Labeled as the GAP Give & Get campaign, every purchase you make at GAP from March 18 – March 21, 5% goes towards GAP’s non-profit partners including the Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada, Canadian AIDS Society, CARE Canada, Humane Society of Canada and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada. If you are a SPRIZE member, shop one day earlier starting on March 17th. Print out the below coupon to take advantage of this offer.

.
Not too long ago, I wrote a posting on Modern Mix Vancouver about Domo Tea’s Chocolate Ecstasy Flavoured Infused Matcha. With the same craving for a sweet healthy drink this morning, I opened my new can of “Vanilla Cloud” flavour-infused matcha, which happens to be Domo Tea’s top selling product.

Vanilla Cloud has a rich silky texture and a mild matcha flavour enhanced with natural vanilla. Made with organic matcha tea, organic evaporated cane juice, and all natural flavours. Contains no cholesterol and no saturated or trans fats.

As a personal preference, I enjoyed the vanilla more than the chocolate flavour – I thought it blended better with the matcha taste. To intensify the vanilla aroma, you can top up your drink with vanilla-flavored soy milk. At $10 for a 100g package in a resealable can, Vancouver-based Domo Tea products are available at several groccery stores (especially health/natural food stores) in our city, including Urban Fare and Capers.

When visiting the Vancouver Art Gallery (750 Horby Street), my visit is never complete without a stop at their gift store. From now until March 21st, the Vancouver Art Gallery is offering free admission to their Leonardo da Vinci Exhibit. When you stop by the gift store, look out for local Vancouver designer Wendy Van Riesen of Dahlia Drive and her printed bamboo t-shirts in her newest “Leonardo Tease” collection, featuring anatomical graphics from the artist’s drawings. Also included in the store are her one of a kind dresses and skirts made from recycled slips and similarly printed with Leonardo’s drawings.

Has your sense of city pride increased now that the Vancouver Olympics have come and gone? Check out some of these Vancouver map artwork pieces, available for purchase, by Karen O’leary of Studio K. Karen is an architectural designer with an interest in all aspects of design. Her tagline with Studio K is “aspiring to replace the common with something more beautiful”. For more information, check out her Etsy and Flickr.

With 230+ participating restaurants across Vancouver, this event is sure to satisfy the palates of foodies and the needs of these two amazing charities.

.
On Sunday March 7, 2010, grab some friends and head downtown to O Lounge (1054 Alberni Street) at COAST Restaurant and watch the Oscars’ festivities in Hollywood Style. Starting at 5pm, their new HD Projector and 2 large plasma screens will broadcast all of the glitz from the Kodak Theatre, live from Hollywood.

Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin host, while Chef Josh Wolfe prepares the finest and freshest oysters in town to go with your bubbly!! For the first time ever there are 10 movies in the running for best picture instead of the standard 5. Think you are a movie buff? Glowbal Group prizes and Gift Certificates given to the table with the closest predictions! Break out the Tuxes and Cocktail attire…we will be giving awards and prizes to the evening’s Best Dressed.

For your table reservations call 604.685.5010

Starting at 5pm on Sunday March 7, The Lamplighter Public House (92 Water Street) in Gastown will be featuring their special Oscar Awards Menu, which is a set 3-course meal for $40. Named after award hopefuls, the names of the dishes include “Avatar”, “Up in the Air” and “District 9″.
.

.
My Friday morning started off with lunch with two of my girlfriends at Jethro’s Fine Grub, a diner in the Dunbar area which opened about two weeks ago. They serve breakfast and lunch seven days a week, with a fairly extensive menu (for such a small diner) that includes specialty omlettes, pancakes, and other typical breakfast dishes. For $9, on their breakfast menu, I had the Denver Omelet which consisted of sauteed onions, peppers, maple smoked ham and cheddar. The dish was served with chunky hashbrowns and toast (your choice of white, brown and rye).
.
Their lunch menu was a little bit random – with curry on the menu which seemed to come out of nowhere, but hey, if it works for them, it works for me. In my opinion, Jethro’s is definitely a neighbourhood gem. Ever since Soda’s (a 50’s style diner, complete with a jukebox and milkshakes) closed down and was replaced with the pub-style Dunbar, I was hoping another restaurant with home-style, breakfast food would open.

In the fashion industry, trendsetting can be compared to a pyramid. High fashion and couture, starting at the top, and their runway looks for the upcoming season are way beyond the budgets of the average shopper (and MMV reader). But as time passes, these trends trickle down the pyramid as assessable ready-to-wear fashion available at our favourite clothing chains.

Described somewhat as a “fashion visionary”, being a fashion globe-trotter is part of Barb Atkin’s job description as the Vice President of Fashion Direction for Holt Renfrew (737 Dunsmuir Street). At Holt Renfrew’s Spring 2010 Media Preview, Barb gave a presentation about forecasted fashion trends for Spring/Summer 2010 and brought back to local media, her insights and observations about upcoming trends, neatly packaged into 4 easily-understandable “looks”

The intersection of Robson and Granville in downtown Vancouver was party central when the crowds started spilling out of local bars and restaurants after Canada wins Gold against Team USA for Men’s Hockey. No use fighting against the crowd, you literally could not move, and could only let the sea of red push you….somewhere. People were hanging off bus stops, street signs and fire hydrants to get a better view.
.