Bringing Foxy to a New Level

I have been a fan of Foxy Originals for some time. I wasn't sure about doing it as a blog post, because it seems that their merchandise is readily available and out in the public eye. However, I have decided to write about them because every time I'm wearing one of their pieces and I tell someone it is a Foxy Original, they look at me with a blank stare and I feel like I have been talking gibberish. To be honest, I am quite shocked that not more people know of this wonderful Canadian design team and company. I think it is a great success story.
You can visit their website for the story on how the company came to be and to take a look at their collections. Right now the best thing going for them is their Barbie Collection, since they are celebrating that anniversary and all this year. All their jewelry is made from lead free pewter and dipped in gold, silver or bronze. For certain pieces other materials are added for variety and a different look. Some of my favourite pieces are: Palm Earrings (see image), Soul Necklace, Rose Ring, Juniper Necklace (see image) and the Utopia Necklace. I could keep going but I'm going to stop there. Foxy Originals recently made their site a shopping site so you can point and click right there to get all the pieces you want. My biggest complaint used to be not being able to find the pieces I liked in stores but now I don't have to worry. This also means as soon as their new pieces come out, we will be able to have them within a few days, or weeks.

Help spread the word. I'm wondering if renting a plane and sky writing "Foxy Originals" in the air would do the trick?

Working Girl Again!

Hello Readers,
I am happy to report that I started working again earlier this month. A great company in Mississauga hired me as a buyer for several of their categories. Among them are fashion accessories and luggage and handbags! You know I'll be paying a lot of attention to those ones. I am very fortunate to have found a job during this difficult economic time and much more fortunate to have found a good job, one that is in my line of work. This represents a great opportunity at a time one would think there aren't many great opportunities out there. Now it is my job to help others find their great job. I am always happy to recommend co-workers and friends to a current employer or to inquires I get from others.
For those of you who are still out of work and looking, I feel your pain. Keep your fingers crossed, stay positive and tell everyone, and I mean everyone, you know that you are looking for a job. You never know who you or they might come across and ask that vital question, "do you know anyone who is looking for a job in ______" (fill in the blank) that could be your future great job.
One I am financially secure, I look forward to upholding my end of the Retail Challenge. It may take awhile to come up with $1000 to spend, but I will do my best. I owe it to the retailers out there.

Part 2 - Notashopaholic Unemployment Survival Guide

Use Your Points

Ever wonder to do with all those points you accumulate at the grocery store and other places? Now is the perfect time to use them. Use your Air Miles, HBC Rewards, Aeroplan, Shoppers Optimum, Scene points to redeem for gift cards, merchandise, or tickets to events. It is a great to be able to get out and do something without feeling guilty about it. Depending on the rewards program, the points may only be able to be redeemed in stored on purchases, which is fine, that saves you money as well. I used Air Miles to redeem for a $50 Cara Foods gift card. It can be used at Second Cup, Kelseys, Milestones and I few more places. It was a great way to be able to meet friends for dinner and not cost me anything.
If you currently don't have a Scene points card, get one! You receive points every time you go to the movies and only 1000 Scene points gets you free admission. Bonus-you'll get 10% off of your popcorn and drinks too!

Coupons

Coupons can go along way to saving you money. You can get coupons for almost anything these days, its not just for groceries anymore. This is something you need to be dedicated too and it may take some time to find your coupons and organize them, but this can save you a great deal of money. Combine your coupon use when those items are on sale and you will see an even bigger savings. Take your search for coupons to the Internet where there are websites where you can pick and choose the coupons you want and print them out. Some great websites to look at are: SmartCanucks.ca, Save.ca (these coupons will be mailed to you), and GrocerySavings.com.

Red Flag Deals is a website you should always keep an eye on. Visitors post various sales and deals from a variety of stores, companies and websites all across Canada. If there is a deal to be had, you should be able to find it on here. Coupons for the deals will also usually be posted for printing off.

Most manufacturers or product companies will issue their own coupons and email them to those on their distribution list. If you buy a lot of products from one company, make sure you look into this. I just signed up for Alberto product emails and coupons yesterday.

