Shop Local: Feeling beautiful with Sara Lindsay!

With wedding season getting into full swing now, I thought it would be a perfect time to feature one of my favourite shops: Sara Lindsay The Makeup Store, located at 3420 Hill Avenue, phone 306-347-7829. I first met Sara in 2012 when she had a small studio on Dewdney Avenue and she did my make-up for our daughter’s wedding. Although I will confess to being a little intimidated by her credentials when I first arrived, she immediately put me at ease with her friendly manner. I was so impressed by her professionalism and friendliness, not to mention the awesome job she did on my face, that I never forgot her. So, of course when she opened her shop on Hill Avenue a couple of years ago, I became a customer and now think of her as a friend. Whenever I have a special occasion, she’s my go-to gal. When I was recently nominated for a YWCA Women of Distinction award, Sara did my make-up for the Awards Gala and made me feel very beautiful. But Sara Lindsay The Makeup Store offers more than getting your makeup done! Sara offers makeup lessons as well for people of all ages. They also offer esthetics and lash extensions, and sell several lines of luxury cosmetics and hair products. Believe me, it’s beautiful stuff. For more information, you can find Sara Lindsay The Makeup Store online at:

Website  | Facebook  | Twitter  |  Instagram

Originally published in The Wine Cellar, June 2016.

Summer Fun with Niagara Mist

Niagara Mist has come out with 4 summer fun drink and dessert recipes to give you new ideas for enjoying your wine. We have shared them on Sarah's recipe blog to make is easy for you to find and try them anytime this summer.

Lemonade  |  Vanilla Mist Iced Tea  |  Misty Freeze  |  Fruity Winesicles

But the recipes are just the start of the fun. With 14 different Niagara Mist flavours to choose from, the possibilities are endless! Try your own twists on the recipes and send us your Niagara Mist Twist! If you happen upon a great combination, we would love to share it.

We will continue to share these recipes throughout June in celebration of summer and as if that wasn't enough, in honour of summer fun, ALL Niagara Mist kits are $5 OFF for the month of June! Come on in and let's get your summer fun started!

We have a building permit! A moving update.

Great news everyone! We have a Building Permit! Finally the construction plans can move full steam ahead.

We are so excited about this because it means we are on our way to being moved into our new location. One of the biggest reasons we are moving is to be able to serve you better. We will have more production capacity to make more of your wine!

Now that we are under construction, we will be sharing lots of pictures. Watch our progress on our blog, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Coming Soon! We're Moving this Summer!

Same great service, same great people, same great product!

Awesome NEW location!

2300 Dewdney Avenue

(corner of Dewdney & Lorne St.)

Shop Local: Serendipity, YUM!

Many of you know that I have Celiac Disease. It is a real challenge at times finding food that is gluten free and tastes delicious. Meet Kathryn Santha of Serendipity Gluten Free Catering.

The first time I ever tasted the deliciousness that is Serendipity’s baking was at Tasha’s Day Spa’s grand reopening where Tasha was serving mini cupcakes from Serendipity. When I bit into the cupcake, I almost spit it back out. Not because it was not tasty, but BECAUSE it was soooo tasty. I thought for sure that this could not be a gluten free cupcake and that I was about to get very sick. Not so. It was completely gluten free AND delicious. I could not believe what I was tasting!

Kathryn began her business as a catering business four years ago and opened her bakery at 910 11th Avenue on October 15. You can read more about her serendipitous path to where she is today on her website. She has quite a story. Serendipity is truly a family owned business. Kathryn’s mother, Tara, helps with the baking and cooking and her dad does the deliveries and maintenance.

Serendipity offers a daily luncheon menu as well as baking, featuring delicious soup and other things. You can also find their products at Café Drip, Dad’s Organic Market, The Diplomat and Rochdale Roca House. I really encourage you to check them out, even if you are not on a gluten free diet, because Serendipity offers delicious food which just happens to be gluten free.

Find them online: Website  | Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram

Originally published in The Wine Cellar May 2016.

Temporary Oak Pack Size Change

We have a Vineco announcement to share this month:

Please be advised that some of our kits will be changing from using one 30g Premium Oak packet to two 15g Premium Oak packets. This is a temporary packaging change only and does not have any effect on the kit or finished wine. This change will go into effect May 1 and we expect it to last approximately 6-8 months.

Our first visitors! A moving update.

Thought I’d post a bit of an update on our slower than molasses in the wintertime construction project.

We’re in the process of getting all of our permits in place and organizing the contractors. The progress is slow, but I do have a couple of pictures of some changes that are shaping up.

It all starts with the first thing you will see... the front entrance. It is just starting to look like something other than empty space but we promise you, it will be spectacular!


Next come walls which don't make for exciting pictures but walls are necessary. We hope to add as few walls as possible.

We are nowhere near ready to host visitors but a few have been arriving so we can put them to work!

Rick from Global Vintners dropped by to check out our new digs and Marty Happy of Happy Ad Sign & Design stopped in to discuss his plans for our new sign!

I'd tell you about that sign but it is still a surprise. The only thing I can say for sure is that you will find the new sign

this summer at 2300 Dewdney Avenue!

Thank you to everyone working with us to get ready for the move. We’re super excited to be able to share more pictures in the hopefully not too distant future.

Rick checks out our new digs while John and Marty Happy make plans for our new sign.

Shop Local: Tasha's Day Spa

Our shop local feature this month is Tasha’s Day Spa. They specialize in hair, laser, nails and aesthetics. I’ve known owner Tasha Freistadt for many years now. She truly encapsulates the young entrepreneur. She worked as an aesthetician at a couple of spas/clinics in town and then decided to go it on her own. She found a spot at 925 11th Avenue and I don’t think she’s ever looked back.

Because she is so good at what she does, and has a wonderful personality, her customers love her and come back over and over. When she started out she did only nails and aesthetics. But her hard work has enabled her to expand her business, in size and services! Tasha’s Day Spa now offers hair styling, as well as laser hair removal, in addition to all the other services.

The entire staff at Tasha’s has a commitment to great customer service, which I love (as you know). I encourage you to check them out at tashasdayspa.com or on Facebook.

Originally published in The Wine Cellar April 2016.