MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I hope everyone had a fun time shopping local for the holidays!! I had to buy crayons and markers for the crayon rolls I made for my girl's friends but otherwise I successfully skipped the box stores and malls for Christmas gifts this year. I hope more people can figure out how that can work for them!!

Enjoy your celebrating. I look forward to all I have to learn about my community in 2010. See you then!!

Ruth at Periwinkle Dzyns Takes Freecycling to a New Level

Ruth Smith of Periwinkle Dzyns has been making jewellery for years. Thrifty crafting is in her blood, so when a bag of factory discarded resistors found their way onto her beading tray it was meant to happen. With technology changing frequently there is a huge amount of obsolete materials generated by assembly plants. Ruth sees the beauty in these materials that would otherwise be destined for landfill and creates non-traditional jewellery in her studio at the back of her St. James home.

She blogs about her upcycling adventures on www.periwinkledzyns.blogspot.com and sells her creative wears at craft fairs and on Etsy at www.periwinkledzyns.etsy.com. She's also an active member of the Winnipeg Etsy Street Team www.wpgstreetteam.blogspot.com

which is a great Winnipeg blog featuring Winnipeg artisans and artists who have Etsy sites and are community minded. A GREAT blog to keep up with!!

6th Annual Holidaze Craft Sale This Weekend

Reminder Last Craft Sale Before Christmas!!

Saturday Dec 19 (9-4) & Dec 20 (10-6) West End Cultural Centre. Embrace your inner last-minute shopper...Come out to the 6th annual Holidaze Craft Sale - Local artisans, live music, hot drinks. "Hip gear for cherished souls"

Chocolatier Constance Popp

I received this review last week from one of my readers. I have been wanting to stop in and taste Constance Popp's delicious creations but I haven't had a second to get away. When I do I will modify it with my review...but really....everyone knows chocolate is delicious so I cannot believe that I would have anything but fabulous things to say about them.

I found this feature on a really good whos who of Winnipeg website:

http://treasuresof.com/Listing.aspx?city=Winnipeg&state=Manitoba

"Chocolatier Constance Popp - Specializing in fresh premium artisan chocolate, this newly renovated contemporary shop in St. James is a unique blend of environmentally sustainable materials and locally-made artwork and antique finds. The in-house made Belgium chocolate is all natural with no artificial preservatives or flavours, using only fresh savoury and sweet ingredients that include a range of herbs and spices, real fruits and nuts and wherever possible, organic, Fair Trade and locally produced. The quality and depth of the chocolate is notable here as single-origin and single-plantation chocolates are used in the bon bons, barks, filled and solid bars, chocolate covered roasted almonds and the velvety and spicy chocolate drink. Also notable is the packaging, which is compostable and the unique selection of signature and keep-sake boxes, which includes a distinctive wooden pyramid box with velvet sachel and locally created exquisite stained-glass shoes and boxes for truffles. Chocolatier Constance Popp is committed to fine chocolate making, local artisans, environmental sustainability and community support. In addition to the shop on Portage Avenue, look for Chocolatier Constance Popp chocolates in specialty shops and fine hotels throughout Manitoba. Photo by Luna Works Photography."

Please read Sandi's review and next time you are driving down West Portage Avenue stop in and let us all know how wonderful the shop is. ;)

"I was on your blog today, and thought i must tell you about MY favorite local shop! Your little girl has a cupcake shop and a cookie shop? Get ready for a chocolate shop!!! Constance Popp, the Chocolatier is absolute heaven! She's on Portage by Ferry Road. She uses local ingredients, compostable packaging, & is delicious, delicious, delicious!

http://www.artisanchocolates.ca/

My personal favorite treat is the Manitobar- shaped like the province and made of local hemp, flax, and about fifty other awesome yummies ;) She also has great chocolate covered almonds and a whole case of specialty truffles (made with manitoba maple, mint as well as squash or beets!) Did i mention the always have bowls of samples out?! Definitely check them out! You won't be sorry :)

Sandi"

Chocolatier Constance Popp
1853 Portage Avenue
Winnipeg, MB R3J 0G8
(204) 897-0689

Busy Busy Busy

Hi Everyone! I am sorry I have not been able to post much lately. I haven't had the time to research new artisans because it has been getting very busy around here lately. I apologize because I have a few readers who have sent me emails about doing a feature on them. I have an idea to make this blog run smoother. If you want me to do a feature on you because you are a local artisan, you know an artisan you would like me to feature, or you have a local business that sells local wares please email me a paragraph on it with address or contact information and photos if you have. Then if I am too busy to research it I can still post it. What is important is that the local artisans are being featured and people are directed where to buy local. I know I am quite witty and a talented writer but most of you are here for the artisans not for me. ;D I will continue to do my posts as well as I come across interesting local talent but I don't want to stop posting here so please email your features to handmadeinmanitoba@gmail.com.

I look forward to reading your reviews, features, and learning about more of my community. This goes for anyone in Manitoba. Even local restaurants that use local ingredients or local farmers. I think we could even lean towards featuring neat small local restaurants that may or may not use local ingredients because they are are still our community and it would be nice to have more visitors to their establishments than to the big terrible chain restaurants. I love Manitoba and I would love for our local artisans and small business take over the local economy. Keep money in Manitoba and give it to our neighbors instead of the big corporations!

The Creative Paper Gallery

The Creative Paper Gallery is on Corydon at Waterloo. It has a nice mix of cards, home essentials, and gift ideas. They have a cute drawn catalog that can be downloaded from their work in progress website. They have some pretty funny gift ideas along with their more typical gift store fare. I like a store with a sense of humor. Some of my favorite gift ideas for stocking stuffers would be:

























































I am pretty sure that I could have written the I Love You But...book. Perhaps I slept-wrote it under an alias. I am sometimes not the nicest wife around so my hubby has heard it all. Ugh. ;) Also, if any of my LOVING friends or family are looking for a gift for me I would totally dig the M-Cups.

The Creative Paper Gallery
1437 Corydon Avenue at Waterloo
Phone (204) 488-2585
Fax (204) 488-2867
E-mail: papergallery@shawbiz.ca
Website: www.papergallery.ca

Reminder of Craft Sales Today

Today (11-6) Last Chance Craft Sale at Club Regent (family friendly area) 1425 Regent Ave

Tonight (5-11pm) - "This Ain't Your Grandma's Craft Sale" - The Park Theatre, Osborne Street

I am heading to the Last Chance asap. I would love to attend the other one at Park Theatre too but we will have to see if I am craft faired out. ;)

I hope everyone can make it to one of them. Have a good day!!