Well ladies, this is a good break for us busy moms. Someone to give you advise on your wardrobe, do your shopping ?? It is my dream.

Here is what I received as a comment from one of my reader but thought it’s a good idea to share it with you here.

“Vancouver Style Institution Gears up for Expansion.

The latest from Jessie Carlson Wardrobe

Vancouver, British Columbia MEDIA ADVISORY, August/23/2010

Jessie Carlson Wardrobe has been busy. In addition to keeping Vancouver’s best dressed women looking pulled together and effortlessly chic, the stylist has been quietly growing her business. The word is out, and time crunched women who value a chic image, but struggle to find the time to decipher trends and hunt down flattering styles, have been enlisting Carlson to help them out. From major closet overhauls, to transforming images with a few clever styling tricks, Jessie has been keeping her clients looking fabulous for almost 10 years.

Business is hopping in spite of the economic slowdown, and Jessie has partnered with another Vancouver fashion expert, Michelle Addison to help her meet her company’s growth. Addison is everywoman’s style guru. With over a decade of work in the fashion and film business, she has worked as a stylist and accessories buyer at some of the city’s chicest boutiques before venturing into personal styling. She knows the business of looking fabulous and what doors will fling open when you look the part. Her ability to decipher trends, convey style, and trim closets down to the essential key pieces has made her an important asset for Carlson’s business.

Carlson is planning expansions in other aspects of her life, she is expecting a new arrival of her own, a new baby in November of this year. Carlson and Addison have tapped into this as a new a new niche for their business, with their own and Vancouver’s baby boom. No one has more wardrobe questions and torments then pregnant moms to be and new moms. Addison has first hand experience in dressing fabulous for pregnancy and new mamahood being a new mom herself. “Dressing for pre and post pregnancy can be challenging, but with the investment of a few key pieces, looking and feeling great can be made possible, even easy” says Addison. She has her list of do’s and don’ts. “I had to give up silk for a while but not cashmere. A girl has her limits. I love having the opportunity of making over exhausted new moms into Stylish Mamas” says Addison. Her best advice to new moms? “Don’t wait to lose that last ten pounds, dress to make yourself feel great now.”

They have put together some styling packages for these women, the Stylish Mama in Waiting and the Stylish Mama. These packages include a consult, three hours of personal shopping, and a personalized shopping list. They would make the ultimate gift for a friend who is expecting, the perfect baby shower gift, or a present from an appreciative husband.http://www.jessiecarlson.com

Who needs styling? Not just for celebrities, hiring a stylist is done by real women. Busy moms, overworked entrepreneurs, and professionals with recent promotions who need their image to reflect their new position, have been hiring Jessie Carlson Wardrobe. The benefits of working with a stylist are plentiful and it can actually save you money. Making smart purchases that you will wear for years to come is not only economical but also in line with a greener life philosophy. No more disposable purchases. Love what you buy now and wear it and care for it for seasons to come.

Carlson’s clients rave about the change in their look and wardrobe after working with Jessie. Says Leslie Meingast CEO of the Personnel Group,”working with Jessie has been amazing, I have had more compliments in the last few months then I can count.” Oakridge Mall has also hired Carlson as their style coach, and Oakridge shoppers can enlist Carlson to master their fall style.

Carlson’s list of fantasy items, that signify fall’s new minimalist looks include a silk blouse by Chloe, worn tucked in with high waisted jeans by Notify or classic black pants. “High waists are making a comeback” says Carlson, “gone are the days of the extreme low rise”. Camel is also huge for fall, but she is especially loving a camel blazer by Stella McCartney, paired with Mulberry’s Alexa bag.

Clients are lining up to join Carlson’s fashion elite, and with the company’s expansion Jessie Carlson Wardrobe is ready to take on fall fashion and make Vancouver’s women look and feel fabulous.

For more information on Jessie Carlson Wardrobe’s modern take on styling please contact Noelene Searle at noelenes@shaw.ca

http://www.jessiecarlson.com

Until later,

I love these cookies. They are supper simple to make, full of nutrition, and I can give my kids cookies without guilt

My children love it and they keep asking for more cookies, and my friends kids loved it too. Although Hobby didn’t like it that much, but I was quick enough to prevent him from showing that to kids.

Ingredients:                                                           350 F oven

Steps :

• In a large mixing bowl mix together flours , Oat meal, and baking powder set aside.

• In a food processor mix together black beans, veggies, honey, oil, and spices.

• Taste to make sure, it tastes good for your family

• Add the eggs mix for another two minutes

• Pulse in the almonds and cranberries

• Add the mixture to your dry mix and combine

• Spoon the batter onto the cookie sheet

• Flatten the cookies with a fork

• Place it in the oven for twenty minutes

You should have  red and soft cookies.

Bon Appetit !

I can’t believe it’s the end of July. I’ve been busy doing so many things at once, didn’t realize that I didn’t write a single article the whole month. I thought, oh well it was just last week that I published an article. Well Hello I’m awake now

I can say the month of July was the month of self improvement and new experiences for me. As I mentioned before I’m starting a new business www.Dreamservices.ca The website is up and running and now I’m working on the content.

