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Category: Home & Garden
22 Rep Picks to Read this Spring
by Brooke
Animals & Nature + Biography & Memoir + Fiction + Food & Drink + Graphica + Home & Garden + Humour + Kids + Picture Books + Psychology & Self-Help + Travel + YA Fiction / February 20, 2017
A new year means new books and we've got all of the recommendations you could possibly need! Kick the year off right with these hand-picked selections for the early spring season!
Dani Farmer
by Chris Kelly, Pat Kelly and Peter Oldring
"Sometimes this great country of ours seems a little too good to be true. You, being Canadian, already know the wonders of Flin Flon’s tropical beaches and how to portage the Rideau Canal (with or without a protective toque) but there may be people in your life that don’t. Thankfully, the This is That: Travel Guide to Canada is both hilarious and faux-informative. You’ve heard the show on CBC, now let it guide you through our magnificent nation!"
by Marc Martin
Ali Hewitt
Judy Parker
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by Stephanie Garber
Lorna MacDonald
Saffron Beckwith
Ryan Muscat
"The Principality of Sealand was declared in 1967 on an unused air defence platform in the North Sea, about 12 kilometres off the coast of England. It has a population of 27, issues stamps, coins, licence plates, passports, has a national anthem, has been invaded, and fields a football team. It is not a real country. Find out about Sealand and dozens of other non-existent countries with no diplomatic recognition in An Atlas of Countries That Don’t Exist. The book is a beautifully illustrated and fascinating compendium of weird and wonderful places, and is a perfect gift for friends and family from Christiania to Moreset to Circassia."
"Have you ever wondered who’s making the noises you hear coming from the apartments above you? Mac Barnett, the king of the children’s picture book, has the answers in Noisy Night: sheep, opera singers, babies, and others. This fun book, beautifully illustrated in split-level spreads by Brian Biggs, is a fantastic read-along picture book for little kids."
Jenny Enriquez
by Lonely Planet
by Rin Chupeco
Laurie Martella
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Meet the Scott Brothers from W Network’s Property Brothers!
by Alisha
Events + Home & Garden / August 08, 2016
The stars of W Network's Property Brothers are coming home! Maple Ridge twins Jonathan and Drew Scott are back in town for two events this August. Don't miss your chance to meet the twins as they greet fans and sign copies of their bestselling book Dream Home.
Upcoming Events
Chapters Metrotown • Friday, August 19 at 6PM
Click here for details.
Black Bond Books • Sunday, August 21 at 2PM
Click here for details.
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Dream Home
The Property Brothers' Ultimate Guide to Finding & Fixing Your Perfect House
Jonathan Scott and Drew Scott
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
9780455715677 • $42.00 cl
"It's about time these guys published a book! In Dream Home, Drew and Jonathan Scott prove to be an authority on all things related to the home space. It's very informative, easy to navigate, and answers all the questions for those looking to fix or find their perfect home. Drew and Jonathan's personalities shine throughout, giving the guide a fun energy while also providing relatable advice and solutions for the homeowner."—Rachael Ray
Click here to read an excerpt!
Petit Collage is coming to Raincoast!
by Danielle
Design & Typography + Environment + Gift & Stationery + Home & Garden / July 18, 2013
July 18, 2013
Raincoast is now the exclusive Canadian distributor for Petit Collage, a leading lifestyle brand for modern families, based in San Francisco. Petit Collage encompasses over 200 eco-friendly products ranging from toys and games to wall décor and mobiles.
Petit Collage’s founder, Lorena Siminovich, is a noted designer, illustrator, author, and entrepreneur, who has been featured in Dwell magazine, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times. Petit Collage products are sold in over 500 stores worldwide including Barneys NY, Anthropologie, Pottery Barn Kids, and select Canadian boutique baby stores.
“Lorena’s design sense is hugely appealing to Raincoast, and her commitment to quality, sustainability, and fair trading practices truly resonates. Petit Collage both complements our existing client base and provides us with ample opportunity to stretch ourselves in a changing
retail market,” says Paddy Laidley, Executive Vice-President of Sales & Marketing for Raincoast. “Petit Collage is a perfect fit for Canada and Raincoast is highly motivated to expand their presence here.”
"We are very excited to partner with Raincoast Books,” says Siminovich. “We have long admired the quality of their lines and the breadth of their coverage in Canada. With their amazing sales force, we look forward to being introduced to new stores we weren't able to reach ourselves, while providing our existing customers a much faster turnaround and better customer service."
Raincoast will showcase the Fall 13 Petit Collage collection at the Toronto Gift Show August 11- 14, 2013.
