Anyone else remember The Pop Shoppe?
Stop in at the Expat Blog to read my latest - trying to keep the memories of Canada alive for those so far away... Happy almost Canada Day!
With Canada Day fast approaching, thought I'd put together a little promotion for our new brand of Canadian Girl T's!
We're going to giveaway 5 shirts to the first five to respond to our little challenge...
The Challenge
As you know, our blog is full of us having fun with our girls - showing the world what it's like to be a Canadian girl. Now we want to see what your Canadian girls do for fun! Now this is not only restricted to kids in Canada - because there are more than a few Canadian expat kids out there too (like our girls used to be...) - so your little Canadian girl, having fun anywhere - let's see it!
This blog has readers from over 50 countries - so we are spreading the word.
We'll post the winners on our blog to help us show off Canada and/or our Canadian girls wherever they are - whatever they're doing. Of course we will only post what is sent, so if you don't want to include names or whatever - don't! Please include a picture or two, or even better, a short video - could be links to something you already have posted with flickr or youtube...
Here's a sample of what you could send:
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Schloss Neuschwanstein, Germany
Had the chance to go see the 'Cinderella Castle' or Schloss Neuschwanstein with the family while living in Germany - beautiful place, beautiful day. Meghan and I hiked up to where only few go, to get a spectacular view from high above the castle. Sara was not too pleased that we did it... but it's something I'll never forget.
For those who can't see the video window - here's the link: Schloss Neuschwanstein
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It doesn't have to be a huge thing - just a quick paragraph or two - more if you like. Please let us know which shirt and size you would like - they come in Small (6-8) and Medium (10-12) - don't forget to provide your address!
Please send everything to info@mareadmare.ca
For those who don't make it into the first 5, we will be having an ongoing giveaway - one per month and will be picking from all the submissions sent (and of course posting the winners!). One more thing - we're working on a 'big girl' shirt and will have them soon, so this contest is open to all Canadian girls ;-)
Special note: If you want a shirt, but can't get something together in time for Canada Day - we are providing FREE shipping until Canada Day through iCraft.ca
Thanks and good luck!
(p.s - if you hurry, they will arrive in time for Canada Day!)
If you're wondering what to do this father's day, other than relax a lot... there are a few things that you could do with those kids that made you the good dad you are!
Since it is father's day weekend, just a quick note from me - then need to get ready for a big dance weekend for the girls - RECITAL weekend, which means a full friday and saturday...then recovery on Sunday - which is a decent way to spend fathers day ;-)
For those of you who don't yet have any elaborate plans...here's a few ideas from things I've done with the kids over the past year:
1. Build a hanging tomato planter.
2. Put together a homemade bird feeder.
3. Popular around here - go canoeing.
4. If you're still in the canoe - chase Loons.
5. If you're still near water (preferably fast water) go river rafting!
Or - you can do what I'm going to do - chill out in my newly finished basement!!!
You can see the whole lifecycle of the building process - along with the finished product - in this clip!
enjoy the weekend.
Last week I volunteered to accompany Meghan's class to the Bonnechere Caves in Eganville - about 80 mins west of Ottawa. Had another great day for it, not that we really needed it, since we were going to be in caves - but actually spent most of our day outside - so the good weather was a good thing!
I wasn't looking forward to the ride home, but figured I could maybe sneak in a few minutes nap... Even with all the kids yelling and screaming - literally all around me - I put my knees up, head to the wall, and napped the entire way back! Now that's a good school trip.
I've been on a few of these class trips lately, but this is the first time we rode at the back of the bus. I had completely forgot that that was where you got the worst ride... it was over an hour of bouncing down mostly country roads and was cursing myself the whole way for not bringing my noise cancelling headphones to reduce the screams for the trip.
My crew
Luckily I was assigned to watch over four very nice girls, all friends with Meghan and all kids that I already knew - so that made the day easier...
