Of course, the standard $1 versions you can buy at your local grocery store are completely practical, but if you’re looking for an environmentally-friendly splurge, check out the adorable offerings from B.C.’s Bring Your Own Bag online boutique. They are admittedly a bit pricey, ranging from $14.99 to $36.99, but they all offer sturdy bottoms for extra support, reinforced wide straps for extra-comfort on your shoulders, and a built-in pocket for carrying your keys, wallet, or cell phone. Plus, they’re currently offering a special buy-one-get-one-free deal if you enter the checkout code “byobsale” when you place your order. Go ahead an make an eco-friendly splurge for you and a friend — or just get two for yourself!

Amazingly, this product does absolutely everything it claims to do. Just one little pump of this highly concentrated serum smoothes your frizzy flyaways, conditions your damaged locks, and adds shine to your style. And my favourite part? It actually reduces drying time. And for a chronically late girl like me, any way to speed up my morning routine is a huge bonus!

Shopping info: Paul Mitchell’s Super Skinny Serum, $21.95 for 150 mL bottle, available at Shoppers Drug Mart, Wal-Mart, and hair salons

For business cards with style, check out Moo Cards, a site that allows you to custom design your business cards to show off your unique personality. The snazziest feature of these cards is that they’re two-sided: pick a photo for the front and then add your personal information and another graphic to the back! A standard order comes with 50 cards and you can even choose a different photo for the front side of each card in your pack. Not only is the front a great way to make your business card stand out from the crowd, but it’s also perfect for telling more about yourself without words. Choose a photo that represents your industry, your interests, or your own photography skills!

Interested in trying out Moo Cards for free? You can order a sample pack of 10 business cards on their website. The sample cards will be just like the regular cards, except that a Moo watermark will be printed at the bottom of each sample card. If you like what you get (and I guarantee you will), then go back and order more! Let the schmoozing begin!

Case in point: we remembered that we needed to buy our BFF a birthday gift on her birthday. And since she lives in a different time zone, after-work drinks weren’t going to cut it.

Then we discovered My Tagalongs.  The  line up of super-functional and oh-so-cute products are ideal for the girl on the go. But what we love best is that they’ll ship anywhere in Canada, which means, in about five minutes we’d found, purchased and ensured the perfect gift was in the mail.

We chose the Emergency Valet (a gift we also bought for ourselves), which includes:

The only thing it was missing was the belated birthday card.

Shopping info: My Tagalongs Emergency Valet, $30, www.mytagalongs.com

So we couldn’t have been more excited with eat my words launched the (more waist-friendly) initiative MonkeyBiz, a line of kid-friendly (but adult-birthday gift-worthy) beaded animals last year that offer employment and empowerment to women in Cape Town, South Africa.

Starting today and running through May 23, Eat My Words and Ingram Gallery present the first Canadian Exhibition of MonkeyBiz beaded art at Ingram Gallery. Check out the dozens of animals (starting at $50). They make the perfect gift to a child, friend, or just yourself.

Event info: Bead by Bead, May 15-23, Ingram Gallery, 49 Avenue Rd., Toronto, www.ingramgallery.com

There’s nothing we love more than a bowl of cereal (sometimes even for dinner), which is why we were excited when we heard about the Kellogg’s Adventure Pass. In partnership with the Canadian Museums Association (CMA), the Kellogg’s Adventure Pass gives you $10 off admission to more than 500 museums, art galleries and zoos across Canada (including our favourite, the newly redesigned AGO) when you purchase a box of Kellogg’s cereal.

The Kellogg’s Adventure Pass on-pack offer can be found until mid-May on specially marked boxes of Kellogg’s cereals, including Rice Krispies, Frosted Flakes, Mini-Wheats, Corn Pops and Raisin Bran, and is valid until December 30, 2009.

We’re not sure which we’re craving more: an afternoon of culture, or a bowl of cereal.

For a list of participating venues, visit www.kelloggsadventurepass.com

A little while ago we met super-fit celebrity personal trainer Jennifer Cohen, and she told us a little secret: that getting fit didn’t mean we had to work out five hours a day. Or even go to a gym. (It was then that we decided we loved her). Instead, she explained that it’s the little things that can help make a difference (like not eating chocolate chip cookies every day).

To get us started, she designed this handy little chart, which we’re sticking it on the fridge (beside our inspirational bikini-clad body), so we can look at it every time we reach for the ice cream. Feel free to do the same!

]]> http://www.iheartintoronto.com/2009/05/no-gym-required/feed/ http://www.iheartintoronto.com/2009/05/tea-for-two-or-three/ http://www.iheartintoronto.com/2009/05/tea-for-two-or-three/#comments Fri, 08 May 2009 12:00:33 +0000 Chantel Simmons http://www.iheartintoronto.com/?p=210

We’ve done the pedicure party, the Fantasia party, the jewellery party. But a tea party?

Now that’s a party we can raise a teacup to. Especially when someone else does all the planning, serving and cleanup.

Like a Tupperware party, a Steeped party involves a representative, who brings all the fabulous loot to your home, so all you have to do is invite your favourite tea party guests. Each party includes:

I love taking pictures — but only when I’ve got a camera that’s small enough to keep in my coat pocket and cute enough not to make a big deal of taking pictures. So when I got sent the KODAK Zi6 Pocket Video Camera to test-shoot for a month, I was excited, and not just because it was pink. It was as small as my BlackBerry and combined a camera and video camera all in one.

While my friend queried why I’d bother carrying it around when I already had my BlackBerry, I saw the difference instantly when using the video camera. Not only was the picture bright and featured a variety of colours (rather than that blue-grey haze of most video features on phones), but the sound quality was amazing. And I love the ability to switch back and forth between video and still pictures.

The technical stuff is this: 720p HD video capture, a large 2.4-inch LCD screen, and easy-to-use software. Videos can be uploaded to YouTube quickly and easily using the built-in USB and software. With the included video software CD, you can edit videos and add pictures and music to share your creations anywhere. I didn’t get around to figuring out what all this meant, but sending and sharing photos by email was a snap.

Mostly, I like video taping everything my friends are saying, anytime I want.   

Shopping info: KODAK Zi6 Pocket Video Camera, $200, at Staples and Best Buy.
 
 

Photo by _mubblegum_

Every once in a while a girl needs a makeover to keep herself looking pretty and fresh. Sometimes it only needs to be something small: a trendy haircut, a few of the latest runway knockoffs, a hot new shade of lip gloss. And so, a couple of months ago, we decided that i heart needed a makeover too. Although this type of beautification involved more technical lingo than a usual girly makeover (side-swept bangs, smoky eyes, and ballet flats became CSS, Wordpress, and PHP files!), we think the end result is just as stunning.

Many thanks go out to Jen Dibble, for designing our beautiful new site, and to Mo Jangda, for creating our fabulous new logo. To our readers, thank you for sticking around while we gussied ourselves up! We hope you love our new look, and please let us know what you think in the comments!