Wednesday 28 November 2012

What an amazing week so far!

Arlene Dickinson recently said: "I don’t think there’s ever been a better opportunity to be an entrepreneur than right now... Innovative people who have different and new ideas and people who go to the market with a new value proposition do extremely well" and I couldn't agree with her more! 

This past weekend Balanced Needles Knitting & Quilting got a little boost with our MOMpreneur Award of Excellence nomination with a note in The Star Phoenix!  We're also very excited that the Martensville Messenger will be featuring us in an upcoming editorial.  The momentum is building, and it is definitely an exciting time to be an entrepreneur.

This morning, we broke the top 10!  As of 10:00 CST we're in 8th place overall, which means our nomination is on the first page of the gallery!

I'm still in the process of finding suppliers for some of the more unique items that get turned into quilts, bags, and home decor.  Yesterday I placed an order that I'm hoping arrives much sooner than the expected delivery date of December 26.  Then again, I'm the one who decided that placing an overseas order during Christmas would be a smart idea.  But, those looking for RAF, Armstrong, Munro and a few other tartans are in luck--I'll be doing up a few samples for you soon!  I'll post pictures here and on the Balanced Needles Knitting & Quilting fanpage when they are ready.

Until next time,
Desirae

Monday 19 November 2012

Exciting Times--Busy Times

Between trying to keep up with Christmas sewing, finding suppliers for some of my upcoming projects, voting for and promoting the MOMpreneur Award of Excellence, it has been a very busy few weeks. 

As if I don't have enough on my plate, I have been accepted to instruct a 2-day Bargello Quilting class at the Saskatoon Quilters' Guild Spring Retreat in May!  Which means that I need to start prepping my samples now, because we all know that if I wait until after the New Year it will be May 1st and I'll be scrambling to get everything put together.  Word of caution to all friends and family members, if your Christmas present is not exactly "finished" and comes with a "return for completion" tag on it, you might not get it back until after the Retreat.  Sorry, but the best way to teach a technique is to show it in various stages :)

While in Canada we celebrated Thanksgiving last month, our American neighbours will be celebrating this week.  While I am very thankful for being Canadian, and while our culture can sometimes be best described as "Not American," there are sometimes I wish we celebrated in a similar way.  I learned a new thing this year as a result of American Thanksgiving called "Small Business Saturday."  It's the Saturday after "Black Friday" but before "Cyber Monday."  The aim is to support local small businesses, which can often be left out of the big shopping rush of that weekend.  This year it falls on Saturday, November 24.  Conveniently, around Saskatoon atleast, there are a few show options that I'm aware of:

Martensville--First Annual Shopping Extravaganza 9am-5pm at the Martensville High School

Saskatoon--Wilson's Greenhouse 11th Annual Christmas Craft and Tradeshow (Friday-Sunday, hours vary)

I'm sure there are others going on, but I'll be at the Martensville one and a good friend will be at Wilson's.

So, whether you're looking to help Santa out with his gifts, or checking your own list twice, remember to support local!  It's well worth the effort.

Tuesday 6 November 2012

Mompreneur Award of Excellence 2013 - Please Vote

I have some very exciting news and need your help to spread the word:  I went out an a limb and entered the Mompreneur Award of Excellence 2013 competition.  Please follow the link by clicking on the image below, register and vote for me, then tell everyone you know to do the same. 


It feels a little awkward to have to promote it this way, but the competition is based on whoever gets the most votes.  And since Saskatchewan has a history of doing well with these kinds of things (Tommy Douglas - Greatest Canadian, Sheepdogs - Rolling Stone), we can see some great successs.

Thank you in advance for your support. 

Desirae