Closing of Wise Daughters Craft Market

At the end of March, Wise Daughters Craft Market, in the Junction area of Toronto, closed after 5 years. For 3 years, I had the pleasure of selling my coin purses, glasses cases and magnet sets at this store, and found many wonderful gifts for friends and family. I even took some classes there. I'm sorry to see the store gone, and I'm sure it wasn't an easy decision for the owner. The space has been taken over by LaDeeBee, which will sell yarn and bead supplies and offer workshops. For now, I'm still selling at Jinks Art Factory and Artisans at Work.

New Store in East York

Last December, my local residents' association in East York partook in an initiative to fill empty storefronts with holiday pop-up shops. The end result being that there has been some rejuvenation in the area, including a new store and arts centre called Artisans at Work. It will be a place for artisans to create, market and sell their works, and also a place for classes, workshops and shows. My Zippster items are available at the store, which will be having a grand opening event soon. Stay tuned for pics and more info!

Craft show this week-end

It's been a while since I've participated in a craft show. This coming Saturday (July 21), I'll be at the Toronto Etsy Street Team Handmade Marketplace. This show features sellers from the Toronto Etsy Street Team, of which I am a member. The team works to promote fellow Toronto handmade crafters, artists, craft suppliers and vintage sellers.

See the list of vendors here.

The handmade scene in Toronto

Interesting article about the handmade craft scene in Toronto:
http://torontoist.com/2012/02/handmade-in-t-o/

Wise Daughters craft market celebrates three years

On Saturday, January 28th, Wise Daughters craft market in the Junction area of Toronto will celebrate its third birthday. This wonderful store carries unique and carefully hand made goods from local artists, including myself, and hosts workshops and other events. Proprietor Mary keeps the selection fresh and relevant to the needs of her customers. My Zippster coin purses and magnet sets sell rather well there, and I am grateful to Mary not only for the opportunity, but also for the attention she provides to vendors, which isn't always the case with consignment.

Between 1 - 5, Wise Daughters will be celebrating with complimentary treats, great giveaways and live music by The Measure, a 4-piece acoustic band. Drop by and take a look at the goods!

Crafty happenings this week-end

Lots of fun arts and crafty things going on this week-end!

There's the annual More than just a yardage sale at the Textile Museum, where I'll rummage through fabrics, beads, buttons, patterns and more!

But I also need to clear out my fabric stash so I can take anything I don't plan on using to the Spring Craft Supply Swap at Wise Daughters in the Junction on Sunday.

It's also Doors Open this week-end. This annual spring event is a great opportunity to visit some of Toronto's buildings which normally aren't open to the public. Good for photography and design inspiration.

100 Mile Finds now has e-commerce

100 Mile Finds, a website which allows you to locate local businesses for unique gifts and services, now has an e-commerce option, meaning you can purchase directly from the vendor. I've set it up for my
Zippster store. Not every vendor has enabled this feature yet, but I'm sure more will get on board soon. In the meanwhile, here are some of my picks for Toronto vendors:

Vintage Paper Parade: whimsical, stylish paper goods with a modern twist for children’s birthdays, baby and bridal showers.

Love, Poetry Corsets: specializing in one of a kind, hand made corsets, often using rescued, recycled, or vintage fabrics. Beautifully hand painted!

Dear Sukie: Handmade wallets made in small quantities using a variety of patterned papers and clear vinyl. Very cool, and reasonably priced.

Yes, it's time to start thinking about holiday gift shopping, so why not support local businesses!

Bazaar of the Bizarre show

This past Sunday I participated in the annual Bazaar of the Bizarre show, at the Pia Bouman School for Ballet and Creative Movement, in the Queen and Dufferin area. Despite the fact that it was a long week-end and a day when many were probably feasting on turkey, I was pleased with the turnout. It was a long day, but I'm happy with what I sold. I was very impressed with the quality and variety of goods, much more so than most shows I've done, and especially pleased to discover that the baked goods being sold by Bunner's were gluten-free - yay for tasty treats for me! I have two more shows lined up before Christmas, details to come soon.

New batch of coin purses

The other day I dropped off what may be my last batch of snap-frame coin purses at The Rage: the owner has announced that the store will be closing as of October 1st. This makes me sad, for several reasons. Not only is it a great store, but the positive feedback I received on my purses was a huge source of ego-boosting for me. Knowing that complete strangers liked what I made certainly helped improve my self-esteem, and making the items gave me a sense of purpose that a professional career doesn't always provide. I need to have a creative outlet in my life, and the store provided that for me. I'm really hoping that the business is purchased and continues, even if at a different location.


So, I am on the lookout for new retail opportunities to fill the gap. I've already contacted a few stores and hope to have something in place soon. If anyone has any suggestions, please contact me.

Zippster now at Fresh Collective

I'm very excited to announce that Fresh Collective on Queen West is now carrying my greeting cards and magnet sets! Fresh Collective is a designer-run store featuring lots of cool clothes, jewellery, accessories and even hip clothes for moms-to-be and wee ones.

T.E.S.T. Etsy shop for charity

In response to the devastating earthquake in Haiti, The Toronto Etsy Street Team has decided to open a collective Etsy shop. 100% of the sales will go to a charity. I donated one of my zippered pouches, and will add more items as they sell. There are other charity shops on Etsy, so next time you're looking for a gift, consider buying from one of these shops.

100 Mile Finds

Sometime last spring, I was approached at a craft sale by two women who were in the process of setting up a website which would promote local small businesses. I'm pleased to see that the site has launched, and I now have Zippster listed as a vendor. If you want to find a local business or service within 100 miles of your postal code, try 100 Mile Finds.

Craft show tips

During November, I've been a vendor at 3 different craft shows, all of them very different. Although there are more shows in December, I have other commitments and felt that it would have been impossible to do any more. But, to help out other Toronto crafters, I contributed a post on craft show tips on the Toronto Etsy Street Team blog. Good luck to my fellow crafters for the remainder of the 2009 Christmas craft show season!

Craft show this Saturday

My last craft show of the season is the Movies & Makers Art & Craft Show, this Saturday, 10-4 at the Fox Theatre in Toronto. The show is full of talented Toronto crafters. I love the Fox Theatre and am excited to see how the venu will be used for a craft show. Come drop by if you're in the neighbourhood!

My new favourite fabric store

Someone recently told me about the Toronto fabric e-tailer Tonic Living; after placing and quickly receiving my first order, they are now my favourite source for fabric. All of their prints are fantastic, and reasonably priced. They offer swatches, which are the perfect size for the little pouches and purses I make. Take a look - I've already used most of this fabric!

Buy my stuff at The Rage!

I am super excited to announce that some of my sewn wares are now available for sale at The Rage in Toronto's Kensington Market. The store features local designers and artists. Here's a selection of the new zippered pouches and coin purses I made for the store:




The store will also be carrying some of my greeting cards and pinback buttons. This is my first experience selling wholesale to a retail outlet, so this is a big deal to me. Thanks to Sarah for providing me with this amazing opportunity!

Spring Craft Show

I am pleased to announce that I will be a vendor at the Spring Handmade Market, Saturday May 16, at the Gladstone Hotel Ballroom, 1214 Queen Street West (at Dufferin). This show features Etsy sellers from the Toronto area. It's my first show of 2009, and my first in the downtown area - I'm very excited!


For a list of vendors, visit the event's website.