{ inVU burlington }

Designers and design-hounds all flock to inVU. Located in downtown Burlington, it's almost as much fun drooling over their stunning window displays as it is scouring their walls of luxurious fabrics. Whether you're looking for ready-made draperies, custom furniture or fabric pieces or uber chic home decor, inVU is the place to visit.


Be sure to sign up for their newsletter to stay abreast of the latest trends, new products as well as get expert design advice.

Design Consultation

In addition to oh-so-glorious products, inVU also offers their inHOME service - design consultation with one of their many qualified Design Divas. They can help pull together a room, help select fabrics, colours and decor items and even oversee the measurement and installation of custom furniture and drapery.

For a consultation fee of $75.00, they will set up your in-home consultation within 48 hours. Simply call 1-800-665-9227.

Contact Information



InVU Burlington
2004 Caroline Street
Burlington, Ontario
L7R 1K4

905.632.4994
info@invudraperyco.com

Store Hours

Monday to Wednesday 10am - 6pm
Thursday and Friday 10am - 8pm
Saturday 10am - 6pm
Sunday 12pm - 5pm

{ silvercity oakville }

SilverCity Oakville takes movie watching to the next level. If you haven't made the trip out to this 12-screen, 45,000 square foot movie complex, then be sure to put it in your calendar.

Big Extras

VIP Auditoriums
Adults 19 years and older can watch movies in one of three VIP auditoriums for a nominal upcharge. They can enjoy the exclusive box office and concession stand or the private licensed lounge area. Seating can be reserved in advance. And concession offerings can be ordered from and delivered right to their in-theatre seats.


Kid's Club
Cineplex Kids Club has child-watching services offered to parents while they enjoy a movie


FastLane Service
Order your food and drinks at the automated kiosk and proceed to the FastLane counter to pick them up


Stadium Seating
The new SilverCity Oakville Cinemas also features all stadium seating (each seat row will be 18" higher than the previous row); wall-to-wall, giant, curved screens; large, luxurious seats with ample legroom and Dolby Digital Surround Sound. The concessions include traditional movie fare such as popcorn, candy and soft drinks in addition to a wide range of options including Chaqwa specialty coffees and teas, a variety of hot food items, Pizza Pizza, New York Fries and a Yogen Fruz frozen dessert bar with a great selection of no-fat and low-fat yogurts and premium ice creams.

Contact Information

3531 Wyecroft Road (close to Burloak & QEW)
Oakville
ON, L6L 0B7
(905) 827-7173

{ jysk - and a good night's sleep }

Jysk has extended their White Sale. You can continue to save up to 50% off of their pillows and duvets. I was lucky enough to get my hands on a fantastic King Feather Bed for under $50.00! But the best steal of all was a Luxury Danish Temperature Regulating Comforter. Regularly priced at $550.00 (King), I snapped mine up for half price. This duvet uses the patented TempraKON technology developed by NASA for astronauts. The Outlast Thermocules absorb excess heat into the comforter and release stored heat when needed - to keep your body at the perfect temperature. This actually helps to improve your REM sleep cycle throughout the night. Oh, and it's also hypo-allergenic, filled with grade one Siberian down and has a 300 thread count jaquard cotton cover.



Jysk is located at: Unit #5 3305 Fairview St

Telephone:(905) 637-5671
Fax:(905) 637-4407
Email: burlington@jysk.ca


Store Hours
1. Mon - Wed 10:00 AM 6:00 PM
2. Thu - Fri 10:00 AM 9:00 PM
3. Saturday 10:00 AM 6:00 PM
4. Sunday 11:00 AM 5:00 PM

{ focus on homes - 2615 bluffs way }

This week's focus on Spectacular Homes showcases a palatial custom built home, on 2 acres of land, in north Burlington's The Bluffs.



Boasting over 5,200 sq ft of open concept floor space with an elegant floating staircase, a gourmet kitchen, a beautifully designed great room overlooking the perfectly manicured property as well as an authentic connoisseur's wine room. In addition to overall impact, what makes this home so impressive is the attention to details...4" exotic dark hardwoods, limestone floors, coffered and vaulted ceilings, seamless glass shower, and beautiful millwork are a few of the designer details. A circular drive leads to the spacious triple car garage. And a walk out basement with 9 ft ceilings and rough in for heated floors adds an additional 3,000 sq ft of ready to be finished living space.
{ $2,799,000 }

Listing details

Lot Size: 213.25X451.9
Bedrooms: 4
Baths: 4
Square Footage: Approx. 5,237
Basement: unfinished

Salesperson: Don Goodale
Telephone: 905-845-9180
Toll free: 1-888-462-4851
Email: brad@goodalemillergroup.com

{ the crystal ball carnival }

Get your tickets to one of Burlington's most anticipated fundraisers - Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital's Crystal Ball. On Saturday, April 5, 2008 JBMH will host a whimsical, carnival-themed event at the Burlington Convention Centre.

