Avoiding the malls: a teacup craft as a gift

So one of the local radio stations has begun 24/7 Christmas music, which means that even though it’s still warm and green here in Ottawa (thanks, climate change), it’s the holiday season and we have to face it. I love this time of year in many ways: amazing baking, sparkly decorations, gatherings, and mocktails. What I hate is the crowded parking lots, malls, and lines everywhere. Last year to avoid all of this, Brian and I made as many of our gifts as possible. This year because we’re moving, we won’t be able to do that, but we will, where possible, reduce our shopping list by making things with our own four hands. Here’s a fantastic and easy craft for those of you looking for something inexpensive and awesome to give to your loved ones: tea cup tea trays.

YOU WILL NEED:

1-3 tea cups

1-3 saucers, or alternatively, 1 dinner plate, 1 side plate, and 1 saucer

E-6000 glue

Windex and paper towel

I made these babies for our co-ed wedding shower, and used them again at the wedding itself. I now have about 8 of these, and I’ll be gifting some of them this Christmas; others, I’m selling on UsedOttawa just because I have way too many. At our shower, we used them as cupcake stands for mini cupcakes; at our wedding, we had them out for cookies to sit on. Now I have one in my bedroom and I drape my jewellery all over it. It’s turning out to be one of my prettiest and most versatile craft creations ever.

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Clean the cups and trays with the Windex so there are no body oils or scudge on them. Pay particular attention to the bottom of the tea cups.

2. Pull out your E-6000 glue. This glue is used widely in craft tutorials across the interweb, whenever a solid seal is needed. I didn’t understand how good this glue could be, until I got some for myself. Use the glue. Love the glue. It is your best friend. (Warning: it is a bit smelly, so ventilate the room.)

3. Practice stacking your plates and cups ‘til you like the way it looks. I tried a bunch of different ways, but usually you put the largest plate on the bottom and work your way up…if all your plates are saucers, it’s not so much of an issue. Sometimes the tea cup handles will get in the way if they rise above the lip of the cup; you may just need to try a different saucer on top, or you may need to try a different teacup.

TIP: Do not make your tower taller than three tea cups. I did all of ours with only two tea cups to be sure they were solid, sturdy, and not too easy to topple.

4. Put glue on the underside of the first tea cup (lots of it) and stamp it down onto the plate. You can clean the excess away now, or wait til the glue hardens and use a scalpel—it’s a bit like rubber.

5. Put glue on the rim of the tea cup and now place your next saucer/plate onto the tea cup.

6. Repeat for as many layers as you like.

7. Allow the glue to dry over night before attempting to lift the structure. But afterwards, do indeed lift it and give a gentle shake to be sure everything is secure. Out of all those teacup towers, I only had one plate let go, and I think I just didn’t use enough glue.

TIP 2: Be sure to remove any goopy excess dried glue. It’s ugly, and technically it’s not healthy if you do put food on your tray. These babies should definitely be gently washed by hand; as we only had icing get on them, I just wiped them down with a soapy water-soaked cloth, then rinsed them.

This is such a simple craft, and all you need is old china and glue. How awesome is that?! Think about it: one trip to the craft store for glue, plus one search on UsedOttawa.com or at a thrift store for old china, and you’re done. Hardly a single lineup, parking lot, or shameful mall foodcourt lunch to worry about. 

And for the record, when I heard the Christmas music playing on Majic 100 here in town, I fully admit, I left it playing and sang along for my whole car ride. My favourite: 'All I want for Christmas is You'. And if you want to watch the best modern Christmas movie of our generation, watch 'Love Actually'--with a box of tissues.

Steampunk's newest Coggler: Brian finds his mothership

Have you heard of Steampunk? Google it, you’re gonna love it. Basically, take Victorian fashion and furniture, then mash it up with futuristic time machines and laser-based weaponry. This weekend, while Jordan was double-booked at a fundraising event, Brian headed out to a Steampunk event on his own. No further introduction is really needed, though you can check out the various links if you’re feeling confused as you read about the gathering…

Steampunk Ottawa’s Swap Meet and Whist night was an amazing collection of cogglers, gizmologists, and congenators all united in their love of the weird and amazing world of Steampunk. The crew got together to trade, barter, and give away their creations and spare parts for new ideas. The event was hosted at an amazing anachronaut’s house named Lee Ann who welcomed me and a few other newbies to our first-ever Steampunk event. I made out well at the swap: I walked out with a new hat and a handmade ray gun…. Amazing!

