Collectable books always make nice gifts for the simple reason that we refuse to buy them ourselves, under the pretext that it’s an unnecessary expense. A foolish waste of money we would say.

Sometimes we tell ourselves that we will buy ourselves the coveted book one day. Time passes by and we forget and never buy it.

Are you wracking your brains trying to figure out what to buy for your loved ones for Christmas? If someone on your list has a decoration bug, why not offer a coffee table book?

Even better if they’re about to redecorate. They could study ideas, compare styles, put their imagination to work.

There are so many new books and reprints that here is a short list of what’s available.

Ros Byam Shaw proposes his coffee table sized book English Eccentric. It’s dynamite! In this work, we are immersed in the dizzying heights of the British imagination. The book features 14 residences whose owners include an artist, designer, a documentarian, a politician, a hairstylist.

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The editor emphasizes the courage of these owners when it comes to interior decoration. That says it all. This book contains a wealth of ideas as the author avoids trends and unabashedly seeks originality.[……]

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Buying a home is a major purchase that most people pay off over a long period of time. However, certain easily accessible choices can help you save on interest and speed up your mortgage repayment. Here are five tricks to pay off your National Bank mortgage more quickly.

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  1. Increase the frequency of your payments

This option is often considered the easiest option to incorporate into a budget. Simply increase your payment frequency from monthly to weekly or biweekly. And why not time your mortgage payments to coincide with when your salary is deposited? [……]

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[caption id="attachment_11113" align="alignleft" width="320"]Siège de la télévision d'État CCTV à Pékin appelé aussi Le pantalon. Photo: iStockphoto Siège de la télévision d’État CCTV à Pékin appelé aussi Le pantalon. Photo: iStockphoto[/caption]

Imagine the scene: Stephen Harper stands in the House of Commons and asks Canadians to put a halt to constructing buildings with weird shapes. Too much is too much, he says.
This is not likely to happen for two reasons: Stephen Harper is not a dictator and Canada is a rather conservative country when it comes to architecture. The streets aren’t filled with grotesquely shaped buildings.
In any case, it would be delirious. Such a scene is impossible. What leader would dare do it? And which country in the world can boast having a surplus of strange architectural buildings on its territory?
We have the answer: China.
It happened in mid-October. According to the Agence France-Presse, Chinese President Xi Jinping took advantage of a speech in front of a delegation of artists to request that the multiplication of weird constructions in China come to an end.[……]

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Most major hardware stores carry a product that can be used to cover surfaces to give them a granite effect. This epoxy based product is called StoneEffect and it comes in several colours.

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This product helps owners who want to redo their kitchen counter without spending a fortune.[……]

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Turquoise has very few takers in decoration. Yes, we are delighted by the turquoise waters of the Pacific islands, we contemplate the turquoise of the sky, we sigh in envy when we see a turquoise pearl, our eyes widen in front of turquoise satin sheets.

So where does this reluctance come from?[……]

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Not sure? Take some time to revisit your financial goals. If your mortgage is coming up for renewal, now may be the time to switch to BMO.

How do I go about switching my mortgage?

The process is simple. Three months before your mortgage matures, contact a BMO Mortgage Specialist to review your mortgage options. A BMO Mortgage Specialist will help you reassess your financial goals and find ways to better manage your total household debt, taking advantage of the accessibility and flexibility of BMO mortgage financing.

Before you consider the available options…

The one thing we can be sure of in our lives is change. Before switching, it’s wise to re-evaluate your financial situation so that your decisions are based on your current circumstances. For example, are you making more money now than when you initially purchased your home? Or are you on a tighter budget?[……]

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You’re walking by the sea, under the sun with your feet in the turquoise water. A warm wind musses your hair. You look up, and in the distance, between the trees, you see ten strange shapes that remind you of giant screens, or blowing sales, or wicker seatbacks, or roosters. They are very high, up to 30 metres. And you wonder “What is that?”

When you look at the site, through the window you see ten strange forms lining a centre aisle, empty inside, but with a sloped surface at the bottom. It looks like ten giant baseball gloves catching the sun and the wind. And you wonder “What is that?”

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It’s a cultural centre. Maybe the only one in the Pacific islands. Nothing like the one in Gatineau, Gaspé or Châteauguay. This is New Caledonia, in the heart of the Pacific, on the other side of the planet. That means a different culture, different architecture and, most of all, a different climate.[……]

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