Indie I Do

I've been following the lotus events blog for a while now, and recently became aware of the Indie I Do show that they are producing in January. As "Vancouver's First Alternative Wedding Show," Indie I Do is setting up to be the most interesting indie show in Vancouver over the next little while. I'm not engaged (yet! hint hint Karlo are you reading this?), but I will definitely be attending this show.

From their Facebook event page:
"Indie I Do is an alternative to the cookie cutter wedding where one size does not fit all. The first show of its kind in Canada, Indie I Do revolutionizes an industry that is dominated by commercial products and provides couples with the opportunity to think outside the box.

The indie wedding market is almost non-existent as couples often have to search high and low to find the products and services that will help create a wedding day full of personal touches without an unnecessary price tag to go with it. Indie I Do is a one-stop show featuring the non-traditional alongside the traditional.

While the show will naturally attract couples looking at completely non-traditional weddings, the intent is to also introduce those couples with more traditional events to unique touches and alternatives that they can incorporate into their events.

Tickets are $15.00 in advance and $20.00 at the door. Please visit www.indieido.com for more information or email info@indieido.com"

I'm sure this show is going to be fantastic, so if you're getting married or know someone getting married, spread the word about this alternative to the normal, run of the mill wedding show. Supporting Indie culture all the way!

Fave goes FAB!

3 more weeks until the FAB Fair. I'm super excited about it, even though there's stiff competition that weekend (if you're into indie/handmade products, then you know which shows I am referring to!). If you're free for a bit on either day, Nov. 22 & 23, stop by the Heritage Hall on Main St. You won't regret it! Even though I'm vending there the entire weekend, you better believe I'll be shopping too!

Addiction, for me, is a four letter word

BOOK (s) !!!

Ever since I was a little girl, I've had an obsession with books. I love them, I need them, I crave them. Weird? Perhaps. But I cannot stop. At any given moment, someone can ask me how many books I am reading and my usual answer will be something like "Um, 6, BUT..." followed by some supposed reason why reading that many books is totally normal (ie, "BUT 3 of them are business books, 1 is a collection of short stories, 1 is a quick-read-chick-lit type book, and I'm sure I'll fly through the novel quickly, so really 6 isn't that many!"). The strangest thing about my obsession is that I'm not just obsessed with the act of reading itself - I am addicted to the act of purchasing and owning books. I literally cannot walk into a bookstore and walk out without purchasing a book. It's a sickness. I can't get rid of it, even if I tried, but to be honest I would never try! I love the feeling of holding a new book in my hand, cracking it open and knowing that I'm the first person to devour its contents (and most likely the last, since I don't often lend out my books. I'm too afraid that I won't get them back!). I can dog ear all the pages if I want, I can make notes in the margin if I want, I can highlight entire paragraphs if I want...oh man I could go on forever. The point is, my name is Lara and I am a bibliomaniac.

Currently occupying my bedside table:
1) Middlesex, by Jeffrey Eugenides
2) The Long Tail, by Chris Anderson
3) When You Are Engulfed in Flames, by David Sedaris
4) Free Prize Inside!, by Seth Godin
5) Meatball Sundae, by Seth Godin
6) Fourth Comings, by Megan McCafferty

Will let you know how each of these books play into my "list of all time of favourite books" once I get through all of them!

P.S. Isn't the library in the picture just to die for? That baby is going on my vision board, pronto!

Have a happy Handmade Christmas!

Last year around this time, I decided that I wanted to buy local for all of my Christmas shopping. I figured it would be easy enough, with all of the wonderful local shops and markets that showcase Vancouver designers and artists. But I left it all to the last minute and wasn't able to find something for everyone on my list, simply because I only gave myself a few good shopping days. In the end, I was not successful in my quest to give all locally handmade gifts; I am ashamed to say that I even ended up giving some very NON local gifts such as Future Shop gift certificates and mass produced clothing items from stores that will remain nameless. But this year will be different. This year, I will succeed in my quest to buy local. This year, I am armed with a much larger arsenal of markets, websites and resources for handmade, locally crafted items and I am going to share them with you in the hopes that you will take the same vow that I have, the vow to buy handmade.

