In The Studio: Holiday Prep

November and December are hands-down the busiest season for me--and indeed, for many small businesses and crafters out there. So although we're barely past Halloween, the reality is that I've been gearing up for the holiday season for weeks now. This season I'm not only gearing up to stock the 10 stores that carry our jewelry, and preparing wild amounts of jewelry for the craft show season...but also running four craft shows and producing Ottawa's first Craft Crawl. Thank goodness I have so many wonderful people helping me out; otherwise I probably wouldn't sleep for the whole month of November!

The busy season kicks off for me this weekend with Urban Craft here in Ottawa and Handmade Harvest, a fantastic show out in Almonte. Two shows in one weekend? Whew! I spent this morning preparing over 100 pieces of jewelry to ensure we have enough stock on hand for both shows! I also spent this weekend ensuring we had enough packaging ready for the whole holiday season, which meant preparing nearly 500 polaroids (pictured above). My little fingers are tired, but I'm feeling quite accomplished!

woman, thy name is entreprenuer

A little inspiration for my fellow female entrepreneurs this Tuesday morning. Woman, thy name is entrepreneur. So very right in so many ways. As women we have so many incredible things to offer this world and I sincerely believe in the power of women to transform the world we live in and transform our economies.

This video gets it right: the exact qualities that make us uniquely women are what make us uniquely qualified to transform the way that this world does business. And treats workers. And treats the Earth. And oh-so-many other things.

So whether you’re a budding entrepreneur or a seasoned professional, take the next step. The world needs you, your voice and your contribution.