A Gift With Wings (and Heart)
There was a time when getting
15 chickens to Croatia was a logistical nightmare. Not anymore. Thanks to
Ten Thousand Villages, a non-profit,
fair-trade organization, getting livestock to someone oversees has never been easier. All you have to do is choose which life-sustaining farm animal you’d like to purchase and which developing country you’d like to donate it to. It’s part of the
Living Gift program, which also supplies impoverished African preschoolers with writing materials, struggling communities with trees, and starving artisans with art supplies. Of course, you can donate any of these
life-altering presents directly, but the point is to purchase it on behalf someone else who, in return, gets a rundown of how their gift is improving another person’s life. It’s a win-win for everyone, and a hell of a lot better than giving that scarf that they’ll probably end up exchanging anyway. For more info:
TenThousandVillages.ca.
Huge Little Steps
This one we love. A great present to a loved one or to oneself, Change the World for Ten Bucks is a slim book that’s big on action. Created by
We Are What We Do, a non-profit global movement working to inspire actions of kindness, compassion, and consciousness, Change The World contains
50 small, inexpensive suggestions for making a better world. Some are practical (turn off unnecessary lights), some sentimental (
write to someone who inspired you, complete with supplied postcard), and some are such good ideas they should be adopted into law (let at least one car in on every journey).
All are, in their own little way, hugely brilliant.
Pick up a copy at all good book stores or visit
wearewhatwedo.ca for more info.
Take It From The Mayans
By now, most of us have clued into the fact that trying to stop the signs of aging by going under the knife can backfire on you big time—Priscilla Presley, case in point. And it’s not just the ladies
paying through the nose (figuratively and literally) to look young again. Did anyone see Kenny “Peeled and Processed” Rogers on American Idol last year? So what’s the solution? For starters, stop looking to Hollywood for
anti-aging solutions, and start looking to Mother Earth. That’s exactly what the good folks at
LaVigne Organic Skincare did. Most of their war-on-wrinkle products (prices ranging from $15 to $144 US) feature tepezcohuite, a regenerative, detoxifying, bacteria-fighting agent derived from
Mexico’s ‘skin tree.’ The Mayans used it on their faces for more than ten centuries and hey, they
never look a day over 1000. Natural alternatives like this B.C.-based line may not be a magical solution, but at least you won’t look like you belong in a
Hollywood freak show. For more info, visit
lavigneorganics.com.
For Your Favourite Little Girl: The Body Song
Maybe she’s your granddaughter, niece, or your own kid. However she shows up in your life, here’s a gift that imparts meaning, values, and
unbridled fun for her animated and
imaginative self. The
Body Song is a six-minute CD (not long but it packs punch!) that educates and empowers three-to-six-year-old girls to “name without shame” all parts of their
bodies. The lyrics, both playful and strong, encourage girls to feel pride, ownership, and
healthy boundaries regarding their bodies
. . . all in a developmentally appropriate manner in a medium that is
pure joy for kids—music.
The Body Song is the brainchild of Vancouverite
Anita Roberts, founder of SAFETEEN
(
safeteen.ca) and parent of three. Singer
Yve Narlock and two little friends
warble the lyrics. To order the $12 CD, email
safeteen@telus.net.
Let the Good Vines Flow
With B.C. renowned as a
hot spot for both wine and organic farming, it’s no wonder that this season, when the vino will most undoubtedly be flowing,
organic B.C. wines will be arriving at many a
dinner party. Aside from the obvious
benefits of organic wine (reduced pesticides, non-GM grapes), organic wine also adds an interesting conversation piece to any dinner party.
Lotusland Vineyards (
lotuslandvineyards.com) is an organic, homegrown affair, as are
Summerhill Estate Winery (
summerhill.bc.ca) and
Hainle Vineyards (
hainle.com). Available at your local liquor store or wine
merchant, for under $20 a bottle. Visit
certifiedorganic.bc.ca for info on the certification process.
So Darn Appealing
With knitting becoming ever more popular with
style-conscious twentysomethings (male and female) and, let’s face it, never having really gone out of style for grandmas and
ladies with 50 cats, perhaps it’s a good time to look at why it’s so darn appealing.
The Art of Knitting is a new instructional DVD that shows
not only how to knit and purl, but also how
the act of knitting can be good for your mental and physical well-being. Studies have shown that knitting helps with everything from
high blood pressure to quitting smoking, and some health experts have even likened the benefits
to those of
gentle yoga. The Art of Knitting
features instruction from Vogue Knitting’s
Carla Scott, knitter-to-the-stars Jennifer Wenger, swimwear designer
Ashley Paige, Getty Museum educator
Zhenya Gershman, and others. Pick it up at
Michaels Craft Store, knitting outlets, or through
theartofknitting.com.
A Good Night’s Stay
Travelling for business can be a bit of a
soulless experience. When it starts out, the idea of glamorously globe-trotting around the world is alluring, but the practical realities of being away from home set in soon enough. Vancouver’s
Metropolitan Hotel is offering a chance for its most loyal business and corporate clients to experience both comfort and goodness over this holiday season. Through March 31, the hotel
will give select clients the chance to donate money to the charity of their choice. Under the
Room for Charity program, the Met will donate the entire value of one night’s stay to the guest’s chosen charity. All that,
a comfy bed, and a chance to eat
Thomas Haas’ amazing chocolate desserts downstairs at
Diva, the hotel’s restaurant. This is one invitation you’ll want to wrangle. For more information, please call 604-687-1122 or
metropolitan.com/vanc.
Powerful Pin-Ups
We’re not normally in the business of promoting calendar girls—after all, there isn’t a huge crossover readership between SharedVision and Maxim. But we’re making an exception just this once ’cause it’s for a good cause. Vancouver-based photographer
Suzette Amaya, of Samaya
Photography, is putting out her third annual First Nations calendar. The first was the 2005 VanEast Urban First Nations Spirit Calendar; in 2006, it was the B.C. Aboriginal Distinguished Men edition; and now
it’s all about the ladies. Featuring models from all sectors of Aboriginal life, including artists, activists, and academics, the
2007 B.C. Aboriginal Female Calendar sets out to blast negative stereotypes and promote confidence within the local Aboriginal community. So we ask you: what better way to keep track of important dates and holidays than with this time-managing (and
silicone-free) gift? For more info:
samaya.ca or call 604-889-8615.
Giving and Getting
Just in time for the holiday season comes
GiftTrap, a social-conscience board game that looks at our culture of gift giving and what types of treats are really appropriate for our loved ones. More a conversation piece than an actual
win or lose game, GiftTrap asks players to lay out a series of gift cards (Anger Management Classes,
Six Weeks Paid Leave to volunteer, Reunion With An Old Friend, a
Nose Job) and aim, through conversation and knowledge of other players, to both collect gifts they’d theoretically love to receive and also to please other players with experiences
they’d love. The winner, if there is one, is
the person who excels at both
giving and getting, but really, all players win with the spirited discussion that results in talking about desired life experiences. Visit
gifttrap.com to purchase and to learn about the game links to the international
Right
To Play charitable foundation.
