Etsy Holiday Pop-Up

You'll find things from secret minouette places at the Etsy Holiday Pop-Up market at Huntclub, a gallery in Little Italy!

Stop by and check out this curated collection of local handmakers' ware and shop Etsy offline.

Happy Valentine's Day

Hope you're having a good Valentine's Day. It's a strange sort of holiday. We all know love is where it's at, but that needn't mean it's limited to couples and traditional ideas of love, or another reason to spend money. I had to explain to someone at a bookstore the other day that I wasn't interested in her coupon (get a discount on books if you buy a greeting card) because nothing could convince me to buy a mass-produced greeting card. Personally, as you may know, I am overly fond of cinnamon hearts. I like to eat them until my mouth turns red, which is surely unhealthy, but it's tradition, and only occurs once a year. When I was living in Tokyo (briefly) I noticed how the Japanese love to import a good holiday, but occasionally something is lost or gained in translation. The version of Valentine's Day I saw there involved emergency chocolate pop-up stores on every corner, with lines, hundreds of metres long, of women (in stilettos - it was like a uniform), desperate to buy chocolate for the men in their lives.

This can be a rotten day to be alone, and it can be difficult for those in committed relationships too because of unnecessary expectations. So, when I made some valentines I tried to stick with something lighthearted (brains are big with the zombie-set) though open to interpretation. But also, a valentine appropriate for sending love to friends too - cause I love my friends, don't you?

I am very happy to be having a good day (surprised with flowers, instructions not to look in what must surely be a gift-hiding place and plans for dinner). To anyone reading this, I hope your day is going well, that you know that your people love you, and that you can do as much or as little as you want to recognize the day. Now, though I'm happy in steel-toes, coveralls and a hardhat, I'm also enough of a girl that I to need to try on several dresses and question what I will wear, so I must run.

Trans-Canada Etsy Team 12 Days of Christmas

things from secret minouette places and team mates from the Trans-Canada Etsy Team are having our annual 12 Days of Christmas Sale. Check the team blog to find all the participating shops' deals on offer. Shops include:
minouette, RJCharms, MyHandboundBooks, Pixel8ed, bnazar, mythicalmatters, TooAquarius, stringmealong, motivatedmotion, PenelopeKuhn, prairiepeasant, prairiethreads, rikrak, ellecools, paisleybaby, and the TCET shop.

Join us over the next 11 days as the participating shops share some of their favorite things about Christmas.

And, now for the most exciting part of this event!! We once again have a fabulous prize package filled to brimming with exciting gifts from all the shops listed above.
There are two ways to win:
1) Make a purchase from any of the shops above and for every $10 spent per shop, you will receive a ballot.
2) Write a letter to Santa, telling him which item/s from our shops you would like to find under your tree this year. Just type it into our team blog's comments.

We will draw for the prize on Dec 5th.

Remember to check back daily for lots more fun. And thank you for visiting with us today.