Calgary

  • March 22nd, 2012

    Wardrobe Wizard

    ’Tis the season to take everything out of your closet, pile it on your bed and start purging. It’s a noble plight that might be easier if you had someone else commanding your journey.

    Stylist Carl Abad will clean your closet out for you. He’ll also shop the city pulling items in your size that will flatter your figure. He’ll bring his selections to your home where you will shop the racks in your own living room. Abad will create outfits that combine new items with what was left in your closet and compile those outfits into a look book for easy reference when you go to get dressed groggy-eyed in the morning.

    His fee is $75 per hour for a minimum of four hours.

    Your closet case is solved. —Jaelyn Molyneux

    www.carlabad.com

  • March 20th, 2012

    Where to Give the Good Stuff

    One person’s trash in another person’s treasure, here's proof.

    Your Furniture
    Dump your sofa at the, well, dump. But, instead of throwing your perfectly fine furniture into a pile of garbage leave it free of charge at the Foothills Salvage Centre near Okotoks. While you are there snag furniture at rock bottom prices that is great for refinishing. Foothills Salvage Centre, 4 kilometres south of Okotoks on Highway 783, Okotoks, 403-603-8161, www.foothillssalvagecentre.com

    Your Wardrobe
    Admittedly Take Off Your Clothes does let you get rid of unwanted items only to have you replace them with more. Exchange your clothes for coupons to redeem for other pieces at the swap. The swap starts taking your give-aways in April or you can drop them off now at Eleven Eleven boutique in Kensington. The next event will take place June 3. www.theswapteam.org

    Your Computer
    The Electronic Recycling Association takes your computer, wipes it clean of all personal info and refurbishes it to donate to charities. You can drop your computer at any Zellers location. www.zellers.com

    Your Appliances
    If you have appliances that need to go, including fridges and televisions, you can take them to the ERA warehouse or call for pick-up. ERA, 1301 34 Ave. S.E., Calgary, 403-262-4488, www.era.ca —Jaelyn Molyneux

  • March 19th, 2012

    The Whole World in Our Hands

    Sure we could mix our own environmentally friendly cleaning products, but why DIY when someone else does it so much better.

    Small Planet cleaning products are made in Calgary and blend all the usual suspects including castile soap, baking soda and vinegar with distilled water and essential oils to create bottles of liquid cleaner so safe you could spray it on yourself should you accidentally point the nozzle in the wrong direction. Try the minty Squeaky Clean Scrub ($7.69) on mirrors and the lemony Germs-Be-Gone concentrate ($5.99) on just about everything else.

    If cleanliness is next to Godliness, these products are heavenly. —Jaelyn Molyneux

    Amaranth Whole Foods Market, 7 Arbour Lake Dr. N.W., Calgary, 403-547-6333, www.amaranthfoods.ca