This collection of Steampunkers are living the life of re-using and reducing waste every day. They repurpose everything, even the leather off of old couches, into beautiful works of art. Everything from their wardrobes to the Steampunk-inspired Library that Lee Ann has created in her 1899 home is true to the Victorian/steam engine inspired culture. Being my first time at a Steampunk event it was incredible to meet such an amazing group of people who are sol accepting of everyone. Every person I talked to was passionate about not throwing away anything… most of them complained about having too many amazing items and not enough room for them.

The evening also included a friendly game of whist, which is a trick-collecting card game very similar to euchre or trump. This was a fantastic way to finish off the evening, seeing people all dressed up sitting down to a lovely game of cards.

It was a wonderful night of bartering and trading for ray guns, cogs and copper pipe; all the while being dressed up in late-era Victorian dress. I myself donned a drawstringed pirate-type shirt, then wore my favourite brown vest and slacks, with my pocket watches on hand. This event and all the events held by Ottawa Steampunk are true to the idea of accepting all that is weird and creative. If you want to check out any of their upcoming events I suggest finding them on Facebook.

This collection of futuristic-Victorian people, playing with their ray guns and pocket watches, are definitely living in a wondrous world in which I want to belong.

-Brian-

For more events check out Steampunk Canada for events near you

Photo Credits: (top to bottom) logo for Ottawa Steampunk taken from Facebook, Steam punk sculptures by Catherinette rings, fellow Cogglers and gizmologists enjoying a wonderful game, Items for barter and trade

The thigh-high pantyhose caper: how to blow an interview

So today, in the interest of pursuing my career goals and better providing for my mini-family, I had a job interview for another part-time job. The hope was that it would fit in nicely with my existing work schedule, allowing me to bring home a little more bacon while expanding my growing repertoire of experience in my field. It’s one of those little jobs that you find and think, “Man, that sounds like a fun job.” It’s one of those little jobs that you find yourself really wanting to get.

Blowfish boots...cozy but not quite interview-appropriate.

This morning I dressed as best I could, given that our house is half-packed into boxes and most of my wardrobe is geared towards my day job, where I counsel teenagers all day. I learned long ago, you can’t counsel youth while you’re wearing a suit; so without getting dressed like I was headed to a gala or headed to a grade 12 geography class, my best option today was a white button-down blouse with a grey corduroy skirt that ended just above the knee. I threw on a pair of opaque black tights, put on my Blowfish-style boots, and packed my heels for the afternoon, when the interview was scheduled. I felt pretty set for my big day. That is, until I got to work.

My beloved heels.

It was as I was making phone calls at my desk that I realized my tights were just too, well, tight. They were driving me crazy and actually seemed to be causing my stomach some distress. Gurgling sounds kept rumbling through me, and I found myself tugging at the waistband rather frantically. I realized that my nervous belly was kicking in as I got closer to the interview time, and I knew then that I was going to have to get myself out of these things. I debated for a while before finally leaving my office and heading upstairs to the bathroom, smiling at a client in the waiting room on my way. I got into the bathroom, shut the door, and pulled off my tights….ahhhhh. So much better. On the way back to my office I balled the things up in my fist and pretended to be fascinated with a painting as I passed the waiting client, but I still caught her look of mild surprise as I made my way by in my wooly boots and albino-white legs.

I knew I needed to find something else to wear on my bottom half, but the only thing in my whole crazy car was a pair of neon pink-and-blue striped knee socks. Not exactly interview material. I drove to my meeting thinking frantically about what I could do. When I arrived in the neighbourhood and parked, I saw that I had 25 minutes until the interview; perfect! I would simply walk down the main street until I found a drug store. Moments later I came to discover that the pharmacy I used to frequent here had been turned into an insurance office. Gahhh. I continued down the strip a while, now aware that this particular skirt was the kind that rides up, further showing off my lily-white gams and getting me lots of raised eyebrows, considering it’s November and I otherwise looked like a fairly classy professional woman.