For more information please visit: www.petitcollage.com
www.raincoast.com/publishers/details/petit-collage/
About Petit Collage
Started in 2006, Petit Collage is all about good design. Artist and founder Lorena Siminovich approaches all she does including authoring and illustrating over 20 children’s books with this philosophy. With her team of designers, she creates modern wall décor and home accessories influenced by midcentury design. The studio, located in an artistic hub of San Francisco, is an incubator of new ideas, art, and illustration where creating great design and pushing the envelope on new formats is the norm. Playfulness imbues every format Petit Collage touches from mobiles and mirrors to dolls, decals and more. Striving to handcraft their goods in a sustainable way using the best-quality, most forest-friendly materials available is equally important.
Feel Better Little Buddy - Spoons edition
by Matt
Animals & Nature + Events + Fashion & Textiles + Health & Wellness + Home & Garden + Humour + Podcasts + Vancouver / March 21, 2011
Just after we picked Spoons up from emergency in the morning. Not sure how he did it, but broke two bones in his paw. Ouch. I think I'll submit this to Chronicle Books' "Feel Better Little Buddy", 2nd ed
Here he is getting used to his cast...doing his favorite thing (beside eating and defending his territory)
Cast comes off in 4-5 weeks. Healing time is a little longer than normal because he is 11 years old in May. 60 years old in human years. I hope my whiskers look as good!
From Seed to Skillet
by Dan
Food & Drink + Home & Garden / September 20, 2010
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food gardening growing kitchen garden seeds
I’m Dreaming Of A Green Christmas
by Danielle
Environment + Home & Garden / November 06, 2009
Since there’s over a month and a half before Christmas, try your hands at making these beautiful crafts from I’M DREAMING OF A GREEN CHRISTMAS by Anna Getty. It’ll make any guest you have green with envy…get it ‘green’? This book is totally environmentally conscious! It also has great recipes too. I’ll post some soon!!
Pinecone and Nut Wreath
To Anna, a pinecone and nut wreath is a gift direct from nature. It looks just as beautiful on an outside door as it does hanging in the house or in the garden. In the dining room, place these wreaths on the table with candelabras in the center for a striking visual effect.
Gather
* Pinecones of varying sizes and shapes (you will use anywhere from 25 to 100 pinecones, depending on the size of the wreath)
* Old towel
* Baking sheets
* Used aluminum foil
* 1 roll of light-gauge florist wire
* Wire cutters
* Wire wreath frame (For best results, use a size 2 or 3 wire base.You also can use a wire hanger, but the wreath will not look as full.)
* 20 to 30 nuts in their shell, such aswalnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, and chestnuts
* Nontoxic-glue gun
* Gloves (garden or rubber) (optional; if the pinecones are prickly, gloves make handling easier)
* 24-inch/61-cm piece of used ribbon or raffia (optional)
Create
1. Preheat the oven to 200°F/90°C.
2. Wash the pinecones. Fill the kitchen sink or bathtub with 2 to 3 inches (5 to 8 cm) of lukewarm water. Place the pinecones in the water and swoosh them around to remove any dirt or bugs. Drain the water, rinse the pinecones, and dry them with an old towel.
3. Line the baking sheets with the used aluminum foil, arrange the pinecones on the sheets, and bake for 30 minutes. (Baking the pinecones dries them out, removes the resin—and makes your home smell extra Christmasy!) Note: wash and bake the pinecones only if you’re using pinecones you collected outside. Skip this step for pinecones purchased at a florist shop. Be sure to ask the florist if they have been cleaned.
4. Cut as many 7- to 8-inch (17- to 20-cm) pieces of light-gauge florist wire as you have pinecones. Fold the wire pieces in half.
5. Wrap a folded wire piece around the first pinecone and twist the loose ends tight around the pinecone to make sure the wire is secure. Repeat with the remaining wire pieces and pinecones.
6. Starting with the larger pinecones, and working from the inside of the wreath frame out and the bottom to the top, attach each pinecone’s wire securely to the bottom wire of the wreath frame. Wire the second pinecone snugly next to the first, and repeat with each successive cone, keeping the pinecones snug against one another.
7. Once the wreath is as full as you want it, take the nuts and glue them to the pinecones. Make sure you find secure grooves in the wreath where you can easily attach the nuts.
Note: Wreath frames are available in any craft store around the holidays (see Resources). Prewashed pine cones are avai;able at your local florist.
