Saturday, February 21, 2009

Not A Shopaholic Retail Challenge

As someone who has lost their job as a result of this financial and economic crisis, I get very worried when I hear that people out there are spending less money or not spending any money at all. Now, I'm not a professor of economics but I wonder how we will ever get out of this mess if no one is spending any money.
I was joking around with someone not to long ago, saying that I am the wrong person to be unemployed at this time. If I had a job, I would definitely be spending money. Maybe not as much as usual, but I would be out there, supporting the retailers. Unfortunately, I cannot do this which is why I am issuing this Retail Challenge to all of you. For those of you who are employed, I challenge you to go out and spend $100 a month in retail stores, in restaurants, at the movies, anywhere you choose. If half of the Canadian population* spent $100 every month, that would generate $1 660 634 800 into the Canadian economy. If $100 is too much, spend $50 or whatever you can afford. Anything is better than nothing.
As for myself, I pledge to spend $1000 in retail stores when I get a job again. True to my blog, I will do my best to spend most of it in unique, independent retailers. And I will document my purchases and the stores here on my blog. I look forward to the day when that becomes a reality.
Until then, go forth and shop. Let me know what you are spending your money on. I would be happy to share your stories as future blog posts.

*Source of Canadian Population: CIA-The World Factbook-Canada
Canadian Population July 2008-33,212,696

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Groove Is In Her Heart

It was love at first sight when I saw Karen Couillard and her Groovy Arts collection at one of the Toronto Home shows last spring. Her characters have attitude, her colours are vibrant and if you don't want to spend a lot of money, Karen offers her characters and designs on greeting cards, card holders, and compact mirrors in addition to her art pieces. I am partial towards the art work as there is a wall in my condo reserved for one of Groovy Arts fabulous paintings. I love the fashionable, sassy, diva-ish characters, although the high heels, wine bottles and Eiffel Tower amuse me as well.
The greeting cards go great with gifts. With such tag lines as "Its good to be you", "Viva La Diva", "Darling, Its hard work being this perfect", and "Its not easy being this beautiful", you will surely find a card that suits your celebrant and is guaranteed to make them laugh. I think it would be great to get a set of four together and frame them. With so many great designs, why on earth limit yourself to one?
Items can be purchased from the Groovy Arts website. You may also catch Karen and her collection at a variety of events such as the One of a Kind show. Check her website for details.
I for one will be making a purchase as soon as my unemployment status ends. The characters and colours will go great with my trendy red bedroom walls. Finally, friends will stop bugging me about my blank walls. Thank you Karen for truly unique, yet fashionable art. I knew it was out there somewhere!
Let us all celebrate our inner diva.

Groovy Arts
Burlington, ON
ph 905 331 0716

Sorry Loyal Readers, I promise I am back on track now

First of all, my sincere apologies for the lack of posts lately. All of my time has been spent job hunting and unfortunately I have been neglecting my blog. I will try to get back on track so that my loyal readers are not wondering what has happened to me.
I have added the follower tool so you can now see who is regularly checking my blog. Feel free to add yourself to it. It is nice for me to see who is keeping track of my postings. It will also encourage me to keep up with new posts on a regular basis. My goal is try to post once every 3-4 weeks.
As for my job hunt, it is a slow process which is not surprising given the times we are going through. I am positive that something will come up within the next few months. Ecommerce is a growing business and not only in the retail industry. Once I am employed again, I will be sure to let you know.
Thank you to all those who read my blog and have become "followers". A special thank you to "Chutton" for being my first "follower". I appreciate the time you take to read my thoughts and opinions. If you ever come across cool things you think would be great for my blog, please send me the information. After all, there is only so much shopping I can do on my own. ;)
Christina