My Urban Suburban

This is a re-post from May 2009.  I was reminded of this recently because I am now (finally) a soon-to-be Mrs!  I was talking to a friend about changing my name…well, complaining actually about the fact that I’ve heard from other girls that it can be a total pain!!  But then I remembered I’m a Mrs and was relieved to know that they’ll be able to take care of alot of hassle for me!!  Gotta love that!  Anyway, thought I’d share this helpful info once more.

Love, love LOVE Jax & Jena!  You haven’t heard of them!?  Well listen up!

Jax & Jena is the fabulous new business belonging to sisters, Terrah and Melissa Hughes.  Both moms out here in the Valley, these savvy sisters wanted to start a business to help us modern, on the go parents find a simple way to shop quality boutique products, while receiving great personal service!  Nice, right?

How does it work?  You book a trunk show, or host a shopping party with your friends and family, they’ll come and set up all their awesome products and everyone gets to shop!  It’s so simple and so fun.  Save yourself and your little one(s) the drive all over town (or into the city)!  Please, you know you’re dying to book a party…like…asap.

Jax & Jena carry a wide selection of quality products, including brands such as Hatley, Pippalily, Westcoast Baby, Trumpette, Wubbanub, Huluwuwu and more!  The stuff is A.Dorable.  I picked up the cutest little Hatley one-piece outfit for Miss A at their Open House/Trunk Show this weekend.

Visit them on Facebook for all the info!  Trust me, Terrah and Melissa are absolutely lovely, friendly girls.  You’ll adore them and have a ton of fun shopping in the comfort of your own home!

Do you LOVE Groupon?  I LOVE Groupon.  I’m a bit obsessed.  I get so excited every morning when I get my email.  And now we have even more to be excited because Groupon is coming to Abbotsford!!  That’s right, very soon you’ll be able to sign up for deals specifically for the city of Abbotsford.

Don’t know what Groupon is?  You should.  Here’s the info, in a nutshell:  Groupon negotiates huge discounts—usually 50-90% off—with popular businesses. They send the deals to thousands of subscribers in their free daily email, and they send the businesses a ton of new customers. That’s it!  It really is as simple as that.

Check them out and sign up for great deals!!!

I’m very happy to see my fave home decor store doing what they can to give back this holiday season!

This holiday season, Nood is inviting Canadians to donate $2 toward a pair of red socks for The Salvation Army to distribute among its community.

During the winter months, homeless and disadvantaged people are at risk of developing serious feet issues due to exposure to wet weather and below zero temperatures.  Socks are particularly important as wet feet can lead to infection and hospitalization; and are therefore a highly sought after item of clothing.  So, Nood decided to do something about it!

This month Nood is launched The Red Sock Project to do something simple yet valuable to help.  Everyone is invited to donate $2 towards a pair of red socks in-store or online at www.nood.ca.

“We’re incredibly excited to bring the gift of warmth to those in need this holiday season by donating red socks to The Salvation Army. Having warm dry feet is a simple request and one that we are delighted to rally our staff, customers and general public to provide”, said Nood General Manager, Damien Bryan.

The Salvation Army is looking forward to receiving the socks knowing how much the small gesture by the community and Nood will make a huge difference to the comfort and health of those they support.

Local man stops to look at one of many red socks posted around downtown Vancouver to launch The Red Sock Project, Tuesday, November 16, 2010.

“This is such a great initiative and one that we are delighted to be part of. Our resources are stretched even further in the colder months, so a special delivery of red socks from Nood warms us all these holidays”, said The Salvation Army’s Major Brian Venables, Divisional Secretary for Public Relations and Development.

Nood staff are rallying behind the cause and have been overwhelmed with the response from customers donating from $2 to $30 at a time.

“Nood’s Founder has a long history of community giving in New Zealand and Australia, and after two years in Canada, Nood is delighted to be launching The Red Sock Project. We have a goal of donating 10,000 red socks and hope everyone will get involved to help us reach it” said Mr Bryan.

The initiative will run from Tuesday November 13 to Friday December 31. Anyone can donate $2 or more by visiting a Nood store or to www.nooddesign.ca.