Optional
Take the ribbon or raffia and make a bow. Cut one 6-inch (15-cm) piece of florist wire and loop it through the back of the bow. Twist the loop of florist wire around a pinecone near the top of the wreath. Cut the ends of the bow to the desired length.
Newspaper Stocking
These stockings are sturdy enough to hold a few holiday items, but don’t fill them with too much stuff! Remember, the whole point is not to buy too much stuff anyway.
Gather
* Four sheets of Christmas-themed newspaper (ads, articles, or any festive images) or used wrapping paper
* Scissors
* Needle and thread
* Glue
* Beads, small bells, faux fur, cashmere or fabric scraps, vintage buttons, recycled glass pieces, seashells, decorative images cut from holiday
cards or magazines
Create
1. Fold the four sheets of newspaper into 8 layers (8 layers will make a sturdy stocking) that are still at least 12 by 10 inches (30.5 by 25 cm) in size. With the scissors, cut a stocking shape out of the paper in your desired size. (You can always place a cloth stocking on the newspaper and trace around it to create the shape.)
2. Using the needle and thread, hand stitch the outer edges of the stocking together, leaving the top open.
3. Glue on any extra holiday images to decorate the stocking
4. Layer the remaining four pieces of scrap newspaper and cut them into strips 1 inch (2.5 cm) wide by 4 inches (10 cm) long. Stack them and create a loop.
5. Sew or staple the loop to the inner top edge of the stocking, to hang it.
6. Glue whatever trimmings you’ve gathered to the top of the stocking (be sure to cover the stitches or staples from the loop). Add bells and other embellishments.
I’M DREAMING OF A GREEN CHRISTMAS: GIFTS, DECORATIONS, AND RECIPES THAT USE LESS AND MEAN MORE
By Anna Getty
Foreword by Zem Joaquin
Photographs by Ron Hamad
Anna Getty is a leading green living expert. She works with the Organic Center, Global Green, NRDC, and Seventh Generation, among others, and is the author of the upcoming Easy Green Organic. Anna lives in Los Angeles.
Ron Hamad is an acclaimed photographer and director who lives in Los Angeles.
Zem Joaquin is ecofabulous.com’s founder and editor-in-chief. She lives in San Francisco.
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christmas decoration
DIY Wallpaper Headboard
by Siobhan
Craft + Home & Garden / September 15, 2009
Etsy's The Storque blog has posted a fun DIY project from the book WALLPAPER PROJECTS: 50 Craft and Design Ideas for Your Home, from Accents to Art: Make your own wallpaper headboard!
Ambitious? Yes. Awesome? Oh, yeah.
Go here for the tutorial - and a book giveaway!
Spring Cleaning Made Simple
by Siobhan
Health & Wellness + Home & Garden + Spirituality / April 17, 2009
Have you started on your Spring cleaning yet? Yeah, me neither.
Something that might get you (and me!) motivated is SECRETS OF SIMPLICTY: Learn to Live Better With Less by Mary Carlomagno. Mary recently talked to Oprah about how to declutter and simplify where and how you live: you can watch a clip from the show here.
This past weekend, Real Simple magazine also posted a glowing review of the book on their site--much to the shock of the reviewer herself!
I have to conclude by saying that I've never read a book on organization and simple living from cover-to-cover in my life--ever. That alone is why even I am shocked to be sitting her this morning writing this review! I'm eager to get started on lots of organization projects now thanks to this book. Bravo to the author, Ms. Carlomagno, great work!
Maybe I'll start my own Spring cleaning this weekend! or maybe I'll just start by reading the book! That's the first step, right? 
DIY Contest Winner!
by Siobhan
Contests + Home & Garden / April 09, 2009
Congratulations to Britta in Vancouver, the lucky winner of our DIY Contest!
The 8 DIY books from Oxmoor House are on their way to you now! Best of luck with your all your renovations and projects around the house!
Thank you to everyone who entered. We're bound to have more giveaways soon, so stay tuned!
Click here for more info on DIY, gardening, cooking titles from Oxmoor House.
Ready for your Spring home renovation projects? Enter our contest!
by Siobhan
Contests + Home & Garden / March 31, 2009
Just a quick reminder that today is the last day to enter our DIY book giveaway. Enter for a chance to win 8 great books from Oxmoor House!
Patio and Stone: A Sunset Design Guide
Backyards: A Sunset Design Guide
Kitchens: A Sunset Design Guide
Bathrooms: A Sunset Design Guide
Wiring: Sunset You Can Build
Trimwork: Sunset You Can Build
Sunset: Tiling
Sunset: Built-Ins
Click here to read more about the books and to enter the contest.