As a kid my Christmas started on December 1st when I opened the first window on my advent calendar. Each window had the most beautiful little picture behind it. Images like a Christmas bell, a gingerbread man, a candy cane, an angel and (more…)
Bonnie’s Story
It’s been a rough go for Bonnie, being in active treatment and the continual tests and imaging needed to monitor her health. Bonnie sent me a beautiful email last week and I wanted to share her story with you here in my blog.
First and foremost Bonnie has (more…)
It’s Cozy Time!
I love holiday parties! Getting dressed up, spending time with friends, meeting new people, enjoying some holiday cheer, I’ll take it all!
But, you know what else gets me in the mood for the holidays? . . .
I like to indulge by spending the evenings up until Christmas hiding out in my cozy little house.
I come home after work, throw a candy cane bath bomb into the tub and (more…)
11 days of happiness at the One of A Kind Show
Okay, where did those 11 days just go?
Tomorrow I fall into my annual state of mixed emotions. Ready to put my feet up and relax but equally wanting to go right back for another 11 days and enjoy every single one of you all over again. I get euphoric and somewhat depressed all at the same time! That’s okay, I’ve always been a fan of roller coasters!
The One of A Kind Show has an amazing history. As of today this little show of 800 exhibitors is officially 42 years old! One sunny day in 1975 artist June Bibby recruited two dear friends, Steven Levy and Martin Rumack when she realized that there was no show in Toronto for her to exhibit and sell her work. Other artists must have been having the same challenge so hey, wouldn’t it make sense to create the best craft show in Canada?
The show opened in December 1975 and it was called “The Canadian Christmas Craft Show”. Five Years later the name changed and the “One of A Kind Show” was born. The thumbprint logo was created so that attendees of the show knew they would see nothing but beautifully hand crafted One of A Kind works of art.
I love this story for so many reasons. I love how June Bibby had an idea that became a gift for 800 artisans like me! For many of us this show is how we generate the majority of our income for the year. It keeps us going through the winter and finances our dreams to create new pieces for our customers.
I love how important the show has become to its attendees. Many of you come year after year as a tradition. You come and talk to your favourite artists and you all are more like family than customers to us. You ask how we are, what we’ve been working on, you compliment our latest pieces and most of all you bring to light the joy that our work brings to your life.
I am so grateful to June Bibby and her wonderful idea and to all of you for continuing to support the show and all of us as we continue to create and live the life of ever evolving artists.
Tomorrow might be my annual roller coaster ride of mixed emotions but where else could I ever get such a rush from a full time occupation? Thank you for making my glamjulz dreams come true!
Monica XO
If it wasn’t for these girls . . .
My alarm clock goes off this morning at 7am and it’s time to rise and shine for day 4 of the One of A Kind Show.
I head to the glamjulz studio for 9am and there is Natasha waiting for me with a Tim Horton’s tea and a big smile! Natasha’s been up since 6am because she’s commuting to Burlington from Niagara on the Lake. She’s already kissed her baby and her husband goodbye to come and spend the day and evening with me at the show and sell tons of julz. She’s just the best, most dedicated sales person I’ve ever witnessed – EVER. You know why? She cares about people and she takes excellent care of our glamjulz customers. She makes all of you feel like you’re number one! Because you ARE!
Before we leave, I go inside to my desk where Dawn has left me with fresh julz to display at the show. Dawn is just as particular as I am about making sure our pieces truly are “One of A Kind” for this show. What you might not know is, this means Dawn has to constantly think about hundreds of different colour combinations to create. You should see her get in the zone, it’s quite amazing. She goes to Google images and types in how she is feeling, things she loves, beautiful places in the world and anything else that gives her inspiration. She connects with that combination of colours and brings it to life in the julz!
Next, I need to post my One of A Kind Diaries post for today and the hashtag is #makingit . No problem, Maggie has already helped me take photos and write the content for these posts along with all of the other Social Media that I need to keep up with during the show. Maggie is also assisting Dawn with production on the jewelry making so that our booth is packed with a great selection for the full 11 days!
You see? I may have created this company, I might be the face of it, but none of that matters without a solid foundation of trust, support and dedication from this stellar team.
These three girls are my angels and I am so grateful to all of them. They know their jobs, they understand their roles and they come to me with new ideas to keep things interesting and fresh.
We are like family. They see when I’m happy, stressed, and everything in between but they can take it! They are Wonder Women!
Natasha and I can’t wait to see you at the show and I have a feeling that Dawn and Maggie might just be enjoying the peace and quiet back at the studio!
Monica XO
The Dark History of Black Friday
We all know Black Friday as a day when we cross the border to get some great deals after the Americans have celebrated their Thanksgiving!
Over the years Black Friday has become more of a global offering, so a lot of us choose to stay home and take advantage of great deals right here in our own back yard.
Black Friday wasn’t always known as the best shopping day of the year! The first “Black Friday” ever recorded was on September 24th 1869 and this one had nothing to do with shopping! This date marks the crash of the US gold market. This crash occurred when two money grabbing Wall Street investors, Jay Gould and Jim Fisk, worked together to acquire as much of the country’s gold as possible. Their goal was to drive the price up, up, up and then sell it for astronomical profits.
Guess what happened that Friday? The conspiracy finally came out in the open and the stock market plunged. Everyone,from American capitalists to farmers lost their shirts. The country’s people were bankrupt.
