Tara Nolan

A wee piece in Elle Canada

admin — Thu, 09 May 2013 18:31:49 +0000

Last fall, I headed to downtown Hamilton’s monthly art crawl looking for BOW, a fashion truck that is an extension of a retail store in Guelph called Blush Shop. I got there a little too late, but I thought the concept was neat given the huge popularity of food trucks. I pitched it to Elle Canada and was assigned a small piece to accompany a package in the magazine about the changing face of retail in the April 2013 issue.

Road Trip column in Canadian Gardening magazine

admin — Thu, 09 May 2013 18:26:40 +0000

Starting with Canadian Gardening magazine’s April issue this year, I’ve been writing the Road Trip column in Canadian Gardening magazine. Each road trip focuses on a garden or special event and then provides advice on where to stay, eat, shop and what to do while you’re there. Here are the destinations I’ve written about so far:

Annual 2013: For this one, I talked about five indoor gardens to visit across Canada

April 2013: This issue focused on the Canadian Tulip Festival in Ottawa. I’ve also posted it on CanadianGardening.com.

May 2013: Amsterdam and the Keukenhof

Early Summer 2013: Montreal and the Mosaicultures event happening this summer

Summer 2013: In the works!

Toronto Star’s The Address

admin — Wed, 01 May 2013 18:38:42 +0000

The Star Content Studios recently created a custom publication about luxury living called The Address. For the April/May 2013 issue, I interviewed Mark Gomes of Box Design and wrote a feature about creating balcony and terrace gardens.

My first pieces in Glow magazine

admin — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 18:35:03 +0000

For the May 2013 issue of Glow, I interviewed a pharmacist and a nutritionist for the Health Decoder section of Glow magazine. They may have been small Q&As, but I was also a part of the contributor’s page!

Get Growing in Canadian Living

admin — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 02:35:25 +0000

I’m so excited to start off the new year with my first article in the January issue of Canadian Living magazine. I created festive, hanging terrariums and provided the how-to steps. Another piece about Boson ferns appeared on the opening page of the Home & Garden section for the March issue.

Stay tuned for another column in the May issue and PDFs!

Snowbirds project for the Toronto Star website

admin — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 13:37:40 +0000

I was recently hired by the Star Content Studios to work on a special section aimed at snowbirds. The project involved creating 10 articles, two infographics, two slideshows and two videos.

With the recent redesign of thestar.com, not all the links work, but here is a list of the content I created:

Infographics
* Volunteer your time down south (consider working voluntourism into your winter plans)
* Savvy snowbird pre-trip tips

Articles
* Prepare your pet for air travel
* Travel-proof your home
* Boost your brain power with healthy food
* How to decide on your ideal snowbird destination
* A snowbird-ready fitness routine
* Protect yourself with a travel health insurance policy
* Fill your grocery cart with healthy foods
* Get fit before you head south
* How to eat right down south
* Four truths about purchasing an investment property down south

Slideshows
* Pack your gadgets in your southbound suitcase

My first articles on More.ca

admin — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 02:34:49 +0000

My main reason for travelling to the Florida Keys at the end of August was on assignment for More.ca. I wrote an article called Volunteer in the Florida Keys, and sourced and provided images for an accompanying slideshow called Places to volunteer in the Florida Keys.

Published: September 2012

Writing for Reader’s Digest

admin — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 02:35:07 +0000

Starting with the October issue, I’ve started writing gardening content for Reader’s Digest magazine. I’m not able to post the layout for copyright purposes, but I am allowed to post the text…

October 2012

Spring Forward
Get a gorgeous garden come the thaw with these bulb-planting tips

• Plant up until November or prior to the first freeze so bulbs can establish roots before
winter dormancy.
• Healthy bulbs are always firm, never mushy.
• Dig in bulbs as soon as you purchase them (or store them temporarily in a cool place).
• For robust blossoms, don’t go deeper than indicated on package.
• Place daffodils next to perennials, such as hostas. Once the flowers die, the hostas will start growing, covering the spent leaves.

Sidebar: For Great Garlic
• Choose a sunny spot and plant before the first frost in welldrainedsoil mixed with compost.
• Stick cloves—with papery skin intact—pointy end up in small holes about 5 cm deep and 15 cm apart.

Sidebar: Bulb Showstoppers
The sumptuous Ice Cream Tulip lives up to its name: light-pink outer petals topped with a scoop of vanilla.

A self-generating genius, the Antoinette Tulip produces at least four full-sized blooms per stem.

November 2012

Bed Time
Pack it in for the winter with these yard to-dos

● Begin by shaking soil and plant matter out of pots. Give them a good soak in a solution of water and bleach (nine parts to one), a scrub with a stiff brush and a thorough rinse. Ensure the containers are dry before bubble wrapping them and stacking them in a garage or shed.
● Use a sharpening stone to hone tool blades, or have it done professionally.
● Remove spent leaves from plants to avoid a mushy mess come spring. Leave the odd flower head to provide nourishment for birds and to add interest to a winter garden.
● Gather up large leaves, mulch them with your lawn mower and sprinkle around to nourish the soil.
● Pull out any remaining weeds and annuals.
● Turn off and empty any hoses; disconnect your rain barrel and cover it with a tarp.

Tool Tuck
1. Clean and dry metal trowels, weeding forks, etc.
2. Fill a 12-litre bucket to three centimetres from the top with sand.
3. Mix in ¼ cup (50 mL) of motor oil. The sand should be slightly moist.
4. Stick tools handle up in the sand and store indoors.

Reprinted with permission from the October 2012 and November 2012 issues of Reader’s Digest magazine. Copyright (c) 2012 by Reader’s Digest Magazines Canada Limited. Further reproduction or distribution strictly prohibited.

On T+E: Saving coral and sea turtles in the Florida Keys

admin — Sun, 02 Sep 2012 02:20:51 +0000

At the end of August, I headed to the Florida Keys to explore various volunteer opportunities. My trip was cut short when Tropical Storm Isaac turned into a hurricane warning and all visitors were faced with a mandatory evacuation. Luckily I was still able to write a bit about my visit, including these two posts for Travel+Escape:

* Saving sea turtles from the storm

* Saving the reef in the Florida Keys

Published: September 2012

Travel+Escape: July posts take you across Canada

admin — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 02:10:20 +0000

I gathered a few summertime ideas for some Travel+Escape posts:

A visit to the ice age: My trip to the Garden of the Glaciers in Baie Comeau, QC.

A big fish story: Catching my first walleye on Slave Lake in Northern Alberta.

Getting high in British Columbia: Monkeying around at WildPlay Whistler.

Adventures in the great outdoors: Seeking adventure in Northern Alberta

Published: July 2012