I know what some of you may be thinking - "why the heck is she blogging about Christmas right now?? It's only October!" Well, yes it may be a tad early to be thinking about Christmas shopping, but again since I went through the whole ordeal last year and wasn't able to achieve my goal, I am starting now to ensure that it will not happen again. Also, since I will be sharing my resources with you all in the hopes that you'll also have a happy handmade Christmas, now is as good a time as any to start with

Tip #1: Check out etsy, "Your place to buy and sell all things handmade."
I have found and earmarked dozens of amazing items/sellers on there already, and I haven't even spent a lot of time on the site yet. In order to make sure that you are truly buying local, use the shop local option by plunking in your location to view the etsy sellers in your area.

I'll admit, the reason I originally checked out etsy was to sell my bags on there at a discount off of regular retail price (gotta get rid of some of my inventory to make room for the new line which will be coming out any day now=P), but I ended up finding a wonderful resource for my own shopping needs. I hope you'll do the same!

Baby got back...

So, we've all got issues with our bodies, yeah? Whether it's a smaller waist, a bigger bust or a rounder booty that you dream of, we are all linked for the most part by a constant desire for a better physique. Some people are so driven by these desires for a better body that they will do anything to get the perfect form - working out, dieting or sometimes even going under the knife to achieve results. Well, for those of you out there suffering from FBS (Flat Butt Sydrome, and yes I did just make that up) I have found a relatively inexpensive, non-invasive and totally pain free way to show off what little booty you do have, and create the illusion that you've got a perfect derrière. They're called Fidelity Denim, and I just picked up my first pair this weekend.

Fidelity Denim is known for its "butt-enhancing cuts." Whether you want more booty, less booty or rounder booty, a pair of Fidelity jeans will give you the help you need. Ladies, if you've ever found yourself envying the likes of Beyonce, Shakira or even J.Lo for their "assets" well, these are the jeans for you. Personally, it's a little lift and shape that my bottom needs, so I opted for a pair of "The Dream" Classic Denim Trousers. As you may know, pocket placement is crucial when it comes to a fabulous back view. Higher placement means a perkier bottom because pockets that are too low lengthen your backside and shorten your legs. The Dream denim trousers have pockets placed just right for my rump, and the effect is a plumper, perkier derrière, which is exactly what I was looking for.

It doesn't hurt that I found these beauties at Winners for 60% off the regular retail price, either!

My new fave jewelry designers: Foxy Originals

So, on labour day weekend a group of us headed down to Seattle for the annual weekend long music festival, Bumbershoot. As always, we had a blast at the music fest, this year getting to take in some amazing shows like Joss Stone, John Legend, Lupe Fiasco and the legendary Wu-Tang Clan! I had a wedding to go to on the 1st, so we weren't able to make it down for some other concerts that I would have loved to see, mainly The Shins, Panic! at the Disco, Gym Class Heroes, and even Sean Paul and Fergie. Well, there's always next year and Bumbershoot never disappoints so I just know that whoever is playing next year, it will be great!

One of the downsides of crossing the Canada/US border on long weekends of course is the long, long wait at the border. This year, we opted to take the truck crossing instead of going the normal Peace Arch route, but obviously everyone else was thinking the same thing so we ended up having to wait for hours in line anyways! We ended up passing the time tossing a football around while the cars were at a standstill, and also by taking a trip into the Duty Free shop, which I haven't gone into in years. I'm glad I did, too, because I absolutely fell in love with a new jewelry line while I was in there - they're called Foxy Originals, and their pieces are some of the absolute cutest pieces of jewelry I've seen in a long time! It turns out that Foxy Originals is actually a Canadian company (yay!) based out of Toronto, and they've been turning out their fun, playful pieces since 2003. I picked up a Lilith necklace (pictured above) in gold, and have my eye on a few other pieces - the matching Lilith earrings, the Bombay earrings and the Eve earrings are definitely going to be mine soon! Check out their website at www.foxyoriginals.com and I'm sure you'll find a little bling to love, too!