BATIQUA

One of my most exciting upcoming collaborations is participating in the Virtual Holiday Marketplace being hosted by @aldo_shoes & @callitspring ! Today I received my last market cancellation for the year, a special thanks @newwestcraft for trying, not an easy feat considering the current conditions. This means I will have attended NO craft shows this entire year! For a business whose main revenue stream has been craft shows, to simply still be here, going forward is a gre...at thing! There is no ways I could have made it through thus far without each and everyone of you! Shopping, liking, commenting, sharing, tagging, listening! Every time I’ve wondered what’s next, an unexpected opportunity has come up! Swipe to see the email I got from @aldo_shoes & @callitspring which is such an exciting opportunity for me this Holiday season! Thank you so much to all the major brands and corporations literally carrying small businesses on their shoulders during this time! I can’t wait to be a part of this special virtual marketplace! Aldo, you’ve won my heart, and you’ve certainly won my feet forever . . . . . #generationspring #aldo #callitspring #supportsmallbusiness #smallbusinessbc #handmadebusiness #shoplocalbc #shoplocalvancouver #consciousshopping #myhandmadehome #throwpillows #consciousshoppervancouver #vancouverbusiness #shopblackowned #callitspring #aldovirtualmarketplace #howyouhome #founderfriday #myeclecticmix #shopwomanowned #shoponline #fairtrade #consciousliving #homedecor #fairtradefederation #handmadeisbest #pillow #ethicalfashion #bohodecor #artisan #artisanmade

I love this season! Messages like this literally make all the difference! So excited to provide an avenue for people to purchase in a meaningful way through BATIQUA! ... My shelves are slowly emptying thanks to each and everyone of you placing orders! If I can help you with anything, send me a DM! Visit my Etsy shop @ BATIQUAGIFTS or check out my website, link in the bio! Happy Friday! . . . . . #smallbusinessbc #mompreneurlife #femalefounder #founderlife #ladyentrepreneurs #bossmom #makersgonnamake #makersmovement #makercommunity #instamaker #shopsmall #makersofinstagram #ethical #handmade #vancouverbusiness #vancouversmallbusiness #vancouvershoplocal #vancouver #shoplocalvancouver #throwcushion #throwpillows #blackownedbusiness #myhomevibe #femaleownedbusiness #blackentrepreneurwomen #textilelove #pillows #pillowdesign #fallpillows #interiordesign

This post is to all my maker friends and to my followers who loved attending craft shows! It’s NOVEMBER! For many small retailers and small businesses, November is the month that makes the ENTIRE year worthwhile!... This month is literally the month that would MAKE my business. A slower summer could be justified because November would be coming! I must admit, I had mastered the art of attending craft shows! With up to 10 events running in just one weekend! I had an awesome team around me that would travel far and wide in the month of November. They would be able to earn extra income for their families in the month of November. I would place my largest production orders for the month of November. I would meet SO many wonderful people in the month of November. This month that was typically my best month all year was suddenly met with so much fear and worry for me with everything going on this year. Until I walked into Walmart yesterday. Walmart has decided not to slow down. Walmart is business as usual. In fact it looked like a bigger Christmas season than before! And what a challenge that is to small handmade businesses like myself that might be forgotten because there are fewer platforms for visibility. I started thinking of all my fellow small business friends and how they might be navigating and coping during this season. This is my encouragement to every maker and conscious shopper out there. Don’t be afraid of this month or the upcoming season! It will not be like the other years we have known, but Christmas is not cancelled. It will be different. If you are a maker, post your promotions and let everyone know that you are still there! To all the craft show buyers, consciously seek out your favourite craft show brands and support your local businesses and small shops like never before. This is such a critical time for a lot of us. Choose handmade, choose local and choose community this Christmas. Comment below and let me know how you are navigating Christmas this year as a small business or as a conscious shopper! . . . . . #smallbusinessbc #handmadebusiness #shoplocalbc #shoplocalvancouver

