Gotta Have It/Gotta Blog It: Forget the Party Dress

Despite The Cold, It's Time To Party

It's Arctic here. I'm not kidding. I've been hunkered down with the wood stove. 

My windows have ice on them.

Yesterday it was 0 in the morning.

Today, -6. Without the wind chill.

It was so cold yesterday that they had to close one of our ski mountains. It was -47f. What?

Personally, I think it's a perfectly good reason to invite some guests over, grab a mug, get some cocoa, get cozy and enjoy the company.

{If you're new to Mercantile Muse and the Gotta Have It/Gotta Blog It Link Party here's the scoop.  You probably already know about etsy (where we have a shop) and the handmade movement, the resurgence of everything vintage and the explosion of blogs by little peeps like me. Behind that movement are a gazillion creators, pickers, photographers and bloggers who run their own shops and blogs, competing against all the big guys who have gigantic marketing budgets. These little people don't and it's important to me to give these hardworking people a leg up on the big competition anyway I can.}

Now, for Pete's sake.....come on in and join the party.

sources:  winter art photograph via semisweetstudio; mugs via jessicahoward; gourmet hot cocoa via apropros roasters; handknit socks via dmtgun3

Remember, even if you don't own an etsy shop or online business and you don't blog, you are still invited to this party. It's a fun place to window shop and see what you might have been missing until now.

******If you're linking up your shop or blog, please read these guidelines before linking up.******

*If you like Mercantile Muse enough to link up, please follow too. There are plenty of ways in the sidebar.You'll also find me on Hellocotton.

*Don't link and run. Be kind and follow links others have left behind.

*Link once for your shop, once for you blog.

*You'll also find Bates Mercantile Co. here: facebook, pinterest, twitter, tumblr. I'd love to connect! 

*These parties can't be a success without your help. Can you share a link to the party? Blog, tweet, facebook, pin, share on any etsy teams? If you blog and are so inclined to grab a button (from Mercantile Muse button page) and feature it on your blog, that would be wicked awesome. Everyone is welcome -  tell your friends.  Thanks to all of you who did at the last party...it was the biggest and best ever! Totally rockin'.

*When you take part in the link up, you'll go on the Mercantile Muse mail list. {Correspondence will come from the address pbates at speakeasyinfo dot net.} I'll let you know when the next party is underway and about other happenings at the Muse.

*BY ALL MEANS,feel free to leave a comment. Tells a little more about you, your shop or blog. Need help to get started? 'What are you working on right now?

Time to get down! (If you're reading by email, click here to go to the party).

There's lots in the works on Mercantile Muse including a bookkeeping/accounting post from the Kate The Great aka Ms. Vintage from StoryTellersVintage. This girl is all about tracking and spreadsheets. She can't help it. It's what she did before she moved to the West coast to explore her more creative side.  I'll also be starting our artist's profile series soon and if you're like me and really enjoy learning the story behind things and the process, you'll want to be here for that.

I'm also diligently working on a redesign which I'm excited about. There is a lot more to do, but just getting stuck into the process makes me happy. I think you're going to like it. 

Thanks for stopping by and joining in the fun.  

Stay warm wherever you are, and if you're in the other hemisphere, stay cool.

Ciao for now,