I half-ran into a nearby consignment shop, hoping they’d have some tights or nylons. No such luck. They had several pairs of tall fashion boots, which would have been something at least, but of course they were all size 6’s, as all consignment footwear is. Because no normal-sized adult has size 6 feet, you see, so when they’re dropped off they sit there for all eternity, mocking those women with average sized feet. Anyway, I digress.

NOT my butt. credit: dysfunctionaldoll.com

My last option, with 12 minutes left to spare, was almost unthinkable…but I’m an improviser. So I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and ducked into the store next door: a sex shop. Since it was 2:18pm on a Wednesday, the store was deserted with the exception of two clerks. We all smiled at each other and said hello, and I began my frantic search for a pair of hose. The female clerk came over and asked me what I needed, and I just pointed to the most normal-looking pair on the wall—black thigh highs with a lacy bit at the top. She took them off the wall, charged me a startling thirty bucks for them, and sent me on my way. I stepped out of the store and ran back to my car. Only 8 minutes to go.

I yanked the thigh-highs out of their package as I pulled my skirt up over my waist and attempted to find a comfortable position in the passenger seat to pull these babies on. It was only then that I realized these hose came with a garter belt, and they were the kind that needed the garter to stay on. I began to laugh, a little hysterically, as I realized my mistake. I’d bought thigh-highs before, but they were the kind with the rubbery stuff at the top that kept them from slipping down. These had only a slight elastic band at the top, sewn into a garishly lacy cuff. I scrambled around with the included garter belt for a few moments until I realized it was way too big, way too complicated, and an old man was peering at me through the windshield. I decided I’d have to hope the nylons stayed put with just the little strip of elastic at the top. With shaking hands I pulled out my black velvet heels, threw them on, and managed a shaky lipstick application. Then I was out the door and speed-walking up the long city block to the office.

There’s something about a pair of thigh-high stockings that makes a girl feel a little extra sexy. Yes, okay, when you actually get home and look in the mirror, there’s always a bit of thigh pudge that muffin-tops over the elastic at the top, but we don’t all have a Victoria’s Secret airbrush team. As I walked along, I felt cool, confident, and a little bit hot, and from the long looks I was getting from people, I was sure they noticed how sophisticated I felt…but it was as I arrived at the office building doors that I realized why people were staring: my stockings had let go of my thighs and had travelled down to my knees, where they were hanging, lacy and ridiculous, like weird flamboyant pirate boot-tops. My skirt had, of course, rode up again, leaving my thighs very exposed and fluorescent white. I stared at my reflection, mouth agape.

I did the only thing I could: I put my chin in the air, threw the big glass door wide open, and strode through the entire length of the giant, populated foyer with my head held high and my best catwalk stride. I arrived at the bathroom doors to find that the ladies’ room was out of service for painting; I hopped the cordon and ran inside, tore off the ludicrous nylons, and pulled my constrictive, horrible tights back on.

I hope the interviewers appreciated the brevity of my answers. I’m a wordy gal, if you haven’t noticed, and I’ve never had a job interview take less than the full hour; today, I kept the answers short and sweet, then ran home to strip off the terrible tights, the whole interview finished in under thirty minutes. I had to laugh for just a moment, though, when I sat down, took a deep breath, and the panel gave me my first question:

“What did you do to prepare for today’s interview?”

Oh, if you only knew.

Weekend Review, Part II: Purple Urchins and Devine gems

WEEKEND IN REVIEW PART II: A NEW SHOP OPENING, AND ANOTHER SHOP’S LEGACY

Look out, Ottawa: there’s a new shop in town, and this one is promising to clean up the place.

Purple Urchins: Rebecca and Sarah show off their bath cube.

