I met up with Natasha Gatto because I was intrigued by her spectacular bathing suit designs that are made to measure on Etsy, and when I found out she was local to Hamilton, I had to find out her story. Her company is called Gattina Designs, and Natasha runs the show out of a gorgeous airy space in the beautifully restored Empire Times building on King William.

Natasha is an accomplished seamstress, learning on various types of machines from modern to old-timey industrial. She credits her budding career early on to a bra-making class she attended on Ottawa Street, and she enjoyed creating bikinis for herself as a teen. Statuesque and doe-eyed, she often poses as model for her design photos.

And her designs are something wonderful. Many have a retro or vintage flair, with high waists and floral patterns. The retro designs are not what Natasha sees as her signature style though, but rather something that has grown from sheer demand from women wanting to stand out.

One of her favourites is this one-piece that looks like a two piece from the back, which gives the best of both worlds when it comes to bathing suit fashion:

I asked Natasha if there was a “right” bathing suit style for specific body types and she believes that anyone can wear any style. “It’s more about feeling confident,” she explains, and feeling good in something always makes you walk taller and look comfortable. All suits are handmade to the specifications of each client’s measurements. Natasha uses high quality fabrics that are chlorine proof, swimmable, and comfortable, with clients choosing from different pattern options.

Because of my marketing background, I love Natasha’s story because it’s amazing that one talented young designer can forge out on her own, specifically as a result of the global marketplace created by online marketing and sites like Etsy. But I also love that Natasha is focused on a local connection as well, and is partnering with small area businesses to carry her designs, such as Damsel Boutique on Locke Street, and LoversLand, a bridal shop in Toronto.

Check out the Gattina Designs’ Etsy store here and the website over here.

Congratulations on your decision to do a green smoothie detox! (Or a better name would be smoothie feast!) Your body will thank you for it.

First off, you should breathe easy. You aren’t going to starve yourself for a week with this plan… you can restrict your diet to 3-5 smoothies a day, or add in some kicker superfoods, or fresh pressed juices, even light food. If you stick to this smoothie plan, you will be getting lots of nutrients, including lots of alkalinizing minerals, and enough natural sugars to keep you going. For the detox, you have smoothies that are low fat and protein, and some lower in fibre, to give your digestive system a break. If you feel hungry, just remind yourself what an amazing thing you are doing for your body! It can be an empowering experience to know that you are taking charge of your health and making a positive change in your life.

Preparing for your Detox Days 

There are a few things that are recommended you do to support your body when you undertake a detox. It is best not to jump right in; a few “shoulder” days on either end of a detox will help your body adjust. Eat light vegan food (mostly raw) for several days going into your detox and coming out of it. You can also support the body’s detoxification process through routines such as yoga, massage, using saunas and dry skin brushing.

To help make your detoxification experience a success

1. Start every day with a cup of warm water and fresh lemon juice. This drink will serve to flush the digestive system, stimulate the liver and kidneys and alkalinize your whole body.
2. For 2-4 days before and after a smoothie detox, eat simple meals consisting mainly of brown rice or other whole grains, raw or steamed vegetables and miso broth. Ginger and cayenne can be added to flavour soups to stimulate circulation.

3. Remember to drink plenty of water. At least 2 litres of purified or filtered water a day will help to stimulate the function of your primary detox organs – the kidneys, liver and digestive system.

4. Chew your smoothies! Digestion begins in the mouth, so we recommend that you swish your smoothie around before you swallow in order to start the enzymatic action.
5. After finishing your detox, continue trying to eat a clean diet, free from sugar, fried foods, meats, dairy, processed foods, alcohol and drugs.

Lifestyle suggestions

1. Choose a week to do your detox when you will have time to relax and reflect, get some extra sleep and be mentally prepared for the challenge.

2. Practice yoga, book a massage or spend time in a sauna. These physical practices will help remove toxins through the lymphatic system by sweating or other movements that “wring out” internal organs.