The history
We got off the bus, and were welcomed by the owner (was a bit surprised that it wasn't crown land) of the land and caves, Chris Hinsperger. He gave us a nice little speach about how the caves were found, marked by a map maker in 1853 by noting 'subterranian channels', and then told us a little about the founder - Tom Woodward. This guy must have been nuts - cuz most of the caves that we were able to explore were completely underwater when he started exploring. He eventually bought the land and blocked off some of the river entrances with concrete, and pumped out most of the rest of the water - and made it a tourist attraction!
Fossils
At the beginning of the tour we were told about the land that we were on, and that it was one of the richest fossil deposits of the Ordovician period (about 400 to 500 million years ago). These were little invertebrates and plant life that should have only been able to survive in tropical climates - says something about the continental drifts doesn't it!
They had a number of fossils to pass around that had been found on site, pretty interesting little presentation, and the kids actually listened...
The Caves
So following that, we got to go in the caves - we were the first of three groups - was glad that we weren't the last!
The caves themselves were nowhere near as big as the Luray Caverns down in Virginia, and since the caves had been pretty much filled with water up until about 50 years ago - there wasn't much in the way of stalagtites or stalagmites. This was pretty much the biggest in there...
But it was quite interesting in the way some of the caves had been formed by having rushing waters flow through them for hundreds of millions of years.
You can even see how the different water levels created layers in the rock - it was like a big wall of razor blades.
There were a few smaller caves off the main path, that the kids (and some of the more adventurous volunteers) were able to explore.
There was something like an overall 50m drop from surface to the bottom of the caves, and a temp drop from 24c or so outside, to 10c inside! And since it had rained quite a bit lately, the kids were constantly getting dripped on - so cold and wet, I think they were ok to see the other end of the tunnel and get back out to the nice sunny day.
We had to wait for the rest to finish their tours, so had plenty of time to explore - although they warned us against going off the beaten path - poison ivy. I thought they were just trying to scare the kids into staying put - but I could see plenty of it lying around! The kids got to check out the store and shovel in mounds of sugar that they were able to buy there. The owner Chris said he wouldn't let anyone buy anything until they were done their tour - I think it was a clever way to keep kids relatively calm until being done with going down into the caves ;-)
The river that flows by is really nice, and had this old broken bridge - had to take the shot.
I wasn't looking forward to the ride home, but figured I could maybe sneak in a few minutes nap... Even with all the kids yelling and screaming - literally all around me - I put my knees up, head to the wall, and napped the entire way back! Now that's a good school trip.
First off - want to thank XUP for the fantastic (and unsolicited!) post on our behalf for our little family project. From that, I've already received a few sales, some contact information for advertising and a few notes from groups wanting to do product reviews - so hopefully we get on a bit of a roll.
Still trying to get some exposure - I've applied to become a vendor at the Carp Farmers Market, a local favourite of ours, and have attempted to contact the Ottawa Store downtown - but have yet to hear back from either... Contacted the Canada Day in Kanata group to see if I could get in there, pretty last minute - but seems like a possibility. Canada Day seems like just about the best day for people to 'get' the shirts and our message. So fingers crossed!
On the job front...
I had an interview today with a software company out of Quebec City, that is looking to expand in the Ottawa area. They're providing a product for the R&D community to facilitate grants and project work - interview went very well and I hope to hear back on it soon!
The basement
I really need to put the clips together to show the progress I'm making - BEFORE - I'm done... I hope to be done in the next few days! I only have a bit of the ceiling, the floor, baseboards and doors to go - seems like a lot, but I feel like I'm 'this' close to FINALLY being done!
Game 7 tonight! Enjoy!
We had the Westboro Community Sale this past Saturday, and I had reserved a table to get our new line of Tshirts out into the public for the first time. This was more than a little nerve racking - putting yourself and your ideas right into the public view like that - looking, hoping for their approval, but with the obvious questions 'what if they hate it'?!?! There have been some great comments from some of my readers on the brand and the Ts - and that gave me a good measure of confidence to get out there - so thanks to you for that!
Relatively high hopes
I had some dillusions of having a good day. I was well prepared, the table was setup nicely with well printed signage and holders, free colouring books to handout, a good display of the shirts, I even brought a pile of change to make it easier for people to pull out their $20's. But it wasn't quite the success I had hoped for...