In my journey of deciding on the new job and preparing for it. I figured my life would be more efficient and a lot easier if I was a little more organized. I started reading and listening to every organization material I could find. I also decided to work on my time management. I also read a lot about saving money and how there is a wrong saying that you have to spend money on your business to gain money. The truth is that you have to spend reasonable amount of money on your business, but you have to be careful not to over due it. Otherwise you will spend all without noticing.
Having these key elements in my mind I naturally applied them to my daily life.

Here is a picture of a my organized drawer with my home made drawer divider. I will post the instruction and more pictures later. I could by the dividers, two for $20, but I thought why spend when I can do that myself.

Here is the two bedside tables I painted for my kids out of our old dark brown and worn out side table.

My husband was about to dump them, when I thought the kids need a side table and here are two why not. I asked him to take of the doors and secure all the loose screws . Then I painted them with spray paint by Krylon spray paint. The decorations are with the 3D paint I bought at Wal-Mart.

Until later,

Ever since my 5 year old son watched  Wall- E, he became very cautious  about his environment. If he sees a piece of garbage in the park, he immediately mentions that it’s not right our city will be like Wall_E’s . If he is wasting something and I explain how these were made from trees or how they will be another garbage on our environment, he stops and says I don’t want our city to be like Wall_E’s

At this age of TV and computer games, I think teaching children about their environment through these tools will have a huge impact on them. The following is about an environmental virtual game for kids that actually teaches them about their environment and trees. I received this as a comment, but thought it disserved to be a stand alone article, so here it is:

A new virtual world for kids launches today that not only entertains with fun games and activities, it also delivers a real world benefit in the form of more trees for Planet Earth. Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve been busy enjoying my new balcony deck for the past two weeks. I’m so happy with it that I couldn’t resist sharing it with you all. Here is the story:

When we bought our house, the balcony deck was in a terrible shape. You can see it in the “before picture”.  BTW, that’s my son when he was a year old, I  couldn’t find a picture with out him in it

The vinyl floor was stained with a rusty color and most of the original color had faded. The wood railings were mostly rotten too.  For the safety of my son, we changed the railing  couple of months after moving in.  Here is the picture with the new railing, my then 2.5 year old son and 11 months old daughter included

We painted the balcony deck year after year. The picture above is the painted floor.

This spring my husband found a great do-it-yourself flooring product from IKEA store called Platta. I’ve asked my husband Kash to write an FAQ type instruction on it.

first an “after picture” of my beautiful deck and then the article

Article by my husband Kash

What is a Platta decking tile?

It is a modular wood decking tile that is designed to be used outdoor on a balcony, a patio deck or any outside floor that needs to be beautified.

It is made from the beautiful plantation-grown Acacia hardwood. Its hardness and the natural oils present in the wood make Acacia Hardwood products extremely resistant to fungi, termites, rot and decay.

The base is made from PVC plastic and permit water to flow through, while it also elevates the wood for drying airflow. Of course it is used for connecting the tiles together using the connection points on the tile edges.

Where not to use Platta decking tiles?

It is not recommended  to use Platta decking tiles  on grass lawn or non-flat surfaces. Some people also use them on kitchen and bathroom floors but I wouldn’t recommend it  as you dont want to be constantly removing the tiles to clean the subfloor.

How much does it cost?

IKEA Platta decking has another thing going for it, the PRICE. Compared to other alternative decking solutions, it is relatively cheap and wont ruin your budget. We bought ours at approximately $9/sf at the IKEA store Richmond, BC Canada. But it can be bought as cheap as $4/sf as the price fluctuates depending on the stores inventory.

Can I install it myself? And if so, how long will it take me?

The Platta decking tiles are so easy to install that even my 5 year old son was able to do it. To connect two tiles together, position the connection points along the entire edges, apply downward pressure on the connection points until all of the connection points are snapped together. This is a all done without using nails, glue, or a hammer. This is definitely a do-it-yourself job designed for the average homeowner. You can build your deck within a matter of hours.

How to I install Platta decking tiles around railing posts?

If you decide to fit the decking tiles around such obstacles as railing posts, you will require tools other than your hands. First layout and connect tiles anywhere where you don’t have to do any trimming (i.e. railing posts etc.). Once you have laid out all your whole tiles, for each tile that needs to be cut and trimmed, use a measuring tape to determine the dimensions. Next use either a hand saw or a power jigsaw to do the cutting. I bought my power jigsaw from a Canadian Tire store at a low price of $28. I figured it’s a handy tool to have around the house. It will take some practice to do the trimming perfect so expect to lose a couple of tiles in the process. Always remember to measure twice and cut once.

How do I Maintain the Platta decking tiles?

It is recommended to oil the tile every 6 months. If you live in a city like Vancouver where it rains virtually everyday, it’s not a bad idea to remove and store the tiles in the storage during fall and winter months. For everyday cleaning, you can wash down the tiles using your garden hose and/or a light scrub mop.

When you buy the tiles, make sure you buy some extra tiles that can be used as spare parts just in case you lose some tile due to wear and tear.

Notes of caution:

Acacia hardwood contains a tannic acid naturally which, after a time, can leak out and discolor the sub-floor. ever lay wooden decking on a surface where it would matter if this happened.”

Tags: deck renovation, decking tile, flooring, ikea, outdoor flooring, platta, renovation, wood flooring