My Christmas Gift List: Epicure

Three or four years ago I was chatting with a friend and she mentioned that she was having an Epicure Party. I admit it, I had no clue what she was talking about. She gave me a catalogue so that I could look at the variety of products that they offered. I was intrigued but reluctant to order something that I had never heard of. I started asking around and found out that several of my family members purchased this product monthly through an Epicure club that someone from their work was running.  Needless to say I stocked up myself for my holiday entertaining, but they also have lovely packages (right down to the reusable bag) that made gift giving very easy for me from then on.  My own little family loves the dip with the cheese, chives and bacon cooked in the baker but all of the cheese balls and topping have gone over really well at every event.  My children did find the pulled pork a bit too spicy for their taste, but my husband was happy to eat the extras. If you have not looked at an Epicure catalogue you have been missing out my friend.  Hurry and grab a few for yourselves and a couple of packages for gift giving.

My name is Trisha Burns and I started to sell Epicure products almost a year ago now as a way to earn extra income outside of my full time career as a Registered Veterinary Technician. I live with my husband and our 3 pets but are hoping to add to our family soon. I enjoy doing home tasting parties because I get to meet new people and spoil my hostesses!

I love that Epicure products are healthy for you by giving a low/no sodium, gluten and nut free alternative to store bought products. Epicure products allow me to be creative in cooking as all the products have so many uses.

We have several gift bundles available for gift giving this holiday season. The most popular by far is the Extraordinary Cheese Dip Collection with our baker (comes in white or aubergine). Our second most popular gift collection is our BLT dip that comes with a mini baker. I also offer Epicure gift certificates (must be redeemed through me to be valid).

My personal favorite items currently are the Chives and Bacon dip mix and the Onion Bacon Cheese ball. We use the Cheese Chive and Bacon mix in our eggs every morning. It also goes well on vegetables or made up as a dip for veggies or chips. The cheese ball is great as a cheeseball on crackers. I have it everyday as a snack!

Please feel free to contact me for any further details about any of our great products or cookware. I can be contacted through my website http://trishaburns.myepicure.com/ or find me on Facebook at Trisha Burns Independent Epicure Consultant. Make sure to like me on Facebook as I post our new specials and recipes. I currently am running a 12 days of Christmas sale offering gifts with purchases.

My Christmas Gift List: Trophy Wife Aprons

As you know I love all things vintage and rarely do I fall in love with something this cute and trendy. It does have the vintage vibe since it is an apron...but let me tell you...these are certainly not your Grandma's apron. Not mine anyway. They are so cute you will want to get one for all the women on your Christmas List. Emmanuella is a true artist with her sewing designs.

Hi everyone, my name is Emmanuella Koenig with Trophy-Wife Aprons.

I started to sew as a teenager on my mom's sewing machine. I bought my very first portable sewing machine at 21 years old. I felt like a queen with my new toy. I worked in an office up to few years ago and made all my clothes. Fabric was less costly then.

I have 2 sons which sometimes, as you know, can take-up quite a bit of my free time. I have the best husband in the world... sorry ladies, he is mine and all mine!

I love wearing aprons and because it was impossible to find nice ones out there, I decided to make my own. I am a perfectionist, so it my own aprons had to make me feel pretty. I bought an old Halloween costume pattern at Value Village last winter. It was a nurse uniform. I changed it, changed it and changed it some more until it became the aprons that I sell now.

I overlap 3 individual skirts to make my aprons. All of it is cut on the bias (sideway), so it takes "a lot" of fabric to make one. I buy my supplies at retail like all of you. One day, I will qualify to buy at wholesale, but for now this will have to do.

My husband came-up with the name Trophy-Wife Aprons.

I opened my Facebook fan page last January 10th 2013. I guess word-of-mouth took off faster than I expected. I now have over 7000 fans and still growing. I hope you all can visit it at www.facebook.com/TrophyWifeAprons.

Thank you for taking the time for reading my story.

I wish you all the very best for the Holiday Season.

Emmanuella XOXO

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My Christmas Gift List: Steeped Tea

One of the best parts of Christmas is the time spent with friends and family. Sometimes though, once the New Year rolls around we get wrapped back up in our little cocoons and don't seem to find the time to be social. That is the very reason I love this next gift. Not only is it very trendy right now because of its appearance on TV but also because it is a good hook to remind your friends and family to reconnect with you in the New Year. Imagine this if you will, your sister opens her lovely gift from Steeped Tea on Christmas and is thrilled by the thoughtful collection of teas and accessories. Here is the plus, when she puts the gift away when the tree comes down she is going to think of you. I see lots of post Christmas bonding opportunities with this product. Aside from the warm and fuzzy aspect of the gift it is truly an ideal gift for almost anyone on your list. Spend some time perusing Kareen's website and discover all the wonderful products her company has to offer. If you happen to host a Tea Party in the new year, give me a call...you know I have my own Tea Cup! Better still I think I will see if Kareen is camera shy and we can post a Tea Party from my studio!

My name is Kareen and I am an Independent Consultant with Steeped Tea.

Steeped Tea is a Canadian company offering top quality loose teas and accessories. All of our teas are ethically traded and we only partner with tea farms who are part of the Ethical Tea Partnership (equivalent of fair trade in the tea industry). We do not use any artificial flavours in our teas, only all natural flavours are used. With over 100 varieties of tea there is sure to be a new favourite for everyone! We offer everything from Matcha to naturally caffeine free Rooibos. We sell teas by making a connection with people over a cuppa tea, either at a tea party or small tasting session. Our business was recently (Sept 2012) featured on the TV show "The Dragon's Den" and has been growing steadily ever since. We are in the business of, not just selling tea, but connecting with people over a cuppa tea. We also offer the opportunity for people to build their own business, while still being able to raise their family. We hope to be able to help those around us by discovering their new favourite tea or offering them the opportunity to earn an income doing something they love.

I am a stay-at-home mom of a wonderful 5 year old and Steeped Tea has allowed me to build my business at my own pace and fits perfectly into our lifestyle!
Please visit my website at www.mysteepedtea.com/KareensTea"