for $84 (on etsy).
Vers’ Wooden Shell case for iPad from Exclusively Home, for $80.
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CAt'S
LIVE: READ
C G O N R i N D ER •• A E •• R w WRITTEN BY CATHERINE BASSO
Welcome back after a long summer! Here in my reading corner, I hope to inspire you to take the time to read. This is a sort of “do as I say and not as I do” situation because to be honest, I didn’t get to read as much as I wanted this summer. However, in a case of quality over quantity, I did discover a few amazing books and I am excited to share them with you.
M y feature book this issue is a deeply thought-provoking book by Lisa Genova entitled Still Alice. I have heard words like tragic, inspirational, moving, powerful and eye-opening to describe this book. Still Alice is a novel about Dr. Alice Howard, a psychology professor at Harvard University. Her interdisciplinary and integrated approach to the study of the mechanisms of language over the last twenty-five years has had great influence on psycholinguists. Immensely intelligent, Alice Howard is a woman of the mind…but Alice is losing the thing she values most. At first she dismisses her symptoms as caused by being overtired, and then she convinces herself that these are signs of menopause. Eventually, she is forced to face what she does not want to — that she is experiencing the early onset of Alzheimer’s. This riveting book is written by Lisa Genova, a first-time novelist. Genova holds a Ph.D. in neuroscience from Harvard University and she is also an online columnist for the National Alzheimer’s Association. Though the character Alice, is fictional, much of the character’s experiences are based on factual research that Genova did with alzheimer’s and dementia patients, and the doctors and professionals in this field. Genova weaves an intimate story of a woman facing her illness while trying to lead a normal life that comes with the regular family drama of a marriage gone stale and children not doing what their parents dreamed they would.
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Reading this book, you are taken into the mind of a brilliant woman who knows she is losing part of herself, and her desperate desire to hold on as things crumble around her, completely and utterly out of her control. It all starts with this introduction: “Even then, more than a year earlier, there were neurons in her head, not far from her ears, that were being strangled to death, too quietly for her to hear them. Some would argue that things were going so insidiously wrong that the neurons themselves initiated events that would lead to their own destruction. Whether it was molecular murder or cellular suicide, they were unable to warn her of what was happening before they died.” This novel is written from the inside looking out, giving a perspective of what it must be like for those around us who suffer from mind altering diseases like alzheimer’s and dementia. It is a solemn reminder that these people are not just the disease that traps them, but they are still the ones we love. Somewhere beyond the breakdown, they still live, breathe, love and are still the person they once were. “Alice watched and listened to the relentless, breaking waves pounding the shore. If it weren’t for the colossal seawall constructed at the edges of the properties of the million-dollar homes along Shore Road, the ocean would have taken each house in, devouring them all without sympathy or apology. She imagined her Alzheimer’s like this ocean at Lighthouse Beach-unstoppable, ferociously, destructive. Only there were no seawalls in her brain to protect her memories and thought from the onslaught.” (PG 153)
w $9.99 on Amazon.com
CAT’S QUICK PICKS FOR WINTER
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A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hasseini, author of The Kite Runner This follow-up book to Hasseini’s The Kite Runner takes on a new face for its main characters. In this story Hasseini portrays the view of two victimized but courageous Afghan women. He begins with Mariam, who is a bastard child, living outside of Herat with her bitter mother. Her father is a wealthy man who lives in the city and tries to come and visit her every week, but one day does not show up. Mariam makes a decision, against her mother’s wishes, to walk into the city to find him. That one decision changes her life forever. Later we meet Laila and find out how together these women found peace in a time of war. To hear from the author go here.
w $10.88 on Amazon.com Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher Entertainment Weekly said it best: “Funny as Hell... Get someone to read this rollicking book aloud to you.” Fisher takes us on a very personal journey into her world as a child of Hollywood parents, a Star Wars icon, and more importantly, a person living with the mental illness that is her reality. Honest, straightforward, and revealing, this is definitely a unique read — though I could not help but think that seeing Carrie Fisher live as opposed to reading her book would be much more informative and entertaining. After reading this book, I walked away with the feeling that Ms. Fisher has a lot of personality that the pages just do not do justice to.
w $10.07 on Amazon.com Nomad by Ayaan Hirsi Ali, author of The Infidel Aynaan Hirsi Ali is a major voice of our time. She is a young African woman who was born into Islam, escaped with her life, and has come out the other side with poise and a view that you want to hear about. Nomad is the follow-up book to Ali’s best selling memoir Infidel. In Nomad, she writes of coming to America, and starting a new life without her family intact. In this book, she reveals a family that is torn apart by the clash of civilizations. She gives an honest and eye-opening picture of how her clan governs itself in comparison to the Western way of governing. This book will leave you with a lot to think about.
w From $17.82 on Amazon.com
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I would love to hear from YOU. Let me know what you’re reading these days and if any of these books were impactful, or not, to you. Until next time, find yourself some time to read. Love and light, Cat
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WORK: CHICK MAGNATE Shanda Jerrett of GumDrops Wet Weather Boutique w WRITTEN BY JESSICA GRAJCZYK
Shanda Jerrett is the smart, young business woman behind GumDrops Wet Weather Boutique, the only rainwear-specific business in the perpetually wet city of Vancouver. Launched in September of 2007, what began as a way for an Aussie transplant to bring a touch of cheerful girliness to a frequently rainy city, has turned into an award-winning business. With a busy online store and its own line of rainwear, GumDrops continues to receive plenty of press — and was even asked to provide custom raincoats, umbrellas, and wellies for HRH Prince Charles of Wales and Camilla Bowles, the Duchess of Cornwall during their recent visit to British Columbia. We meet up in a coffee shop in Vancouver’s Yaletown neighborhood. I recognize her from the press, though she’s decidedly dressed for a workout, her blonde hair pulled back into a swingy ponytail. As she sits down, she mentions that she is, indeed, on her way to the gym — it seems she’s achieved the highly coveted work/life balance business-minded folks always talk about. What’s her secret? Besides coming up with a unique idea perfectly suited for a rainy city, Jerrett attributes her success to paying attention to what her customers want, and re-investing profits back into her shop. She admits though, the store didn’t make money until two years in. Save a three-month business plan course, Jerrett has done it all on her own, with no formal guidance. But she’s no stranger to asking questions and networking
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with other local entrepreneurs. She says that seeking advice has been a huge help, citing one trait she believes is important for every new business owner to have: being open to feedback, while remaining true to yourself. “The biggest thing is to ask questions anytime you hit a dead end, but if any advice doesn’t sit well, stick to your gut,” she says. Who else does she look to for advice? “I met Harry Rosen [founder and executive chairman of his eponymous luxury menswear store] at the first Canadian Youth Business Foundation Awards and was like, ‘Harry! I’ve got questions!’ He sat down with me for an hour and was super sweet, quite discerning, and straight to the point,” Shanda says. “He was really generous and gave me advice on financial structure and the science of being in business.”
