(Updated April 12 - i regained control over my Instagram account the day after posting this notice - below. Since then I have fortified my security and done some further thinking about how not to be as confined to communicating via Social Media. It is my intent to post more communication here on this website in the future.) _______________________________________ Monday, April 4, 2022. Hi friends, Please note that my Instagram account @DistaffSpindle (currently using the username "DistaffSpiindle" has been overtaken by a hacker. They are posting content about bitcoin investments and are even sending DMs to followers promoting investments. Please do not interact with these messages. You can help by - Report the scam by clicking on the 3dots in the...
Recently I have been battling a sense of frustration in managing this small business. I love this little enterprise and have dreams for the future, but in order to get there, it feels like I need to 'scale my business', make reels, understand the social media algorithms or outsource my Instagram/Facebook posting. I am attempting to gather my tax paperwork for the upcoming tax season and all the while seeking to discern what to include or phase out of the Distaff Collection for the coming year(s). There's no denying that this business does not fit the models of small business enterprises, at least not in my local area of Winnipeg. When I speak with other business owners they are usually making...
Now that Josh and I no longer live in Madagascar, Distaff&Spindle has redirected the investment of profits to well organized non-profit organizations that focus their aid on the poorest of the poor. One of these is Growing the Nations Therapy Programmes. Me and Anri-Louise this last October as we gathered the stories for the GNTP + Distaff collab. Anri-Louise is one of my dearest friends. She has done some pretty mind-blowingly amazing things in Madagascar! Years ago she was the only Occupational Therapist on the whole Island. Since then she has worked with the Ministry of Public Health to develop OT programs within the Université d'Ankatso located in Antananarivo, the capital city of Madagascar. They recently celebrated the graduation of the first...
I am going back to Madagascar! I returned to the Great Red Island mid-October until the beginning of November for a 3-week stock-shopping and photo/video/story gathering trip. It was my hope to return with as many new pieces as i could cram into my luggage, to offer at the winter markets coming up in November and December including: More heavy hand-woven blankets made from the off-cuts of tshirt making. These beauties are just so wonderful! They are heavy enough that an OT friend of mine in Manitoba suggested they could be used as 'gravity blankets' for those who struggle with sleeping/anxiety. They are wonderful for cozying on the couch in winter months, and pic-nics in the warmer seasons. They are...
