The Kids in the Capital Season of Giveaways: IKEA! {CLOSED}

Imagine, if you will, a store that has 9,500 products (increased from 4,500) stuffed inside a structure that is 427,000 square feet. A restaurant with 640 seats, 55 room settings, 3 full home displays, 36 cash lanes, 1,200 parking spaces, energy efficient AND gives its customers a workout in its 1.3km stretch of walkways meandering through this impressive structure. Well, as you've probably heard, you don't have to imagine it, because Ottawa is now home to Canada's largest IKEA retail store. It opened yesterday - December 7 - to a crowd of about 350 waiting outside the store to be the first to experience the brand new store.

Lara and I had the opportunity to go to a press event that IKEA had on Monday night where we were able to tour the store, ask questions and take lots of pictures to share with all of you.

This restaurant has a cafeteria feel to it, but it is not your run-of-the-mill, industrial cafeteria. No, it's stylish, attractive and the section for kids is just really cute!

If you ever went into the old IKEA store, you know how (not) big the children's section was. I didn't think to ask, but the kids section in the new store has got to be about 3-4 times bigger - and that's not including the IKEA Småland!

It's impressive, but beware - it's got a 45 minute time limit, so come to IKEA with your running shoes on and be ready to sprint through the store! I'm going to leave Brandon at home for the first trip so I can go get that elephant for Christmas - it's just too cute.

There's more - so much more - than I could include in the pictures. You'll really have to go out and see it to appreciate all that is available particularly for children. IKEA wants us to help one lucky reader have a little extra special time enjoying their new store with a $100 Gift Certificate to be awarded next week.

All you have to do to enter this contest is comment on this post and tell us one thing you're excited to go see in the new store! A winner will be picked from the commenters and announced next Tuesday on the blog. Your deadline to enter is Monday, December 12th at 7:00pm.

Come check back next Tuesday to see who the lucky winner is!! And don't forget that you can stay up-to-date on everything that's happening with IKEA Canada by following them on Twitter and Facebook!

10 Reasons Why You Should Come To Shopping & Sweets 2011

by Rebecca

10. Charity – Last year’s Shopping & Sweets event was a big success, so we decided that this year, we’d split our proceeds between 2 charities this year. For 2011, our charities are The Caring and Sharing Exchange: Christmas Exchange Program, and the Orleans-Cumberland Community Resource Centre. These organizations helps families in need during the holidays and as we all know, this is the time of year that they need us the most. 100% of the proceeds from our cupcake sales will go directly to our charities and in addition, all proceeds from table sales and bag drops (after expenses) will also be donated. Win win for everyone involved!

9. Support Local businesses – We are happy to say that all of the participating businesses, sponsors and contributors are small local businesses. Small businesses need our support in order to keep doing the wonderful things they do.

8. Holiday Shopping – We have a large variety of vendors participating in our event, so there’s a very good chance you will be able to get many on your shopping list checked off! (and maybe even pick up a few things for yourself!)

7. Learn something new – We bet that by coming out to the Shopping & Sweets event that you will discover a new local business (or two…or more!) that you didn’t even know existed! They may even offer something that you had been looking for. Who knows? So come on out and see who will be there!

6. Goodie bags! – The first 50 shopper to arrive to Shopping & Sweets will receive a bag filled with coupons, promotions, samplers and great info on about all of our participating retailers, service providers and bag drop sponsors!

5. Prizes! – We have had some very generous businesses donate pretty amazing prizes in order to make things a little “sweeter” for you, the shopper. All items will make up our grand door prize worth over $250! All you need to do is show up and fill out a ballot at our welcome table for your chance to win!

4. Baz’Art- This year, we will be running our show at the same time as the annual Baz’Art show, an event designed to showcase local artists and artisans. Baz’Art will be taking place on the lower level of The Shenkman Arts Centre. Read more about Baz’Art.

3. Change of scenery– We all know what the malls and their parking lots are like at this time of year. Yikes. Shopping & Sweets will be taking place at the gorgeous Shenkman Arts Centre. Parking is plentiful and the building is beautiful, spacious and decorated for the holiday season. There will also be a Christmas Choir performing throughout the day. You’ll love the festive atmosphere.