Façade of immediate success to the contrary, Shanda admits that running a small business certainly isn’t always like skipping through puddles in cute boots. Like any new business owner, she’s had her share of trying moments, including a major restructuring during the recent economic tough times. “There are definitely times you want to pull your hair out,” she says. She then tells me about a customer whose lawyer called Jerrett for a chat on Christmas day. What about? The customer had purchased some cute and affordable boots she’d mistaken for a famous designer brand, presumably due to a similar print — and decided that her misunderstanding warranted legal action.
but she’s waiting and watching, having learned that’s not always an indicator of a product that will become a classic. Plans also include transforming the flagship store into a self-sustaining, well-oiled machine, so that Jerrett can focus on franchising. Her biggest challenge now is to find someone with as much selfless dedication as she’s had for her shop, to take over management duties. Until that happens, she’ll continue to learn and grow with her business, and perhaps look forward to the day she’ll become the recipient of questions from other young, earnest entrepreneurs seeking insight from someone who’s achieved success by keeping an open mind and a strong gut.
Jerrett also recounts some stress-related health issues that prompted her to focus more on balance, while doing the best she can, which meant forcing herself to work reasonable hours. “You make mistakes, but ultimately it’s painful education,” she says. What’s next for GumDrops? Jerrett plans to continue to grow her shop organically, based on how well certain products perform. Right now, Hunter boots are the store’s most popular offering, but she’s experimenting with animal-print flats. They’re flying off the shelves,
MORE of GUMDROPS web: gumdropsonline.com twitter: @GumDropsRain
LIVE: USE
better brollies
Okay, so it’s raining. Buck up, baby, and smile through the gray days with one of these unique umbrellas. w WRITTEN BY TAMARA KOMUNIECKI
Cheeky Umbrella’s goodies mix fun, colorful graphics with, well, cheeky messages, like the Mess My Hair Umbrella. On the bottom edge of the inside panels, “Rain doesn’t dare mess my hair” reminds you that you’ll arrive at your destination looking as good as when you walked out the door, while a green lilypad design will pass the cheer along to those you meet. On sale for $38 at cheekyumbrella.com, where there are also umbrellas for kids, and more.
Huzzah! Do serious battle with rainclouds Renn Faire style, with the Excalibrella Broadsword handle umbrella, $39.99 at thinkgeek.com. Everyone was King Fu fighting, with the Samurai Umbrella by industrial design partnership materious — or rather, they would be, if this cool design was actually available for purchase. Still, check it out at materious.com.
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You can get your stealthy little hands on the Ninja Umbrella from Uncommon Goods, though. Battle the raindrops and the bad guys in full size for $28, and mini for $20.
Embrace the raindrops and someone special at the same time, with Hammacher Schlemmer’s Dualbrella. At six feet wide and three feet deep, neither of you will have to get the cold (or wet) shoulder again. $39.95, at hammacher.com.
Not just an umbrella but a “weather protector”, the Nubrella is hands-free wearable shield from the elements: rain, wind, sleet, snow and extreme cold. You might get a lot of looks but it’s not so bad being the center of attention when your hair, makeup and outfit are still dry! $49.99 at nubrella.com. It’s gloomy enough when the rain clouds are overhead, why hide beneath a dark umbrella? The BRELLI features a clear PVC canopy so you can watch what’s coming at you. What should brighten up your day even more is the thought that you’re carrying the world’s most environmentally-friendly umbrella, featuring renewable bamboo, organic cotton and biodegradable biofilm. Large size, $62 at thebrellishop.com.
If you’ve had it with having your umbrella whipped out of your hands by a particularly nasty wind, then you’re ready to fight back. Arm yourself with a SENZ umbrella. The award-winning design slices through even gale-force winds (seriously, check out videos of their testing sessions here). Available in large size for $60, and mini for $54.
And finally, if there’s no other way to deal with the rain, the very least you can do is drop $52 to tell it what you really feel. The Fuck the Rain umbrella is well worth the price, for the satisfaction factor alone. Available at artlebedev.com.
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LOOK: SHINE
for beauty
CLEANSING w WRITTEN BY GILLIAN YOUNG
I’M GENERALLY A VERY HEALTHY PERSON. I live for salads, spend all of my paycheques at Whole Foods and enjoy a morning workout even more than a cup of coffee. But sometimes life gets in the way and Happy Hour replaces yoga, wine replaces water, and even though I’ve ordered a salad I somehow end up eating half of my boyfriend’s fries. Hell, you only live once right? We decided to move from Vancouver to Toronto at the end of summer. This decision was followed with farewell feasts, several bottles of wine, cake with my name written on it, and a road trip across the country where we made more than one stop at the golden arches. The result: two big pimples on my chin that refused to go away, lifeless skin, brittle hair, low energy and a bloated belly. My body wasn’t happy in the switch from my regular healthy lifestyle to the way I ate when I was sixteen and thought 2-for-1 apple pies at McDonald’s were a godsend. Upon arriving in Toronto I decided to take action and embark on a cleanse. Not a Hollywood weight loss cleanse involving lemon juice, cayenne and maple syrup, but a natural, healthy cleanse for beauty rather than weight loss. It was time to get my glow back.
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I decided to cut out caffeine, alcohol, sugar, fake sugars, meat, processed foods and white flour. I bought a gentle herbal body cleanse called InnoCleanse from Whole Foods where the woman told me, “No muffins, cookies or croissants while you’re on this. Anything like that will only make you sick.” I remember croissant sounding really good at the time. The first week was hell. I started a new job with a two hour morning commute and no coffee. Every afternoon I had a severe headache and nausea. My body was missing its regular caffeine and sugar intake and I was feeling the effects. Joy McCarthy, a nutritionist in Toronto who also blogs at joyoushealth.wordpress. com, says headaches and nausea can be common unpleasant detox symptoms. McCarthy says that in order to reduce this, simply increase your intake of vitamin C as it is critical to support the liver and aid the body in detoxification. All I knew is that I felt sick, tired, lightheaded and in need of a quick fix. I was tired of drinking water and really wanted one of the freshly baked cookies from the cafeteria. I wanted a glass of wine at the end of the day. I was invited to a work party with wine and catered food but felt so awful I had to decline. Every day I drank tons of herbal tea, ate grains, greens and beans and started religiously drinking a big green smoothie in the morning. According to McCarthy, green smoothies are extremely blood sugar balancing, energizing (due to the B vitamins) and alkalizing (due to the minerals).
GREEN SMOOTHIE RECIPE
At the end of the week I felt a change take place in my body and my mind. I found myself going for runs in the evening and signed up for my first 5K in an upcoming marathon. I started smiling and being nice to people in the mornings. My bloated belly became flat and firm and the two omnipresent pimples on my chin faded away to nothing. I felt so great I added another two weeks to my cleanse! On the second week a girlfriend came to visit and we planned a small dinner party with another friend from university. Back then I was the queen of dinner parties, and often threw together great feasts. I always drank plenty of wine while cooking and the dinner became more about the party than the dinner. This time it would be different, I would be alcohol-free. Would I still be as fun? How would I avoid clinking glasses? When my friend arrived the first thing she said was, “You look so young and alive!” It was just the encouragement I needed. A few bottles of wine disappeared over dinner but none were thanks to me. I drank water, enjoyed the food I cooked, and stayed up talking late into the night.