Okay, sorry; I couldn’t resist. But punny or not, Purple Urchin really has the most lovely handmade soap and lotions around. And when we found out that owners Sarah and Rebecca were making the jump from craft show table to retail outlet, we were thrilled with the news! Now, instead of stalking Urchin around the holiday bazaars and rationing out the last sliver of soap between shows, all us body butter addicts can head down to their adorable shop on the corner of Somerset and Preston Street for the things that make us go mmmmmmm.

Purple Urchin has been a favourite soap and lotion producer for me since I discovered them a couple years back at the (no longer running) Ladyfest craftshow. Sarah had me sniff their signature Cocoa Butter Coffee Scrub—picture lathering yourself in a mocha latte—and to my utter joy, the products don`t trigger my usual sensitivities. Sarah and Rebecca inform me that this is because their products are 95-100% natural, depending on the fragrance, and that everything they offer is made from scratch; the girls don`t buy premixed bases, nor do they melt down prefab soaps just to add some ingredients. We got a backstage tour of their new shop this weekend, and we loved the crazy witch`s laboratory we wandered into: tintures, lotions, potions, and even beakers of bubbling brews were laid out neatly in the cozy but efficient workshop. For safety and klutz-proofing reasons, the general public won`t be able to wander into the back area, but fret not: you can watch the girls at work through the giant picture window that is set into the wall between the workspace and the boutique.

The window into the workshop!

And what a boutique it is! The front of the store is a fantastic shade of chartreuse with deep black accents, plus some fantastic thrift store finds like a retro bench with aqua seat cushions. Everywhere you turn, there`s another product to stick your finger or face into. I`ll let the pictures do the talking, but you can see what a playground of scented heaven you`ll be walking into.

Sarah and Rebecca started their business in 2005, and see the new shop as the natural evolution of their brand. The shop will begin with modest hours, perhaps three days a week—follow their blog, website, facebook, or twitter for details as they emerge. “Our main focus was to have a good space for production,” says Sarah; “The [equipment] was beginning to take over the house.” As the store gains in popularity, so may its hours. Limited hours may seem tricky but can actually increase the demand for a product, and with indie product fans, we’re pretty understanding…hey, it’s worked for Auntie Loo’s.

The soft launch of the shop is this upcoming Saturday, November 12^th, at 10am. Come on by, there’s a limited number of goodies for the early birds out there! A grand opening will be announced shortly, and in the meantime, the girls are just super excited to have people come by and visit.

AND AN OLD SHOP, WITH A LEGACY…

We made another stop this weekend, at Devine Jewellery. We’ve mentioned Devine’s before: they assisted Brian in custom designing a string of pearls for his wedding gift to me. We were back in this week to pick up the necklace, which we were actually having reworked. The story is this: last year in November, I saw a beautiful multi-coloured strand of pearls at Devine’s booth at the Originals craft show. I fell in love with it, but it was a bit pricey so I suggested Brian get it for me as his groom’s gift. For the next ten months, I dreamt of this necklace, and Brian assured me (in a roundabout way) that the necklace would be mine. Unfortunately, when Brian had attempted to purchase the lovely thing, it had been sold; so Brian spent the next eight months trying to redesign something, with the help of a wonderful Devine staff named Tracey, that would meet my style. The finished product was lovely, and I wore it mixed in with my Morganna The White piece at the wedding…but after the wedding, we both felt like it just wasn’t up to the unique awesomeness of the originally-coveted necklace. We talked at length about it, and decided we’d talk with Tracey and Devine Jewellery to see about remaking it.

I was nervous when we headed down there, because in essence I was about to tell an artist that I didn’t like her work. But we went down to their shop on the main floor of the gorgeous Fairmont Chateau Laurier and chatted with Tracey. I had never met her before, but Tracey, turns out, is fantastic. I didn’t even have to finish my sentence before she caught on to what I was stammering out; she wasn’t the least bit upset or hurt. My feeling is that Tracey has a good eye for sizing people up, and when she finally got to see me in person, she knew right away that the delicate, pastel-toned necklace wasn’t something I was going to wear except with a certain big white dress. Tracey took me through the beautiful showroom and pulled out strand after strand of richly-hued pearls, asking me tons of questions about preferences in terms of length, size, and tone. She explained that one of the wonderful things about their line of pearls is that the colour is actually introduced into the pearl during the oyster’s process, so the colour is actually infused into the pearl. With Tracey at the helm, we headed out feeling quite confident that she would recreate the necklace into something closer to my original favourite—something I’d feel like myself in, and that I would want to wear every day.