2. Free Coffee – Generously donated by Ten Thousand Villages, all shoppers will get delicious free fair trade coffee…just for showing up!

1. Cupcakes…Julie from Sugar & Spice Bakery is our amazing, talented and generous cupcake sponsor. She will be baking hundreds of cupcakes that will be available for purchase. It’s hard to choose, but some may say that her cupcakes are the “sweetest” part of Shopping & Sweets ;)

Hope to see you on Saturday December 3rd!

******

Rebecca blogs about family and motherhood, is a self-professed foodie, and dabbles in online engagement and community giving.  She has a strange love for maple syrup that can possibly only be matched by her love for chocolate and coffee.

Shop Handmade for the Holidays!

Full disclosure: I'm a maker, a craft show organizer, and a craft show frequenter. I love the handmade! Ottawa has an amazing and vibrant maker-scene. We are so blessed to have such a fantastic and varied community of folks who make everything from handmade chocolates, funky jewellery, great stuffed animals, and pretty much anything else you could imagine. I am one of the founders of Craftalicious (December 10 this year!), and while you won’t find me there this year sitting behind a table hawking my wares, I hope to run into some of you at Ottawa’s awesome shows. While I certainly can't promise you no crowds (these craft shows can be busy!), there are many reasons to do your holiday shopping at craft shows this year.

  • You are guaranteed to find a one of a kind item for everyone on your list. I have bought handmade lip balm, handmade soap, hot chocolate mix, gift cards and tags, fashion accessories, art, kitchen accessories, kids' toys, kids' clothes and many other great items at local craft shows. I have considered buying many, many more items, from kids' chairs made from recycled hockey sticks and hand sewn lingerie, and pretty much everything in between.
  • By shopping at local craft shows you're supporting local industry and independent owners.
  • Chances are good that you're supporting a mompreneur.
  • You will be amazed at the selection and impressed by the creativity.
  • You will get a chance to chat with the person whose hands made the items in front of you. How amazing is that?
  • Lastly, and certainly not least, this year marks the launch of Ottawa’s very first CRAFT CRAWL.

Oh yes – it's kind of like a pub crawl but it involves crafts (ok, and no beer).

Six fantastic shows are part of the Craft Crawl, and they kick off on Saturday, November 4th. They are:

  • Urban Craft, November 5, 10am-2pm, 1233 Wellington St. W
  • Handmade Harvest, November 4 & 5, 4-9pm (Fri) 10am-4pm (Sat), Almonte Old Town Hall, 14 Bridge Street
  • Glisten!, November 19, 10am-4:30pm, 1233 Wellington St. W
  • Sandy Hill One & Only, November 20, 10am-4pm, Sandy Hill Community Center, 250 Somerset St. E
  • Idle Hands, November 26, 10am-5pm, St. Luke's Anglican Church, 760 Somerset St. W
  • Hintonburg Artisan Craft Fair, November 26, 10am-5pm, 1064 Wellington St. W
  • Urban Craft,  December 3, 10am-2pm, 1233 Wellington St. W
  • Craftalicious, December 10, 10am-5pm, St. Matthew's Anglican Church, 217 First Ave.

Here’s how it works:

  1. Pick up your passport at Urban Craft on November 5, or any show along the way.
  2. Get your passport stamped at each of the shows listed on the passport
  3. Collect 4 stamps or more to be eligible to win the giant prize package
  4. Turn in your passport at Craftalicious on December 10 to be entered in the prize package draw!

Hope to see you among the crowds supporting handmade in Ottawa! Happy shopping!

*****

Donna is a wife and mom of two girls who is an avid and talented crafter! You can follow her on twitter here.

Christmas Shopping at the North Gower Farmers' Market

When you start thinking about Christmas shopping, I'm sure the first place you think to go is the farmers' market, right? Well, perhaps it should be on your list! This year is the first time I've gone out to the farmers' markets around Ottawa on a regular basis and I can tell you I'll be out even more next year than I was this year. Recently, I took my husband (Matt) and son (Brandon) out to the North Gower Farmers' Market in the southwest rural part of Ottawa. As we walked through, I realized that I was in the perfect spot to find some unique and interesting Christmas gifts for family and friends.

