About Me (:

Who am I?

My name is Catherine.  I recently graduated from the University of King's College, in Halifax, Nova Scotia (Canada), with a B.A.H. in Contemporary Studies and History, and am preparing for the roller coaster ride of Graduate Studies in the fall.  I absolutely love philosophy, cooking, baking, eating, crafting, learning new skills and languages, busy cities, train rides, warm sunny days (but who doesn't?), iced tea, animals (especially my cat Beatrix), parenthetical remarks (like this one) and semi-colons - not necessarily in that order, that's just the order in which they occurred to me (:

What is this blog about?

Well, I have always dreamed of being my own boss and of having a job that kept me challenged, motivated, excited and productive while being flexible enough that I could do it whenever and wherever I wanted.  Sadly, I don't have the kinds of amazing (and enviable!) craft skills possessed by the Etsy sellers whom I admire most.  I am not a potter, a cobbler, or sculptor, nor do I possess amazing sewing talent or abilities.  I do, however, I have a knack for making packaging and promotional items out of recycled, repurposed and upcycled materials, and I am a fabulous promoter.  When I find products, shops and sellers that I really like, I spread positive word-of-mouth like wildfire (including wandering Alchemy, recommending sellers I love to buyers looking for similar products).  I spend altogether way too much time online, and I'm starting the get the hang of various new mediums (except Twitter - which I avoid like the plague...).  I have accumulated a good deal of positive feedback on a number of different sites, including Etsy (thepixie, petitchateau and amuseboite), eBay (mango-banana), swappers, and other online forums.  This blog is about the new Sampler that I am launching in an effort to spread the word about some of the FABULOUS sellers I have encountered on Etsy.


Why am I so confident that you will love the contents of each AmuseBoite?
I put a lot of time and energy into sourcing the contents of each box, and I don't just pick the first 20 sellers I encounter.  If I wouldn't purchase the item with my own hard-earned money, then it doesn't make it into the sampler - pure and simple.  I also want to ensure that the sellers I feature have products that can be enjoyed by everyone, so I put a huge emphasis on incorporating vegan products.  I also believe that the handmade ethos goes hand-in-hand with the green movement, and so I want to encourage and support sellers who make eco-conscious choices.  As a result, I tend to include almost exclusively products that are made from sustainable, all-natural, organic and/or fair trade ingredients; use minimal or no packaging; are solid or 'dry' (and thus need little or no preservatives); and/or use biodegradable, recycled, repurposed and/or upcycled materials, etc.

I want your AmuseBoite experience to be all about finding your perfect match, and that's why I allow the first 5 buyers to 'customize' their package by choosing their scent/colour preferences from the available options.  If you don't like peppermint, I'm going to do my best to make sure that you get scents that you do like.  If you tell me that you have dry skin, I'll do my best to make sure that the product samples I include are well-suited to your needs.  I mean, sending you a peppermint face wash for oily skin would be really silly, wouldn't it?