(INSPIRED BY OHSHEGLOWS.COM)
bunch of kale 1 1/4 cup almond milk 1 banana 1 tbsp flax 1 tsp spirulina 2 tbsp chia seeds cinnamon
QUINOA BEAUTY SALAD 1 cup of quinoa (rinsed and cooked) 4 tbsp olive oil 4 tbsp rice vinegar juice from one lemon 1 tbsp chili powder 1/2 cup raisins 1 bunch chopped parsley 3 tbsp chia seeds 1/4 cup raw almonds 1/4 cup raw cashews Pink Himalayan sea salt top with fresh avocado
The third week I may or not have done some baking… okay, I allowed myself a few granola bars with chocolate in them — so shoot me — but for the most part kept my cleanse up religiously. I baked cookies and gave them all away to friends and co-workers. I cooked big lentil and quinoa salads that left me so satisfied there was never a need for dessert. I found myself sleeping a little more soundly and feeling more at peace with myself. Three weeks later I’m a new person. I still haven’t had a drink, chocolate is no longer my middle name, I crave kale and broccoli and I look a million times better. When I went to see a hairdresser I hadn’t seen in over two years she said, “Gillian, have you been working out? You look younger than the last time I saw you!” I felt so good I let her curl my hair and strutted down the street like a modern Marilyn with my new glow. I skipped right past the bakery and bought a big bag of kale to celebrate. MORE of GILLIAN web: gillianyoung.com twitter: @gyoungwoman fall 2010
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LOOK: GROOVE
Big on Style, Large in Spirit w WRITTEN BY TAMARA KOMUNIECKI
Engage in a conversation with the two women running a certain store on Vancouver’s Main Street (and their second location in Gibsons, BC), and you’ll notice some things about them almost immediately… as a matter of fact, it’s difficult to think of anything else. What makes them stand out so much is their warmth, energy, and passion. What will also catch your eye is how they are dressed, because without fail they’ll both have on clothing so utterly unique and completely funky, that you’ll want to have the same thing in your wardrobe. Unless you’re between sizes 1024 though, you’re out of luck… because Barb Wilkins and Lorna Ketler own Bodacious, a store serving larger sized women, and they happen to be the store’s best advertising. Women of their size for so long were not given the opportunity, the resources and frankly, the permission, to look so damn good. With Bodacious (celebrating its tenth year and a growing legion of customers), cousins and business partners Barb and Lorna are helping the women who are largely ignored by fashion designers and manufacturers, to step out of the shadows where the “fat girls” are supposed to stand, and into the spotlight.
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They’ll practically take a woman by the hand, if need be. “A woman wears self-loathing like a cloak, and it’s so painful to see,” says Lorna. “We don’t let any customer speak badly about her body. This is a safe place for these women to come, where they won’t be ignored or marginalized.” One such woman is repeat customer Bonnie Kaserman, who found the perfect place to shop after years of being disappointed in other clothing stores. “Going in that store is a different experience than any other usual shopping experience for someone with a curvaceous figure,” Bonnie enthuses. “For them, having clothing that fits is about more than just being able to get the zipper closed – it’s about fitting your personality, and accentuating and flattering the curves you have.” Customers like Bonnie used to be relegated to what Barb calls the “fat stores”. She explains, “There is this idea that I as a larger woman am going to have to buy an item of clothing I don’t like solely because I can get it over my hips, versus the whole variety of items that are actually cut to flatter a woman’s body, but not one piece will fit me. In our store, we’re offering these women what they haven’t been able to find elsewhere. And we believe that self confidence and body issues are not only size issues, but not being able to find clothing that fits just exacerbates it.”
“I am almost six feet tall and not a small woman, so shopping is always on the edge of painful,” Karin says. “To see garments and collections that were interesting, different and actually had shape, in a great size range– I couldn’t believe it. I did buy some pieces that day, and I said ‘Take a good look at this face because you will be seeing a lot of it.’ The idea of their passion, dedication, and conviction made me want to be around them.” Other business-minded women agree with this sentiment as well. Barb and Lorna partnered also in leading Vancouver’s first Ladies Who Launch business incubator program a few years back. Classes happened during the evening, right in the store, where women were once again given a safe place to share their business hopes, dreams and plans. The experience pushed more to become doers rather than just dreamers. Both women credit each other and their supportive partners and family for their success. When asked what, from among awards and accolades, makes them the most proud, Barb recalls a story that makes both women’s eyes well up. “The best thing was when my Mom said, ‘Can you believe we made such smart girls?’” As those who design and make clothing realize that “average” isn’t size six, we can expect to see more clothing lines and stores that cater to a larger clientele. Like the two Bodacious babes show, life can be grand when you confidently go big. FOR MORE on BODACIOUS web: bodacious.ca twitter: @BodaciousLife
The store is quite like its owners–bright, bold, and glowing. It’s completely girly and a pink-lover’s delight, with racks full of amazing items like their bestselling Diane von Furstenberg-like wrap jersey dress, and butt-flattering blue jeans. They were mentored during a growth period by another local female business success story, Karin Piett, who describes herself as a serial entrepreneur. Piett who knew immediately after setting foot into the store that she would do anything she could to help the partners succeed. fall 2010
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GO: JOURNEY Where in the World
Where in the World is Tracy?
WHERE IN THE WORLD IS TRACY? w WRITTEN BY TRACY LYDIATT NAME: Tracy Lydiatt AGE: 33 HOMETOWN: Oliver, British Columbia, Canada CURRENT LOCATION: Perth, Western Australia WHY ARE YOU THERE, HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN THERE, AND HOW LONG WILL YOU STAY? I have been in Perth for the last two years working for a Canadian engineering consultancy as a Sustainability Development Project Leader. I plan to stay here until October 2010 so most likely I’ll be in transit by the time this goes to print — then it will be a real “Where in the world is….” question! WHAT DO YOUR DAY-TO-DAY ACTIVITIES CONSIST OF? This is such an interesting question. When I reflect on my day-to-day activities, they seem routine and mundane — get up, go to work, come home, go to the gym, have dinner etc. and at the same time, they are incredible events every day. I wake up in a beautiful city that is sunny all the
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WHAT HAS LIVING IN THIS NEW PLACE TAUGHT YOU ABOUT: A) THE PLACE WHERE YOU ARE? Australia is a wild and wonderful place — it is so diverse and full of amazing, passionate people. I have met many Australians who have taken years out of their lives to explore their country and still haven’t seen it all. The beauty here is raw and staggering, the wildlife wonderful, mysterious and dangerous! I have loved exploring what I have been able to while here which is only a fraction of what I hope to see in the future. Perth is so different to the other major cities in Australia — sometimes it seems like an over-grown sleepy country town which is a contrast to the other things it also is: holiday destination with unspoiled white beaches, growing city and the western gateway to Australia’s mineral wealth.
time, get on my bike and ride 7km to work, work in an organization where I am helping the company and its clients understand sustainability in the engineering/ mining context, go to work out at an amazing Crossfit gym where the members/coaches have become my family and community, and then come home and have a BBQ and watch the sunset. Mundane and routine maybe but at the same time, I work hard to recognize the specialness of each day. On weekends, I often go to the beach, visit with friends or when time permits, get away for a small break to explore more of Australia.
B) THE PLACE WHERE YOU CAME FROM? Even though Australia and Canada are both Commonwealth counties, being here in Australia has really highlighted to me that the cultures are very different yet in very subtle ways. I have learned a lot about my home country and its culture through being here and appreciate specific things about Canada like our approach to multi-culturalism, our abundant water resources, and our “Canadian” sense of humor (which has landed me in trouble a few times!). I have realize how much exploring I want to do in Canada still and being away from home has also highlighted how important family and friends are to me — nothing like being 16+ hours ahead to make you appreciate a good conversation on the phone when it finally happens!