Tickets have sold out every year so don’t delay! Call 905.336.6499, or email wstevenson@jbmh.com.

Click here to see pictures from last year's event.
Tent provided by Regal Tent Productions.

{ the rude native }

The Rude Native's new(er) location on Brant Street has created a much-needed nighttime 'heart' to Burlington's downtown core. The second we walked into the restaurant it had a great vibe to it. A mix of 20-somethings all the way up to 50-somethings, all out to enjoy a great night out.

We sat at the back of the main room by the fireplace (note that there is a 2nd room past the kitchen if you're looking for something more low key). We were impressed by the romantic fireside location, but quickly changed our tune when our surrounding temperature shot up to about 200 degrees.

I had the Roasted Beet & Tomato Salad { $9.95 } to start - top left. And the Chicken Supreme for my entree { $20.95 } - bottom right.
Michael had the Samosas { $8.95 } - top right, followed by the Seared Salmon { $21.95 } - bottom left. The consensus...the food was OK, but flavours were unexciting and unsophisticated. We'd go back for a nice night out with friends for drinks, but would likely not visit again for dinner.

We're still on our hunt for the perfect downtown weekend restaurant. So, stay tuned.

{ blacktree restaurant }

Blacktree's chef Matteo Paonessa creates a new and masterful menu every month. His foods are as eclectic as the surroundings - but unexpected flavor combinations create some of the most delicious fare imagineable.

Chef Paonessa pooh poohed one of the most commonly touted cardinal rules for business success - location, location, location. Situated in a dated strip plaza in a pocket of shops that can't be seen from the parking lot sits this small and delightfully quirky hideaway.



I began with the goat cheese pastry with tamarillo and dark olive jello appetizer (F). The goat cheese melted in my mouth and the flavors were complimented so beautifully by the zestiness of the tamarillo and the sweet & nutty flavors of the jelly. Michael had the special for the day, a composed salad with a theme of mushrooms (D+E), which he thoroughly enjoyed.

Our appetizers were followed by a wonderful surprise - freshly baked bread with an assortment of butter-based spreads all selected to match our entree selections. We enjoyed green tea and carmelized onion butter. And just when we thought we had enjoyed one piece of bread too many, we were presented with a palette cleansing ice cream (so sorry, but I can't recall the flavor...it was, however, delicious...and succeeded in preparing our stomachs for more delights).

Our next course was unbelievably better than the last. I ordered the coconut meringue encrusted lamb with potato wall, beets and bubbles (B) - so poignantly identified by our waiter with a laser pointer. I have to admit that I had no idea what this would taste like - coconut meringue with lamb? It was one of the most incredible culinary masterpieces I've experienced. This was not to be outdone by our friend's hazelnut crusted veal with a large apricot ravioli, rosemary and bubbles (A) and Michael's fish special (C).

Totally satiated, we were unable to order a dessert - but I wish we could have made room for their chocolate ginger pancake or their butternut squash tartin.

After our meal, the chef came out to greet us and ended up sitting with us and sharing stories of sipping Grappa in Italy - we actually ended up tasting a few different versions so he could school us on the nuances of this nasal-clearing drink.

I can't stress enough - make time to visit this hidden gem. It will not disappoint!

{ capturing emotion }

"I believe artists have a responsibility to provide the world with beauty and truth. Creation is a constant inspiration for me and the human experience a constant challenge."
- Jason Bouwman



Jason Bouwman, founder of Burlington-based Compass Creative has an eye for beauty and the talent to capture it.

A native to Burlington, Jason was so eager to get going on his career that he began to work as a commercial artist while still in school. After graduating from Sheridan College's Technical Illustration program he continued freelancing for many different clients in a wide range of industries. He then founded Compass Creative a design agency which has recently been awarded the "Burlington Chamber of Commerce Award for Small Business". Currently Jason balances his time between his professional role, family responsibilities and personal interests which include photography and painting “en plein air”. Jason sells his work online and in the Burlington Cultural Centre. He still lives in Burlington with his wife and four children.

As my new Flickr-mentor, I just had to ask him to share a few key tips for anyone interested in developing their skills in photography.