We certainly have a different view of Black Friday today, as retailers decorate their stores and give us our first taste of the magic of Christmas.
That glowy description is not how it all started though. Back in the 1950’s police in Philadelphia used the term Black Friday to describe the chaos that they endured the day after Thanksgiving. Crowds of suburban shoppers and tourists piled into the city. They were there to shop for deals and attend the big Army-Navy football game held annually on that Saturday. All cops were mandated to work overtime and control crowds as well as traffic. Shop lifters were also a big problem for them on this day as they would take advantage of the action in stores and run off with merchandise.
By 1961 “Black Friday” had really caught on in Philadelphia. The city’s merchants tried desperately to change the name to “Big Friday” so that it would remove any negative connotations. Well, as we all know, that never happened but in the 80’s something good finally did happen!
The NEW and IMPROVED story of “Black Friday” was that it was a day where customer’s purchases helped their favourite merchants go from “in the red” to “in the black”. This story stuck and the negative stories of the past were long forgotten.
I love Black Friday just as much as all of you. There is a time where we could all use a nice break when it comes to buying gifts or even necessities for our own day to day living. Hey, going to the States can be exciting too! Often they have different things than we do!
But . . .
As a small business owner I want you to know that Black Friday is an important day for the little guy too! Sometimes it’s a challenge to always be in the black. The small business owner can feel the red days and months more and not always have a cushion to fall back on.
This is what happens when a small business owner is in the black:
– Confidence beams
– New Ideas percolate
– There’s extra $ to donate to the community
– Inspiration spreads to others like wildfire
– A whole lot of happy dancing
So before you hop in the car and head to Walden Galleria think about all of the small business owners you love right here in your own back yard! Get in on their amazing deals and join them in the happy dance as they rise into the black!
Monica XO
Embracing Something New . . .
It might appear that I love and welcome change but to be honest, sometimes I need to be pushed.
Our family cottage up north is a place where I resist change like crazy. I love everything about the place – the cracks in the floor, the peeling wallpaper, the tiny holes where the mice can get in and even the windows that are exposed with no frames.
Why do I love all that stuff? It’s part of my history, it’s where I grew up and where I store my best childhood memories.
Since my Dad died in 2012 any kind of change becomes even more difficult. A part of me wants it to stay the way he left it. Somehow I feel like, if we make a change without him, it will take away a piece of him from the cottage.
The other week Wayne and I hopped in the car to spend 5 days together at the cottage gutting the kitchen. As we drove up I was the one feeling gutted. Wayne attempted to console me, as he always does, but this was a tough one. My Dad built our kitchen in the early 60’s with his own hands. Every shelf, every drawer and every cupboard reminds me of him.
When we arrived, Wayne and I decided to relax and talk about all of our new ideas and start working in the morning. Still feeling uneasy, I knew this was the right thing to do and I knew my Dad would be proud but somehow, just like when he was alive, I was wanting his validation.
That night I received the greatest gift. I had a dream that my Mom found my Dad, brought him home and we were all shocked. My first words to him were, “What are we going to do about the cottage? I have made plans and what if you’re upset? What if you don’t like them? Then I have to change everything. My Dad smiled in the dream and simply said this, “You are doing all of the right things, there is nothing I need to control anymore, I am so proud of you. Thank you for taking care of our house.”
I woke up. I was cured. Somehow I felt like I was given the okay and I knew deep down I was doing the right thing. Instead of stressing for the rest of the weekend all I saw was love. I looked at the kitchen plans and I watched Wayne work for 5 days straight and I felt pride and security. I also felt a confidence that the two of us could make this new change together and be successful.
I think change is hard for a lot of people. Are we looking for permission? Or do we just feel lost because we’re not sure how to think, walk, and talk in a different direction?
Whatever the reason might be, I think it’s important to look at it. What are the pieces of our life that hold us back from reaching our full potential?
Gutting the kitchen was so symbolic of change. Stripping everything back to the bare bones with a plan to build something new felt empowering.
I’d love to know what you did to make a change in your life and where you found your power to just do it.
If I can do it! YOU can too!
Monica XO
#instabesties
Do you love Instagram as much as I do? I think it’s the happiest Social Media platform we have at the moment. I love how people use it to show beautiful pictures, write inspiring posts and make the world look like it’s coated in sugar. I go to Instagram when I want to escape, get motivated or spark some new ideas.
Instagram is also a great place to meet like-minded friends, fans and customers.
Back in the summer of 2015 I was (more…)
Why I Hesitated to Post #metoo
On October 15, 2017 Alyssa Milano posted a message on her Twitter account encouraging women who were either sexually harassed or assaulted to post Social Activist Tarana Burke’s #metoo as a status update. Her motivation was to bring to light how many women are affected. The movement for #metoo went viral and hit all social media platforms hard, not just twitter.
Her inspiration came from Harvey Weinstein, American Film Producer, getting thrown out of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for sex crimes against women in the movie industry.
Alyssa made it clear that the purpose of her hashtag was to create a platform where women had an “opportunity without having to go into detail about their stories if they did not want to”
Last week I saw my (more…)
Three Little Wishes Soirée
Magical, transformative, loving, caring, giving and inspiring.
These are only a few words that I could take from the dictionary to describe what happened at our studio on Friday evening!
We hosted our very first Three Little Wishes Launch Party! The support we received from our guests and local businesses was overwhelming.
Two days before the (more…)