Every day, The Salvation Army feeds, clothes and shelters 15,000 homeless and disadvantaged people across Canada.  To find out more, or see how you can help in other ways, visit: www.salvationarmy.ca

Check out this Grouponicous deal for 51% OFF cooking classes at Well Seasoned for just $32 a class! Don’t pass up this great offer available for a limited time!

I’ve taken a cooking class at Well Seasoned, it’s awesome.  I highly recommend them…and now you can get an awesome deal!!

Treat yourself or the foodie on your Christmas list to the gift of good taste!

TO BUY, CLICK THE LINK BELOW:
http://www.groupon.com/deals/well-seasoned-vancouver

For additional info about this deal, click here:  http://www.wellseasoned.ca/groupon-classes-2/

Happy Holidays!

I will be LIVE on CBC this afternoon at 3pm, plugging the Fraser Valley incentive prize I help put together in support of their Food Bank Day.

Thanks to some awesome local businesses, we were able to pull together (very quickly) a fabulous prize that will truly highlight the best of what we have available in the Fraser Valley.  Check it out!

WINTER ESCAPE IN THE FRASER VALLEY

This amazing package showcases the best that the Fraser Valley has to offer, from luxurious accommodations, to award-winning food and wine, lavish pampering and much more.
All the things you need to get through these cold winter months!

Your exclusive package includes a two-night stay at the stunning Eagle Tree Lodge in Agassiz, BC.  This waterfront B&B is richly appointed with all the comforts of home.  Relax on the front deck and savor the peaceful surroundings, go for a nature walk, or cozy-up in front of the spectacular river rock fireplace.  Your blissful stay in the premier Cheam Suite includes gourmet breakfasts served to you each morning.

Tuck in on a cold night to a spectacular Chef Tasting for two, at the award-winning fine dining restaurant, Restaurant 62 in Abbotsford, BC.  Executive Chef, Jeff Massey will prepare for you an unforgettable, locally inspired meal, complete with wine pairings.

Following these luxurious pleasures, treat yourself to a SilkPeel Dermalinfusion from MD Cosmetic & Laser Clinic in Abbotsford, BC.  This non-invasive exfoliation treatment will leave your skin silky smooth, hydrated, bright, and full of a youthful, healthy glow!  Just what many of us feel we need during the winter chill.

Plan a fun night with the girls, or a fabulous date with your gift of a cooking class for two at Langley’s Well Seasoned – a Gourmet Food Store, followed by some sweet treats at Tracycakes Bakery, the Fraser Valley’s celebrated cupcake café, and finish off at home by indulging in your gift from Langley’s Vista D’oro Winery.

Lastly, use these chilly winter evenings to get in shape or relax and renew your spirit with complimentary yoga classes at Langley’s Hari Om Yoga Studio and treat yourself to some comfy new athletic gear with your exclusive discount in their retail shop (they are the Valley’s sole retailers of Lululemon Athletic gear.)

How the Incentive Prizes work:

When each prize is announced live, you can call 1-866-226-4642 or 604-662-6470, or you can go to the Food Bank Stations at CBC/Radio-Canada Broadcast Centre in Vancouver. The first person to offer the posted amount will “win” the prize, after their credit card is validated. If you “win” a prize, you will NOT receive a tax receipt for your donation because you are receiving the prize instead. There will be a CBC producer in the phone room and a CBC producer on site and they will determine who the first bidder is if we have more than one offer at the same time.

All the money raised by the incentive prizes goes directly to B.C.Food Banks.  If you wish your donation to go to a specific Food Bank in British Columbia, just let them know and your donation for the incentive prize will be forwarded there.

I am stoked to be participating in CBC’s Open House & Food Bank Day, happening all day tomorrow at CBC studios in Vancouver!  For their 24th annual event, CBC is once again inviting everyone to come to their newly renovated CBC broadcast centre in downtown Vancouver to see how they make radio, television and digital programming and to help raise money for food banks throughout British Columbia.

