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20% discount for knowitall.ch readers on all items purchased before 31 March, 2015!

Are you tired of your wardrobe? Would you like to add more style and glamor to your outfits in 2015? If so, then Venus Secrets’ exclusive range of handcrafted jewelry and exquisite lingerie may be just what you need!

Established in 2013 by co-founder and co-owner, Gitana Girard, Venus Secrets offers two main product lines targeted at the “active modern woman” for whom style, quality, comfort, originality, elegance and sensuality are essential life choices: Venus Jewelry Secrets and Venus Lingerie Secrets.

Venus Jewelry Secrets (otherwise known on Facebook as Butterfly Kingdom by SB) is a unique range of luxury jewelry, which includes necklaces made of fox fur combined with ordinary or Swarowski crystals, as well as semi-precious stones and ceramics.  Providing extra warmth around the neck in winter, these unusual necklaces are particularly eye-catching and certain to draw the attention of family and friends. Indeed one client told us,

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Are you:

  • a collector?
  • looking for second-hand items?
  • excited when you get a good deal?
  • needing some new pieces of furniture?
  • looking for something Swiss?
  • interested in meeting new people?

Then why not sign-up to go “junking” with Lisa Cirieco-Ohlman, editor of Know-it-all passport and bargain-hunter extraordinaire? Junking is the term that Lisa affectionately calls her favorite pass-time/stress-reliever! She collects things that make her happy and she is especially proud when she gets a good bargain. Friends and clients that come to her home are are always amazed at the number and variety of things that she is able to find at bargain prices. Her collections are bought piece by piece but are now worth quite a lot, sometimes in monetary value and sometimes for sentimental reasons. Old furniture is given a new lease on life by refinishing or painting. Complete sets of dishes are used on special occasions - her fondue plates with Swiss scenes or sayings always bemuse her guests! Even baskets that have been tossed away look fabulous in her home after they have received a fresh coat of paint.

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Given the huge number of requests we receive to post Christmas events on our website, we have decided, again, to compile a list of Christmas markets for you, and add a few of our own recommendations as well.  This initial list includes just a few of the fairs coming up over the next couple of weeks - we will have many more to add over the coming days. If you have a favorite fair that you would like us to add, please send us an email with the details, including any flyers for us to post on our Events Calendar.

Christmas markets are a great place to go to get a flavor of the local customs and traditions of this region - and of course to buy unique, hand-crafted products to send as presents to your folks back home.  Most of the markets provide food stalls offering local delicacies, including of course a welcome glass of mulled wine (otherwise known as vin chaud or glühwein).  For the children, there are often many activities organized - and if they're lucky, Santa Claus may make a surprise visit!

Click on the name of the event to see more information on each listing. Since some of the information has been sourced from other websites, we recommend that you verify the time and location of any events that interest you before you set out – just in case the dates have changed.

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10% discount for knowitall.ch readers on purchases made before 14 December 2014 (see below for conditions).

A new online fabric and haberdashery store has just been launched in Switzerland.   

Set up by sewing enthusiast, Ana Olivera, Tissu & Co stocks a wide range of beautiful and stylish fabrics from some of the top brands in the world. The website also offers modern sewing patterns, sewing kits for beginners, and top quality sewing notions, many of which are difficult to source locally in Switzerland.  Product descriptions are currently available in both French and English, with German to be added shortly. 

Asked why she decided to set up a store in Switzerland, Ana told knowitall.ch, “I started sewing in my teens and by my mid twenties I was a very prolific sewist. However, I stopped for many years as my professional career and personal life became more demanding. A few years ago, I rediscovered my passion for sewing through the internet, sewing blogs and social media. But I quickly became frustrated as there were so many products that I just could not find where I live in Vaud, so I decided to create Tissu & Co!”

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Donate your back-of-the-closet, luxury footwear and handbags and help make a difference to the lives of children with learning differences and special educational needs.

ASK – All Special Kids, a non-profit association providing essential support for local families of children with learning differences and special educational needs, has just teamed up with the Rush Pop Up fashion store, to create a unique charity shopping event in Geneva.

Called Viva Vintage!, the special shoe and bag sale will take place at the Nest Gallery in Geneva on Thursday, 18 December from 17h to 21h.  In the days leading up to the event, both ASK and Rush are asking the general public to hand in once-loved, like-new luxury footware and handbags at various locations throughout Geneva. Click here to find a depot near you or contact event organizer and ASK board member, Cheryl Sanders, to arrange pick-up from your home or workplace.