How to Buy the Correct Size for Someone Else

Posted on by Melissa Harrison

Want to buy your best gal a new dress for Christmas but don’t know what size to get? Here are the top 10 tips to covertly acquire her measurements.

The Super Sneaky

  1. Skulk around her favourite shopping websites and look for her profile, she may have added her measurements.
  2. Check the tags of the dresses she already owns and go with the most repeated size. Compare this size to a sizing chart and cross-reference with another tip on this list.
    Clothing Tags

    Some will have letters, some will have numbers, some will be UK sizing and some won’t even be right.

    Clothing Tag

    Find one of these babies and you’re set for conversions.

  3. Blindfold her. Play a sexy game of tie up. Mark the circumference of her bust, waist and hip on the string/rope/what-have-you. Have a bout of evil laughter several days later while measuring it against a ruler. Continue reading →

What I’m Working On This Week: 25/11/13

Posted on by Melissa Harrison

This week, I’ll be putting the finishing touches on the shop’s holiday theme in preparation for switching over for the Black Friday sale and the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. I always look forward to changing the shop’s seasonal colour scheme because it means I get to pick new items to pull up and feature at the top of the shop!

... like these.

… like these.

Continue reading →

What I’m Working On This Week: 18/11/13

Posted on by Melissa Harrison

Last week, I was inspired to step up my packaging game. I read an article written by a former UPS employee detailing why some packages arrive damaged or get lost in the mail system. One tip they offered was to make your packaging pretty or unique to give the handler reason to treat it just a little bit better than the thousands of others being tossed about. Taking this tip to heart, I designed a simple logo and commissioned a custom stamp from the amazing Meagan Lewis at Brown Pigeon, it was finished on Friday and is currently in the mail. This week’s goal is to source some eco-friendly boxes to brand and decorate with the new logo stamp, instead of using recycled boxes that have lost their charm. I also hope to use the new stamp on the Kraft paper bubble envelopes I’ve recently switched to.

Sophster-Toaster Logo

Look for the new stamp on your pretty Black Friday steals.
(Photo from Brown Pigeon)

Continue reading →

Annual Hard Cider Review 2013

Posted on by Melissa Harrison

Last autumn, I tasted every cider I could get my get my lips around, which turned out to be an exhaustive 13 ciders from Canada, America, Ireland, Sweden, Denmark and the United Kingdom. This year, I aimed to try every cider that was either new to the market or just new to my area of Southern Ontario.

The autumn of 2013 produced some of the best ciders I have ever had in Pommies Dry Cider and Tempt No. 9 Cider. I’m also happy to say that unlike last year, no ciders have failed my review, the lowest ranking cider (I’m looking at you Somersby Blackberry Cider) scored an adequate 6/10.

Canadian Cider

Pommies Dry Cider

Hard Cider

Pommies Dry Cider

Made in Ontario, Canada

By Southern Cliff Brands

  • $12.95 for 4 355mL bottles
  • 5.0% alcohol/volume

This is my all-time favourite cider. Not only does it come in a lovely bottle with minimalist design that shows off it’s nearly clear colour, topped with a cute red cap, it also presents the most beautiful, sophisticated and delicate dry cider flavour. The soft, elegant carbonation bubbles glide over your tongue and leave you with a taste as clean and simple as the design on the bottle. Pommies Dry Cider is the champagne of ciders. I rate it a 10/10. Continue reading →