We built this City (of Craft) on Volunteers!

 Photo by Serena McCarroll

Greetings crafty citizens,

Do you love City of Craft? Of course you do! Do you wish you could be a part of such an amazing craft event? Absolutely! And you totally can!

Volunteers are a super important to City of Craft and helping out at our show is a fun way to support Toronto's awesome craft community. The spring show is Saturday, April 26 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
• taking admission
• helping out vendors by watching over their tables when they need a washroom/food break
• helping put up decorations and signs
• 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).

So if you have 3 hours to spare on April 26, send a short e-mail to cocvolunteer{AT}gmail{DOT}com and be sure to put the date down in your calendar. I'll be in touch with volunteers 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

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

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

Volunteer for City of Craft 2012!

Hello!!! Michelle here - City of Craft's Volunteer Coordinator on the search for a few dozen crafty citizens to help out at the fast approaching City of Craft!  
Volunteers are a valuable component to 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 getting them change or watching over their tables when they need a washroom/food break
- being generally helpful, friendly and welcoming to the City of Craft

It's easy work at a fun event! In exchange, volunteers get the chance to meet neat, 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. 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're welcome to sign up for more!)
- be a human being 

Interested? Of course you are! So send a quick e-mail to cityofcraft[AT]gmail[DOT]com and be sure to mark CoC down in your calendar - December 8 & 9, 2012 at The Theatre Centre & beyond (1087, 1093 & 1095 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

Photo Above by Have & Hold Design / Sara Wilde Photography

Spring Show Needs Volunteers!

Happy spring crafty citizens! I must say I'm pretty excited to be making a call for volunteers so early in 2012, thanks to CoC's first big spring show.

As I'm sure you can guess, 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 21 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
• 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
  

It's really that 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). As always, City of Craft shows its appreciation to its volunteers by thanking them with great (and sometimes limited edition) swag. It's win-win!

So if you have 2 to 3 hours to spare on April 21, send a short e-mail to cityofcraft[AT]gmail[DOT]com and be sure to mark CoC down in your calendar. Here's the event page on Facebook so you can get all main the info right away.

Next week, we'll send out an e-mail to volunteers to ask about their scheduling preferences.

Thanks Citizens!

Stay crafty,
Michelle
Volunteer Coordinator

Call for Volunteers: City of Craft wants you!

Craft You Day Job punch cards by Old Weston. Photo by Karyn Valino.

Hi! Michelle here - City of Craft's Volunteer Coordinator. I took on this role a couple of weeks before City of Craft 2010 and am happily doing it again this year. It's a pretty easy job because City of Craft volunteers (like all CoC Citizens) are generally amazing and a lot of fun to work with. And since it's clear to me that CoC blog readers are also amazing and fun, City of Craft is inviting you to join the roster of volunteers for the 2011 show. Huzzah!

Volunteers are a key component to City of Craft and help out during the event itself, which as you know is December 10 & 11, 2011. 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 getting them change or watching over their tables when they need a washroom/food break
- being generally helpful, friendly and welcoming to the City of Craft

We also sometimes ask for volunteers in the weeks leading up to the event to help with making decorations, signage, etc.

It's really that easy! In exchange, volunteers get the chance to meet neat, creative people in Toronto's craft community (and beyond) and be a part of one of the city's biggest indie craft shows. And it's important to know City of Craft loves and appreciates its volunteers and will thank them with amazing (and sometimes limited edition) swag. 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're welcome to sign up for more!)
- be a human being

Interested? Of course you are! So send a quick e-mail to cityofcraft[AT]gmail[DOT]com and be sure to mark CoC down in your calendar. If you use Facebook to keep track of your schedule (I can't be the only one who does), here's the event page.

Once we have a critical mass of names, we'll send out an e-mail with more information and start asking volunteers about their scheduling preferences. If you've sent an e-mail in the last few months indicating you'd like to volunteer, you are already on the list! Good for you!

Thanks Citizens!

Stay crafty,
Michelle

For Vendors and Volunteers.

Becky and I discussed making badges for vendors, and volunteers, so that they would be easily recognizable at the show [and maybe also so we'd all have something fun to wear together]. I knew I wanted to make horse-show-winner style badges, due to two sources of inspiration:
my friend amanda's birthday ribbons, and also the giant ribbon made for me by my friend Cara, for my kentucky derby themed surprise birthday party this year [yes, I have amazing friends!].

So here are a few finished ones, and the heap of ruffles and snipped ribbons waiting to be assembled. do you really, really want one? We are still looking for a few good volunteers for Sunday, drop Becky a line at cityofcraft@gmail.com , and you too, can feel like a show pony!

City of Craft Volunteers rewarded with Spores.

Spores of North-Central Estonia by Leah Buckareff of the Coldsnap Bindery

City of Craft Co-founder, Leah, is far away across the ocean these days but she still remains very much involved with the event - through logistics planning, moral support and, in this case, donations of hand crafted goods (she also has pieces in both Love & Money and For Keeps).

These pinback buttons, faithful non-toxic reproductions of Eastern European scourge-spores, were sent to us direct from Berlin with the express purpose of being used to reward volunteers at the show for their incredible donation of time and enthusiasm. That means the only way to acquire one of these hand-embroidered (and hand painted?) specimens is to lay some of your time down on the line next weekend at the show. And guess what, you are in luck! We still have a few spots to fill. If you would like to volunteer for a shift (2 hours to a million hours, you choose), just email us at cityofcraft at gmail dot com and you will be swiftly connect with our Volunteer Coordinator, Michelle.

Note: Our volunteer staff also get these, so panic not curators, programmers, printers and thugs.

Volunteer with us!

Handmade homesteader, or lonestar craft cowboy, you’re on call to join us on the radical-craft frontier to build this City!

Fear not, folks… this is no one-horse town! Put your hands on one of many plum roles:

All Around Town Heros- for vendor support and random acts of craft-kindness in the welcome department
Barn-raisers and Barn-burners- to put it all up and tear it all down
Sassy School Marms- to help out with our Craft Lab and spread the education word
Art Herders - to watch over installations and make sure they stay intact*
Décor Do-gooders- to make the place real pretty
Rangers- to spread the word to the outside world
Sheriff- strong-armed lovers to keep the peace and move tables

*special skill requests: hand-sewing/garment construction & tech savvyness

Camp out with us over the weekend, create happy trails, and meet amazin’ crafty-folks!
For more information and detailed descriptions of volunteer roles, email volunteer@cityofcraft.com

Shifts available throughout the event (9am-6pm Saturday, 11am to 7pm Sunday)

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CITY OF CRAFT 2009
December 12 &13
Queen West & Dovercourt
A celebration of all things crafty in Toronto
http://cityofcraft.com
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