Made by Hand's Networking & Create Night

Did you know Canada.. Toronto Representative Faniya is heading to her next event this week!

This Thursday March 15, I am planning to attend Made by Hand's Networking & Create Night in Milton. It will take place at Simply Creative Studio from 7:00pm to 9:00pm, where Handmade Arts fans are going to communicate, network and exchange crafty ideas. The event also involves a pottery painting project, where each attendee will be equipped with a 10 colours palette, brushes and tools to express themselves and complete their piece of art.

This Networking & Create Night is free to join; each attendee will pay only for the created piece of art at the end from $5 to $20. If you are interested in joining the event RSVP here.

And if you are not able to attend please stay tuned, I am going to report back to Did you know Canada? you are not going to miss anything from the event.

Faniya
Teddy Out-Ready

Storwell Self Storage Foster Children Bursary

Did you know Canada.. There's over 75,000 children in Canada alone that are in need of foster care. Many of these children have been neglected and abused and are in need of a loving and supportive infrastructure. Storwell Owner Gregory D'atri understands this need first hand, having been a foster parent to 15 children. Gregory has always had a commitment to foster children.

In order to maintain his involvement in helping foster children he has created the Storwell Foster Children Bursary Program. Aimed at foster children who will attend a post-secondary institution, this bursary is there to make the journey easier for students who aim for the stars.

To get more information and to apply please go to: Storwell Self Storage Foster Children Bursary

World Mastercard Fashion Week

Did you know Canada.. World Mastercard Fashion Week is in Toronto March 12-17th and Did you know Canada? will be there!

Did you know Canada? Toronto Representative Pam will be attending the Soia & Kyo runaway show March 13th. We were so honoured to be able to ask designer Ilan Elfassy a few questions before the show:

As a Canadian designer how well do you feel fashion is embraced in Canada? Does it change from coast to coast?
Fashion is very well embraced in Canada; the people love it. And yes, fashion is definitely different on the West Coast as opposed to the East coast. Canada is such a big country and we are exposed to different sources of inspiration. As a designer from the East coast, I always felt like the people on the West Coast are welcoming our designs and appreciate the novelties that we bring.

Describe the general process you go through to design and realize a piece of clothing.
The first step is to get inspired. I find most of my inspiration comes from my travels, but again, anything can be source of inspiration.... A vision for the next collection originates from these inspirations and with it in mind, I will begin the search for the perfect materials. I need to see, touch and feel different fabrics. A coat is fully realized when it respects the direction of the collection and when its fabric, trimmings and details come together. Then, we build the samples and with the fittings, we add the final touches.

As Canada fully feels all four seasons, is that a help or a hindrance to creating your designs?
Having four distinctive seasons is a great thing because you follow nature’s flow and create accordingly; there is a certain edge to fall and a spirit of renewal for spring. It is less of a great thing because I need to stay more focus on my creations. Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter are two different collections and they cannot overlap.

What are your favourite fabrics to work with and why?
My favourite fabric is definitely leather because it has an attitude, a character to it. It is offered in such attractive colors as well... It’s a natural skin and you need to have the craftsmanship that comes with it to know how to work it.

Do you have any pre-runway rituals you can share with us?
Relax, relax and relax.

Thanks so much to designer Ilan Elfassy for sharing such great insight into Canada, fashion and his work!

Soia & Kyo debuted in 2004. Montreal designer, Ilan Elfassy, is known for creating fabulous fitting clothes with exquisite detail and unique styling. His clothing has been featured in many popular international magazines and has a celebrity following. He has said that he is inspired by “the ‘hipster urban traveler’" and this global feel is certainly present in his designs. I love the clean lines, asymmetric and structured collars and striking finishishes of his Fall /Winter 2011 line. His jackets and coats for both men and women are high fashion yet very wearable. I fell in love with his women's faux shearling "Kasey" jacket and the men's "Jimmy" wool coat. Both are currently on sale and shipping is free!

