Beebe Cline

French Rabbit wine has finally arrived in BC, and we say, hop along the bunny trail to your nearest LDB for a carton (we’ll explain) of this fun French sipper.

Launched in the U.S. on Earth Day, the 100 per cent recyclable tetra-paks come in festive metallic pinks, greens and oranges, and weigh a fraction of what a wine bottle weighs, making them less taxing on the environment to transport.

Grapes are sourced from sustainable vineyards in the south of France, and this marks the first time a vintage French wine (2004) has been packaged this way.

And though the prices are of the table wine sort (1L is just $12.95)

And you thought only New York had The Factory?

Tomorrow night marks the opening of the inaugural exhibit called  “The Factory Show” at designer Martha Sturdy’s new Gallery M.

But there will be no Campbell soup cans here.

Sturdy’s working factory will be the setting for her latest large-scale resin and steel sculptures and paintings, as well as the unveiling of new work by Attila Richard Lukacs (a massive purple diptych). Another highlight is the debut of young, emerging artist Jeremiah Birnbaum, whose charcoal drawings of men are both striking and sexy. 

To preview art and inquire about the show, click on the M at www.marthasturdy.com

 

Need

I just finished uploading this Condo, 612 SIXTH ST, New Westminster BC

I just finished uploading this House, 872 STEVENS STREET , Surrey BC

Enjoy the relaxing beach life. Excellent entertaining kitchen. Ample euro style cabinetry, open island seats 4, all stainless appliances. Tiled floor. Euro lighting, custom window coverings, hardwood floors. Heated tiled floors in bathroom. Glass shower, pedestal sink, claw-foot tub and custom cabinetry. Two Bedrooms and Hot tub in the fenced Backyard. Easy to show. New furnace, New hot water tank, Roof 8 years old, 6 person Hot Tub has Thermal cover. Parking for 2-4 cars in open driveway. Some view.

A fun girl’s getaway to Seattle’s spanking new Hotel 1000 with its high-tech rooms and luxury tubs is definitely in order this fall.

Timed to the pre-Christmas sale season, chauffeured on a private coach, and organized by someone else, well, it sounds like a dream getaway.

Dream no longer.

West Vancouver’s new all-women travel company Women With Wings has organized just such an excursion, November 24-26, starting at $257 for two nights hotel and transportation.

What you spend at Nordstrom Rack, on the other hand, is another matter.

Read more about this and other upcoming trips at www.womenwithwings.ca.

 

Need

With one of our vitamin v gals about to take the plunge, we thought we’d share some words of wedding wisdom. Herewith, our top 10 wedding trends:

1.Wedding stylists, not wedding planners. Do not let your mother talk you into white organza anything. Instead, hire a wedding stylist who can say everything you’re afraid to and design centerpieces Brad and Angelina would die for. Simon Cooksley Event Design, 604-684-4340.

2. Documentary-style photos. Forget making guests wait for hours while you and the family pose for the requisite wedding photo. Instead, go for candid gems that let you, and your guests relax and soak up the evening. Hamid

Here at vitamin v HQ, we’re continually trying to come up with new ways to extend summer, and this Mediterranean-inspired cocktail, invented in the vitamin v test kitchen, does just that.

The Endless Summer 2 oz Campari, the tart, red Italian aperitif 2 oz Orangina, the fizzy French all-natural orange juice 2 oz San Pellegrino Italian sparkling water

Method: In a tall, thin glass of ice, layer the Campari, then the Orangina, then the San Pellegrino, creating a red-orange-white sunset effect.

Sip, savour, and smile like its summer.

Need another dose? vitaminv.ca

Just when you’d perfected your bouncy bombshell curls this summer, pin-straight hair is again the rage for fall.

But if you managed to make yourself into a frizzy, female David Lee Roth with flat iron use last time around, relax: new technology has arrived.

The KQC X-Heat ceramic styling iron creates gentle infrared heat (just like those new saunas you keep hearing about) that goes directly to the centre of the cuticle without damaging the hair’s surface. It heats evenly and quickly (you set the temperature), locks in moisture and preserves colour and shine. Plus, the cord swivels so you won’t get twisted up.

But enough about

We’re always up for a tear-jerking love ballad, especially when it’s sung by Canada’s Ron Sexmith.

‘Ron who?’ you ask. How this epic songwriter has slipped just under the radar for so long is a mystery, but that’s all about to end with this album. So where’s he been? Oh, just playing London and Paris and hanging with his biggest fans, like Coldplay’s Chris Martin, Elvis Costello, Paul McCartney, Rod Stewart, and Feist—most of whom have covered his songs.

Read the lyrics to “Never Give Up” (and buy the new “Time Being” album, $16.99) at www.ronsexsmith.com and you’ll begin to understand what all the fuss is about.

Better

With the Okanangan Wine Festival just around the corner (Sept. 29-Oct. 8), and the new Fall releases coming fast and furious, now’s the time to try Oliver, with a twist.

shop

Wild Goose Vineyards

Possibly the most impressive wines on the Golden Mile right now, with a charming little tasting room up in the hills. Try and buy their whitesnow now that they have some new stock, especially their God’s Mountain Reisling ($16.95) and Mystic River Pinot Gris ($16.95) also available online at www.wildgoosewinery.com

Tinhorn Creek Vineyards

Buy picnic items like fresh baguettes and paté from the on-site deli in the tasting room