C) YOURSELF? How much space do I have? Hahaha. I could write a book about this question! Being out of my comfort zone (like moving to a new country) has taught me so much about how I react to different situations and challenged me to grow as a person. It has also taught me what I’m scared of and forced me to face those fears. It was really lonely here for quite a while so learning to be without the regular friend networks I have in Canada was very challenging. I did a lot of crying at times but always found myself comforted by nature — being down at the beach and listening to the ocean usually made me feel a lot better. On the positive side, being so far from what is familiar really stripped away the layers of my life and has let me almost re-invent myself — not in a “I-don’t-like-who-I-am” way but “ohI’ve-always-wanted-to-do/be-this”. There is a lot of “male” energy in Perth and so being here has helped me find my voice and trust my intuition a lot more. I also took up Crossfit which is now a central part of my life — I never thought I’d get excited over Olympic weight lifting and pull ups but here I am — kicking butt and loving it!
WHERE ARE YOU GOING NEXT? I’m going to British Columbia next… I will land in Vancouver, dribble my way back to the Okanagan and plan to stay there. There is something magical about the land in the Okanagan and I have always known it is my heart home — the special place where I feel one with the land and know every sight, sound and smell by heart. I will never lose my sense of adventure though and as far as outside of Canada, a friend has invited me to Brazil next year for Carnival and I hope to join her for that fun, rich and sensual experience! WHAT ARE YOUR LARGER GOALS, PASSIONS AND PLANS — PERSONALLY AND PROFESSIONALLY? The reason I am returning to Canada is I have chosen to leave the company I have been working for. Big step towards my bigger plans! I worked in the corporate world for two years and took some time out earlier this year to write a book (Your Green Family Blueprint). Many of my friends are starting families and I see how challenging it can be to raise kids today while considering sustainability. It’s overwhelming and there are a lot of details to get lost in! So, I took the sustainability framework I learned during my masters studies (often referred to as The Natural Step) and contextualized it for families. My plans are to work with families to help them understand what they can do within their own budget, timelines and priorities to bring sustainability aspects into their lives. There is a lot of guilt associated with “going green” and I think we really need to realize we all have a part to play and it’s important to support one another to do what we can do to create healthy families and resilient communities. As well, I’d like to work with high school aged children and do as much public speaking and education on this topic as I can.
Personally, my goals are always the same — to continue to deepen my relationship with myself and develop as an individual: physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. I am very committed to my health and fitness and cannot wait to be able to do a pull-up without a big rubber band helping me! I’d like to beat my deadlift personal best of 83.5kg and improve my rock climbing skills. I’ve recently learned how to read my own Akashic Records so I’m committed to practicing this on a daily basis. I’ve also recently come out of a four-and-a-half-year relationship and I find daily meditation very useful for balance and support during this transition. My personal mantra lately has been “Reach for the fun!” so I’m looking forward to doing that and hopefully one day finding my divine partner and starting a family of my own. MORE of TRACY web: howgreenismyfamilynow.com twitter: @TracyLydiatt
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CARE: NURTURE Breastmilk on my Keyboard: The Adventures of a Lactating Journalist
THAT'S THE KIND OF MAMA I AM w WRITTEN BY TAMARA KOMUNIECKI w ILLUSTRATION BY CYNTHIA FRENETTE
I had all kinds of aspirations and plans for the kind of mama I wanted to be — before I actually became one. I’d be Funny Mama — never afraid to make a silly face or sound to entertain and delight. I’d be Curious Mama — because more than saying I knew it all, and more than being a teacher, I wanted to look for answers and seize learning opportunities together with my child. I’d be Kind Mama — we went through a lot of ups and downs while trying to have a baby, and I wanted to show my love with as many cuddles as this little one would take. But Disabled Mama? It really hadn’t crossed my mind… which is odd, if you know me. See, I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis at age six, and for a fair bit of the time since then have been on either anti-inflammatories/painkillers or DMARD (disease-modifying, anti-rheumatic) medications, or a cocktail of both. My body has slowly deteriorated from active disease over the 32 years since diagnosis, to the point where someone who doesn’t know me can certainly tell there’s something different about me (or wrong with me, depending on your perspective).
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I have Arthritis in every joint, from my jaw down to my toes. My knuckles are all dislocated, deformed and due to be replaced, my wrists are fused and scarred from repeat incisions, my elbows don’t straighten, my right shoulder only has about 45 degrees range of motion left, and pain and damage in my ankles, hips and back make me move like an old woman most of the time. I’ve spent hours and days that undoubtedly add up to years of my life, with doctors, nurses and therapists, and I have had at least 10 surgeries (I’ve lost count) including two big toe large joint replacements, and removal of the head of the ulna in both of my wrists. I say that to paint a picture, by the way, not elicit sympathy, for I’ve never been comfortable with it. Those are the facts; it is what it is. After all this time I do consider myself to be disabled (in some sense) – the paradox is that I struggle with being labeled disabled. Like, capital-D Disabled. I guess to me, to use that label to self-describe would imply weakness, incapacity, needing help. (Well hello, Earth to Tamara… look at yourself.) When it was just me, it wasn’t a big deal. If there was something I couldn’t do, I simply wouldn’t do it. Too stiff to wash my hair that day? Letting it go for a day or two wouldn’t hurt. Feeling too sore to make it in to work? Call in sick. Don’t feel like going out with my
husband and friends because I’m exhausted just from getting through a day? They’ll understand, because my husband and friends do. But then I became a mother. And even up until our son Finn hit about twenty pounds, it was easy enough for me to cast aside any small worries about what I would do when he got bigger and less manageable for me. I dismissed it the way I did with the fear of any other challenge in my life — by saying to myself that I’d figure it out along the way. And then, just as all sorts of milestones do, “along the way” crept up. “Along the way” is now. Now that our boy is almost a year old and nearing twenty-five pounds, it’s time to face the (painful) facts. If there is something I need to do and can’t do, and am by myself with him (as we are during the day), I actually have to do it. As Finn’s mobility is increasing, my own is decreasing from everything that I have to do to care for him and ensure that he thrives… but this precious little person’s safety and wellbeing rests upon my (diseased and deteriorating) shoulders. It has led me to ask for help (and then accept it — potentially more difficult) much more often than I used to, and that’s probably the part I’m the least comfortable with so far. There’s really only so much help I can ask for, anyway, as my husband works, I don’t have family very close and we can only afford help to come
in once or twice a week. The fact is, I have to figure out how to do things as I have always done — my way. Differently, yes, but my way – clumsily, slowly, but as safely as possible. Finn often hangs out at home without socks, diaper changes take fifteen minutes or more, and most times only the middle out of three snaps gets done up on his onesie… but more than having trouble getting him dressed, there are some things I have to do differently than an able-bodied mom that cause some concern in people who watch us. I’ve never really been able to use my hands to lift a baby up under his or her armpits, and so I use my forearms instead. It would definitely look odd to someone who doesn’t know me, and we have started to draw attention from people when we’re out and about. I sometimes wonder if people think I am putting Finn into danger’s way, with the way I do things. But here’s the thing – the way I do things would probably be dangerous with any other baby… any baby who hasn’t spent the last year with me, doing things my way. As I am learning how to pick Finn up, how to get him in and out of his playpen and highchair, and carry him, I’m teaching him how I do things. Like when I bend down to get him out of his crib… he reaches up for me and wraps his little arms around mine so tightly that all I really have to do is secure my forearms, one under his bottom and one across his back, and stand up. I am figuring it out along the way, but Finn is too. My mom recently said to me, “I don’t know how you’re doing it.” And I answered, “I don’t know, either. But I am.” The fact is, we are. My wonderful boy seems to know, in that wisdom-ofages that little ones sometimes surprise us with, (and also seems quite content with the fact)… that I am his Funny Mama, his Curious Mama, his Kind Mama and yes, his Disabled Mama.