Sure, you find the usual treats and delicacies at every market - like fresh vegetables and fruits, as well as a plethora of baked goods that will make you hungry just looking at them.

There is another fabulous side to hitting the farmers' markets every week: Artisans!

The first table we stopped at was a huge reason I wanted to make this return trip to North Gower (Brandon and I were out earlier in the summer). Simply Whimsy Greetings & Gifts' owner, Tara, has a beautiful lineup of products - necklaces, bracelets and earrings as well as greeting cards. And while I was truly looking for ideas for others, I must admit I was adding a couple items to my own wish list. :)

Right next to Tara was Jack Wright of Rideau Lakes Cutting Boards. I must tell you, these cutting boards are absolutely gorgeous. (They're also probably far more durable than my old IKEA butcher block that split in two a few years back.) Actually, they're so pretty, I almost can't even imagine cutting anything on them, but I'm sure that would add character to them and make them even more interesting to look at. I love any piece that is both functional and easy on the eyes. Jack's cutting boards qualify without a doubt.

As we walked further in, we got to Kids' Earth Designs and the owner, Christine - a table I purchased a doll from on our last trip because Brandon wanted it quite badly. I couldn't resist it when I saw that Christine had given the doll red hair, with a mix of purple, green and a couple other colours in the back underneath. It reminded me of how many are dying their hair that way. Brandon enjoyed looking at Christine's table and I was only able to get him away by distracting him with some baked goods out for sampling nearby. His doll might need a friend by the looks of it!

I never had a Raggedy Anne or Andy doll, but I've always liked them. The woman who was selling them amongst her other products - runners, napkins, placemats, Christmas decor - didn't have a business card, but she's there at the farmers' market every week and her work is beautiful.

That was pretty much the end of my window shopping. I didn't bring any cash with me and only a couple of the artisans/vendors will take credit. So, make sure you come prepared by making a stop at a bank machine first if you head out to any of the local markets!

We did some exploring outside where there was some vintage farm equipment on display for the annual Heritage Day that was going on.

Brandon was particularly enthralled with the tractor - he even tried climbing on at one point. Eeek!

It was hard leaving, but I know we'll be back out again before the market's last day of the season on October 8th. Until then, every Saturday you can head out to North Gower Saturdays from 8:30 to 1:00 and take advantage of all the best that our local rural communities have to offer!

Karen Wilson is a wife to Matt and mom to Brandon (3), who blogs about her life at Karen's Chronicles. She also explores one of her favourite topics - social media - at her blog, The Media Mesh. You can follow Karen on twitter and find her in other places here.

Back to school : litter-free lunches

by Lara My son is back to school on Monday (the French board starts early) so I'm in full back to school mode.  I put the question out to the Facebook Page asking what kind of back to school posts people would like to see and Litter-Free lunches was suggested.  I'm only learning how to do litter-free lunches so I'm going to post a few of the things that I'm going to be doing and have done and want to know what everyone else does!

Reusable snack bags

I bought one of these last year and then copied the design and made a bunch of my own.  They were pretty easy to replicate and I used diaper liner material that I bought at fabricland for the inside and velcro which I thought would be easy for my son to open and close.

I used them all year long for sandwiches and snacks and they worked really well.

If you aren't much of a sewer I know that Nayla Natural Care and Spoiled Sugar both sell them.

Lunch boxes

I just ordered a Goodbyn from Nayla Natural Care.  We haven't used it yet but I really like that I can put all of my son's lunch and snacks in one container without having to worry about finding different smaller containers every day when I'm making lunch.  My only thought is that I'll have to wash it every day and wonder if in time it would be easier to have two to rotate.

goodbyn lunch box

I've still been mostly using juice boxes but hope to ease out of that this year, not only because of the litter but to be able to water down his juice or send milk.

What have you done or are you trying this year to make your kids' lunches litter-free?

Lara Wellman is mom to 4 year old Kiernan and 2 year old twins Quinn and Juliette. You can read her personal blog at Gliding Through Motherhood, about her weight loss journey at Losing it in Ottawa, and her social media blog at Larawellman.com

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