We went in for one more viewing partway through the construction, then got a call last week that the piece was finished. We went downtown this weekend and I could barely contain my excitement…and a little bit of nerves. I wanted it to be perfect so badly! Tracey greeted us enthusiastically and brought out the necklace…and it was stunningly perfect. It was, in fact, ten times more beautiful than the one I’d originally wanted. I put it on and Tracey fussed over it a little, encouraging me to put on my other necklace with it: I have a small eucalyptus leaf pendant by designer Michael Michaud, and I love it so much that I have trouble taking it off. I loved that Tracey could see that attachment, and that she knew I would want to wear both pieces together.

We chatted with Tracey for a while about the shop. Devine Jewellery has been around for over thirty years; the business is locally owned and operated, by Ted and Carol Devine; Tracey is the store manager, and she and another staff actually do most of the pearl necklaces in the shop, while Ted and Carol work in fine metals and gems. The Chateau Laurier storefront has been open since 1982 (the year I was born!), and my family has a special attachment to this shop: as a teen, my mother bought her mom a ring from Devine Jewellery, and later on my father bought my mother’s wedding band from the Devines. While I don’t have a wedding band (we decided my wide engagement band was plenty of bling by itself), I do now have these lovely wedding pearls from the same shop. I love that three generations of my family have owned something beautiful from the same little place. Apparently, my family isn’t the only one: Tracey reflected that it was becoming a common occurrence to have second-generation customers come in for a new generations’ fine jewellery.

 

We left the shop in great spirits; I was thrilled with the finished product, with the incredible customer service, and actually pretty in love with Tracey and her wonderful talent. She has such a way with composition, and I love that I have this bold-coloured, asymmetrical string of pearls that is a nod to the traditional 1950s housewife standard strand, except sort of ‘messed up’. When I first talked with Tracey about the necklace, I’d said I wanted her to ‘mess it up more’, and she wasn’t in the least taken aback; rather she just said, ‘Jordan, that’s what I do best: mess things up.’ Now I own a handmade masterpiece, given to me by my sweetie, made by a woman who gets me, and produced in a shop that has delighted the women in my family for three generations. I feel blessed, spoiled, and really, really pretty.

ALL IN ALL, A GOOD WEEKEND.

Really, what more can I say? We tried on gravity-defying boots (see Weekend Review, Part I), had a VIP tour of a fabulous soap factory, and I got a necklace I’d been dreaming of for a year. We also made it to two craft shows, one of which gave us a great swag bag for being early bird arrivals…but we’ll be blogging more about the season’s craft shows at the end of the season, when we plan to do a major review of the local shows. Stay tuned, if you’re into handmade things; we’re attempting to hit every major craft show in the area before Christmas. My wallet hates me, but I’m drugging myself with homemade baked goods.

Weekend Review, Part I: FitDay as experienced by Brian

Photo from National Capital FitDay website

This past weekend, on top of all the craft shows we visited, we were invited to the National Capital Fitday: this was a mixture of bodybuilding and fitness competitions and a Fitness Expo, held at De La Salle high school downtown. We visited the expo and sat, watching the video of the competitions. From the posing contests to the fitness routines, it was impressive to watch what these super humans can do. It was incredible to see the fitness levels of these athletes, who look like real-live super heroes.

photo from Kangoo web site

Jordan and Brian trying them out

During the expo we walked in and we were enthralled by the Kangoo Jumps; these are shoes with strange oval extensions which allow you to bounce and run like there’s no gravity. Jumpin Junkie Inc was displaying and selling these awesome things, and we got to try them out! This is my type of amazing work out equipment, for sure. Jordan found them a little shaky to get used to, but I was ready to run around the building. It feels like you’re jumping on the moon, and as I bounced around the corner we were ran straight into Tracey Cadrin from CheeCha Puffs…if you remember, CheeCha was the company from Calgary who donated 200 mini bags of their healthy puffed potato snacks to our wedding--and they have become one of my favourite snacks. Tracey, who we’ve never actually met in person before, recognized us on the spot; she practically screamed out our names. After bouncing back to the booth to give back the shoes and replace them with our cowboy boots, we walked up to the CheeCha’s booth and finally got to hug the person who was so kind and shipped 200 bags across 5,000 kilometers. She filled us in about how much she loves Ottawa and all about the flavour we hadn’t tried yet: blue cheese… simply amazing, and unavailable in Ontario except by online ordering!

