“Orange is the new black”
December 2, 2021
RC Bishop on B’dos becoming a Republic: “Excellent opportunity to build”
December 2, 2021
The Christmas Season is almost upon us! Whilst liturgically, Advent is not the preparation for Christmas, for many it is the real time when we start preparing for home care, self-care and gift giving for celebration of the season. This year is the second year in which we have to celebrate a low-key Christmas because of the pandemic and people have grown conscious of the many thriving small businesses in our communities.
The Catholic Church in Trinidad and Tobago is overflowing with female artisans. The small business owner has become a huge but silently unrecognised part of our congregation. In this period of synodality, I thought we should recognise some of our female Catholic artisans. I hope that you will support them and that the experiences they receive from this may be a prayer answered or a hope renewed.
If you are a Catholic female artisan, add this hashtag to your posts #craftycatholicwomentt so that we can find you and share your work on our Catholic News—for the women’s blog during the season.
Name: Chanoa Johnson
Business Name: Wdsnwldflwrs.com
Products : Shop edible, pressed and dried weeds and wildflowers, saved seeds, and botanical art.
What’s your top seller?
The 1oz, Fresh Organic and Edible Flower Mixes.
Why do you like doing this?
Putting together flower work starts from sowing the seeds sometimes long before. It’s science, it’s experimentation, and it brings me immense joy, and daily reminders of something I recently learned: Mathew 13:37–39
“The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man.
The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels”. I aim to share them in respect to the reminders they provide for me, that life is better with flowers, more beautiful; that the weeds exist despite of and rather
than to will them away; to let them and the wildflowers both grow until harvest, deal with them both accordingly and to stop and be present regardless.
Where can we find you to purchase your products?
Instagram: CLICK HERE
Online: Wdsnwldflwrs.com
WhatsApp: 8687865357 and at the House of Creative People in Atlantic Plaza
Name: Nicholette Humphrey-Nelson
Name: Nicholette Humphrey-NelsonBusiness: Nic’s Cakes
Parish: St Paul’s, Couva
Name Products: Custom cakes and toppers
What’s your top seller?
That’s a difficult question to answer. I create custom cakes, so I rarely do the same cake twice. My biggest seller would be a cake flavour, which is the simple vanilla sponge cake. I use the vanilla sponge cake frequently.
Why do you like doing this?
Creating custom cakes, and more recently toppers, provides me with an avenue to use my creativity. I have always liked being crafty, so being a cake decorator is a way that I can express myself. The icing on the cake for me is the happy expression on my clients’ faces after seeing their cakes for the first time.
Where can we find you to purchase your products?
I’m a home baker located in Couva. My niche is customised cakes and toppers, so you can’t simply walk in and pick up a cake or topper. I require at least one week’s lead time for cakes (small orders), one month (large orders) and three days lead time for toppers. Before I can get to work in the kitchen or my laptop, I consult with clients to ensure that I fulfil their needs. This takes time. Sometimes, it takes a day or two of communication before there is a final design for the cake. In the case of toppers, I send electronic mock-ups to clients so that they can verify the artwork before printing can begin.
Instagram: CLICK HERE
Facebook: CLICK HERE
Tel/Whatsapp: 714-7872
Name: Nikita Persad
Name: Nikita Persad Parish: Our Lady of Perpetual Help
Business Name: Kita Ideas & Services
Products: I bring people’s ideas to life all year round but it’s around Christmas time where my crafting skills get a real workout!
What is your top seller?
My very first item and best seller still is my one-of-a-kind, custom-made lit Christmas houses, made with both recycled and other materials.
Why do you like doing this?
Instead of purchasing a very expensive Christmas House I saw years ago in the store, my husband challenged me to make my own. (He knows his wife got skills ! ). After accepting that challenge and posting a side-by-side photo of my creation and the one in the store, the reviews from friends and relatives were astounding and very encouraging. People actually wanted to purchase my work.
I’ve always been artistic whether crafting, painting, drawings… so I decided to share my talents and vow to always make my work affordable and also work with people’s budget because Christmas doesn’t have to be expensive to be enjoyable.
Find me online!
Facebook: CLICK HERE
Instagram: CLICK HERE