I'm so excited to be going to the March 13 debut of the Soia & Kyo Spring/Summer Collection at Toronto's Fashion week. I'll be reporting back to Did you know Canada? with as many pictures and details as possible!


Pam
micrapol@hotmail.com

Spring Forward!

Did you know Canada.. Sunday is the start of Daylight Savings Time - turn the clocks ahead 1 hour. By the way, the idea of daylight savings time was first proposed by Benjamin Franklin in 1784.

For time itself, it was Scottish Canadian, Sir Sandford Fleming that invented Standard Time. After missing a train in 1876 in Ireland because its printed schedule listed p.m. instead of a.m., he proposed a single 24-hour clock for the entire world, based on the world globe meridian of Greenwich. Standard Time was accepted in North America in 1884.

So this Sunday you lose an hour of sleep but at least we gain an hour of day light!

Maple Syrup

Did you know Canada.. if you're planning on heading to a Maple Syrup festival this weekend and March Break, we have some fun Canadian facts for you that you can share.

* Canada and the United States are the only two maple syrup producing countries in the world

* Canada producing 82% of the world's total syrup

* it's Quebec that produces the most syrup - about 90%

You'll find plenty of Maple Syrup festivals across Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick this month, let us know if you're attending one!

Image Source: rgallant_photography

National Breakfast Day #shareyourbreakfast

Did you know Canada.. Thursday March 8th is National Breakfast Day! Kellogg’s has partnered with Breakfast Clubs of Canada and Breakfast for Learning to launch the Share Your Breakfast program to encourage Canadians to help children who might otherwise go without.

It's heart breaking to know that one in 10 Canadian children live in poverty and are at risk of going to school on an empty stomach. On Thursday, March 8 across the country Kellogg’s will be surprising Canadians with free mini-packs of Kellogg's Rice Krispies cereal to raise awareness about our country's hungry children. In return, they are donating to their National Breakfast Day charity partners - Breakfast Clubs of Canada and Breakfast for Learning. In essence, a bowl for you will equal a bowl for a hungry child.

You can make your own donation by visiting www.breakfastclubscanada.org or www.breakfastforlearning.ca.

Studies have shown that breakfast can help kids boost their academic performance – improving behavior, reducing absences and tardiness and increasing focus and physical performance.

Use hashtag #shareyourbreakfast to spread the word on March 8th.

What Did You Make on March Break

Did you know Canada.. Our friends at DK Canada have an awesome promotion going on this month: What Did You Make on March Break - where they are asking parents to submit photos of what their kids (ages 3-14) make on March Break! This can include a craft, painting, cooking - whatever your guys are working on this March Break. DK Canada also has an awesome selection of books to help with inspiration for "what to do with the kids?", check out their March Break Survival Boutique.

This week our family tried the Alien Robot Kit that's part of the DK Canada March Break Survival Boutique. We've learned some amazing stuff about physics, mechanics, forces, and motion while creating these awesome robots!

It was a great family activity while we checked out the whole book, the boys each got to pick a robot to make, Dad showed us all about putting wires together - it was the first time we've ever done something like that and the boys were in awe!

I love the re-usability factor of the book too, it shows you how to take everything apart so you can make more alien robots and the pieces are sturdy enough that it can handle being used and reused.

The March Break creations will be judged by our Craft Guru Extraordinaire Jane Bull, author of Make It, Made by Me and the upcoming Stitch By Stitch. The winning entry wins a signed Jane Bull collection and a $150 DK shopping spree!!!! Enter today and entries will be posted on cn.dk.com and on their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/DKCanada Good luck!!

Toronto Events and SWAG

Did you know Canada.. you may have noticed a new section on our website, Toronto Events - Did you know Canada? is planning on hitting up the best events in Toronto and we want to see you all there too!

We have new Toronto Representatives; Pam, Faniya and Multi-Testing Mommy, head over to the Toronto Events page to learn more about them!

Some of our upcoming events include..