I was thinking that it would make such a great story that I had gone out with my wares (old school like a fishmonger or something...) sold well, and made enough money to buy supper for the family and go forward from there.
Didn't quite happen. I didn't make enough for lunch, I didn't make enough to buy myself a beer... not one sale. Boo.
Not all bad!
While I had hoped to make a few sales, I had to remind myself that the real reason I was out there was to expose the brand to the public and gauge their interest. In that area, it went very well. I had lots of people taking long looks, smiling at the design/text - lots of 'cutes' and 'adorables' - I think the spread showed quite nicely in that way to attract attention. A number of people read the 'About Us' that I had put up and really like the idea, the theme, etc - even had a fellow former expat come up to me and discuss the same problems I had faced in trying to find something nice and Canadian for the girls to wear. She was among a number of people who said they would be back later - but also took cards and colouring books so they could get to the site. Coming back later never happened, but I did leave a little early (I was getting burned to a crisp!!) - and there was lots of other things happening at the Westboro Community Centre that day.
Not quite the right environment...
First off - it was a garage sale, and most kids were more interested in all the old toys that were strewn about... and for others rummaging around, I don't think the mindset was right for what I was proposing. And I mentioned it before, but there lots of other things there to keep the kids busy - a band, activities...etc
I had also hoped to have my chief sales associates (my girls) with me to help bring in the customers. They had a few dance sessions that day, and there was so many people/cars at the event, that it made it impossible for them to get back and forth. If I get into the Carp Farmers Market - I'll be sure to have them there with me!
I'm being tested
Like I said, it was somewhat dissapointing - but I view it as a test. I was rejected - do I have the guts to keep pushing forward? Yes. There were good points to draw from the experience, and I need to build off those. If everyone who has ever tried something new and crazy quit after their first failure - we'd be without a lot of really cool stuff...
Next Up?
I'm going to be heading downtown today, to the Ottawa Store in the Byward Market. I'm hoping to partner up with them, have them be the flagship of sorts for our line. Makes sense - it has lots of Canadian touristy types things, so I'm hoping they see it the same way. With them being right down in the market should have lots of exposure for the brand - keep your fingers crossed for me, I'll let you know how it goes!
BTW - went with Meghan's class to Bonnechere Caves yesterday, will post on that later too!
Relatively high hopes
I had some dillusions of having a good day. I was well prepared, the table was setup nicely with well printed signage and holders, free colouring books to handout, a good display of the shirts, I even brought a pile of change to make it easier for people to pull out their $20's. But it wasn't quite the success I had hoped for...
I was thinking that it would make such a great story that I had gone out with my wares (old school like a fishmonger or something...) sold well, and made enough money to buy supper for the family and go forward from there.
Didn't quite happen. I didn't make enough for lunch, I didn't make enough to buy myself a beer... not one sale. Boo.
Not all bad!
While I had hoped to make a few sales, I had to remind myself that the real reason I was out there was to expose the brand to the public and gauge their interest. In that area, it went very well. I had lots of people taking long looks, smiling at the design/text - lots of 'cutes' and 'adorables' - I think the spread showed quite nicely in that way to attract attention. A number of people read the 'About Us' that I had put up and really like the idea, the theme, etc - even had a fellow former expat come up to me and discuss the same problems I had faced in trying to find something nice and Canadian for the girls to wear. She was among a number of people who said they would be back later - but also took cards and colouring books so they could get to the site. Coming back later never happened, but I did leave a little early (I was getting burned to a crisp!!) - and there was lots of other things happening at the Westboro Community Centre that day.
Not quite the right environment...
First off - it was a garage sale, and most kids were more interested in all the old toys that were strewn about... and for others rummaging around, I don't think the mindset was right for what I was proposing. And I mentioned it before, but there lots of other things there to keep the kids busy - a band, activities...etc
I had also hoped to have my chief sales associates (my girls) with me to help bring in the customers. They had a few dance sessions that day, and there was so many people/cars at the event, that it made it impossible for them to get back and forth. If I get into the Carp Farmers Market - I'll be sure to have them there with me!
