Last night I checked them out on the Getoutsideshoes.com. Surprise, they were on sale for $15 less than what I paid in the store. I called them right away and very politely told the woman who answered the phone. She was most apologetic and said sometimes the “north” store doesn’t have its systems up-to-date but that I could come in and get a price adjustment. The refund policy would still stand. Today I went back to the store, presented my bill and got a refund for the difference between the regular and sale prices. Painless.

Sounds great, right? We’ll not really. Getoutside is right on when it comes to customer service policies. The staff could have been more helpful though. They weren’t very attentive when we needed help – there was plenty of staff – the store is set up in a self-serve manner but we were shopping for kids’ footwear and stores selling to kids need to be more accommodating.

But that’s not the issue that concerned me most. When I called back last night, the woman I spoke to was lovely and accommodating. She wanted me to know it was an honest mistake. The problem was how she said it – she said, “I wasn’t trying to gyp you or anything.” Yikes! I never assumed she was.

There’s no excuse for racist remarks even when said out of ignorance. Regardless, that type of comment never sits well. I think it reflects as poorly on the store as it does the employee. What about you?

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If you find a sale that isn’t listed here please add it by leaving a comment or e-mail me and we’ll do our best to post it quickly.

Sumaya is helping out this year. The ˆES or ˆSK at the end of each tweet represents our intials.

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This time around, thanks to almost 700 people who bought tickets and a truckload of sponsors and prizes raffled off at the event, almost $50,000 was raised for the Daily Bread Food Bank. But see, that’s the hitch. Not quite $50,000 was raised and there are still some prizes that weren’t claimed at the event. So, what’s a savvy organizing team to do? Have a HoHoTO Hangover Auction on Twitter, of course.

You can share in the fun and holiday cheer Tuesday, December 22, starting at 8 p.m. ET. All you need is a Twitter account and your chequebook. Besides, doesn’t it feel good when you can do your holiday shopping and help others in need at the same time? See you there!

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6) Sarah Jessica Parker brought back the flower accessory and Club Monaco has run with it making the flower accessory accessible for every woman. Whether you want all black, or a punch of colour these headbands are the perfect touch of femininity. Wear yours out with the girls, out with the boy, or in the office.

7) So we’ve just dealt with our first blast of winter…what a perfect time to break out those Sorel boots. Functional, yet with a touch of style, these boots were made for the Canadian women walking to work, the grocery store or just a night out at the movies. These boots can be found almost anywhere, but they go fast so make sure you get yours early.

We all know that accessories can totally make an outfit. What better time of year to spice up your favourite pair of boy jeans or that little black dress? Hidden on the top floor of a converted house in Yorkville, Betsey Johnson’s jewelry line is so unique there’s something for everyone and every occasion.

9) Let’s be honest, we live in Canada and its cold. We love long scarfs that not only keep you warm but that look great. Burberry does a great job with scarfs, and who doesn’t love matching ear muffs to create the look. While Burberry isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, GAP also has long and great scarfs in different patterns.

10) With all this shopping it’s time for a quick break for High Tea at the Windsor Arms Hotel. Classy all the way, this afternoon delight will put a smile on anyone’s face. And who better to share an afternoon tea in the laps of luxury than with your fave lil sis who is probably the only other person out there who gets just how important all these things are.

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Whether you’re celebrating Chanukah or Christmas or anything in between, this is the season to spread the joy of giving. Since we know this is the season of giving, let’s not pretend we don’t want anything, when we really do. If you’re going to give – give right. Here is the list of our holiday top 10 picks and for you gentleman reading, the way to any lady’s heart. If you get really excited and carried away, don’t worry – Valentine’s Day is around the corner.

1) The longing of every woman who loves shoes – Christian Louboutin. Maybe not a unique find that no one knows about – but they’re hot and we all know it. C. Louboutin is a French designer who started designing in 1992 after being inspired by a piece of art in a Paris museum. 17 years later we have GORGEOUS shoes with a red sole you can’t and don’t want to miss If anyone is interested, I’m at size 6 and she’s a size 7, and we have been eyeing the black suede pumps for 8 months, two weeks, three days, five minutes and 10 seconds. But whose counting.

2) We are fairly picky when it comes to underwear. And not to divulge too much, but our favourite is Hanky Panky. Not only do they come in every colour imaginable, they’re lace, one size fits all panties/thongs that don’t dig in where they shouldn’t! Who could ask for anything more? While they’re a little expensive, what do you wear more than underwear? They’ve also gone e-commerce and can be bought online. P.S. I’m wearing black boy shorts and she’s wearing the hot pink low rise thong.

3) FACE atelier, a Canadian makeup brand, is a makeup artist and celebrity favourite – worn by Lady Gaga, Rachel Ray and Fergie! The lip glazes – Peach, Flamingo and Cameo, are apparently amazing. Non sticky and cover perfectly. I’d like to see one of each in my stocking on Christmas morning. Lucky for the other Lauren, FACE atelier is her mother’s company and she’s been in the know for years! For me, I’m working to catch-up.

4) Like most women, we like perfume – you know… that extra touch to finish a look. But who wants to wear a scent named after Paris Hilton– not us. We want something more personal and voila – Aromachology, a NEW custom perfume line. It works by filling out a personality profile, and then the ladies of Aromachology blend a custom scent based on your personality. While we may have the same name, we definitely have different personalities. I think I would be Clean and Fresh, while Lauren is probably Exotic and Spicy Oriental. Check out Aromachology at The Bay on Queen Street from December 18-24.

5) Holiday season brings a lot of evening outings… and what does every girl need for an evening out? A trusty clutch. Sometimes less is more and that’s why we love the simplicity yet modern and classic look of M0851 envelope clutches. Hidden on a small side street off of Bloor Street, these clutches come in all colours and we dare you to just walk out with one.