ON MY BOOKSHELF Finding Your Inner Mama: Women Reflect on the Challenges and Rewards of Motherhood Edited by: Eden Steinberg $11.20 (USD) at Amazon. com
CARE: NURTURE
One Last Talk with the Quiet Man w WRITTEN BY KEVIN BYRNE
Summer may be on the wane, but it’s still pretty warm in these parts. The enduring chill of autumn is yet to take a bite, but I know a change is coming. I can feel it in the air. Weather-wise, I’ve always preferred to watch the transitional seasons unfold. Fall is my favorite, despite it being seen in the traditional realm of study as a time of dying. I know in my heart that my love for the fall has more to do with change than death, and to anyone who knows me well enough (though I doubt many can say they do), it’s probably a little ironic that I would take such comfort when it comes, if only because I know myself best and I’ve never been good with change. Not because I don’t appreciate or understand it as a human necessity. I just know through experience that, contrary to even slick corporate opinion, not all change is good. Still, and in spite of personal umbrage, I know this is all part of life. It’s the ultimate evidence of how all things unfold for everyone, sooner or later, like it or not. Colors fade, perceptions shift, things get moved out of place. Shadows stretch, structures fail and, eventually, things fall apart. It’s not a flaw or fault inherent to the system; it’s just the way things happen. You can’t blame it any more than you can blame the timing of a stopwatch, or wave washes for grinding jetty rock into beach sand, or the sun for setting in the West each night instead of lingering on the horizon. Even the people we love, the ones who shaped us best and who we often can’t imagine would ever truly leave inevitably do. And when that happens we can only hope they go naturally, fast, and not too soon or at the behest of a troubled hand. I can’t remember when it was that I first began to prepare myself for the death of my father. All I can say is that when I was a little boy, I used to have the most horrible, scream-inducing nightmares about him being taken away from me. And as easy as it sometimes was to be pulled from the terrifying maelstrom of a bad dream to safety (and often by the man himself), the idea that such a frightening concept could ever become reality never sat right. I couldn’t grasp it. It didn’t seem real.
Then again, I was just a kid. As I got older, and my fertile imagination took great hold, I’d find myself conjuring this same scenario in waking moments. Especially as a teen in the 80s, when I’d sometimes watch my dad asleep in his recliner, his head lolled back, his mouth open, his eyes shut, and I’d think to myself: Someday he’s going to look like that for good. Someday he won’t wake up. Someday that’s going to be it. Someday he’ll die. Later that night, I’d go to bed and, without fail, I’d cry. I’d cry because I knew what was coming, even though I didn’t want it to be so. I’d cry out for what I knew I’d eventually lose, not knowing how long a time would lapse between that imagined thought and the actual loss. Amazingly enough, I never thought this way about my mother, my brother, my pets or my friends. But my father, as big as a tree, as full as the moon with life, to lose him… that was a terrible thought. I never told my father about any of this. Mostly because I was afraid of the reaction it would get. “I think there’s something wrong with you,” he’d often say, with more than a touch of bewildered humor. He usually said this whenever someone in the family would laugh at something utterly warped or take interest in some grim news. I remember that remark so vividly, and how its delivery was often as priceless and hilarious as whatever circumstance to which he may have been reacting at the time. Of course, to understand this memory, you had to know my dad (and to this day I still say all those who did can count themselves among the lucky). My father was a quiet telephone pole of a man, six foot six at his zenith, with big hands, string bean legs, pale blue eyes and a booming, mellifluous voice that sounded, to me, like a cross between Robert Preston and Jackie Gleason. When he combed his hair, a natural spit curl would erupt from the widow’s peak on his forehead that made him look like Superman. He used to wear side-zip Chelsea boots, smoke Benson Hedges Menthol and drink Budweiser. He loved to eat licorice, laugh at Jonathan Winters, and cook. He was a gruff but peace-loving gent. His nickname was Big and it suited him well.
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fit back into the confining box of childhood is nothing but regression. If you’re lucky to make it to your thirties, you might even think you have it all figured out. And if you do think that, you’re often just plain wrong. Believe me, I speak from experience. It wasn’t until my third decade that I began to understand just how alike my father and I were, and it was only through dozens of late night phone conversations with the man himself that I got my education. We’d share thoughts about a variety of things I never dreamed we’d discuss (love, marriage, sports, music, films, women, beer, politics, religion), some of them cryptic, some cagey. Either way, that series of telecommuted commiserations now serves as the finest life lessons, and some of them I cherish more deeply than anything I ever learned in school. One time, we were discussing the concept of death, and he made a remark that has stuck with me ever since, if only because of the self-assurance behind it:
These are just brushstrokes at some of the things for which my father was known. They don’t even hint at his dozens of skills, like The Whistle, a sound he made so sharp and piercing from between his teeth that I was able to hear it from five miles out and over the 6pm callto-quarters siren that would whoop from our volunteer fire brigade every weeknight in the summer. If there
“I got news for ya, my friend. When I go, I’m gonna be GONE, and it’s gonna be quick.” A week before my father died, he and I spoke on the phone one last time. He’d been diagnosed with double pneumonia, and was resting at home while he recovered. I called the house just to say hello, at which point my mother and I ended up having a fight over a misunderstood remark. So I hung up. Yet there was
“Don’t worry about me,” he said. “I’ll be fine. Just do me a favor. Say a little prayer, and just remember… one day at a time. That’s all anybody can do.” was anything I wish for myself now that my father could have taught me while he was alive, it was that whistle, a sound I am now utterly convinced no human being on the planet could ever possibly replicate. In fact, I dare anyone to try. I am amazed at these memories I have of him now, and the fondness I so deeply feel, if only because I know my own history with the man, and how it was not always easy. He and I didn’t get along for many years, especially when I was a teen. Had I not learned from friends that this experience was so common, I might be living with greater regret, but I can’t do anything except treat it like every other error I’ve made in life thus far. Things just happen sometimes, in ways more simple than you’d imagine. One day you’re a kid, seeing a world of wonder with your parents as protectors. Until you become a teenager, and you get impatient or restless and start kicking at fences. Then, in your twenties, you want to be on your own, taking risks, outside the proximity of control, if only because you know in your gut that trying to
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something that impelled me to call back, mostly because of a strange, uneasy feeling in my gut. My father ended up answering the phone. When I heard his voice, I was so overcome with emotion that only the most plainspoken words came tumbling out of me. “I just want you to get better, Dad,” I said. “I want you to know that I’m worried about you, and I just want you to get better, okay?” “Don’t worry about me,” he said. “I’ll be fine. Just do me a favor. Say a little prayer, and just remember… one day at a time. That’s all anybody can do.” I told him I understood. I told him I loved him. “Likewise,” he said, only this time without the trademark bewildered humor. It was a kinder tone, one that I understood and remembered well from our late night chats.