I'm being tested
Like I said, it was somewhat dissapointing - but I view it as a test. I was rejected - do I have the guts to keep pushing forward? Yes. There were good points to draw from the experience, and I need to build off those. If everyone who has ever tried something new and crazy quit after their first failure - we'd be without a lot of really cool stuff...
Next Up?
I'm going to be heading downtown today, to the Ottawa Store in the Byward Market. I'm hoping to partner up with them, have them be the flagship of sorts for our line. Makes sense - it has lots of Canadian touristy types things, so I'm hoping they see it the same way. With them being right down in the market should have lots of exposure for the brand - keep your fingers crossed for me, I'll let you know how it goes!
BTW - went with Meghan's class to Bonnechere Caves yesterday, will post on that later too!
I've never been one to sit around and wait for things to happen. Being 'unemployed' for the first time...ever...has given me more time than ever before to look at new opportunities. And really, with the current economic climate, you have to look at anything and everything. I've always wanted to own and operate my own business, and recently I've been wanting to try something a little different that the IT world that I've worked in my whole life. I've also wanted to expand on my comfort zone - work on marketing, branding, accounting, business management, sales, design...etc and I want to produce something that I can touch and feel...more than just 1's and 0's for a change.
After a long Canadian winter, spring can never arrive too soon! Pull on this Spring Green T and go planting girls!
So go on, Jump into Fall with this Orange T.
With all that said, I'm pleased to announce that I have started my own little company - mare ad mare, which is latin for 'sea to sea' and part of the Canadian motto (check the cover of your new passports). Our goal will be to build a fresh new brand of clothing for Canadian (and wannabe Canadian) girls. I will be using this blog, much as I have in the past - to continue showing people around the globe (over 50 countries now!) what it's like to be a Canadian girl, tracing the footsteps of our 3 girls as we explore more of this great place we call home.
I have built a website at www.mareadmare.ca to display the shirts, provide links to the blog, where to buy and colouring pages. Take a look - let me know what you think!
We're starting the brand through 5 Tshirts, 4 of them representing our 4 seasons. We've taken elements of Canadiana and boiled them down to a fun design and a cute saying. These designs are kid approved, and have been updated through some great feedback on an earlier round of ideas on this brand. Special thanks to XUP, Jenn and others who commented - Hope you like the changes!
The line
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Spring...Finally!
After a long Canadian winter, spring can never arrive too soon! Pull on this Spring Green T and go planting girls!
Summer - Pass the Marshmallows!
Just in time for summer. Summer in Canada is the time for camping, camp fires and of course - Marshmallows! Get ready to go roast some in this summer yellow T.
Fall - Jump In!
A big pile of leaves for you here! As a Canadian summer turns to fall, the leaves change colours and then fall off the trees. Kids rake them up and play!
So go on, Jump into Fall with this Orange T.
Winter - It's not ALWAYS cold in Canada.
How many times have you had to tell someone that it's not always cold here?
Well, sometimes it is cold - but to make your point, grab this little winter blue T and let them know that it's not just snow and ice up here all the time!
Well, sometimes it is cold - but to make your point, grab this little winter blue T and let them know that it's not just snow and ice up here all the time!
A kiss - Donnez-moi un petit baiser!
'Gimme a little kiss' - says it all.
Girls, grab this little white T, and go get your kiss ;-)
Girls, grab this little white T, and go get your kiss ;-)
In stores near you
We will be looking for retail partners to sell our line across the country, but for those who don't have a retail partner nearby (or are located abroad) - I've setup an etsy shop for the moment.
If you know someone or a store in your town that might be interested - please let me know! (I'm great with kick-backs! )
First showing - Westboro, this Saturday!
This weekend - we will have a table at the Westboro Garage Sale at Dovercourt! Not the most glamerous start, but figured it would be a good opportunity to get out and get some feedback on the shirts, see what kind of success we might be able to have... I hope to have the girls there helping me out (in between dance lessons). We'll be handing out colouring books for those poor kids that had to be dragged out to the garage sale - hope to see you there!
I'm pretty excited to get this going (finally after it being in my head for almost 2 years now...). I'll be updating the blog with business notes too now - hope you don't mind, but it should be an interesting journey. Can't wait.
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