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Not only do I think Kim has an incredible sense of style and wonderful insights and advice about home entertaining but I know she’s a very bright woman who works non-stop. So, when I learned she was being featured in today’s Toronto Star, I was overjoyed for her.

If like me you were tied up at noon, have no fear. thestar.com archived the discussion. Unfortunately, I can’t share the article Kim had published in the print version of the paper because it’s not available online.

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Candice, you won tickets to a TASSIMO smart talk event in Toronto with Sarah Richardson and Nik Manojlovich. What did you think? Did you leave feeling pressured to discuss the event or the Tassimo system?

Being a big fan of Sarah Richardson, I was really excited to attend this fairly intimate event about interior design and entertaining – although I have to say that leading up the event I did not really know what to expect. How many people would attend? The invitation said bring your questions so I thought it would be a relatively intimate setting but it ended up being bigger than I thought. Also, the invitation said the event would last from 1:00-4:00 p.m. – what were we to do for 3 hours?

Anyway, here is what really happened:

My guest and I arrived at 1:00 p.m. or shortly after and was greeted by several Tassimo staff who directed us to the ticket station where my guest and I were signed in. My guest was given a ballot for a chance to win the $10,000 Bosch kitchen. So, we proceeded to the Great Room and immediately saw a huge sign at the other end of the room that read Ballot Here (or something of the like). So that is where we headed.

Afterwards, we noticed that there were a series of Tassimo stations where staff were brewing everyone drinks. Unfortunately, the lines were too long and the brewing took too long that my guest and I gave up and grabbed some water before heading into the auditorium to grab a seat. We figured we also would have lots of time to test out the machine after receiving the free machine at the end of the show. Needless to say, we needed a little more time to get our own Tassimo beverage – but water would do since I didn’t want to miss Sarah Richardson.

After waiting a few minutes for those who decided to wait for their Tassimo beverages to finish brewing in the Great Room – Nik Manojlovich came out to introduce himself and his history with Tassimo – which all started at a cottage a couple years ago. Throughout his introduction and chat with Sarah Richardson he would give out Tassimo products and Tassimo staff would brew selected products for audience members.

The chat itself was great – the only downside for myself was the fact that audience members brought their personal decorating questions along. I didn’t think those were the types of questions the event planners had in mind – but Sarah did a wonderful job of generalizing her answers so that they could apply to anyone.

When the event ended, and before it did, people began running back to the Great Room to get their free machines but before everyone left, Nik Manojlovich encouraged everyone to share their Tassimo machine and its beverages with friends and family – but by no means did I feel any pressure to “sell” this product to others.

My guest and I then made our way to the Great Room, which quickly turned into a bit of a mess with the usual pushing and chaos that happens when things are free. This is coming from someone who avoids sales for that very reason. I am about enjoying my purchasing experience, or this case – free experience, rather than saving 10%. Anyway, I quickly got my beautiful burnt-orange Tassimo machine and made my way out in amongst a sea of people trying to trade machine colours.

Thank you Tassimo for a great event and fun take-home prize!

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Today marks the official opening on Edmoure Ralph’s online store so I thought it was only fitting to publish my recent interview with Julie and Julie.

Where does the name Edmoure Ralph come from?
The name Edmoure Ralph was inspired by our grandfather’s names. We wanted the name of our company to reflect the bold yet timeless quality of our design aesthetic. The names are classic in themselves and the combination of the two evokes a certain unexpected impact – just as jewellery pieces do. It’s also nice to have some sentimental meaning behind the name of our brand!

What inspires you?
Before we started Edmoure Ralph, we struggled as consumers to find jewellery that satisfied our desire for well-made pieces that are priced reasonably and look like a million bucks! There’s a lot of costume jewellery out there, but it often caters to specific trends and is not necessarily designed with longevity in mind. We believe that jewellery (even if it’s not “fine jewellery”) should uphold a certain quality and deserves to be enjoyed for many seasons to come. We’re inspired to produce Canadian-made, original pieces that can effortlessly transition between seasonal trends.

What inspires your designs?
We both come from design backgrounds – graphic design and art history, so we are intrinsically inspired by all things beautiful. While we constantly look to current fashion trends for ideas, we can’t help but find inspiration from the past and we’re naturally drawn to vintage-inspired materials. Materials like raw brass, pearls and cameos often influence our initial designs, but we also incorporate more contemporary design elements to achieve our final look. For example, the pearls might be the inspiration, but the way in which we layer them with other materials is how we achieve the Edmoure Ralph look.

When did you start designing jewellery?
For years we’ve shared design ideas and often joked about starting a jewellery line. It wasn’t until the last year or so that we joined forces to satisfy what we believe is a growing niche for a well-priced, good-quality jewellery line.

What would you like people to know about your approach to design?
The Edmoure Ralph approach to design stems from the idea that jewellery is the icing on the cake when it comes to putting a look together. We all know how our wardrobes can feel tired at times and accessorizing is an easy way to freshen up any outfit. We approach our collections with versatility in mind and strive to design jewellery pieces that can stand on their own or be layered for varying looks. Each piece is an accessory staple in its own right, but can be transformed when mixed with another!

Why Twitter and Facebook? Are they helping you build your business? How do you know?
Both Twitter (@edmoureralph) and Facebook have been essential networking tools for the growth of our new business. We’ve made so many connections with new clients and other professionals in the industry and we’ve also been able to get some honest feedback about our product. For a new small business, it’s also been a cost-effective way to launch our line and get our name out there!

When is Edmoure Ralph’s online store opening?
Today! To celebrate the opening of the Edmoure Ralph online shop, we’re offering complimentary shipping on purchases over $100! Place your order by December 16 and we’ll make sure you receive it by December 24. Enjoy!