Our favourite kid's craft workshop, Vancouver's Collage Collage, has just opened an online store filled with books, art supplies, craft kits, and toys.

So when you aren't feeling creative about ways to entertain the kids, search the site and leave the creativity to them.

Find kits to make dream catchers ($18), sock puppets ($12), or nesting dolls ($35, pictured), this is the perfect site to bookmark for rainy day projects, gifts for friends' kids, and party activities. There's also a great selection of paints, crayons, sticker books, and aprons (a must-have).



Now, if only someone would teach our kids how to use all this stuff. Oh wait, they do. Collage Collage offers a wide selection of children's arts and crafts courses in Vancouver. Soon our budding doctors and lawyers will also be mini Monets and Manets.

 —Alexandra Suhner Isenberg

Collage Collage online store, www.shop.collagecollage.ca

We might be digital darlings, but we love us some analog.

Like the work of Porchlight Press, the new studio in Vancouver that offesr graphic design services as well as the not-yet-lost art of letterpress printing. “It’s like the slow food movement of graphic design,” says owner Heather Braun. There’s a handmade element to this printing technology (which is older than your grandmother) that makes each piece uniquely beautiful. The studio can tackle jobs as small as invitations to your kid’s first birthday, or as large as business cards for your company. Plus, we hear they’re going to start offering letterpress workshops so you can learn to print on these decades-old machines yourself.

Charming, these prints. —Kelsey Dundon

Porchlight Press, # 204-25 E. Sixth Ave., Vancouver, 604-790-7202, www.porchlightpress.com

Seinfeld reruns, DVD sets of My So Called Life and catching The Way We Were on TV… sometimes an oldie but a goodie is much more enticing than another superhero movie.

With that in mind, we're marking our calendar for the first-ever Vancouver Retro Cinema Fest (September 23-30), which is stacked with classics and cult favourites like Pulp Fiction, Ghostbusters, The Big Lebowski and Back to the Future. A full throwback cultural experience, there'll be costume competitions, trivia contests, prizes and themed drinks.

And if you really wanna kick it old school, find somebody to make out with in the back row. —Maria Tallarico

September 23-30 at Denman Cinema, tickets $20-$25, www.vancouverretrocinema.com

With the last long weekend of summer fast approaching, we're hitting the beach with a bottle of SPF and a good book.

Anya Georgijevic, Beauty Editor
The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

I’ve been on a 1920s kick since... forever. This fictionalized story of a tumultuous relationship between the womanizing literary legend Ernest Hemingway and his first wife Hadley Richardson is just the right combination of romance and jazz age nostalgia. $19.76 at www.chapters.indigo.ca

Kelsey Dundon, Lifestyle Editor
Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin

Leave it to HBO to get me so hooked on a series: I’ve turned into a full-on fantasy-lover. I couldn’t wait to watch the third season of Game of Thrones so I decided to do things the old-fashioned way: read my way through it. The series is light reading yet each book is thick perfect for stashing in your weekend bag. $21.97 at www.chapters.indigo.ca

Kait Kucy, Calgary Editor
Adventures in Solitude by Grant Lawrence

The CBC's Grant Lawrence recalls his long summers growing up in the misty and wet depth of British Columbia's Desolation Sound in this perfect Canadiana piece of literature. Excellent for long weekends at the lake or beach, this book will bring about new gratitude and love for your Canadian surroundings. $17.78 at www.chapters.indigo.ca

Athena Tsavliris, Toronto Editor
The Book of Marvels by Lorna Crozier

A friend dropped in for tea today with this book (and homemade jam tarts) in her bag. It looks utterly charming. The perfect escape from that 700-pager on the nightstand. $15.165 at www.chapters.indigo.ca

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce (Sponsored)

An ordinary walk to the corner mailbox sparks an extraordinary journey of self-discovery in this tender, touching and captivating new novel—the newest addition to Indigo Spotlight, a curated selection of outstanding reads. $19.76 at www.chapters.indigo.ca

Christine Laroche, Montreal Editor
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

The novel is dark, sneaky, and incredibly addictive, and Reese Witherspoon seems to agree: The actress has bought the book’s film rights. $16.47 at www.chapters.indigo.ca

Maria Tallarico, Managing Editor
Who Killed Mom? by Steve Burgess

Popular Vancouver writer Steve Burgess brings his trademark wit to this tale of familial bond. His love for his mother Joan shines through every quippy story, and his quest to both understand and honour the woman who shaped him is quite touching. And did I mention how funny he is? Very. $17.44 at www.chapters.indigo.ca

Every year I learn so much from our readers when we run our survey – thanks to the more than 1,000 of you who took the time to respond. The overwhelming theme in your editorial requests was for more stories about affordable travel. We hear you! Here is a random sampling of your questions, answered.

1. “Can you do more things like “A day in the life” of the editorial team, or “What’s in your purse?”
SB: I agree! Our “what’s in your suitcase” doses were some of our most popular last summer, and we plan to do them again. In the meantime we are always going behind the scenes in our Editors’ Diary, and, you probably don’t want to know what’s in my purse!