Me and Tracy From CheeCha puff's

As we continued through the expo, we came up to a booth for a magazine, who was handing out their mag and workout supplement samples. Upon reading the lengthy warnings on the back of these samples, it was clear that these really aren’t meant for the faint of heart or the sane. Some of the warnings were “Do not take if you are in child bearing years”, “May cause a tingling sensation in your skin. This is normal and will disappear or weaken with extended use.”, or "Due to its extreme strength, it is highly recommended that you assess your individual tolerance and start  out by using only 1/2 a packet". These I was not ready for or expecting and it truly shows the extent that some of these companies expect you to go to boost your training abilities in an unhealthy way. The FitDay show really did seem geared towards body builders rather than everyday fitness fans, but we both agreed that consuming dangerous chemicals seemed like too high a price for six pack abs.

Johanna, Owner and  Artist of Sthenos

We also ran into a new a new clothing store which just opened up in Westboro called One Tooth activewear. They have a variety of very comfortable and chic work-out clothes; both outerwear and spandex like clothing. Their tag line is “ Yoga inspired activewear at prices that wont make you go loulou!” As Jordan is currently boycotting another local store for raising the price of the snap-up scarves by 10.00 in just one season (she requested explanation from the company and received none), Jordan was happy to find another line of fine fitness wear at a more accessible price point. Also nice: the line is Canadian designed and made.

The booth next to them, we met the creator of Sthenos, Johanna Stavrakaki. She is a pro fitness competitor who is also an amazing artist and has just created a line of inspirational clothing with her art work printed on them. Johanna says “This is how I combine my love for body building and art together.” She has and incredible collection of t-shirts and hoodies and will be expanding her line very shortly. Jordan found the imagery and slogans on the clothing to be really unique for women’s clothing, and appreciated the focus on strength, instead of ‘being pretty’.

Photo of the Expo

Amongst all the clothing were also representatives from Heart wise exercise who were advertising their free walking and nutrition programs here in Ottawa. I never knew that these existed, and not only is it a great way to get in shape and learn to eat healthy, but also an amazing way for you to get out and meet new people. I also never expected to see makeup at the expo as well, but with the beauty facet of fitness competitions it makes sense. Jordan got to see the Monique from BeautiControl who Jordan met at the Harley Davidson Ottawa fundraiser in February, where Monique supplied her with the miracle primer she raves about every day, even though I don’t really understand.

This was a very diverse event, from the jumping shoes to the make-up and connecting with a friend we hadn’t met, all the way from Calgary. It’s the crazy stuff that you never expect that make for the best adventures.

Stay tuned for the Weekend Review, Part II...

The Weekend: Brian looks naked, and we shop for owls

It’s Friday, and we are eagerly looking forward to the weekend. I think the weekdays themselves would be less onerous if there were midweek craft shows and midweek fairs, but Ottawa tends to work hard Monday to Friday, and save the partying for Saturday-Sunday. Well, that is if ‘partying’ means craft shows and fairs to you, like it does to us. What a jam-packed weekend we have coming up, all focused around two goals: 1) ‘Stay Acquainted’, and 2) ‘Improve Thyselves’; and with craft shows aplenty, our focus on 'DIY' shifts from our own handiwork to the handiwork of other indie cool people. We really hope you'll join us at these shows, and if you see us please say hi!

