a peek inside the fishbowl

What a week! We’ve had giveaways for movie tickets and candy… and now we have something a leeeettle unconventional, but just as fun. Lingerie. (!)

I have to confess, I never thought I’d see the day when I’d be hosting a giveaway for underthings. But Emilia Kutrovska, Fishbowl patron and owner of Lilac Lingerie, has a self-described addiction and enthusiasm for underthings that I have never witnessed before. She is eager to spread The Gospel That Is Good Underwear, and you know what, so am I, because Looking Great Underneath Our Clothes is a cause I’m willing to fight for. So let’s just say AMEN to that and move on with the deets.

This giveaway is for a set from “Change”, which Emilia describes as one of their more casual brands. It’s not over-the-top flashy but at the same time very pretty and comfortable to wear. Here it is:

Can I get a woot woot?

The underwear comes in a hipster style too, if that’s more up your … alley. ;) Sizing runs from A to G. I’m adding in some clarification about the sizing. Here it is:“… the particular model that is in the picture ranges from a 30B to a 38D. That is the moulded cup. The same style is then offered in a full cup (non-padded) in sizes 30D to 38F. The details are very similar, however the full cup gives added support to the larger cup sizes.”

The bra straps can be worn haltertop or cris-cross style (which is awesome, and comes in very handy with certain styles of tops). If you happen to be interested in kicking it up a notch you should know that there is a matching garter belt and stockings available too, but they are not included in this giveaway. They would, however, complete the outfit. :)

Enter! And think of it this way:

1) Ladies: this could be a great Christmas gift for yourself. And you deserve to look fabulous underneath those party pants.
2) Gentlemen: this could be a great Christmas gift for the lady in your life because we all deserve to look and feel great.

Also, dudes, did you know that you can buy instantly-printable gift certificates right on their website? OH YES YOU CAN.

The value of the set is $74 and includes the Change bra and panties (and as I mentioned, garter and stockings are available for purchase).

So who’s going to throw their name into the ring? Please don’t be shy.

Here’s what you need to know:

• Lilac Lingerie has a Facebook page! “Liking” it is not a requirement here, but I urge you to do so because it’s a great way of finding out what’s happening at the store. Did you know they can host private parties too?
• You need to live in the Ottawa area, because the winner (or the spouse of the winner) will have to go to the Lilac Lingerie for a professional fitting. They’re located in Westboro at 307B Richmond Road.
• For your entry to qualify you must leave your name in the comments below. That’s it. Rants, complaints, and stories of bra-related woes are welcome, but entirely optional. :)
• If you can’t post your comment because you’re behind a firewall at work or whatever, you can email it to me for posting: andrea at quietfish dot com.
• One entry per person please! We want lots of people to have the opportunity to win.

I will do a random draw of all qualifying entries using Random.org at noon EST on December 16, 2010. Please make sure you leave a valid email address, because you can’t win if I can’t reach you.

Sound good? Thank you to Lilac Lingerie for hosting this giveaway!

Over to you, and may the gods of good underwear be with you, always. :)

“We’ve got a giveaway all set up and ready for your readers! It’s absolutely jammed full of retro sweets (seriously, almost couldn’t get the package closed!) and based on the concept of childhood memories.

There is such a wide variety of items in box that the lucky recipient is bound to remember something from their childhood that might also spark some story telling among family members. We love the dialog that often happens between parents and children when they’re exploring the store together – parents reminisce about their childhood treats and their children are reminded that mom and dad were once kids, eating the same deliciously sweet treats. It wasn’t always “eat your vegetables” and “don’t ruin your supper.” It’s so special hearing a parent tell these stories and then giving their child a taste of the memory through the candy, so we wanted to give one of your readers a chance to take that experience home.

Inside the box you’ll find:

• Charleston Chew (in vanilla and chocolate – named for the dance)
• Curly Wurly (just like the long-gone Wig Wag)
• Candy Buttons (remember they used to come on rolls??)
• Razzles (bonus: eat while watching the Jennifer Garner film, 13 Going On 30)
• Pixy Stix (in the paper wrapping, just like you remember!)
• Cow Tales (an American memory)
• Jujyfruits (theatre concession stand favourite “Let’s go out to the lobby…”)
• Gummi Bears (Albanese, the award-winning bear)
• Heath Bar (did you know it was included in WWII soldiers’ rations?)
• Freshen Up (the squirting gum!)
• Sky Bar (four different flavours in one bar)
• Whachamacallit (we met a woman who was on the naming panel as a child!)
• Dubble Bubble (the classic cartoon gum)
• Necco Wafers (invented in 1847 – just try to make a gingerbread house without Necco Wafer tiles on the roof!)
• Double Decker (if you grew up British, this was common)
• Nik-L-Nip (the debut price was, you guessed it, a nickel)
• Gold Mine Gum (complete with the little cloth bag to hold your gold nuggets)
• Lotsa Fizz (this typically North American treat is actually made in Argentina!)
• Fry’s Turkish Delight (Narnia anyone?)
• Barnier Lollipops (anyone with a French Grandmere would recognize this shape)

–

Phew. Can you believe it? I can’t believe it. But here, take a look, just in case you don’t believe it (because photos don’t lie):

The tooth fairy is filing down her wings as I type BECAUSE SHE IS HEADING STRAIGHT TO THE WINNER’S HOUSE.

