The Hidden Gem Soiree is a series of fun filled evenings taking place in Vancouver’s neatest cafes, wine bars, galleries and studios. each evening highlights works of a small group of talented local designers in fashion, jewellery, accessories and home decor. The next event takes place at Raw Canvas (1046 Hamilton Street) in Yaletown on Thursday July 8th from 5pm to 8pm. The featured designers include:
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Filou Designs – handcrafted sterling silver and 24K gold vermeil jewelry
Rosy Designs – sweet cards and prints
L’arbre Love - original wood jewelry
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Sip some wine, have tapas, paint on a Communal Canvas or paint one of your own!

Hapa Izakaya Yaletown’s (1193 Hamilton)  patio is now open and the restaurant is serving lunch, Monday through Friday, from 12 pm straight through until dinner at 4pm. Plus Hapa Yaletown will open for dinner on Saturdays and Sundays at 4:00 pm all summer long. Hapa Izakaya Yaletown is the newest of the three Hapa Izakaya restaurants. For reservations, please contact Hapa Yaletown at 604.681.4272.

The crispy pear freshened up the salad, while the generous portion of walnuts gave me something to crunch on.

Several Yaletown beauty businesses (including Noir, Blo and Bombay Brow Bar) have joined together to bring you a contest to win a “Hot Mama Make-Over”! To enter, email contest@SKNclinic.ca with a picture of your mom and tell them why she needs a Hot Mama Make-Over. For details, see the flyer below!

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If you read Modern Mix Vancouver, you probably read The Style Spy also! The Vancouver-based fashion website is hosting a shopping party at Fine Finds Boutique (1014 Mainland Street) in Yaletown on May 20, 2010 from 5pm to 8pm.

If you have lately walked by the Yaletown-Roundhouse Canada Line station, you may have noticed the KARMA pop-up store on Davie Street. KARMA is a local active wear company made in Vancouver.” We design clothing with subtle logos, clean lines and hidden features. By avoiding over the top details, KARMA clothing remains classic.” From now until April 24th, the KARMA pop-up shop featuring stockroom sale items will be located at 289 Davie Street in Yaletown. Hours are Monday to Friday: 10am – 7pm, Saturday and Sunday: 10am – 6pm. In addition to already reduced prices, they will be having daily promotions. For more information, check out the Karma Pop-up Shop Facebook Group.

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On Sunday March 7, 2010, from 5pm to 10pm, OPUS Bar (350 Davie Street) and Elixir Bistro in Yaletown are celebrating the Oscars in style.

Feel like a celebrity as you walk the Red Carpet, wave to adoring paparazzi and step into the ultimate viewing party! Dress to impress and experience all the glitz and glamour of Hollywood while sipping Oscartini’s, nibbling feature Oscar O-bite platters for $25 and mingling with Vancouver’s glamorous while watching the 82nd Annual Academy Awards.

3 course Oscar Dinner available in Elixir Bistro for $30 with optional wine pairings for $20. Also, don’t miss your chance to win a Bed & Breakfast package for two at OPUS Hotel Vancouver, for the person with the most correct Oscar ballot predictions. RSVP to Jessica Dunn JDunn@opushotel.com.

If you are fortunate enough to make it through the LiveCity Yaletown’s lineups, check out Samsung’s OR@S Pavilion, where Olympic fans can become a snowboard designer for a day. Visitors are invited to create their own unique snowboard design using the graphic assets of Samsung’s CORBY phone. Visitors can have fun and design their own exclusive look of the 2010 Winter Games and then email their snowboard creation which becomes a souvenir of their experience at the Games. Visitors are also entered daily into a contest to win a free snowboard, Samsung is giving away a snowboard for each day of the Games.
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The OR@S is free to the general public and will be open daily 11am to 11pm from February 12 to 28, 2010.

George Ultra Lounge is the Godfather of Vancouver’s cocktail culture. Modeled in the London style, George pioneered the cocktail kitchen concept in Canada when it opened in 2005. Today, with award-winning Shaun Layton behind the bar, George continues to pour proper classic and market-fresh cocktails, complimented by a dinner and late night menu through 2 a.m

George Ultra Lounge (1137 Hamilton Street) is taking a page from the Vancouver 2010 Olympics and holding their own “Mixlympics”, a competition featuring ten bartenders (6 international, 4 local) competing head-to-head in a black box style event. Sponsored by Martin Miller’s Gin & Arc’teryx, these masters of mixology will be vying for the top prize – $500 cash provided by Martin Miller’s Gin, but there will be medals too. Gold, silver and bronze, just like the athletes competing in Vancouver and Whistler. The event is free and open to the public. Doors open at 12:00 pm but it might be best to get in line a little bit earlier.
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The international contestants are:

• Joe Stokoe – Bar Manager for all three All Star Lanes, London, UK
• Abdul Kpekawa – Bartender, All Star Lanes, London, UK
• David Grieg – Bartender, All Star Lanes, London, UK
• Ola Carlson – Bartender, Box 101, Stockholm, Sweden
• Nicolos de Soto, Bartender, Experimental Cocktail Club & Curio Parlour, Paris, France
• Charles Tan – Bartender, China Club, Paris, France.

Representing Canada will be:

• Mark Brand – Owner, Boneta and The Diamond, Vancouver
• David Wolwidnyk – Bar Manager, West, Vancouver
• Jay Jones – Owner, The Pourhouse, Vancouver
• Darryl Macdonald – Bartender, Port, Toronto

I had the opportunity to check out Bombay Brow Bar (1056 Mainland Street), a new concept boutique specializing in shaping your brows but with Yaletown service style. Newly opened by sisters Ravy and Amy Minhas, Bombay Brow Bar brings in a Bollywood experience, with a Yaletown twist!
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So what are some Indian stereotypes that the sisters would like to bust? According to Amy, more often than not, Bollywood style services have been associated with tacky, overdone decor, clutter, and loud music. However, when I entered Bombay Brow Bar, I was very pleased with the classy decor. Magenta walls, with patterned wallpaper from the UK. The decor of this cozy boutique fits right in with Society Dining Lounge and Blo Blow Dry Bar. Four plush chairs for clients to sit in, a gold framed mirror, a plush window seat with cushions….true to the vision of the Minhas sisters, the furniture makes you feel right at home. The “Bombay Loft” as Amy calls it!