STAYING ACQUAINTED: GLUE GUNS AT DAWN

If you don’t know yet, Brian and I are craft show-aholics. Yes, this is definitely one of the reasons I married this particular human. He will get up at the crack of dawn with me in an effort to score an early bird swag bag, and when anyone asks him how his day is going, Brian will answer, “Fantastic! I’m at a craft show!” So even though this weekend is a little hyper-saturated with shows, we will be hitting up two of them. The first is Handmade Harvest, a wonderful show in Almonte just outside the city. This show boasts some of the coolest crafters around, and this year it’s running from Friday night, through Saturday. You can check out their Facebookpage here. One of the best parts, sticking to Project: Priceless’ ongoing frugality endeavours: the show is only $2.00 to get in.

The other show we are of course hitting up is Urban Craft, the little monthly craft fair that takes place at the Great Canadian Theatre Company on the first Saturday of every month. What’s wonderful about Urban Craft this month: you can pick up your Craft Passport for the city’s first-ever Craft Crawl: simply attend four or more of the local shows this holiday season, drop off your stamped passport, and be entered for prizes. As I was going to be at all the shows anyway, this was an easy thing to get excited about…but on some level I think it was extra great because it made me feel less like the only crazy craft groupie out there.

Between these two shows, we hope to find some cool owls and deer for our new bedroom motif (folkarty, orange, and Caribbean blue)...

IMPROVING OURSELVES—WELL, ACTUALLY, THE WORLD

Brian has shaved his face. It’s tragic. He looks twelve years old, and I can see his upper lip. I feel like he’s walking around naked…which isn’t weird for Brian (a hater of clothing) but he seems really naked. I’m not a prude or anything, but I feel like we’re seeing his face’s private parts. I miss his scruff so much, the soft tufts of fur on his lip and chin that made him look like a cross between Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom. Three days since he shaved, too, there’s only the barest whisper of five o’clock shadow now starting. All this for a good cause: Movember. (See Brian's Movember page here.)

Yes, ladies and gents, Brian has joined up with the Dawg FMMovember team, and is baring it all for men’s health. His Movember page tells the world, he’s doing this in celebration of his grandpa, who fought and beat prostate cancer, and he wants YOU to donate to the cause. We’ll post some photos on our facebook page, on Twitter, and here on the blog as the month continues. Meanwhile, I’m going to fashion him a mustache prosthetic ‘til his own grows back.

SEE YOU THIS WEEKEND...

Between these two awesome craft shows, plus National Capital FitDay which we blogged about yesterday, there's lots of opportunities to bump into us this weekend. Don't be shy; we get hello's and questions from people all the time, particularly at the moment when our mouths are stuffed with free jelly samples. It's a law of nature. We're pleased as punch to see you and we're always happy to hear any ideas for our newlywed journey! And now that I've posted a pic of Brian's bald face, you'll hopefully recognize him still...

Improving ourselves: a fitness show, and a nutritionist intervention

It is time for Project: Priceless to focus on fitness and nutrition, ladies and gents. In preparation for this new push for health, I spent the last four days eating mini Twix bars while sitting on the couch watching Dancing with the Stars, but it's time to get down to business. We start off reporting on a fitness show this weekend, then we're spending a month in intensive food retraining. Better finish off the mini Snickers now...

FITDAY

On Saturday, after we fly through two craft shows, find some lunch, and head downtown, we will be heading to the National Capital FitDay, where we’ve been invited to play our favourite role: roving reporters! This multi-sport show-slash-tradeshow is a huge event, with everything from bodybuilding competitions to a poker run bicycle event. The part that will appeal to most of us Weekend Warriors, however, is the giant tradeshow; sure to be rife with samples and tons of cool products, I'm looking forward to finding new tools and tricks in helping us get in shape. Check out their site, and consider joining us at the show this Saturday; we’ll be blogging about it afterwards!

NUTRITION WITH HEATHER MOXLEY

Staying in shape and eating healthy is a big part of our goal to ‘Improve Thyself’. That’s hard to believe if you were anywhere near us on Tuesday night, when Brian scarfed down a large Smoke’s Triple Pork poutine (pulled pork, bacon, and sausage over cheese curds and fries smothered in gravy). Brian’s forte is not healthy eating, and left to his own devices I really do worry what would happen to him. He has the puppy-like habit of doing terrible things to his stomach, getting a stomach ache, but not quite mentally connecting action to reaction. Like our pug Mr Darcy, he’ll probably do it again the next day. This is an unfortunate trait for a young man who actually does have a sensitive gut, and who married a girl with a hyper-sensitive gut. So naturally, when we heard from nutritionist Heather Moxley an upcoming course, I jumped up and down with joy.