3. If you do exercise, try keeping it to a low intensity – be gentle with your body while you are detoxifying.

The Green Smoothie Bar

Located at 236 James St. North in Hamilton, the Green Smoothie Bar has a few Smoothie Detox Plan options. All smoothies are made with 100% organic veggies and fruit. The smoothie choices for the detox plan are:

• The Detox – Cucumber, celery, apple, ginger, turmeric, spinach and kale
• The Sunrise – Beet, carrot, apple, ginger, cranberry, spinach and kale
• Pineapple Mint – Pineapple, mint, spinach and kale
• Lemon Ginger – Lemon, ginger, apple (optional), spinach and kale
• Lime Parsley – Lime, parsley, spinach and kale

Each day you receive 1 large detox smoothie, 1 large sunrise smoothie and 1 other large smoothie from the list above. To supplement this, you can add 1-2 additional smoothies per day plus any kickers (which are superfoods such as spirulina, wheatgrass, milk thistle, etc). All smoothies and kickers purchased under the plan are 10% off the regular price.

• 3 Day Smoothie Cleanse: $75
• 4 Day Smoothie Cleanse: $100
• 5 Day Smoothie Cleanse: $125

Remember, it’s important to consult with your doctor or other qualified health practitioner before undertaking any detox plan if you have any personal health concerns or questions.

~~~

Info for this blog from mynewroots.org and The Green Smoothie Bar.

I found a treasure trove of cool kid gifts at a local toy shop on Locke Street in Hamilton, called Citizen Kid. They have “natural toys of quality, integrity and lasting value” – read: we don’t sell cheap plastic crap that snaps in half within 5 minutes. So, that’s cool. Also, many of the toys there look like so much fun, I actually wanted to buy a lot of it for myself.

Here are my top 5:

Spirograph is a classic. I had it as a kid, and I went through probably ten gallons of ink because I loved it so much. My niece asked for it last Christmas and I couldn’t find it anywhere, so I was pretty excited to see it on the shelf.

This is so much better than any other picture book or story book for kids. Story Starters gives you the beginning of the story, so kids can use their imagination to come up with the rest of it! So fun!

I picked up one of these for a baby shower recently, but these are a great gift for a family celebrating baby’s first Christmas. Give baby the gift of music that won’t drive the parents insane, and baby is soothed by instrumental versions of songs by Coldplay, Nirvana, or Michael Jackson.

A couple of stocking stuffer ideas to round out the list. A kazoo is like, the most fun thing ever. When I was a kid, we wrapped waxed paper around a comb to get the beautiful sounds of one of these babies. I would’ve killed for one of these.

As a kid, if you had a few of these to jam in your coat pocket before heading out on a long drive somewhere, you know you’d be entertained for hours. Finger puppets are a great stocking stuffer, and these are handmade, so they’re extra cool.

Happy shopping and keep it local, kids!

-Suzanne

My mission this Christmas is to shop locally and in as many independent businesses as I can. The real challenge though, is what to get for the men on my list.

So I teamed up with Nick Fotache (a fellow entrepreneur at Platform 302, the coworking office on Cumberland Avenue in Hamilton) to get a guy’s perspective on ideas for gifts.

We chose Newman’s Menswear on King East – it’s one of those classic fixtures in Hamilton that you always hear about, but I’d never been before. It’s absolutely beautiful inside, restored hardwood floors, tin ceilings, and repurposed furniture like an antique post office table displaying socks in the mail slots.

Nick was instantly adamant that any item from Newman’s would be an appreciated gift. Everything is so unique and unlike what you would find in a mall or department store.

We agreed on our top 3 gift ideas:

SOCKS:

Okay, seems like a super boring idea, but you gotta check these socks out – they are the coolest.

With the recent trend of skinny jeans, shorter hems, and rolled cuffs, cool socks are a must for guys, and you won’t find anything like these anywhere else.

AVIATORS:

These are always classic, and look great on every guy no matter the age or profession.

And who doesn’t want to look like Maverick from Top Gun?

TIES:

Not a ho-hum gift idea, but a bow tie is a little more unique and has become popular again recently. The gorgeous quality of the ties at Newman’s instantly make it a special gift, and you’ll have fun trying to choose from all the amazing patterns.

Aaron Newman, the third generation owner of Newman’s, is the guy who appears in their print ads, and he’s very generous with his fashion knowledge and gave us lots of great advice. He also told us all about his effort to source his inventory from North America, and if that’s not possible, from Italy and Germany.

Choosing to support a business in your own community instead of a big box or franchise is a small decision that makes a huge impact in growing our local economy! You can find Newman’s Menwear at 773 King Street East in Hamilton.

-Suzanne