Thank You!

Thank you, Citizens, for another stellar year of handmade joy in Toronto. We were so incredibly amazed by the turn out in no less than a blizzard. You guys are amazing!

City of Craft will be sleeping for a bit as we get ready for an even more amazing 2014. See y'all then!

All photos by Becca Gilgan.

 

CraftLabs workshops at City of Craft!

Citizens! City of Craft is only two days away! I hope you've been following along on our Facebook page and enjoying the great portraits of our talented vendors, as well as the sneak peaks at the 100 swag bags that will be given away when City of Craft opens at 11:00 am.

But that's not all! Along with fantastic vendors selling unique handmade goods, cool art installations, and wonderful swag, City of Craft is once again holding some great FREE workshops at its CraftLabs! Amazing!

The workshops are taking place both days. Check out this great schedule!

 

Zine Workshop Saturday 12:30 pm

Did you always want to make a zine but didn’t know where to start? Well fear not because we are here to help! Artist and zine-maker extraordinaire Marta Chudolinska will give a short talk about the history of zines and will show you 3 easy book binding methods so that you can start your own independent publishing.

Marta Chudolinska (pronounced who-doh-lean-ska) is a printmaker, draw-er and zinester fascinated by the mystical narrative potential of images.

Paper Marbling Sunday 3:00 pm

The OCAD U Student Press will be on hand to show you how to delicately swirl water and special inks to create beautiful and mesmerizing marble patterns on paper. Paper marbling is perfect for great for stationary, book covers or cards.

The OCAD U Student Press prints and publishes the Shift series and Rivet, a biannual publication. The press also facilitates hands-on workshops for students and organize Function, a series of art and design talks. 

Geometric Paper Ornaments Saturday 2:00 pm | Sunday 2:30 pm

Using basic shapes and geometry you can create easy and striking ornaments for your tree or your pad.  Workshop participants will decorate paper templates and then cut and fold them into beautiful 3D paper decorations.

Marta Ryczko is a graphic designer, illustrator and zine-maker. She is currently designing one poster a day, for 1000 days.

Beginners Bookbinding Sunday 1:30 pm

Let the amazing Shannon Gerard teach you how to sew a book using the pamphlet stitch method, and then kick it up a notch and make a book using buttonhole binding. Perfect for those who are itching to make a homemade gift!

Shannon Gerard is a dork, dreamer and discerning bibliophile. She is a lady of many talents and is involved with many different projects, including the Carl Wagan Book Mobile, Mountain School Bookhouse and The Book Bakery.

Don't these sound great? So be sure to come out to City of Craft this weekend to buy craft and make crafts!

Special thanks and warm fuzzies to Marta Ryczko, this year's CraftLab Coordinator! (She did the pretty art images in above too.)

Weekend Craft Crawl.

Greetings, Citizens,

Just popping in to share this excellent map to help you get the most out of your crafty weekend. You can click on it to get a larger version.

This now means that there is no reason NOT to buy handmade this holiday season.

Go to!

Volunteer for City of Craft 2013!

 Photo: Becca Gilgan  Backdrop & props: Have & Hold Design (April 2013)

Greetings Citizens!!! Michelle here. Things are ramping up at City of Craft and in my capacity
as Volunteer Coordinator, I'm looking for a few dozen craft-lovin' people to help out at one of Toronto's most fun craft events.

Volunteers are a valuable component of the City of Craft weekend. Some of the tasks volunteers take on include:
- setting up and tearing down tables/chairs
- handing out swag bags at the door
- taking admission
- selling official CoC merchandise
- helping out vendors by watching over their tables when they need a washroom/food break
- being generally helpful, friendly and welcoming to City of Craft

It's easy work at a fun event! In exchange, volunteers get the chance to meet nice, creative people in Toronto's craft community (and beyond) and be a part of one of the city's awesome indie craft shows. In addition, City of Craft loves and appreciates its volunteers and will thank them with goodies. I've said it before and I'll say it again: It's win-win!

To be a volunteer, you must:
- be able to commit to a minimum 3 hour shift during the event (though you are welcome to sign up for more!)
- be a human being 

Interested? Of course you are! So send a quick e-mail to cocvolunteer[AT]gmail[DOT]com and be sure to mark CoC down in your calendar - December 14 & 15, 2013 at The Theatre Centre (1087 Queen Street West).

In a few days, those who have written to us about their interest will receive an e-mail from me with instructions on how to sign up for a shift (or two) as well as other important info. 

Thanks Citizens!