Heather Moxley (photo from her site)

Heather Moxley is a local Registered Holistic Nutritionist here in Ottawa, and you may recognize her from Rogers Daytime Ottawa or from CTV Morning Ottawa, two local shows she is frequently on, teaching us all tantalizing tips for being good to our bodies. I’ve watched Heather on TV many times and have always thought she was very cool, with tons of info that I never learn anywhere else. When Heather offered to have me attend one of her four-week courses, I knew it would be a great fit for our ‘Improve Thyself’ goal, while being a super fun thing to blog about through the course. I believe there’s still room in the course, as well, so if you are thinking about signing up, do it! Then come say hi!

We asked Heather some questions so everyone could get to know her and her practice better; here are her answers.

What’s your name, business name, and education? I’m Heather Moxley B.Sc.,RHN.  Heather Moxley Nutrition Clinic.  I am a Registered Natural Nutritionists that specializes in gastro-intestinatal disabilities. 

Give us the ‘elevator pitch’ of your business. My business is a nutrition consulting company that offers private, group and corporate nutrition education.  Our team of nutritionists build individual plans to meet the goals and medical needs of our clients.  Specifically, we excel in conditions like celiacs, crohn's, IBS, and gall bladders that have removed.  We are not a weight loss clinic, but most of our clients experience weight loss as a result.  Our goal is to teach food science so that YOU can build a balanced menu plan.  

What’s your favourite part of what you do? I love my job for several reasons.  One: I love when food creates joy in our clients life again.  ALot of time food becomes the enemy or stressful... it's nice to give them focus and direction so they can enjoy it again.  Two: It's amazing when the food science works and the client gets their energy and life back.  Three: we have amazing clients that become part of our family.  We build really strong relationships with them and share so many of their achievements.  It brings me so much happiness to be apart of their life journey.  Four:  I get to talk about food all day.... who wouldn't love that? 

What makes Ottawa a great place to do business? What makes it a hard place? The people in Ottawa are ready to be healthy again and have found our services help them achieve that.  There aren't that many nutritionists in this city so it makes for a great market.  Plus alot of people have health insurance for our services.  We've heard from our clients that there is not enough nutritional support in the medical community, especially for intestinal disabilities.... so it's great that we can offer them that help.  Only down side of working in Ottawa is that alot of the government workers do not receive our services through their benefits... With so many civil servants that work here, it can be tricky to market effectively.

Tell us about what aspects of Project: Priceless—the NEST you tie into: Project Priceless.... well I'd have to say ‘Improve Thyself’ and ‘Feed Each Other’.  Looking through the blog posts... this is an area that needs a little attention ;)  To be honest... the way we teach food science makes it fun and once you know how to put the food together the right way... well... it's hard to eat the crap that's out there.  100% of our clients NEVER return to their old habits.  We take a lot of pride in making sure they learn and understand what food does to the body.

If you could tell the whole world one piece of advice about nutrition, what would it be? Eat 5 different colours each day.  Most of us know we are supposed to eat fruit and vegetables.... so we eat a salad.  If you can try to include 5 different colours, you are going to get all of the anti-oxidants you need, not to mention all the other wonderful vitamins and minerals.  We teach this lesson early with our clients and it is by far the most memorable.  If you change nothing else in your diet.... getting in 5 colours goes a long way.  

I’m super excited to get started on November 22^nd, and it sounds like Heather’s had her eye on our diet…eep. I’m ready for info, and ready to bring home the knowledge that will help us both be healthier with happier bellies. I have a sneaking suspicion that Brian’s days of triple-meat poutines are numbered. Hopefully Heather doesn’t try to take me off chocolate!

You can find Heather here:

Heather Moxley Nutrition Clinic.  

www.ottawa-nutritionist.com  

613-686-6152  

heather@ottawa-nutritionist.com

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