I know, I’m a bit behind. I failed to deploy a contest last month. What can I tell you? The categories are adding up, and I’m having a hard enough time just wrestling my busy life into too-small mukluks that is this project.
But, on the upside, you get two contests this month. The first one comes courtesy of the good folks at Chillbeds. They produce made-in-Canada laptop stands.
I didn’t realize how handy a laptop stand was until I received one–not a Chillbed, but something similar–as a gift a couple of years ago. My Macbook Air gets really hot, and after a half-hour or so it can be uncomfortable to have it in my lap. A laptop stand ameliorates this problem. Likewise, they’re super-handy if you want to watch something on your laptop in bed with a, uh, bed partner. You put the stand in-between you and nobody gets a stiff neck.
In keeping with last month’s home category, here’s the contest. Before July 31, leave a comment below naming one thing in your home that’s made in Canada. It can be a piece of clothing, an item of furniture, a beauty product–anything, really.
I’ll pick a winner in early August, and they’ll receive a Chillbed.
UPDATE: Congratulations to Nicole from Ontario–she’s the lucky commenter who we randomly selected to win the Chillbeds laptop stand.
We love Nature Clean dishwashing liquid- it’s nice not having to worry when our kids help with the dishes.
And the ‘made in’ section on the label cracks me up- “Made by Really Nice Canadians”.
I use Nature Clean laundry and dishwashing soaps (unscented and lavender) but I make my own bent willow furniture and I’m Canadian, so does that count?
My couch! It’s big, beautiful and made in Canada and VERY comfortable!
We have a carved whale-shaped salad bowl set, made by a Native artist near Terrace, BC.
We have a dining room hutch that was not only made in Canada, but built by my wife’s grandfather. It’s been handed down from her grandmother, to her mother, and now to her. He’s actually built and carved a lot of amazing furniture (considering he wasn’t an artisan or furniture builder by trade).
My neck and shoulder say “pick me!”
My kitchen table, chairs and buffet which were made in Vancouver in 1909 by Restmore Manufacturing
My favorite product(s) are so very much a tie. Between my daughters stylus chair and our couch.
My bedroom set (bed frame, night stand & armoire) was made in Canada. I went to a local furniture shop, picked out what I wanted, and then they built it for me locally. Do I get extra points because it’s made of maple wood?
Our entertainment centre was made by me in Vancouver! We love supporting Canadian companies….one of my favourite winter coats was made in Canada as well.
Our dining room table was made in Canada and my favourite “made in Canada” is my fiance
ALL my FOOD is MADE IN CANADA!!! I buy nothing that is imported!!! Easier now that it is summer but still a project in the winter months for some things!! I incorporate my menu and adjust to what is avavilable to us!!!!
Reigning Champ x Livestock Polartec thermal scarf: Made in Vancouver.
I grow my own veg & fruit and raise my own meat. I was born here so could have a “Made in Canda” stamped on my butt someplace where I can’t see it.
I also buy a locally made hair shampoo and locally made bars of soap. Both my dogs are Canadian and all of the livestock. Cheers.
My favourite made-in-Canada item in my house is the dwindling stock of jars of peaches — grown in the Okanagan, canned by my parents with a bit of Canadian honey for sweetness. The jars weren’t made in Canada, but they’re not the good part so I hope this still counts. Maybe this year we’ll use Bernardin canning jars.
We’re slowly divesting ourselves of our cheap Ikea furniture and replacing it with some good old canadian wood, but the best made-in-Canada stuff around our house is our artwork. We squirrel away what used to be our movies-budget and use it for artwork, spending most of it at the east side culture crawl each year. Like a 100 mile visual diet, we’re big fans of jordan bent and have a good collection of sketches and paintings built up over the last few years.
All my Children are “made in Canada” lol,
I try to buy most of my stuff from local businesss’ (from Canada), i have children’s clothing, soaps, most of the food i buy is local, and our dinning room table and chairs are grown and made in Canada
I love the word “ameliorates.” Nice.
In my home, I have a knit wool hat that was made in Canada by my Great Aunt Carrie. It kept my head dry and warm during six hours of river rafting in rain back in April.
Foot Butter from Rocky Mountain Soap Company. An excellent product.
My Kitchen table made in the very town I live in,(Vilas furniture) as well as two dressers and bed
Well, where do I start? Almost all of our furniture is Canadian made beds dressers,entertainment centre, tables and chairs, bookcases, and about 1/4 of it by my husband. Laundry and dish soap as well as personal soap. As many clothes as I can find, usually in thrift stores, as it is getting really hard to find Canadian made in the stores, as you well know. Local fruits and veggies, yay summer is here, I think?