Stay crafty,
Michelle
CoC Volunteer Coordinator

2013 Applications Extended. New Deadline: September 5.

Applications Extended for City of Craft 2013
New Deadline: September 5th at Midnight EST

Greetings, Citizens.

As a good handful of you have noticed, our application form has been having some problems this year. And while this is only affecting a small percentage of applicants, it is starting to cause some mild panic as our original deadline draws closer. So, In the name of alleviating undue stress and trying to get some technical friends to continue to work on the problem through the weekend, we are adding another five days to our application call this year.

If you continue to have issues over the next three days, please hold tight. We have some buddies working on it and are steadily trying to work our way through all the current submissions and emails we have in queue.

Thank you all so much for your patience and for the amazing applications that are coming in!

All application information and the form can be found here.

City of Craft 2013
December 14 & 15, 2013
Saturday 11:00am-6:00pm
Sunday 11:00am-5:00pm
$2 Admission
Children under 12 FREE

The Theatre Centre
1087 Queen Street West

APPLICATION DEADLINE: Thursday, September 5, 2013, MIDNIGHT EST

All 2013 Artwork by Selena Wong.

Winter 2013 Applications Now Open.

Citizens! The time has come!

Applications are now open for City of Craft 2013 to be held December 14 & 15, 2013 in Toronto.

Interested parties are advised to make their way on down to the application page where they can find the all-important application FAQ (a must read for all applicants) and the web-based submission form.

The deadline to apply is August 31, 2013 at Midnight EST.

Some cool tips:
1.Watch your images sizes. Big images are the #1 thing that makes the form crash.
2. Why delay? Apply today!

Get on it, guys! We can't wait to see what you have been making.

2013 Applications open on Friday!

Citizens,

August is just around the corner, and you all know what that means. City of Craft winter applications are just about to drop!

Applications will open this Friday, August 2nd, 2013 and will remain open through the month of August.

While we all toil behind the scenes to get the apps ready, please feel free to fill the hours by perusing all of our new artwork and our redesigned website courtesy of the inimitable Selena Wong.

Happy Crafting!

Winter in July...

Greetings, Citizens.

Since spring, City of Craft has been in its cyclical post-show slumber. Now, as we enter the dog days of summer, it is time to reawaken and get the wheels rolling for winter.

Our December applications are not quite open yet but will be by August 1st and will remain open, as usual, until August 31.

But before then, those of you checking in online will start to notice changes around here. Even with the mercury rising outside, we will be giving the website a make-over with a beautiful cast of wintery characters courtesy of our Winter 2013 designer, Selena Wong. Get ready, citizens! Hopefully these chilly images will bring some cool to these hot summer days.

Falconwright Summer Sale.

Greetings summer citizens,

Just popping in to give a shout-out to some City of Craft family members who are having an awesome sale that ends tonight! Our buddies at Falconwright are offering 40% off everything currently in their store. Just head on over to their website and enter the cool code above. So get on over there by midnight and stock up!

Call for Participants: Zine Dream 6.

Citizens, it is time once again to start dreaming your self-published dreams again. We just got word that their call for applications is now live. Zine Dream is a fantastic event reminiscent of a lot of the fair and shows that spawned City of Craft. You get a smallish table, fees are utterly affordable and the whole day has a wonderfully social vibe.

Got a we book you have been dying to make? Small crafts in your head that want to get out? Now is the time!

Zine Dream 6 is happening August 4 and applications are open until June 28th. Get on it!

More details can be found on their website and the application form is here.

Not "Goodbye" but "See you around!": A Tribute to Nathalie-Roze & Co. (Also, DEALS!)

Have you heard the news? Indie retailer and eco-designer Nathalie-Roze has announced that she is closing up her beloved Leslieville bricks-and-mortar shop and moving online later this month. This means that until May 13th - the last day that the store is open - almost everything in the shop is 20-50% off. Included in the sale are fabric, notions, and craft supplies, most of which are under $10! You have 10 days to get in there, give Nathalie-Roze and her extraordinary staff a great big hug, and stock up for Spring.

