The Riz Team Blog

The Royal LePage Shelter Foundation’s one-day charity garage sale to raise money for women’s shelters and violence prevention programs will take place on Saturday, May 11, 2013 at Royal LePage offices across the country. Since 2009, Royal LePage Shelter Foundation has raised close to $1.2 million at the National Garage Sale for Shelter to help stop the cycle of violence and provide a safe haven and new beginnings for women and children.

We need your help and the help of our community to reach our goal! You will be helping women and children in our community safely escape violence. 100% of the proceeds goes to a local women’s shelter and to education and violence prevention programs in our community.

How can you help?

DONATE! We are looking for gently used (& new)  items to sell at our Garage Sale (no clothes or large appliances please).

-March 25th-May 9th – Items can be dropped off at AMJ Campbell, 305 Industrial Rd., Cambridge, 877-211-0021, during regular business hours. Please let them know it’s for Royal LePage Wolle Realty Garage Sale.

-May 6th-10th – Items can be dropped off at Royal LePage Wolle Realty, 842 Victoria St., N., Kitchener, between 9:00am-7:00pm.

-May 9th – AMJ Campbell special pick-up day. Please call 519-578-7300 before MAY 8th to arrange to have your items picked up this day. This is for the local Kitchener/Waterloo Area only

SHARE! Please help spread the word.

-Print up our poster & share it in your condo building, public venue or business.

-Like  Royal Lepage Wolle Realty Garage Sale for Shelter on Facebook

-Invite people and share the Facebook Event

-Tell a neighbour or family member about the event

SHOP! Be sure to join us Saturday May 11, 2013.

You will find us in Royal LePage Wolle Realty PARKING LOT located at 842 Victoria Street North, Kitchener (the corner of Victoria & River Road). We would love to see you there!

If you have any questions or need help please contact us at 519-578-7300

Get inspired with these simple and pretty Christmas gift wrap ideas.

Photograph  Jennifer Bartoli  Style at Home Magazine

With the holidays right around the corner, we’ve put together a few fun ideas to easily update your gift wraps this year. From adding small festive treats to the top of a gift to trying new colour combinations, these simple ideas will make Christmas gift wrapping a fun holiday activity.

Add a candy cane A simple red and gold colour palette is always chic and festive but can be a little boring year after year. For an instant update, add a red and pink candy cane to each gift, tightly securing it under the ribbon.
Gift wrap courtesy of Hallmark.

A golden pine cone For smaller gifts, adding a festive item like a pine cone really transforms the look of a gift. For this project, simply spray paint a few pine cones with gold paint. Once they are completely dry, secure to the top of a wrapped gift using a glue gun.

Use a stencil Using craft paper is an inexpensive way to give a rustic feel to your presents. This project was made by using a pretty patterned stencil and lightly dabbing paint to create a fun design. We used a touch of silver and black paint to give a two-toned look. Once the paint has completely dried, add a bright ribbon and a personalized gift tag.
Tip: Depending on the size of the gift, it may be easier to apply the stencil once you have already wrapped your gift. You can then decide exactly where you want the pattern to go.

Try a new colour palette Switching up your usual Christmas colour palette is the easiest way to update you holiday style. We particularly love the silver and blue combination: it’s still festive, but has an understated, sophisticated feel. For this look, we paired silver wrapping paper adorned with blue, white and maroon snowflakes and used a thick fabric ribbon tied in a simple knot.

Make it personal If you don’t have a set of gift tags on hand, adding the name of the recipient of your gift directly on the paper can look lovely too. For this project, use matte wrapping paper making sure that paint will adhere to the paper. We used craft paper with a simple thick black ribbon. Using an alphabet stencil, simply dab coloured paint to spell a name.
Tip: Try to tightly secure the stencil while you are using so that letters do not smudge.If you’re not used to using stencils, practice on a scrap piece of wrapping paper before printing a name on an already wrapped gift.

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Hold onto those old socks for all these handy household uses

By: Allie Cutler, This Old House magazine

Whether they’re past their prime or just stray singles, don’t just kick ’em to the curb. Give them new legs with these household solutions

1. Ease First Aid

Slip an ice pack into a sock to temper the chill while soothing sore muscles or bruises.

2. Secure Mobile Devices

To enjoy tunes while raking fall leaves, create an armband pocket for your MP3 player. Cut off the leg of a tube sock, slide it onto your arm, then double the material up around your biceps. Tuck the player between the elastic layers.

3. Rescue Lost Hardware

Slide a sock over the end of a vacuum’s hose, secure with a rubber band, and use the vac’s suction to pick up dropped screws, nuts, or nails.

4. Stop Drafts

Line doorjambs and windowsills with rice-filled socks to keep the cold from entering your home and the house’s heat from escaping.

5. Polish Surfaces

A sock becomes a reusable or disposable mitt for waxing furniture or shining silver, brass, or pewter.

6. Cushion Your Knees

For DIY jobs that require kneeling, cut off the legs of a pair of tube socks and slide them over your pant legs. Fold the fabric over your knees once or twice for extra padding.

7. Ice-Proof Windshield Wipers

When frost is in the forecast, slide kneesocks over wipers to prevent crystals from clinging. Just pull off the socks and you’re on your way, no scraping necessary.

8. Protect Footwear

Before tackling a dirty or messy job, pull oversize or stretched-out socks over your shoes to keep them clean

9. Entertain Fido

Tie a knot at each end of a tube sock and get ready for a round of tug-of-war.

10. Clean Up

Wear a sock as a glove so that you can easily swab the dust away from every nook and cranny in mantels, venetian blinds, and ceiling-fan blades.