If you want this box of deliciousness – and I’m sure you do – all you need to do is:

• … live in the Ottawa area, or know someone who does, because the (one) winner will have to go to the Candy Store to pick it up. (They’re located in Westboro at 350 Richmond Road.)
• For your entry to qualify you must tell me – using the comments below – what your favourite candy is. It doesn’t need to be one of the treats included in the giveaway. This information is for my edification only. I want to know, are you a Junior Mint or a Turtle? (If you can’t post your comment because you’re behind a firewall at work or whatever, you can email it to me for posting: andrea at quietfish dot com)
• One entry per person please! We want lots of people to have the opportunity to win.
• I will do a random draw of all qualifying entries using Random.org at noon EST on December 15, 2010. Please make sure you leave a valid email address, because you can’t win if I can’t reach you.

Sound good? Thank you to The Candy Store for hosting such a fantastic giveaway! Eep! I’m so excited for you.

Over to you, and good luck!

p.s. don’t forget about that other giveaway too.

Our activity for day five was not Christmassy in the least. In fact, I didn’t even get around to stuffing the envelope.

Naturally it came up as we ate Sunday breakfast. The girls asked what we were going to be doing.

“Guess,” I said. “It’s one of your favourite things to do.”
“See a movie?!” exclaimed Sarah.
“Yeees.”
“Harry Potter?!”
“Yeees.”
“IN THAT SPECIAL THEATRE?!?”
“YES.”

They know me pretty well. And they keep tabs on the mailbox.

We received tickets and an invitation to check out the new UltraAVX cinema at the Coliseum Cineplex on Carling Avenue. We were allowed to choose whatever movie we wished, and we decided that Harry Potter would be a good one to try out. UltraAVX (more info here) is being billed as the biggest new theatregoing experience: big screen, big sound, big chairs. In a nutshell, liked it, but I have to be totally honest and say that visually I couldn’t see much of a difference. I was expecting something akin to HD, and it wasn’t. The picture looked close to normal. The major difference for me was in the quality of sound. At first I was afraid that it was going to be just “regular” sound turned up a few notches (in fact, upon entry the commercials seemed excessively loud) but we quickly learned that the sound was really super-surround (that is not the technical term for it) with extra booming bass – which meant that when He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named was bent on destruction we could feel the drama deep in our ribcages.

Seating for the AVX films is reserved. We wondered whether we’d be able to get into the Sunday matinee (we left late, with only 20 minutes to spare) but needn’t have worried. We chose our seats at the front cash, which I have to say was odd because it took me a couple of minutes to make heads and tails of the schematic of the theatre, and a couple of extra minutes to figure out where to sit.  I predict that this process is going to create delays when it gets really busy. ALSO, I assumed, because it was a new theatre, that there would be no bad seats. I was surprised to see they hadn’t dispensed with the neck-straining front row. (Who can watch a movie from that vantage point without hurting themselves??) 

The seats are comfy, and are wide recliners that are reminiscent of home-theatre style seating.

Anyway, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (part 1!) was a perfect film to catch on the big screen. It is totally immersive. But the question remains, would I pay the few dollars extra to see other movies in AVX? I’m not sure … but you can find out for yourselves! I have a package of four tickets to give away to one lucky Ottawan.

All you have to do is leave your name in the comments below.  Please note:

• This giveaway is for Ottawa residents only.
• I realize that some people might want to leave a comment about the post but don’t want the tickets. So if you want the tickets please make sure you say so. If you haven’t clearly stated that you want the tickets I will leave your name out of the drawing.
• One entry per person please. Let’s keep it fair.
• The prize is four tickets. You do not have to be a family of four. You can be a couple that just wants to go to the movie two times. :) But there will be only one winner.
• The four tickets are good until November 30, 2011.
• I will do a random draw of all entries at noon EST on December 14, 2010.
• I will notify the winner via email, so make sure you leave a valid address.
• I will be asking the winner for his/her mailing address so I can send the tickets via snail mail. And I won’t be held responsible if they’re lost or delayed in the mail.

Over to you!