By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor
During the summer months, I inevitably put on some weight due to all the BBQ’s that we either host or are invited to. I eat way too many burgers and potato salad and, let’s not mention all the Bloody Caesars (a Canadian version of the Bloody Mary).
When I discovered ShaToBu (that’s short for SHAping, TOning and BUrning calories) I thought “This is just what I need!” According to the website, “ShaToBu shapes, tones and burns up to 12% more calories as women go about their daily activities. With regular wear, women can see and feel [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor
I recently went camping for five days  with my sister, her daughter and my two daughters. On the third day, it rained so heavily, with no sign of letting up, that we decided to head to town. We ended up in a Wal-Mart Superstore, in the pharmacy department. My niece, Alex, discovered these great Nail Color Pens by Sally Hansen. We grabbed a bunch of colors with some of the Nail Art Pens and headed back to the campground for an impromptu Mani-Pedi party.
The pens were so easy to use. My 4 and 6 year olds had no [...]

As a Canadian, the Tilley’s travel sportswear brand was to me as iconic as, say, Land’s End is here in the US. It’s only in doing a little research for this article that I realized that the company has only been around since 1980. Only? Yeah, that’s 30 whole years, but in my mind the Tilley Hat is legendary and in general, legends are older than 30 years old…
My husband is on his third Tilley Hat. Not because any of them have been worn out, but rather because he has been losing them in transit. No other hat will do [...]

Now, I know that I’ll personally never get a tattoo (I’m too afraid of what it’ll look like when I’m old and wrinkly) but it might be fun to toy with some temporary embellishments. Summer is for baring skin, might as well beautify it with skin art… before I’m really old and wrinkly.
I believe that the temporary tattoo trend might have been rendered acceptable and stylish and perhaps even sophisticated when la maison Chanel introduced its temp-tatt collection earlier this year. They’re cool, though perhaps a little obnoxious but they are also Chanel-priced at $75 for the pack. So, we [...]

I thought that this was the cutest idea: Gabs Studio’s build-it-yourself handbags.  These very cool “Made-in-Italy-and-assembled-by-you” bags actually come in pieces, ready to be put together, according to the instructions or in new and creative ways. Add personal touches too. It’s like cooking: instructions are just guidelines. The best cooks always add more of what they like and less of what they don’t. I think that’s a good rule for design too.
Once all assembled, the Gabs Studio bags can be worn over the shoulder or messenger style. They come in six color ways. Great gift idea. And perfect for the [...]

I soooooo wish I had these the other night when we attended a wine tasting event. It was a crowded affair with little room to sit and the tasting and sampling went on (no one forced me, I know) for more than three hours. I wish – oh so wish – that I’d had a pair of Rolleez in my bag. After three hours of standing, I desperately wanted to take my shoes off, at least for the trip home (you’d think that the wine would alleviate the pain, but no…).
Rolleez are lightweight rollable flat “emergency” shoes that conveniently fit [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor
Christine Northrup, MD, just released the newest version, the latest of four, of Women’s Body, Women’s Wisdom on June 1st, 2010. The release coincides with her new PBS special “Christine Northrup; Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom” (check your local PBS listing here).
I bought the original book in 1994 and read it as my own personal bible. The first copy got me through fertility, pregnancy and postpartum issues. This latest copy will see me through the next stage in my life, menopause, with the latest information, material and studies.
I appreciate Christiane Northrup’s straight forward [...]

Susie Lennox, one of the founders of Yes® Pure Intimacy, worked in the pharmaceutical industry for years. She was having an issue supporting products that could actually do more harm to people than help them. So, she and a colleague decided to quit and create a new company with integrity. The product they created was a Certified Organic lubricant.
I loved discovering Susie’s sense of humor as I listened to her story. Just the name of the website Yes!Yes!Yes!.org shows it. On a serious note, I loved what she had to say about this product. Currently, Yes comes either as an [...]

Jewelry (it’s cliché, but never, ever passé) is always a great gift to give a women but it is even better when it comes with a message.  Kathy Bransfield necklaces are a lovely combination of beauty and inspiration. Most of her pieces flip open to reveal a hand-stamped quote that can be held as a personal amulet to the wearer.
One of her pendants would be particularly perfect for Mother’s Day. It reads “My friend, My inspiration, My mother”.  What mother would not want this one!  Or what about a pendant saying “I love you” in Braille.  Kathy also creates pendants [...]

This painful recession has brought its own gift: a new awareness and consciousness about the things we buy. Indie was becoming important before, but its meaning is doubled now as we make efforts for unique, meaningful, made-by-a-real-somebody purchases. Here are some of my favorite shops that offer finds in those categories. Perfect online destinations for gift shopping for Mother’s Day:
I don’t need to mention – again – that I am a huge fan of Cambria Cove, the best and most beautiful gift catalog around. So much to choose from here, but I would immediately recommend the iPouch wallet, which I [...]