1015 Queen St. East (at Pape)

Now that all the details are outta the way, allow me to get personal for a minute. Nathalie-Roze & Co. is more than a local clothing and accessories boutique. Over the years, this woman has done so much to inspire and enable crafters, designers, and small businesses to grow and flourish all over the city. By organizing  events like the hugely popular UBERswap and Crafternoon Tea, she has put shoppers and designers in the same room and turned the act of buying a new (or new to you, anyway) dress a meaningful and memorable experience. For instance, one of my fondest memories of being in her shop was a couple summers ago during their Anniversary Sale: sipping pink lemonade and browsing the racks, I fell in love with a dress by Melow and a belt that matched perfectly by Embody. I tried the dress on and Nathalie-Roze said it looked great. And when Nathalie-Roze tells you something looks great, you trust her, because she is incredibly honest about that type of thing (I can't tell you the number of times she has taken one look at me upon exiting a change room and said, "It's too big, Kalpna, take it off.").  However, the belt I wanted so badly did not fit and as I stood there holding it against the dress, lamenting the incredible, independent and locally-made outfit that was just not meant to be, Tara White - designer and owner of Embody, the maker of this very belt - also sipping pink lemonade, tapped me on the shoulder and asked me how she could help. Where else does this kind of interaction happen??? This is the kind of experience and community vibe Nathalie-Roze & Co. offered. Everyday. For the past seven years. We altered the belt, and this is still my favourite outfit.

Sad as I am to see the shop go (it was the reason this west-ender crossed the Don, and the reason so many people discovered Leslieville), I'm excited for everything else Nathalie-Roze has planned. Without the demands of running a bricks-and-mortar shop, who knows what other greatness this woman will get up to?! With more entrepreneurial and small-business know-how in her baby finger than most institutions of higher learning, Nathalie-Roze is truly a creative and inspirational  force in Toronto, and I know the City of Craft community will follow her online, in print, and wherever else she goes. Thank you, Nathalie-Roze, and see you around. xo

From Maker to Making a Living (May 7-21, 2013).

This just in from our friend Jacqueline at SOAK Wash (pictured on the right above) - she is hosting another in her series of crafty business workshops, From Maker to Making a Living, throughout the month of May. Jacqueline is a wonderfully thoughtful businesswoman and very adept at many facets of marketing and business structuring. Having her brains on hand for picking would serve any independent start-up or hopeful.

From Maker to Making a Living is a workshop series designed to guide craftspeople through the process of understanding, designing and building their individual businesses. Led by maker and award winning business leader Jacqueline Sava, attendees will be guided through an eight-part series of lectures, exercises and activities focused on the development of their own craft-based business practices. 

The knowledge and skills obtained in these workshops will allow makers to successfully balance their personal craft philosophies with the realities of marketing, selling and profiting from their businesses. At the end of the workshop series, each craftsperson will have a custom plan to ensure a successful transition from where they are to where they want to be, and balance their personal craft philosophy with the realities of marketing, selling and profiting from business.

From Maker to Making a Living

Next Toronto Workshop: Tues/ Thurs May 7, 9, 14, 16, 21

Registration on the Soak site:

http://www.soakwash.com/workshops/maker-to-making-a-living-workshop.html

Feminist Zine Making Symposium (April 25-27, 2013).

As you may or may not know, many of City of Craft's earliest vendors, founders and inspirations have deep roots in both the zine scene and myriad feminist movements. Although this may not always be overtly obvious as the show evolves, we would not be much without our solid grounding in these spheres. That is why the She Said Boom Feminist Zine Making Symposium is such and exciting happening, especially as the craft scene seems to feel increasingly adrift in a sea of commercial competition. And it doesn't hurt that so many of our past and present collaborators are involved!

It is coming up this weekend, too! Full listings can be found here. To read a more thoughtful, poetic and personal run-down of the event, check out record holder for most-jobs-at-City-of-Craft-ever, Tara Bursey's, blog post on the subject.

Spring Photo Booth Images Online Now.

Hey, Citizens!

The images from the spring photo booth are now online! Go check 'em out at Have & Hold Design. Big thanks to stylist and prop-designer, Samantha Dubeau and photograpger, Becca Gilgan, for making the booth such a splendid part of our spring event!

Thank You!

Photo by Serena McCarroll

Thank you so much, Toronto, for braving some truly awful last-splash-of-winter weather and making our second annual City of Craft Spring such a fantastic day! What a day! What a crowd! What a rush!

Big ups also go to our entire staff - our designer, Kirsten McCrea; our publications manager, Arounna Khounnoraj; our maven of decor (and other things), Kalpna Patel; our volunteer coordinator, Michelle Renaud; our master of music, Mark Andrada; our prodigal co-founder, Leah Buckareff; and all the volunteers who helped run, decorate and tidy up the event.

I'd also like to thank Trinity St. Paul's United Church for being such a lovely venue with a staff full of truly community-oriented, friendly and helpful staff.

Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!

See you all in the winter,

Becky

Ring Leader

City of Craft

Spring Photo Booth Preview.

As the minutes, hours and days count down to our big spring show we are happy to bring you a little stream of previews to get y'all super excited. Above is a preview of the spring back drop for our ever-popular photo booth by Have & Hold Design. Ever a stickler for details, Sam has also promised us all-new thematically-inspired spring props for lucky visitors to pose with. Even we don't know what she's cooking up! But we do know that she is a photo booth pro. What's more? It's free for all attendees!

And if all that is not enough, the photographer for this show's booth is the talented and wonderful Becca Gilgan, a very good friend of City of Craft. What could be better?

Sakura Spring.

Above is a little preview of the spring decor planned by our ever-beguiling maven of decorations and head thug, Kalpna Patel.

Last year, Kalpna filled the Trinity St Paul's gymnasium with April showers but this year they seem to have given way to May flowers by way of hundreds of delicate paper sakura blossoms. You'll just have to come out Saturday to see it all yourself!

For more wee previews of all sorts, feel free to follow us on twitter.

Who else is getting stoked?

Spring 2013 Look Book.

With City of Craft's second annual spring show just around the corner (Saturday, in fact), it is time to release our spring Look Book. Take a gander, browse a sampling of our vendors' work and start strategizing your weekend!

Huge thanks to Arounna Khounnoraj for doing the design, concept and layout and to Kirsten McCrea for her design for all of our spring materials. Now, get flippin' through those pages!

One More Week!

Just one more week until the big spring show. Can't wait? Why not start perusing our preview board on Pinterest?

Oh, and that poster? Designed by the ever-talented Kirsten McCrea.

At City of Craft, the volunteers are YOU!

 

 (Gorgeous art work by Kirsten McCrea)

Happy spring crafty citizens! (Just ignore that freezing rain outside and hopefully it will go away!)

I feel like almost every time I post here, I am asking for something, but I guess such is the role of the Volunteer Coordinator.  So here is my semi-annual call for volunteers!

Volunteers are a super important to City of Craft and helping out at a CoC event is a fun way to support Toronto's awesome craft community. The spring show is Saturday, April 20 from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm and we're looking for volunteers to help out in the following ways:

• setting up and tearing down tables/chairs before and after the show
• helping put up some amazing decorations
• taking admission
• helping out vendors by watching over their tables when they need a washroom/food break
• being generally helpful, friendly and welcoming to the City of Craft

So easy! In exchange, volunteers get the chance to be part of a fun creative event and meet great people in Toronto's craft community (and beyond). This is my fifth show as Volunteer Coordinator and I can assure that it's always a great time!

So if you have approximately 3 hours to spare on April 20, send a short e-mail to cityofcraft[AT]gmail[DOT]com and be sure to mark CoC down in your calendar. I'll be in touch with volunteers soon to tell them how they can get on the schedule and other helpful information.

Thanks and see you at City of Craft!
-Michelle
CoC Volunteer Coordinator

Poster Power.

Just a little teaser from the good folks at Kid Icarus who are currently hard at work printing the posters for our upcoming spring show.

The posters are design by Kirsten McCrea and are...pretty outstanding. You'll see.

Announcing City of Craft Spring 2013!

Photo of City of Craft Spring 2012 by Serena McCarroll

Citizens,

We are pleased as punch to announce our triumphant return to Trinity St. Paul's United Church for another City of Craft Spring. After last year's crazy success, we booked a 2013 date immediately and have been working on details ever since.

So mark you calendars for Saturday, April 20, 2013 and get ready for a day of crafts, rummage, supplies, music, and merriment. Kalpna already has big plans for the decor.

For our spring show there will be no general call for applications. Instead, we have offered space to everyone left on the waiting list for our winter show (with a few spaces set aside for staff, naturally). This is incredibly exciting for all of us as it may well make this our show with the most new vendors since we began running events in 2007. And it marks the return of City of Craft's most prodigal daughter, Leah Buckareff, who left us for the bright lights of Berlin years ago. So exciting!

If you want to start easing yourself into excitement, feel free to check out or growing vendor page and Pinterest board. These will be filling up steadily as vendors are booked and confirmed.

Hooray for spring!

PS - There will be a call for youth vendors 14 years of age and under opening up early next week. It will be run as an open call and then lottery (judgment free, yo). Stay tuned for more info on that in the coming days.

Love & Rummage Trunk Show 5 (February 10, 2013).