Great idea for a contest!
We have a number of pieces of furniture in our home that were made in Canada, the following by my husband:our queen size sleigh bed, a floor to ceiling entertainment centre, two storage cabinets on wheels, two bedside lamps, a floor lamp incorporated into a chair-side table, and a fold-up candelabra.He’s currently working on another chair-side table.
Another treasure of a piece is the sideboard made by the husband of the woman who sang at my parents’ wedding in 1926! It’s made of a fruitwood of some sort. My aunt, who had it before I did, said it was made of apple wood.
In addition to a mid-sized collection of made-in-Canada hockey stuff, I have a lovely set of coffee mugs handcrafted some years ago by an arts collective in Langley.
Sad, really, that so little in Canada has been produced here. This is a great idea for a contest.
We have a dinning room table made from pine cut down from around Prince George processed at the local mill into boards and made into the table by my husband.
[...] Darren Barefoot is living life all Canadian, for One Year! It’s an great undertaking in today&… Click here to cancel reply. [...]
The Phrog gin I drink is made on Hornby Island! All my children were made in BC! Most of our fresh food is grown local.
good for you Darren – all the best.
We just bought a Chariot bike trailer for the little one. We were shocked to learn it was made in Canada. Of course we expected it to be made in China.
Darren
Our kitchen table &, chairs as well as our living room sofa are all Canadian sourced. Unfortunately our home entertainment system isn’t.
bobby
I try to buy most of my fruit/vegetables grown in Canada.
Thanks Darren for running this contest. As the CEO of ChillBed Industries, I appreciate the opportunity to be involved with your quest and commitment to supporting Canadian made products.
I have been approached by many companies to take my manufacturing over seas, and I am sticking to my principals that companies can survive in Canada.
It is an important part of my business to continue to offer quality products made in Canada and I encourage everyone to take a second look at how they decide to purchase goods these days.
Keep up the great work Darren.
Adam Berson
CEO ChillBed Industries
Tons of stuff in our house is made in Canada. We try to buy local or Canadian whenever possible. Right now I’m in love with Mabel’s Labels. Definitely due to the fact that I have a busy toddler who loses everything. These labels help keep all those “made in Canada” items coming home again!
The bed frame we use was made by a man in Qualicum Beach.
I use Crerar’s Honey here. It’s made in Canada…in Vernon Ontario, in fact.
I would love to own a much quieter brand than I current have. My current model sounds like a vamped up drone of wasps running in high speed circles! And this one, “only in Canada eh?”.
Two of my three children were made in Canada
I have a bunch of Canadian beers in the fridge, is that good??
My three children were made in Canada and I think my husband and I just finished “making” a fourth. They eat, sleep and poop in my house, these Made-in-Canada kids. Where to get some of your own? Well that’s a tricky one but I sure am glad to have ‘em eh!
My first thought was my children. lol Also we use all the Nature Clean products (awesome!). My tv cabinet, dining room hutch made in Canada.
My Bedroom suite was made in Vancouver …. We in our family truly believe that the only difference we can make in this world is how we decide to spend our money….
We try very hard to make sure that everything we need is Canadian based and then onto US…
It is very difficult these days…..
Thank you
Deb
my winter coat is made in canada by soia & kyo. https://www.soiakyo.com/
and it’s awesome.
OK I missed the part about naming something Canadian in our house: Our bed was handmade by Adam Berson (now of ChillBeds).
I like the style of this product, good value and is gonna help you run that laptop of yours soo smooth
All our of mugs were maid by a local potter in High River, AB. Her work is beautiful and highly functional as the mugs are dishwasher and microwave safe.
Our pasta sauce is locally made here is Saskatchewan. I also love the salsa that my fiance’s mom makes. Mmm…
Today I bought a top from a women’s clothing store, Hipe in Richmond, BC. I was shocked to see a lot of the tops were made in Canada.
I also used to buy Lululemon clothing which used to be made in Canada. Most of the stuff now is made overseas but you can often snag a made in Canada piece in thriftstores still.
Well, we currently live in California – but we’re moving back to Victoria in Sept!! – and so acquiring Canadian made articles is a little trickier. However, my husband’s grandfather made some of the furniture we have in Canada, plus I still have a subscription to Canadian Living magazine! Also, a Roots computer bag – it’s great quality! I’m sure there are several other items as well…
I have a bar of laundry soap I bought at a craft show in Winnipeg, MB. The lady and her husband make all sorts of intense, long-lasting soaps for all sorts of purposes.
