Sponsor Profile: Toronto Craft Alert

Who are you? Jen Anisef/Toronto Craft Alert

Where are you located? On the interweb: http://torontocraftalert.ca

What do you/your business/your product do?
We are an online (and occassionally offline) resource for the Toronto-area craft, DIY & design community. We spread gossip (the good kind) about craft-related happenings, shops, makers, supplies, sales, and pretty much anything anything crafty going down in Toronto. Also a space for the craft-inclined to connect with their kinsfolk!

What does your sponsorship for the show entail? We are a mouthpiece for City of Craft news developments - we spread the word about applications, volunteers, the big weekend, and related programming. We also provide free ad space for the event & some swag bag goodies. I personally shed loads of sweat & tears (no blood...yet) putting together the show itself as one of the co-organizers.


Whah will you have at the show? Do you have any special plans for your table/space? Our main purpose at the show is to connect with our readers and to cultivate new ones. We want to meet you guys and answer any questions you have about the project, hear your suggestions, and hear about what you do.

We definitely have a special plan: The Handmade Love Draw, where you can enter a ballot with your favourite object for sale at City of Craft 2009 under $100 and if your name is drawn, we'll buy it for you! You just need to come to our booth to enter and check the site on Monday Dec. 14 to see if you've won.

Why handmade? I think most people reading this blog will relate - there is a special energy that comes from using (be it aesthetically or practically) a handmade object that you just don't get from mass-produced goods. I was reading the gift guide in Metro a couple of days ago and everything was from Homesense and the like, and it was so hard to imagine choosing to give someone I care about something made by a machine. I do have faith that slowly the mainstream is catching on to the inherent value of buying handmade (and supporting a local, independent economy) & making stuff yourself...I hope we can play a part in spreading the good crafty word!


Are there any crafts you are especially tuned into at the moment? Learning shibori and other natural dyeing techniques is definitely on my to-do list. I am slowly buiding a database of textile patterns as I'd like to design some myself someday.