2. “I would love to see a mobile app of your site.”
SB: We’ve got them for every city (click the apple icon at the top right of each city landing page to download for free.) I use them all the time when I am travelling or on the go. So easy to search (like a glam version of Google!).

3. “You should establish a presence on the East Coast! I’m originally from there and they’re starving for fun, relevant style-savvy blogs.”
SB: Here’s the official call-out for an East Coast Editor! Anyone? We also heard from a lot of you who would like us to open editions for Ottawa and Victoria. Send us the perfect editor, and we just might!

4. “Have you ever thought of having some sort of get-together for your subscribers or gala event? Maybe a fashion show or shopping event?”
SB: We do partner with lots of companies on shopping events throughout the year in Vancouver (Banana Republic, CB2, DKNY and Libertine, to name a few). But we’ve been throwing around the idea of hosting a conference for women entrepreneurs and bloggers. We learned from the survey that almost 60 per cent of you have started your own business or would like to.

Visit our Editor’s Diary for the rest of my responses to your burning questions!
For highlights from our 2012 Subscriber Survey, please click here.

Never did we think we’d take style clues from the elderly but, hey, never say never!

Thanks to Ari Seth Cohen’s ingenious blog, Advanced Style, we’ve developed a whole new fascination with pearls, turbans, and oversized hats. You won’t see young twenty-somethings that rule other street style blogs here: these sartorially savvy women are over-sixty-everythings with a lust for fashion that is undeniable. The fashion industry is abuzz over Cohen’s book version of the blog, allowing us to flip through images of elderly style mavens like Iris Apfel, Beatrix Ost, and Tziporah Salamon, the old school way. —Anya Georgijevic

$20.58 on pre-order from Amazon.

Sharing books with friends and family is common practice, but what about sharing them with neighbours and passers-by?

This is the concept behind Little Free Library, a project founded in Wisconsin to encourage reading as libraries were closing down. Build a little wood hut (they sell kits or give you instructions on how to make your own), place it in your front yard, and fill it with books (the huts usually fit 20.) Then, allow anyone and everyone to borrow! So far Vancouver is home to one on East 26th, but look out for more as the idea gains momentum.

And we think it might be a good idea to stick a bookmark in every book. That way, there's no excuse to return the books dog-eared. —Alexandra Suhner Isenberg

Visit a Little Free Library at 550 East 26th Ave., Vancouver, or even better, build your own. Find instructions at www.littlefreelibrary.org.

Indoors or outdoors, in venues big or small, music is always best served live. Packed with artists coming soon to our pretty city, this playlist will put you in the mood to groove. –Kelsey Dundon

“When I’m with You” -- Best Coast, May 23 at Biltmore

“Minnesota, WI” -- Bon Iver, May 25 at Deer Lake Park

“Disparate Youth” – Santigold, May 26 at the Commodore

“Thank You Space Expert” – Mogwai, May 29 at the Commodore

“Main Street” – Deer Tick, May 30 at the Commodore

“Love Lost” – Temper Trap, June 19 at Malkin Bowl

“Kiara” – Bonobo (DJ set), July 26 at Fortune Sound Club

“Shake it Out” -- Florence and the Machine, July 20 at Deer Lake

“Feel Love” – Ben Harper, July 4 at PNE Amphitheatre

“Elephant Gun” – Beirut, July 28 at the Orpheum

The subconscious is the darnedest thing. Just ask Nicolette Eus.

The Vancouver-based hynotherapist helps people overcome pesky roadblocks like golfers’ yips, fear of public speaking, writers’ block, and the like. She took this editor through a session that felt a bit like guided meditation and a bit like shavasana, the very best part of yoga class. Noticeably absent? Stage magicians and pendulums. “I’m just a co-pilot,” Eus says. “I believe we know what’s best for ourselves and when we’re really quiet the answers show up.” —Kelsey Dundon

Nicolette Eus Hypnotherapist, 604-649-5108, www.nicoletteeus.com

A lot of us use emoticons in our communications these days, a crown, bishop, or skull is way more fun than a ☺. That’s why fashion editor Alexandra Suhner Isenberg is obsessed with CopyPasteCharacter.com: they’ve got all sorts of fun ic❄ns you can stick into your emails, although I don’t suggest sending them to your boss. Unless you are ♘☠✏☂ off!
www.copypastecharacter.com

Calgary editor Jaelyn Molyneux likes to peep into the closets of the rich and stylish and read the stories behind how they came to own such covetable items.
www.thecoveteur.com

I don’t know if people were actually cooler back in the day or if black-and-white photos just make them look that way, but I can’t get enough of the attitude on The Impossible Cool. theimpossiblecool.
tumblr.com says lifestyle editor Kelsey Dundon. While beauty editor Anya Georgijevic chimes in agreement, "this Tumblr has Françoise Hardy rubbing elbows with Mark Twain. I could scroll for hours."
www.theimpossiblecool.tumblr.com

Naomi has her $10,000, and Montreal Editor Christine won't get out of bed until she's had her smoothie, iced latte and WhoWhatWear newsletter.
www.whowhatwear.com

Toronto editor, Athena Tsavliris, can't resist the siren call of 1stdibs.com. From Galanos gowns to Bertoia bronzes, this is fervent fantasy shopping ground.
www.1stdibs.com