Happy Portobello Holidays!

The Portobello West Fashion and Art Market has organized a couple of special weekend-long holiday markets!

The market, which usually takes place on the last Sunday of the month at the Rocky Mountaineer Train Station in Vancouver, will be holding additional holiday markets on the last Saturday AND Sunday of November and December, from noon to 6pm.

Check out their website for more details: http://vancouver.portobellowest.com/When/When.php

One of a Kind

If you're like me, you love having clothes and jewelry that aren't just like every other girl's. You search out original items to make you stand out. People are always asking me where my jewelry is from, and usually my answer is "Portobello West."

But that could change after next weekend's One of a Kind Show and Sale (Thursday October 8th to Sunday October 10th at the Vancouver Convention Centre). Over 200 artists from across North America will be exhibiting their wares. And you have the chance to buy some of them! Hooray!

This show and sale is perfectly timed to get you started on your Christmas shopping early. I know it's hard to go around only spending money on other people for these few months leading up to the holidays, but it's so rewarding to give unique and beautiful gifts that you know your friends and family are going to love. Didn't your mom ever tell you, "You should always give gifts that you would be happy to receive." Mine did, and I live by it!

Check out the website here: oneofakindvancouver.com.

Trending and Spending

I just added a great-looking event to the calendar (below)!  It's Spend on Trend, a three-day retail event featuring a variety of independent Canadian designers!  Sounds to me like it's going to be even better than Portobello West.  Not that I'm complaining about Portobello West - love it!  

Have a look at the calendar, or go to the Spend on Trend website for more information.

Packed Weekend!

This weekend is packed!  There's not even room to breathe in this city!  Well, actually, everything that this weekend is packed with is relaxing, so you'll definitely have room to breathe and relax.  And shop, and go out, and...  you get the point.

Tomorrow, Friday the 17th, will see a variety of activities going on in Yaletown.  I guess everyone there got together and decided to get their name around.  First of all, it's Hot Friday, which means there will be a DJ, performances and retail promos (from noon to 7pm).  Second, and perhaps more importantly, there's a Shopathon!  Discounts, specials, prizes, cocktails and free swag!  Can you turn that down?  Me neither!

Want to do something more cultural?  It's also the Vancouver Folk Music Festival down at Jericho Beach!  Go see Fire and Wine, the Weakerthans, Dan Mangan and a variety of others (those are just the bands I know from the radio!).

This weekend also sees the arrival of the BC Renaissance Festival, if that's more your speed.  You can make the trek to Langley (!) to go to the Renaissance marketplace, see their performances, and wear your chain mail (because, seriously, how often do you pull that one out of the closet?).

And if you don't want to go all the way to Langley, you can go see the Comedy of Errors in Queens Park!  This one is even free!  Shakespeare?  Outdoors?  Free?  Count me in!

Still haven't found what you want?  No Doubt will be in town Saturday night, GM Place, packed with screaming fans while Gwen and her buddies put on a phenomenal show (just guessin').

For more info about any of these items, check out my calendar at the bottom of my blog.

Have a great weekend!!

The City's Best Fashion and Art Market

It has to be time for Portobello West's new season!
In less than two weeks, this awesome market will be opening again, and to celebrate, they're open all weekend (instead of just Sunday).
www.vancouver.portobellowest.com
The market is held at the Rocky Mountaineer Station, which is near the Science World Skytrain station. A shuttle picks up marketeers (?) from the Skytrain Station and drives them right to the door of the market, but if it's not raining you could walk.
Admission is $2, there is a coffee cart out front, in case you're like me and can't function without.
This market is my favourite place to purchase jewelry, and every time I get something here I get a zillion compliments and people asking me where I got it. As well, everything is made by local (or nearby-local) artists. Can it get any better?

Are you a shop-a-holic?

I hope that word's not copyrighted!
If you're a suburbanite who loves to shop, Coquitlam Centre is putting on just the event for you on April 7th! It may be a Tuesday night, but don't let that stop you from having fun. The event, Strut: The Ultimate Girls' Night Out, takes place at the Red Robinson Show Theatre (also in Coquitlam) and includes a fashion show, cocktails, appies, a swag bag and pampering stations.
Tickets range from $55 to $100 and judging from the web site, the more you pay the better your swag bag.
There's even going to be a show by Tina! Check out the web site: coquitlamcentre.com.wedodns.com/fashion-event
You can also feel good supporting your shopping addiction because proceeds from this event go to Variety Children's Telethon and the Eagle Ridge Hospital Foundation.

MIA - Missing in Action?

I like to think that I've been MIA since October when I made my last post. I'll tell you what I've been up to:
Most of November was spent yachting in the Mediterranean, stopping only to go to beaches in Southern France and stock up on find champagne and baked goods. Thankfully, I managed to burn enough calories sunbathing and swimming during the day and then dancing under the moon at night to keep the pain-au-chocolat and other fine French pastries from settling on my thighs.
For December, I moved on to Italy, where I bought a fabulous new designer wardrobe, about fifty pairs of oversized sunglasses to keep out the glare of the paparazzi, and a small cockapoo named Francesca (I just call her Frannie or Frannie-poo).
Well, fine, those are the things I WISH I had been doing instead of adding to my blog. But they weren't. Really, I spent the holidays in town and didn't even do anything for New Years. I had wanted to go on one of those cruises, but wasn't organized enough so they were all sold out by the time I checked into it (admittedly, it was December 30th).
But the past is not important: the future is. And here I am, back, and ready to track down some great drinks for you. Happy New Year!

Also on Friday Night...

Apparently there is a "Beauty and the Boy" fashion show at the Bay Downtown. We all already know that for me, the Bay Downtown is heaven on earth. Now they have a fashion show that includes Kensie and Chulo Pony (and many others)! It's a dream come true!! The show is on the third floor at 7pm on Friday September 19. Admission is Free! Enjoy! I know I will!