I hung up the phone feeling glad beyond words, because for the first time in my life my instinct was right. And I was relieved that for once I finally listened to my gut. It all happened seven days later, on a Monday. Not in the fall, ironically, but in the dead center of summer’s swelter, which was a pretty fitting departure time for my dad, who loved the season but absolutely hated the heat. In a way, it worked out exactly as he wanted. Gone and quick, just like he said, even if it was too soon for the rest of us. He’d been feeling better. He felt he’d turned a corner. So he got up, and went out into the near-molten midday heat to run some errands, the last of which involved having a couple beers with some fishing pals at a neighborhood dive bar. His buddies were worried about how he looked. He said he felt fine, and then decided to go home. He never made it. He ended up quietly passing away while sitting behind the wheel of his minivan, surrounded by his friends, who called for an ambulance the very moment he asked for help. I remember going to fetch his car from the parking lot of the Buy-Rite in Old Bridge hours after he passed away. I got inside, sat where he sat, and looked out the windshield. The car’s interior had a musky scent, a distinct mix of sweat, tobacco, peppermint and the sea. It was the smell of my dad, the smell of a man. To this day, I believe if I could bottle that brine and sell it, I’m pretty sure somebody would buy it. Both his wake and burial took place on two of the hottest days of the year. I remember carrying his suit, tie and shoes into the funeral home with the heat shimmering off the blacktop of the parking lot. I remember the funeral director coming into the air-conditioned anteroom, holding a small white envelope.
We picked the casket out of a book. Hugh walked me into the front parlor so I could get a gander. It was an all-metal number, and looked like it had been dipped in copper. A good old color, I remember thinking. Just like a shiny new penny. “Biggest one in the house,” Hugh told me. “Sounds like somebody I know,” I replied.
He handed it to me. “This is all he had on him,” the man said. I opened the envelope. Inside were a nickel, a dime and a bicentennial quarter. Forty cents. All the loose change my father had left in his pocket when he died. I tucked the coins in my shirt pocket and told the funeral director I had one request. “My father is a handsome guy,” I said. “Please make him look good.” The funeral director, a kindly and reticent man named Hugh, nodded his assent, said he understood and quietly promised to do his best. That’s all I wanted to hear.
That’s when I heard a voice in the back of my head: my father’s voice, clear as a bell. “Don’t be a wiseass,” it said, and I couldn’t help but smile. I got a look at the fittings, the trim and the grips where the pallbearers would take hold for that inevitable long walk to some plot six feet under. Unlike the lid, the handles on the side didn’t have hinges, so they didn’t swing loose. For some reason, that annoyed me. “They don’t exactly make it easy to carry you, do they?” I asked aloud. fall 2010
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“I know,” Hugh said, and shrugged. “They’re all utilitarian design, really.” “It’s also welded metal,” my dad’s voice added. “Whaddaya expect, a Rolls Royce?”
Sometimes I hear him speak to me in unguarded moments, when I’m on the back end of a bad day or beating myself up over something I can’t quite figure out. “Why don’t you try to be a little more positive? Y’know, it wouldn’t kill ya.”
I swear to God, if there is a God, I actually heard my father chuckle.
“Anyone ever tell you that you think too much?”
I lifted the white linen coffin liner and looked inside.
“Where do you get off being so hard on yourself?”
“Is he really gonna fit in there?” I asked. I felt like a little kid.
“One day at a time, my friend.”
“He’ll be fine,” Hugh said reassuringly. “This is built for a man of 6’3” plus. Your dad measured at a little over 6’2” And, as odd as it sounds, we all shrink when we die.” “Just make sure he doesn’t break my legs,” my dad’s voice quipped. I stifled a laugh.
I know and love many people who believe in things I cannot prove, especially those who loved my father, and some would probably say what I was hearing really was the man himself. I don’t know if that’s true. Still, I can’t explain where that voice comes from, and I really don’t want to know. All I know is it got me through the worst of that day, and still does from time to time. Every so often, it pops up, drifting out of the depths of me like an ancient bubble from the ocean’s heart. Like the croon of a big wise whale, talking back to the tides. And I cherish every phrase it utters now, every unexpected nugget of wisdom chiseled loose from the rocky path of life.
For the briefest moment, I actually thought about asking if I could climb inside, like a road test, just to see if it was comfortable. I reconsidered, of course. Why make an already awkward situation even weirder? Besides, I’d seen Kill Bill 2 and didn’t want to induce thoughts of claustrophobia. Best to just let things lie, pun intended.
“The story ain’t over till J.C. turns the page, my friend,” he once said. “And when J.C. turns the page, that’s all she wrote.”
“Sorry we couldn’t make it wood, Dad,” I muttered sadly. I’d really wanted a mahogany or pine casket, both of which were too expensive for my mom, who was rightfully concerned about money. But my father wasn’t a dandy, so steel would do. Besides, steel was sturdier and steel didn’t rot. And yet, that bothered me too.
When the path turned rocky again not too long ago, after several recent funerals of both family and friends, that same voice resurfaced to give me comfort, and I found myself hearing it when a longtime college pal of mine who had yet to lose a parent said to those of us who had, “I don’t envy you guys, I don’t want to be in your club.”
“I’m dead, dummy,” he replied. “Don’t worry about it. It doesn’t matter anymore.” The period of time between his wake and the actual burial is somewhat of a blur. I was either talking like mad or trying to not let other people get sucked up in their grief. I’ve always been that way. I like making people laugh. So I made jokes, I talked to my father in his coffin; I put my best gallows humor on autopilot and let the tough Irish flag fly. Other members of the family with the good sense to mourn must have thought I’d lost my mind. At the same time, I’d like to think my father would have appreciated the effort to put people at ease. He wasn’t one to fuss. “The story ain’t over till J.C. turns the page, my friend,” he once said. “And when J.C. turns the page, that’s all she wrote.”
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At first, on a humorous level, I remember finding it a very Marxist thought; as in Groucho Marx, who once famously said: “I don’t want to belong to any club that will accept people like me as a member.” But of the actual circumstances, my father put it better: “Technically, this isn’t the club. This is just the initiation. When you make it to the actual club, believe me, you’ll be guaranteed entry and the membership will be permanent.” As grim as that assessment seemed years ago, it now comforts me in an odd way to find truth in it: this is a change we can all count on coming. And with very few tragic exceptions, not many of us will really see it coming or want it to come. It’ll just happen, loose and fast, like a dice roll in Vegas. And no matter how the numbers turn up, we won’t be able to measure our losses until things come to a standstill.