* Soïa & Kyo - World MasterCard Fashion Week in Toronto with Pam - March 13, 2012
* RUDSAK - World MasterCard Fashion Week in Toronto with Pam - March 15, 2012
* Made By Hand Show Networking Event with Faniya - March 15, 2012
* Vaughan Mompreneurs Showcase with Faniya - March 25, 2012
* Made By Hand Show with Multi-Testing Mommy - April 21, 2012

Not only will we be available to chat at the events, report on them, share them with all of Canada, but we will also have our new swag item with us - I LOVE Canada "teeny tags" from Mabel's Labels!! These make perfect keychains, great on backpacks, a fun way to show your Canadian pride!!! We are so happy to be working with Mabel's Labels to give our readers a fun gift, so make sure you come chat with us at all these events!

Can't make it to Toronto? Well we're giving away one teeny tag right now!! Enter below for your chance to win a piece of Did you know Canada? swag!

Giveaway

#RogersSmartHome offers Safety and Security for your family!

Did you know Canada.. I used to feel safe. I was of the mind that "it" would never happen to me, whether "it" was having my home broken into, something being vandalized or worse. THEN, I had kids. As I'm sure many of you know, once you have your babies, their safety and security is of the utmost important to you - I double and triple check the locks every night, we have a stick in the sliding door, we leave the lights on, everything.

But with the kids in sports and family activities we're starting to have a lot of late nights and I'm always concerned with what's going on at home.

This is why I LOVE the amazing new generation of home security that Rogers is now offering, Rogers Smart Home Monitoring lets you monitor, control and receive alerts from your system via the internet or your smartphone - amazing! Not only can you make sure home is secure but you can also automate your lights, appliances, thermostat and more. Creating your own schedules and rules that makes your home more secure and energy efficient, we are truly living in the future now!

I'm so excited to share this with you, not only because it's a great service and one I think so many households would love, but also because you can enter to WIN! That's right, there are five Rogers Smart Home Monitoring systems to be won. This contest is open to Ontario residents, starting at midnight on March 1st, 2012 and continues until 5:00pm EST on May 16th, 2012.

The Rogers Smart Home Monitoring system prize includes..
* 1 touchpad
* 3 door/window sensors
* 1 motion detector
* 1 key fob
* 1 security camera
* 1 thermostat
* 1 lamp dimmer module
* also includes professional installation and monitoring service for one (1) year
approximate total value of $1,518.83

THIS is piece of mind made for our world of technology, I love it, fingers crossed for all of my Ontario readers, click here to enter today!! Make sure you share with friends and family as well!

Disclaimer: This post has been compensated, all opinions are my own, I am only sharing the contest details with you, I am not running the contest.

Vaughan Mompreneur Showcase

Did you know Canada.. The Vaughan Mompreneur Showcase is an event that brings the talents of local mom-owned businesses all under one roof, giving them the opportunity to sell, showcase or educate the community about their products or services.

Spring 2012 marks the second annual event in Vaughan. Last year’s event saw over 80 vendors and close to 1000 attendees!!

This year’s event is being held at Paradise Banquet Hall located at 7601 Jane Street in Vaughan, on March 25, 2012 from 10 am to 4 pm. If you are attending be on the look out for Did you know Canada? representative Faniya, she will be there as well!!

Parenting expert Nanny Robina is scheduled to speak in the afternoon; Mums N Chums will have their Birthday Bash with a jumping castle and Oh So Sweet cupcake decorating along with the PTPA Kids Zone, there will be a live DJ, door prizes, food and refreshments and so much more.

We are SO HAPPY to let you know that 100% of the admission proceeds will be donated to Zack's Dream Room, along with the proceeds from the silent auction. You'll remember Zack's family from earlier this week when we discussed how through donations to Zack’s Dream Room Zack's family was able to create an Elmo Room (Zack's best bud) at York Central Hospital in honour of Zack who past away last year. They are working on a second room and the Vaughan Mompreneur Showcase will be providing a great donation.

Click here to review the amazing vendors that will be at the showcase AND enter below for your chance to win a 4 pack of tickets!!

Giveaway