A lot of my products are by Lush, made locally in Vancouver. Also, I have been blessed to be given a wood dining room set made by my grandfather with Canadian sourced materials. To be honest, it is only from reading about your journey that I’ve become more aware of what I have in my life that are NOT Canadian. Tsk, tsk … I must work on that.
As for the Chillbed laptop stand, I can’t believe I never thought of such a thing. My hubby and I have a habit of watching something in bed on the laptop and it ends up sitting in his lap.
Lookind forward to reading about the rest of your journey
I have a couple of paintings by local Canadian artists.
Darren great job…. the awareness we are gaining is invaluable.. We recently purchased a new BBQ by Broil King and were extremely impressed to see it was made in Canada… We try to buy all our food and furniture locally.
My husband designed and built our current home 6 years ago. It is a replica of a century home. He was the general contractor. He used recycled Credit Valley Sandstone for the exterior of the house. We have several recycled features in our home, eg. old bathtub, sinks, heating registers, barge board, etc.Our main floors are made of cherry. He purchased the trees just 1 mile north of us in Caledon and had them cut by a friend into boards. He then planed, tongue and grooved them,stored them in his shop to dry and installed them in our home. Our stairs are also made of cherry which were made by a contractor in Mount Forest.
He also cut all of his own trim and baseboard. He had knives made to replicate trim from our then century home to match the period.
Any one who has come to our home cannot believe that it is new.
Let’s see… what do I have with me from Canada here in California????
Aha… my handmade fleece blanket made by B-Cozy in Vancouver given to me by my 100% Canadian nephew who is also the nephew of the creator of the ChillBed.
Great project Darren!
Best, Jodie
I love my AG hair cream, does wonders for curly hair!
My favorite furniture is a dresser my moms dad made for her when she was a little girl. She gave it to me when I moved from Ontario out to BC. Best furniture in the house!
Nutram dog food … I have the healthiest dog I know!
Green Beaver Body Wash is top dog baby. Eco-certified, organic certified formula, contains Canadian ingredients, biodegradable, vegan and gluten-free and not tested on animals. From our family to yours it states. Got to have it!!
‘deserving Thyme’ Moisturizing Foot Soak. Despite its name i use it for crow’s feet; it works wonders! Made not only in Canada but Vancouver to boot.
Both of my children were made in Canada!!! That is deserving of a Chillbed.
The Red Racer beer I am drinking right now… Brewed in Surrey. Highly recommend the classic lager.
I do a lot of crafts, so there are many “Canadian made” articles in my home – sweaters, scarves, toques, also I have a collection of old-fashioned Santas which were crafted and painted locally in Renfrew. I have also purchased many craft items from local crafts people at craft shows. I have Canadian books, and I am spending more and more time looking for “made in Canada” labels when I purchase items. I got really tired of purchasing souvenirs of places I have been that are stamped “made in China”….like really!!!
I love my laptop and a chillbed would be amazing.
I just discovered your website from reading the July issue of Canadian Living. Way to Go!! I will be checking it out over the next week. I was intrigued by the hiking boots shown ….
Fran
All my living room furniture couch,loveseat,coffee table&2 endtables
I’ve got an awesome poster on my bedroom wall for the Canadian movie The Collapsed.
Love your project! Check out the Facebook page I community manage for promoting Canadian film!
Cheers.
The copy of “The Hockey Sweater” I just picked up to read to my kids. Published by Tundra Books, printed and bound in Canada.
Love to wear my “made in Canada” Tilley hat in the rain!
My fishing boat was made in Vernon, BC by Harbercraft, use it almost daily! Most of our food is local or at least “made in Canada”. Love Rock Creek Cider made from Okanagan apples and brewed in Alberta. Local honey is fabulous! Just started my canning and have raspberry, cherry, and nectarine jam made with local fruit (and honey). Pickled some wild asparagus, picked by my husband. Loving the farmer’s markets in the Okanagan! I support small local businesses as much as possible.
I was made in Canada and I tend to be at home… does that count?
I have some baby diaper creams and personal skin care products (that include a natural bug spray) that are not only Canadian made but made by a mom right here in my home town of Kamloops BC. The company is called Delish Naturals and their products are fantastic!
My Tilley hat says it was made in Canada “with Canadian Persnicketiness”.
Darren
Have you decided on the winner yet?
bobby