#TBT To when I packed my overweight suitcase and ventured out to The Big Apple to attend one of the biggest trade shows in the gifting industry @ny_now! Having really no idea what I was going into, I ordered my booth display on Amazon and hauled my suitcase through the subway on the pursuit to chase my dreams! ... At some point of this leap of faith, I ended up at a subway station with no escalator or elevator. I went to ask at the information desk and they confirmed that not all stations were accessible I couldn’t believe this was even possible in a city like #NewYork. I looked at the seemingly insurmountable flight of stairs ahead of me, and remembered my overweight luggage. Life started feeling challenging as I started processing how hard and a real struggle this was all turning out to be. Then I remembered that I was in NEW YORK! Life was not hard, because I, Linda, a girl from Harare, was in New York. I remembered that I wasn’t carrying JUST a suitcase, but within it through our work, I was carrying the dreams of my community of artisans in Zimbabwe. Literally the dreams of a piece of my nation Life wasn’t hard. I just had to be stronger. I started going up the stairs with my head down so that I wouldn’t be overwhelmed with how many more stairs I had to go up and some moments later, I felt the suitcase get lighter. Someone graciously picked it up on the other side and together we went up the stairs. That was a moment of SO much gratitude in a city where everyone typically minds their own business. I went on to NY Now to land our first major retailer with hundreds of locations across the US and that’s a most beautiful story for another day! What is the ‘flight of stairs’ before you? Take the first step, and don’t give up! Life has a special way of surprising you with the courage and help you need to keep going up! Happy Thursday friends!

@chezvargas_ thanks for sharing this all the way from Ontario! So many clients emphasize how the quality of our textiles is really what makes our products stand out! How they are created by many pairs of hands: artists, painters, tailors, each individual leaving a piece of their love with each product!... All the pillows are personally designed by myself in Vancouver BC and handmade by my community in Zimbabwe. Click the link in my bio to visit my website or my Etsy shop. . . . . #handmade #artisanmade #fairtrade #fairtradeproducts #decorativepillows #handmadepillow #vancouversmallbusiness #shoplocalvancouver #explorebc #smallbusinessbc #blackbusinessbc #blackbusinesscanada #bohodecor #falldecorativepillows

Happy Monday friends! One emerging design trend with everything going on is bringing the outdoors in! This design is my personal inspiration to create a vibrant colour and pattern that reminds us of nature. The color green in home decor can add an earthy, grounded feel to any space and let's admit it, that feeling of just being grounded is a something to be pursued, especially at this time.... This green says FALL and it'll be perfect for the upcoming holidays! Find these listed on my website and etsy shop at batiquagifts! What home decor items are on your wishlist to make it more cozy at this time? I'd love to know! . . . . . #smallbusinessbc #femalefounder #founderlife #textiledesign #bossmom #makersgonnamake #makersmovement #makercommunity #instamaker #shopsmall #makersofinstagram #ethical #handmade #vancouverbusiness #blackownedbusiness #blackownedbrand #vancouversmallbusiness #vancouvershoplocal #vancouver #shoplocalvancouver #throwcushion #throwpillows #myhomevibe #textilelove #pillows #pillowdesign #fallpillows #interiordesign #homedecorating #holidaypillows

Every pillow is on a journey! The journey of hands, from when it is cut, to the drawing and painting. To the tailoring and packaging! The journey doesn't end when it gets into your hands, but rather it starts anew! This is the beauty with supporting #handmade products!... Love this picture of #batiqua pillows @insieme_house! I love always finding out where the products end up! Tag your post featuring any purchase with the hashtag #batiqua! . . . . #ethicallysourced #fairtrade #plantsmakepeoplehappy #blackownedbusiness #plantsofinstagram #femalefounder #jungalow #blackownedbrand #bohemianhome #apartmenttherapy #womenempowerment #livecolorfully #plantlady #styleithappy #womenentrepreneur #urbanjunglebloggers #myhousebeautiful #pillowlove #bohemianstyle #howyouhome #jungalow #thenewbohemians #mybohemianabode