Sure, you can try to plan for it or, in the most childish of ways, steel yourself against the inevitable. But I think we only do these things because we have no other choice when faced with fears of the unknown, or the need to talk them into submission. It’s only when it happens to you that you end up knowing and learning from such a life-changing experience. And if you’re lucky when you do, sooner or later, you take the very grief that hurt you so deeply and find the strength and grace to go on. That may not be much of an assurance or comfort against what’s coming, but it’s all there for the asking, even if you don’t want to know the eventual answer. I’d like to think my dad got the answer when he went. I’d like to think it didn’t hurt, that it was a smooth transition to a more peaceful realm. I believe the only scenery worth changing for the better exists among the living, and until we fade from that backdrop, all any of us in the now can do is pray there’s peace waiting beyond it. That’s the best anyone could hope for in this life. That, and maybe a familiar voice to comfort and guide you along the way. MORE of KEVIN twitter: @kbyrne91
w ILLUSTRATIONS BY CYNTHIA FRENETTE
CARE: FAMILY
Found family FOR THE
w WRITTEN BY TAMARA KOMUNIECKI & CYNTHIA MERRIMAN
I was thrilled when I was able to find not only a super chic non-plastic highchair for my littlest one, but also at an affordable price ($159.99). Designed by a Canadian company, the Guzzie+Guss G+G 215 Highchair is a welcome addition to my family’s eating area. Designed to grow with your child through the years, the adjustable seat and footrest adds to their comfort. Unlike some similar style wooden highchairs on the market, it has a removable tray. Keep it on the chair for the tiny one and when ready, you can remove it and bring your child right up to the table. Switching the seat for the footrest also allows older children to sit comfortably. Add in a fun & colorful seat pad (sold separately) to protect the wood and provide some comfort for baby’s tushie. Now if only it came with something to help keep their food in their dish and not on the floor! To find out where to get the highchair, visit the Dealers page here.
w guzzieandguss.com
Let us extol the virtues of Belly Buttons & Babies™, a skincare line for mamas-to-be, mamas, and babies. Here’s what we love: the products are soothing to a growing belly or postpartum body and gentle on even the newest babes, leaving skin soft with a soft scent, from body- and earth-friendly ingredients. If you’re familiar with the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics’ Skin Deep database, and you ought to be, you’ll be impressed by the fact that what is inside every single bottle is so safe and gentle that each product rates a 0, the cleanest and safest you can get, for toxins. Try the Rice Flower Body Lotion, $17, and you’ll be a lifelong convert.
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LIKEY This is totally stereotypical but we’ll say it anyway — Mamas like to shop, Papas like to save. So we’re especially thrilled to have found a whole bunch of deal-a-day web sites offering awesome goods for kids, available for cheap — something the whole family can buy into. Here are our favorites…
w babysteals.com, babyhalfoff.com, babyheist.com, ecobabybuys.com, SHIPPING TO USA AND CANADA:
mamabargains.com
w totsy.com, Zulily.com SHIPPING TO USA ONLY:
We like Help Remedies for their minimalist design and eco-friendly packaging but we love them for their keep-it-simple strategy. Papa, you may never have to utter the words, “Honey, where’s the *&%$! [insert item here]?” again.
w helpineedhelp.com LIKEY
There’s not much sweeter than a baby in a hat, and these go to show that it’s never too soon to start raising a sartorialist. Born to Love features wee fedoras for $29.50, as well as berets and chill-style beanies.
w borntoloveclothing.com
FINN
JACK
We’re also suckers for a Newsboy cap — when Delish Editor-inChief Tamara’s son Finn grew out of his first one, it was handed down to Design Director Cynthia’s son Jack! Time for another, this time from Chill Monkeys. We love that they’re handmade by the designer with locallysourced materials, and the company donates 1% of all web site sales to a new charity each month.
w $35 at chillmonkeys.com
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LIKEY Losing our beloved pooch ranks pretty high on our list of The Very Worst Things That Could Ever Happen. Sure, he has an ear tattoo but it’s with information from not even an old street address, but a whole other country (he’s a US dog and we moved back to Canada). We wouldn’t even know where to call to update those details, so we’re buying an insurance policy in the form of a tag from blanketID. When you purchase one of their waterproof and scratch-resistant (to say nothing of superadorable) tags, you register the tag with your contact details and if your pet gets lost then blanketID sends out an email to shelters and animal hospitals, and your pet can be traced (and brought) back to you. The price of $24.99 includes one year of membership, but you can also pay for more years at the time of ordering and save on the per year cost.
w blanketid.com
A gift when we got our first puppy, the Bite-Meez Cat Puppet Toy was and is a total hoot and a welcome break from throwing a ball over and over and over. Heavily padded, trimmed with fleece and made of durable canvas to protect your hands from the most excitable jaws, they are equipped with a squeaker to really get them going! They can also work as a great interactive training toy to teach your canine companion their own biting strength.
w $9.99 at handsnpaws.com
CARE: GREEN
That's a (Reusable)
Wrap! w WRITTEN BY TAMARA KOMUNIECKI
The statistics are crazy, staggering, mindblowing, throw any holy shit adjective in there that you find suitable. The plain fact is — we’re addicted to plastic, and it’s choking the planet. One of the worst plastic products is the singleuse bag, designed to carry your purchases out of a store. Invented by Swedish engineer Sten Gustaf Thulin and patented worldwide by packaging company Celloplast in 1965, the plastic bag you bring your produce or new panties home in will basically never, ever truly go away. Diamonds are forever? Plastics are even longer than that. Plastics do not biodegrade—rather, they photodegrade, which means that sunlight just breaks down plastic into smaller and smaller pieces. You know, the pieces that end up floating on top of the ocean and choking marine life, when they mistake it for food. Now, you faithfully lug around your reusable totes from home to store and back to home again. It’s become almost second nature to make that extra effort (thanks in huge part to Anya Hindmarch, whose “I’m Not A Plastic Bag” reusable tote started a craze and pretty much kicked off the whole bring-your-own-bag movement).
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The next step to take in greening your family, then, (and I do mean this in the double green way of saving the green — money — and saving the planet) is to start looking for alternatives for plastic produce bags and plastic food wrap. What’s the big deal about a plastic “zippered” food storage bag or a square of cling wrap around a sandwich? To start, the idea that they come into contact with food gives me the heeby-jeebies when I think about the potential health consequences. These products contain “plasticizers” — chemicals called Phthalates (phthalic esters or benzenedicarboxylic acid esters) that are added to things like vinyl shower curtains, baby bath toys and yes, food wrap, to keep the plastic soft. These plasticizers just happen to leach out. From mindfully.org, a web site with “The goal… to provide useful information to people who would not obtain this information otherwise.”: “Phthalates migrate into food from plastic food wraps. A recent survey of U.S. cheeses by CONSUMER REPORTS magazine found that phthalates and adipates (another PVC plasticizer) directly migrate from commercial PVC and PVDC plastic wrapping into cheeses. "In the cheeses [Consumer Reports] found:
“…very heavy migration (50 to 160 parts per million) of the adipate plasticizer DEHA into cheeses in deli cling wrap. People who ate several ounces of this cheese every day could get doses nearly as high as those linked to a host of health problems in lab animals. “…moderate migration (1 to 4 parts per million) of the most common phthalate, DEHP, into some of the shrink-wrapped cheeses and into two waxed cheeses with clear plastic overwrap.”
There’s also the environmental cost associated with these products of convenience. Just like plastic singleuse bags, food storage plastic piles up and doesn’t break down. But in our hectic homes, who has the time to wash out a plastic zippered food storage bag to use again? Luckily, in the modern marketplace demand creates supply, and here are some cute, convenient, and nondisposable options to send with the kids to school, or use in your own lunch kit. These products get the Delish nod for making a difference in our budget, and for the health of our family and our larger home — the planet.