Contests

Whats the best way to get free stuff? Win it! This is a good way to get free tickets to events or even free items themselves. Now be sure if you are entering a contest you know it is legitimate. Some of the contests I have entered have been from shopping malls, radio stations, magazines I subscribe to. Tim Hortons had an online contest for Roll Up The Rim where you could enter your email address for a chance to win free coffee for a year. I didn't win that one, at least I could play without having to buy the coffee!

Gift Cards

If your birthday or the holidays fall during your unfortunate loss of employment, ask for Gift Cards. There is no shortage of places you can get them from and they will come in very handy. My wonderful chiquita's gave me a Mastercard Gift Card for my birthday and Christmas. The best thing about that baby? I can use it wherever they take Mastercard, basically a Gift Card you can use anywhere!!!!! The girls did good on this one. I'm telling you its the best gift I have ever gotten. There is also a Visa Gift Card if you have a preference. The girls picked up the MC card at Shoppers Drug Mart had it activated and away I went! I'm still using it.

Free Events - Not A Shopaholic Unemployment Survival Guide

Chances are wherever you live, there is something free going on that you can attend. Here in Toronto, we have Taste of the Danforth, Taste of Little Italy, Luminato, Jazz Festivals, Movies in the Park, etc. In the summer I think there is a lot more going on so Free Events should be easy to find. In the winter however, its been a bit of a challenge. I have found a few things and here they are:

1. Ice Skating-free at Nathan Philips Square and Harbourfront. If you don't have skates you can rent them (which makes this not free), but most people do have their own or could possibly borrow a pair.

2. Antique Shows/Mall Events-Sherway Gardens and other malls have Antique Shows throughout the year. Check the website of your local mall and find out when this is going on. Then head over to the mall and peruse the offerings. Grab a coffee and spend an afternoon with the antiques. You never know. You may find something you like or it may give you ideas for things to do in your house once you find yourself employed again.

3. Museums and Art Galleries-These places usually have a few hours of free admission one evening a week. Check your local establishments and find out when that is. AGO in Toronto is free Wednesday nights after 6pm. The ROM has free admission Wednesday evenings from 4:30-5:30. Bata Shoe Museum has a pay what you can night Thursdays from 5-8pm. Not free but a substantial saving from the regular $12 admission price. Check websites for the places you are interesting in visiting to see if there are discounted or free admission on certain nights.

City of Toronto lists some free events on their website at: http://www.toronto.ca/events/index.htm. Check your city website to see if they do the same.

4. Public Library-The Toronto Libraries I have been too have free events for both adults and children. Schedules can usually be found online so check your local branch today. Anything seems to go from Bookclubs to Magic shows for the young ones. Worth taking advantage off. The Toronto Library just completed their MAP program in conjunction with Sunlife. Each adult could check out a pass for different attractions around Toronto. All of the passes were good for families usually 2 adults and up to 4 children. I was lucky enough to get a couple of these and visit the Bata Shoe Museum, Textile Museum and the AGO. I'll be on the lookout next year for passes to the ROM.

Not A Shopaholic Unemployment Survival Guide

When I lost my job, the hardest thing to deal with was the change it was going to mean to my lifestyle. A very social person, I am not usually one to turn down invitations to dinners and hanging out with friends. Going out requires money and I didn't have any to spend on those things. I was worried about how I was going to pay bills and buy groceries, just living day to day was about to become an incredible challenge. It soon became apparent that I was going to have to do some kind of socializing, if for the only reason that it was going to help me keep my sanity. Being the kind of person to always find a way to do the things I want, I set out on a mission to find ways of incorporating some social aspect back into my life and to try to save money on anything in anyway that I could.
The following is a list of things that are helping me survive while making me not feel like a social misfit. This is a list that works for me and my lifestyle. Depending on your situation these things may not be suitable to you but there maybe some variation of them that is. All I know is that when you have very little money or no money at all, your ability to get creative certainly comes out. This is my survival guide for getting through this part of my life.

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

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

info@groovyarts.com