Yours truly was invited to put together a Fraser Valley-focused incentive package to inspire donors to call in and pledge money towards the Greater Vancouver Food Bank.  I will be LIVE on-air at 3pm with hosts Grant Lawrence and Joann Roberts from On  the Coast and All Points West (combined edition), talking about this fabulous prize, as well as talking a bit about My Urban Suburban and all the exciting things happening “beyond the bridge & tunnel”.  Fun!!  I won’t lie…I’m a tad nervous…but it’s for a good cause, so how could I say no?

The doors at CBC are open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. for tours. And from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. you can call their phone lines, or come downtown and make a donation in person to the food bank of your choice in B.C. All CBC’s local and regional shows are broadcasting special programs to help inspire your generosity!

Tune in and donate to this great cause!!!

You know why I love MUS readers?  Because you get me.  Because you know I love the cheese just as much as you love the cheese.  Because I didn’t even have to remind you that my absolute FAVE Christmas movie is Love Actually!!

I’ve received several “Happy Holiday” messages this week with links to Youtube clips from my fave holiday classic.  I’ve watched them all and am now highly anticipating my annual viewing of the movie.  *Sigh* There are just SO MANY GREAT SCENES!  David dancing around the house, Jamie finally confessing his love for Aurelia, the classic Bill Mack, the adorable Sam and Joanna…….I almost can’t stand it I love it so much.  It’s funny, it’s romantic, it’s slightly absurd, and best of all, it’s full of holiday cheese…which is the very best kind of cheese.

I mean, come on…who doesn’t LOVE the moment when Mark confesses his love to Juliet??..how can you not love it?  I seriously die for that scene.

Anyway, in honour of tomorrow being December 1st and the official start to my holiday cheer, here’s a movie montage.

I’ve been a product junkie for years.  I don’t know what it is, but I’m seriously incapable of stopping myself from the allure of a new lip gloss, perfume, hair care product, makeup, bubble bath, hand soap……..the list goes on!  Put it in a fun girlie package, tell me it will revolutionize my life, and I’ll slap down the cash (or the visa, depending on the kind of month I’m having.)  Go back to my VERY FIRST POST on MUS and what’s it about?  A store with fun products!  You see?  I’m not lying here.  I’m OB.sessed.

So, I’ve decided to turn my love for products into a new category on the site:  Product Love.  Here I’ll tell you about new products I’m crushing on, why I love them and where in the Valley you can find ‘em! Just like everything else on this site, these will be products I’ve tried and tested myself.  AND, like most things on this site, these are things I have bought and paid for with my own hard earned money.  If a business invites me to try a product, I’ll let you know.  But rest assured, regardless of how that product ends up in my hot little hands, you have my guarantee that I’ll be 100% honest in my review.

Check out my first post in Product LOVE: My Current Crush, Tokyo Milk!

Hope you enjoy!

CURRENT CRUSH:  Tokyo Milk, by Margot Elena

FOUND HERE:  Aru Spa & Salon, White Rock BC

WHY I’M CRUSHING: Whimsical, unique and playful, Tokyo Milk has twice been named one of Oprah’s favourite things.

Tokyo Milk scents are a modern blend of exotic flowers, citrus fruits and other unique fragrances.  You’ll love the traditional scent of Kabuki, a blend of Sugared Grapefruit, Lychee and Sweet Jasmine, or the sweetness Let them Eat Cake, a mix of Sugar Cane, Coconut Milk, Vanilla Orchid & White Musk, or the complexity of Song in D Minor, a fusion of WhiteOrchid, Orange Flower, Gardenia & Amber and the romance of Dead Sexy, a mingling of Deep Vanilla, Exotic Wood, White Orchid and Ebony.  There’s a scent for every person, every mood, every occasion!

Beautifully packaged with vintage inspired images of honey bees, roses, birds, sweet confections, and sugar plums, their products are as fun to look at as they are to use!  I picked up a bottle of Kabuki on a recent trip to the spa…am LOVING it.

Tokyo Milk also carries other products like mini solid parfum, bubble bath, bar soap, lip balm and even stationary!  Visit their website for more info.