Wrap & Bag Alternatives Abeego products are made from hemp/cotton fabric infused with beeswax and plant extracts. These are resistant to liquids, easy-to-clean, and all-natural. Abeego Wrap ($15) is perfect for wrapping around a sandwich, wrap or even a bunch of veggies, Snack ($11) is perfect for nuts, seeds, fruit, or whatever other snack you love. Flats ($15) come in 6", 9" and 12" squares, and are an awesome alternative to cling wrap. Simply wrap around your food item or place over top a bowl or plate and mold into place to cover.
w abeego.ca
Wrap-N-Mat Wrap/Pouch is the washable sandwich wrap that is also a placemat. Wrap $8.99, Grande Wraps $9.99, Sack pouches $8.99.
w wrap-n-mat.com
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Bag Alternatives carebags Replace produce bags from the store with these fantastic 100% re-useable produce bags. Buy, wash, and store fruits and vegetables right in the bag. $12.49 for one, $47.96 for four, $104.90 for 10.
w carebagsonline.com
graze™ organic Organic, reusable sandwich and snack bags with adorable graphics. Set of three $24, set of five $38.
w grazeorganic.com
Reusies Nylon-lined with velcro enclosures: sandwich size $8.75, snack size $6.75.
w
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credobags Designed to hold fruits and vegetables, you can take these to the store and load them up (the mesh makes it easy for the cashier to see what’s inside) and pop them right into your fridge at home. Medium $5.70, Large $7.00. Cheaper unit cost when you buy bulk bags, and they’re also available in organic cotton.
w credobags.com
flip & tumble produce bags From the company that brought us the handy shopper bag in its own pouch, easy to throw into your handbag and pull out at the store, comes these reusable produce bags. $12.49 for 4 washable reusable veggie bags in a handy stuff-sac.
w flipandtumble.com
Itzy Ritzy Snack Happened bags – reusable and washable snack bags, $9.95.
w itzyritzy.com
FIND LOADS OF REUSABLE FOOD STORAGE SOLUTIONS ON Bugbaby Designs etsy.com/shop/bugbabydesigns
Bagitconscious etsy.com/shop/Bagitconscious
Moja Creations etsy.com/shop/MojaCreations
Girl Sunday Designs etsy.com/shop/GirlSundayDesigns
Elizabeth Jennings etsy.com/shop/elizabethjennings
OrganiLuxe etsy.com/shop/OrganiLuxe
Love For Earth etsy.com/shop/LoveForEarth
Petunias — design your own reusable bag etsy.com/shop/PETUNIAS
Sew Darn Simple — reusable, elasticized bowl covers etsy.com/shop/SewDarnSimple
MamaMade etsy.com/shop/mamamade
For food storage at home, there’s no lack of glass, porcelain and stainless steel containers on the market, and environmental consciousness and health concerns have spurred companies to produce PVC-free plastics. From Raising Baby Green: The Earth-Friendly Guide to Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Baby Care: by Alan Greene, M.D., with Jeanette Pavini and Theresa Foy DiGeronimo, $11.53 on Amazon:
And, it’s not for food storage but it is super-cool —The Green Garmento, an eco-friendly alternative to single-use plastic drycleaning bags. $9.99 at thegreengarmento.com.
“Butcher paper and wax paper provide safer alternatives to cling wrap. However, if you choose to use cling wrap, look into products using lowdensity polyethylene (LDPE), which is safer than polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Although it is less clingy than PVC, LDPE is not known to contain traces of potentially toxic additives. The following are some popular brands that are LDPE based: Glad Cling Wrap Saran With Cling Plus (new version of Handi-Wrap) Saran Premium Wrap (new version of Saran Wrap) Diamant Food Wrap contains no plasticizer or chlorine, is noncarcinogenic, and is completely recyclable. fall 2010
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BE DELISH! DELISH DYVA
Ask the Instigator w WRITTEN BY DYANA VALENTINE
Okay, now on to the how-tos: 1. What are your sticky areas in figuring things out and staying motivated? I get the sneaking suspicion that part of this is making decisions when you have eight options to do something, right? 2. Once you have that down, envision what YOU can do around those sticky areas and what is of little or no interest or is outside your scope on those areas. 3. Get into the nitty gritty of what you actually want them to do. Take those no interest/outside scope and break those tasks/decisions/skill sets into action items with dates, times, budgets, concepts. Get really specific here. 4. Make/brainstorm/ask for recommendations with those specific needs to your closet group of collaborators. INCLUDE: folks that if your fairy godmother waved a wand and made appear, eager to support you, you would feel giddy (yes, go famous, rich, popular, “out of your league” for this list).
Dear DyVa: I’m getting ready to take my business into new territory, creating products so I can eventually phase out my consulting work. Doing it all on my own hasn’t worked, though! I know I’m going to need a team of folks to help me figure things out and stay motivated, if I want to succeed in this. How can I assemble a “board of advisors” on a budget? You can call me “Ready to Rock in LA”… ANSWER: Assembling a Board of Advisors is a brilliant approach and is easier than you think. CONSIDER: Your Board may not involve money at all. Patting yourself on the back because you have already identified what you want them to do: figure and motivate (not do your laundry and pay your bills!) This is truly rare — many folks just say UNCLE, I need help, but don’t really know with what.
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5. Reach out to the folks that seem groovy that are recommended or fairy godmothered. Make a calendar for this process — reach out to 1-3 people a day and say exactly what you are up to, what tasks are outside your scope (and why), and ask if they are interested in supporting you and what a reasonable exchange would be (money, first born, time exchange, high-five). 6. Make a very concrete plan for how you want to use your Board; check in dates, follow up, oh, and thank you gifts/handwritten cards/mutual Boarding are all good ideas, too. 7. Test out a round of Board members for a few months and see how it goes. 8. Report back to me about how it’s going! NB: Ask for help in a way that satisfies what you need, fits in your plan, moves you forward and is non-taxing to them, such as 15 minutes by phone once/month on their topic. You’d be amazed how many of us really
want you to succeed and how much we are willing to do to help you do it. Kick ass and take names. You have got READY written all over you and trust me, we are all just waiting for an invitation to be on your Board.
Dear DyVa, A dear friend and I are on the opposite side of a debate about people changing. She is clinging to the hope that her friend’s boyfriend will one day change his less-than-kind ways, and maintains: “People CAN change.” “Yes,” I agree, “assuming they choose to change.” Thus far, there has been zero evidence to support that he has any interest in changing. She is hoping that her friend will be the catalyst for said change…that if he sees how miserable she is, loves her enough and so on, that he will change for her. And I say her power is getting sucked out of her to this end. And worse. I don’t want to be unyielding, but am finding myself losing patience with the discussion. Yet don’t want to abandon her to this situation. Frustrated Freda ANSWER: I would ask your friend (not the girlfriend) what HER perspective is on change, but also what she thinks about her friend. Is she attached to what her friend decides? Why? Is she being seduced into her friend’s drama for good or not-so-good reasons? I’d go even further into her bidness and ask her if she could wave a wand (over her own self, not the girlfriend) and make a change she really, really needs to make, what would it be? I can speak for myself here and say that when I get all tied up into someone else’s scene, it’s usually because there’s a big, hair-triggered button for ME. When gone unexamined or unacknowledged, my butt-inski-ness turns into a low-vibration bully hell-bent on fixing someone else. I wonder what it would be like for her to take one week and just push the pause button on participating in the girlfriend-boyfriend action and see what comes up for her.
I believe in you!
Dyana Valentine (AKA the Delish DyVa) is a professional instigator. She asks (and answers) the tough questions that help you move through your personal and professional life with aplomb. Find more instigational goodness at dyanavalentine.com, and follow Dyana on Twitter (@DyanaValentine)!
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When something isn’t going right (like, you can’t get a lid off of a jar), I do what my Grandma does. Call it a slut and presto! It works!
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