What tools do you need to take a truly great picture?
With the amount of equipment on the market these days and the speed at which the technology develops/improves it can be daunting to decide what tools are essential. Truth is there is no one brand, system or series of cameras and lenses that will work for everyone. Just like some artists paint with very wide brushes on large canvasses and another might do very fine, detailed work in tempura on paper so there is different equipment for different photographic styles. The good thing about the amount of product out there these days is that you're sure to able to find something that fits your style, budget and skill level. Having said that, good equipment and your ability to put it to full use really opens up the possibilities for expressing your ideas. I would suggest buying the best quality you can afford so that you are free to explore and experiment without feeling that your equipment is holding you back.
In the end however, the most important tools for creative image making will always be your brain and your eyes. No amount of technology is going to teach you how to see or give you an interesting idea to express. I have seen some really great creative work by guys using cheap toy Holga cameras. Go figure.

What do you look for before taking the shot?
I try to identify what it was about the scene, object, person etc. that moved me. Then I try to think about how to compose my shot in a way which captures the essence of what I'm feeling, thinking or trying to convey. Eg. a house on a hill might be positioned large and near the top of a vertically composed image to convey loftiness, power, status or it may be positioned small and very low in the image to convey vulnerability against a threatening sky.
I also consider light quality so that I can adjust my settings to ensure a proper exposure.
If possible I try to move around my subject a bit to exhaust any other possible angles or compositions that might not be obvious at first glance.

Can you share any tips or tricks to get the best photograph?
Experiment with depth of field (DOF) This is achieved by changing your aperture settings eg: wide open aperture gives shallow depth of field, bokeh, and soft backgrounds, while small apertures give greater DOF.
Avoid on camera flashes! Turn them off whenever you can. Try using a tripod instead in low light conditions.
Avoid shooting outdoors between 10:00 am and 2:00pm

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More beautiful images captured by Jason Bouwman.
Can you identify the Burlington location?

{ pepperwood bistro }

Located in downtown Burlington with beautiful patio views of the lake sits an eclectic restaurant, jazz bistro and brewery in one. Pepperwood Bistro is known for its cozy, relaxed environment and ambient lighting (no matter what time of the day you're visiting). A popular haunt for brunch, in part due to the incredible jazz sounds by Michael McGuire, Pepperwood has a delightful menu diverse enough to satisfy any taste.



You can't go to Pepperwood's without trying one of their on-premise brewed beers. They have six house brands to choose from, Pale Ale, Dry Hopped Best Bitter, Cream Ale, Red Ale, Monkey Brown, and a Framboise. And, each month their brewer, Paul Dickey, creates one special keg of beer - a treat to look forward to. To get on the brewer's mailing list - for full details on their monthly features - email brewer@pepperwood.on.ca.



This weekend we made our way up to Pepperwoods for our weekly brunch. Michael had the BISTRO BREAKFAST - $10 (top left) and I had the divine CARDAMOM CALVADOES FRENCH TOAST - $12 (top right). Now heed this warning, if you don't like sweet then stay away from the French Toast. Made from 4 triangles of bread pudding which have been dipped in eggs and fried and a side of whipped cream and berries & bananas, it's not only one of the most delicious breakfasts I've had, but guaranteed to clog at least one artery. The Bistro Breakfast is a pretty standard breakfast of eggs, bacon, farmer's fresh sausage, oven roasted tomatoes and home fries...but my husband loves it.

To make reservations or drop by, Pepperwood Bistro is located at:
1455 Lakeshore Road (corner of Brant & Lakeshore)
Burlington, Ontario L7S 2J1
Tel: (905) 333-6999
Fax: (905) 333-6858

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Upcoming Events
The Pepperwood Bistro and Brewery will be celebrating its 14th annual Beer Festival on February 24th, 2008 from 2:30 till 5:00 p.m. The cost is $30 per person, and tickets will be available in advance. Located at 1455 Lakeshore Road in Burlington Ontario, the Pepperwood is one of a handful of brew pubs in the province. This event has been a favourite of both the participants and the breweries over the years. The chef pulls out all the stops and puts on a great spread to enjoy as you sample beer from many of Ontario’s premier micro breweries. Of course the Pepperwood offers its own products for sampling as well as offering a selection not normally on tap. I intend to bring back the Chipotle beer again this year as well as a cask of something special. Last years breweries included Better Bitters, Black Oak, Brick, Creemore, Denison’s, Great Lakes, King, Labatt-Stella, Lakeport, McAuslan, Mill Street, Niagara, Pepperwood, Taps, and Trafalgar.

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Looking for more information?

Pepperwood Bistro Menus
Brunch menu
Lunch menu
Dinner menu
Dessert menu

Pepperwood Bistro Restaurant Reviews
Restaurantica

{ the big snow }

How beautiful is fresh fallen snow? We all feared the snow storm, but you have to admit that it was pretty...at least before you had to start shoveling.