As I’m sure you’ve all heard by now - the City of Toronto voted in favor of introducing a mandatory fee on those pesky plastic bags you get when you shop back in December.

The new bylaw came into effect Monday, so officially if you’re shopping (and need - or want - a plastic bag) you’ll be charged a minimum of 5 cents for every bag you take home.

Personally, I’ve been using reusable shopping bags for a few years now - mostly because I was sick and tired of having the plastic ones lying all over my apartment (and was out of space to store them). The reusable ones are convenient, fold up nicely, and can hold a whole lot of stuff. However, many of them are also pretty ugly. I mean, who wants to carry around a bag plastered with close-ups of fruit guts all day?

I’ve dug up some alternative options to the reusable bags being offered by grocery stores, most of them made by local crafters and artists.

goodEGG Industries is an online store focusing on handmade crafts and goods. The shop is run by a duo of Toronto crafters, and offers a wide selection of Canadian-made items, including a slew of totes and shopping bags for a decent price.

Karissa Cove is a local artist who designs totes (among other things) that she sells on the online site Etsy.com.

Delight is an American company - but I had to include them because they sell really nice looking, reusable shopping bags (just like the ones you can snag at the grocery store, only with funky designs). Not only are their bags awesome, they’re also available in quite a few of Toronto Shops (including Bergo Designs in the Distillery District and Rolo in Yorkville.

And, for those of us who are eco-friendly and interested in taking your reusable bags a step further (and cutting down on your produce bags during your shop), Kootsac (located in B.C.) offers a handmade, reusable alternative to the throw-away plastic bags available in grocery stores.

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What do you get when you combine local self-publishing artists, a love for zines, and a cat? You get mishmish.ca, a brand new website that launched on Thursday night inside Jamie’s Area (which is a relatively new multi-purpose space located in Kensington Market). The site – named for Mish Mish the cat – is the brainchild of local artists Laura McCoy and Jesjit Gill, and sells zines, comics, posters, and art books. The launch party had a wide array of things to look at and listen to – there was a DJ, poetry readings, music performances, and of course, a number of cool zines and prints to admire.

Attendees were treated to the eye candy of various artwork, such as the poster by Andrew Zukerman (center)

McCoy and Gill tell me they snagged the idea for Mish Mish from two similar websites, which are run out of Switzerland and New York. McCoy hopes the website will encourage more people to self-publish, at the same time as providing an outlet for zines to be sold year-round. “There’s really no permanent place for this sort of thing”, she adds, “And there’s not really much space for zines on the internet”. The site currently is home to roughly ten artists, though McCoy says they’re planning on expanding. “We’re accepting submissions from anyone,” she told me, though submissions will be reviewed. “We just sell stuff we like by people we dig,” the website quips – so if the duo likes what they see, they’ll house it on Mish Mish. And I’ve got to admit – some of the stuff they’re offering is pretty cool.  

I love the tees on the far end - it's too bad they didn't come in girly sizes.

One of my favourite items was a set of really sweet, screened baby blue tees. McCoy tells me they were printed by artist Peter Kalyniuk, who has been self publishing for a decade. His work is available on the website – though sadly, the t-shirts are not – and there are both other established names from the zine world and work from newer artists available for purchase. Currently the site has about ten different items offered, but I’m assured more features will be added soon - such as a virtual poster room for your viewing pleasure. “We’ll probably end up breaking the rules and selling music soon too,” McCoy tells me with a laugh.

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Prices run anywhere from $2 to $20, solely dependent on the printing process (for example, whether it’s photocopied or screened). “It’s really not about making a profit,” says McCoy, “it’s about getting our work out there”.

With the warm weather we’ve been having the last few days, I think its officially safe to say summer is on it’s way in! And what better way to spend a summer than outdoors with good friends and good food?

As a kid, I had the pleasure of growing up in the suburbs - while it could be pretty boring sometimes - there was no shortage of nearby parks, a large shady backyard for me to hang out in, and a BBQ to grill on (and most importantly, a dad who was WILLING to grill ;)

Even when I moved away to attend University, I often would return home to my parents for the summer - or, the few times I did get an out-of-town job I was always renting a house; which meant we had our very own yard, deck/patio, and barbecue. One particularly  hot summer, I recall my roommate and I even went as far as to buy one of those inflatable pools from Walmart and set it up in our backyard - now THAT was a cool summer (pun intended). 

Self admittedly, I’m a country girl at heart - I spent many summers at my grandparents farm in Creemore tanning, swimming, and playing in the fields… so this urban living thing is mildly new to me.

Even last year, when I moved to the city(ish) for school, I lucked out and lived in an awesome 3 bedroom house (in a not-so-awesome area, sadly, which is why I moved).

For the first time, I’m living in a low level apartment building; which equates to no backyard, no deck, no front porch or balcony, a very small “front yard” (I did manage to squeeze my plastic lawn chairs out there with a small table)… and no barbecue. 

What’s a girl to do?

After pouting over the prospect of cooking on my stove all summer (and constructing a list of nearby friends and relatives with barbecues and yards I could mooch off of), I had a brain wave - camping. barbecues.

They typically fold up and they take up very little space - so you don’t have to worry about one, where to store the darn thing, or two, your grill disappearing overnight from your front lawn. And the best part is you can get them at a very affordable price AND use them anywhere (like… taking camping, which I’m pretty excited about - no more dropping hot dogs into the camp fire!)

There’s a lot of options to choose from though, so I compiled a list of a few I think are great choices, depending on your lifestyle:

1. Camp Chef Weekender 2-Burner Stove, available for $108 at Walmart. This one comes with legs (whoo hoo!) so you don’t need a picnic table to cook on - huge bonus.  This one’s actually a stove with two burners, so it’s great for all your on-the-go cooking needs if you’re into outdoor living. That being said though, keep in mind that in ORDER to grill, you’ll need to purchase a barbeque box or grill top for it. It can also be used with a bulk propane tank.
2. Landmann Barrell Charcoal Grill, available for $129 at Walmart. If you’re looking for a BBQ to double as a camping grill, move on to #3. BUT - If you don’t camp, and just love barbecued dinner, read on. If you’re not in an apartment with a balcony you can grill on, you’ll need some semblance of storage for this grill - a shed? a storage locker? - as it doesn’t fold up. However, it DOES come on wheels so you can move it around fairly easily, and it doesn’t take up a lot of space either.
3. BBQ In A Box Charcoal, available for $29.99 at Canadian Tire. I just love this one - it’s so darn cute! It’s great for camping or road trips, as it’s absolutely TINY and travels well. No propane needed, and it even comes with a bag of charcoal and a spatula/tongs and fork. Awh!
4. Coleman Tabletop Grill, available for 79.99 at Canadian Tire. This is my new baby. I love to camp, so it will be great to bring along. The mini-propane tanks for this one run about 4.99, or $15 for a 3 pack. It’s easy to light, easy to use, and easy to clean. You will need a table or something to put it on thought, because it doesn’t have legs.
5. Woods Deluxe Single Burner Propane Stove with Grill, available for $79.99 at Canadian Tire. Again, this is one that’s great if you’re a camper, boater, or tailgate partier - it has both a grill AND stove top, and is pretty affordable. No matches needed to light (it has a button you push to ignite it). Like the Coleman one, you’ll need to make sure you have a table/surface to use it on.

I know I’ll be enjoying BBQ’d food in my little apartment this summer - and I can’t even begin to describe how awesome that is and how excited I am  - so I think I will leave it at that.