ALYSE KOTYK photo

Urban Source on Main Street is one of the many craft stores offering supplies for creating do-it-yourself holiday gifts.

DIY gifts fun and affordable

Making thoughtful presents is a great alternative for holiday season

By ALYSE KOTYK

TOP DIY gifts

ME Homemade beauty kits tion.

Christmas,

or students with a tight budget or looking to give away gifts this do-it-yourself pres- ents have become a popular op-

recycled items can also be a factor for

some crafters.

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“IT think people are more environ-

mentally aware and waste-aware,” she said.

HE Healthy pet treats

HE Personalized food baskets

Scented candles Photo frames Creative stationary

Holiday cards

Knitted apparel

Source: pinterest.com

Vicki Gillis is the owner of Urban Source, an alternative crafts store on Main Street that collects discarded items from local industries that other- wise would have gone into a landfill.

Gillis said that her store keeps get- ting busier every year around the holi- day season with DIY Christmas craft- ers.

“T feel like there is such a big DIY movement out there,” she said. “Mak- ing things from scratch are really so much more popular than they used to be.”

Gillis said reducing waste and using

Making Some Vancouver

° artisans are shar-

thing s ing their expertise

from around the holiday

season by offering

scratch are workshops on

really SO Christmas crafts

and gifts.

much more Lili Nedved is

popular the owner of Spool

° of Thread, a sew-

than it ing lounge’ in used to be Mount Pleasant.

VIEKI GILLIS While she offers

workshops year

URBAN SPACE round, she said a

lot of people come in to make heartfelt Christmas gifts this time of year.

“The thing that you make might be more straight forward than something you can pick up in a shop,” said Nedved. “But the person that will receive it will put more appreciation towards that gift because they know there was a lot of time and energy and love that went into making it.”

Subrina Pratt, a general arts student at Langara, said that she doesn’t typi- cally make Christmas gifts.

“Tt just takes up a lot of time,” she said.

However, Daniela Kuri, another Lan- gara student, said she really enjoys making gifts for the holidays.

“Tt’s a lot cheaper, I think and it gives more significance,” Kuri said. “For me, if someone made me a gift it would bea lot more memorable.”

Tacky Christmas sweaters still trendy

Questionable holiday apparel remains relevant

By LAUREN BOOTHBY

hen it comes to Christmas Wi eves the uglier the better. From thrift shop finds to ex- pensive new designs, they are back this holiday season. Ugly Christmas sweat- ers have increased in popularity the last few years. Ashleigh Hawrysh Haier, manager at F As In Frank on Main Street, said the popularity comes from a fascination with novelty items in North America. She said customers spend a long time looking for one of their vintage sweat- ers that is the “right” kind of ugly. “Getting the perfect fit and the right colour...the right amount of glitter or sequins [...] They’re putting that much effort into something they’re probably only going to wear once, ” she said. Matea Cumpf, a Langara design stu- dent, bought a Drake Christmas sweat- er last year around the time his song Hotline Bling was released.

“T feel like it just brings out the [Christmas] spirit more,” Cumpf said. “(Christmas sweaters] are never going to go out of trend, because they’re so bad it’s good.”

She thinks ugly sweaters can be ice- breakers at parties over the holidays.

“T think it’s a good theme because you can start conversation topics easily based on peoples’ sweaters,” Cumpf said.

While they can be funny, Martha Sa- las, a Langara arts and science student, said they are too expensive to buy and only wear once.

“They’re a bit over-priced,” she said. “T honestly don’t like the designs. I know they’re called “ugly” sweaters, but I still don’t like to wear them.”

Brian Tam, a sociology student at Langara, is also not convinced.

“Why don’t you have just a normal Christmas sweater? Why does it need to have a dead reindeer on it?” he said. “If somebody invited me to an ugly Christmas sweater party, I would be like, why do you have so much time on your hands to organize a party specifi- cally for one piece of clothing?” he said.

BONN

LAUREN BOOTHBY photo Ashleigh Hawrysh Haier shows off ugly Christmas sweater.

Winter leisure on a budget

Spending during the holi- days can leave a dent in your wallet

By MICHELE PAULSE

Rink kicks off a winter tradition in the core of downtown.

Winter activities can be costly, but ice-skating is a low-cost sport that is an affordable way to keep active during the winter months.

The Robson Square ice rink attracts over 150,000 people from Metro Van- couver every winter with live music every night from Dec. 13 to 24 (to cele- brate the 12 days of Christmas) and on New Year’s Eve.

Sam Sullivan, MLA for Vancouver- False Creek, was among the people who attended the opening.

“Tee skating at Robson Square gives families and students a festive winter experience in Vancouver’s downtown core,” Sullivan said in a statement.

Students from Elsie Roy and Lord Roberts elementary schools tested the ice at a special invitation.

As he watched his son, a student at Elsie Roy, skate, Francesco Castrillo said, “He will have the possibility to play with his friends in the future and he will be able to join a hockey team if he wants.”

Evelyn McMurtrie liked seeing her daughter on the rink but said she her- self didn’t like to skate.

“Tm scared of falling but she wants to do it so I encourage it,” Mc- Murtrie said.

Te opening of Robson Square Ice

The low cost of ice-skating makes it affordable for students to keep active during win- ter.

Elena Coudreau, an arts department

f

&

ELENA COUDREAU Arts student, Langara College

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student atLangara, [Jt ts] $40

said she switched gq day, but from skiing to ice- .

skating because of if youg et

the cost.

“Tit is] $40 a day, a yearly but if you get a pass, you yearly pass, you will get get some discounts.

[The cost] is the some reason why I don’t discounts

go often,” said Cou- dreau. “I switched to ice-skating because it’s much more reasonable.” For Axel Zarebski, a Langara history student, the only choice to avoid the prohibitive costs of skiing was not to ski. “Tused to ski but I don’t anymore be- cause it’s really expensive to buy the season pass,” Zarebski said.

MICHELE PAULSE photo Zamboni driver cleans the surface of ice at UBC Robson Square.