A Spring Handmade Market - Saturday May 16/09

Saturday was fantastic!!!

It was a thrill to meet all the Etsy artists and see their creations in person. What an amazing, talented group of women. Everyone's table looked great. Pure eye candy!

Despite the somewhat rainy weather, loads of shoppers streamed in throughout the day to check out A Spring Handmade Market. There was a great energy in the Ballroom at The Gladstone.

I felt a little sad closing the doors at 4pm as shoppers were still coming in, but excited by the success of the day. Meeting this group of Etsy shop owners was inspiring and I hope to be able to get together again, really soon!

Here are some photos I uploaded to Flickr .

I had a lot of fun planning this Market. I'm going to take a breather for awhile, get back to my Etsy shop but I'll be back to plan another Handmade Market....soon :)

Danielle Wright - Stitchface

Eco-friendly plush animal friends by Danielle Wright - Stitchface

1.) What do you enjoy most about having an Etsy shop?
There are sooo many things I love about having an Etsy shop that it's painful to just choose one!!! If I have to choose, I'd say that connecting with so many wonderful and crafty people from all over the world is the best. The people who buy and sell on the site are so friendly and helpful and it's such a wonderful community to be a part of.

2.) How did you come up with your shop name?
My shop is named after my favorite part of the process of making my plush animals. Stitching on their faces is part that makes me giggle to myself because that's where each animal really gets their own unique personality.

3.) What is your inspiration as an artist/designer?
I'm inspired by all things cute- I'm a huge kwaii fan and I also really love North American folk art. I'm also inspired by each piece of fabric I find and try to bring out the personality hiding within it when I sew.

4.) Can you tell us a bit about your background as an artist/designer/crafter?
I'm a mostly self-taught crafter. I've taken classes in drawing and jewelry making, but I learned to sew on my own. Sewing and I fell madly in love and hopefully will be together a long time.

5.) Tell me a bit about your creative process.
I make all of my pieces with an aim to make them cute and eco friendly. I like that my work makes you feel good not only because they are sweet to look at but because they are kind to the earth too. I make all my creations with second hand fabrics, thrift store finds and recycled materials. I also love making things from thrift store finds because each piece ends up being unique; because I'm limited in the amount of fabric I have, I can only make so many of each item. There are so many mass produced things out there so I feel really good that each of my items is different and one of a kind.

6.) What are your plans for the rest of the year?
Hmmmm... I have no grand schemes planned yet. I'd really like to buy a new bike for summer Toronto exploring. I'm new to Toronto and am so excited for the show to meet the crafty people of my new city and hope to be involved in many more!

Visit Danielle at A Spring Handmade Market on Saturday May 16th or at her Etsy shop - Stitchface

Irene Wu-Lau - Dear Ms

Introducing jewelry designer Irene Wu-Lau, Dear Ms

1.) What do you enjoy most about having an Etsy shop?
The shop provides me an opportunity to do what I like best and be able to share with others who also enjoy handmade goods.

2.) How did you come up with your shop name?
The name of the store evolved from my secret desire to own a little boutique! I would love to own a shop that has hand made goods that all girls would love! And when people visit or purchase, I would send a note to that person to thank them for coming in and spending time! I would start the note as " Dear Ms....” The store would be small, pretty and intimate, which would give me a chance to meet more people and get to know them and find out what their likes and dislikes are! And of course... my dog Sam would be in the store and be the official greeter!

3.) What is your inspiration as an artist/designer?
My inspiration comes from my love of clean, classical and simple looks in everything from furniture, houses, clothes, etc. I find that I always gravitate towards simple looks and I try to keep my pieces like this. For my hand stamping items, I really am influenced by family and friends. I love that pieces can be worn and reflect people's personal words, their love for others and their individuality.

4.) Can you tell us a bit about your background as an artist/designer/crafter?
I started hand-stamping silver by accident. I purchased my first set of steel letters used through EBay and thought what the heck! I played around a lot trying to perfect the technique. After awhile, my girlfriends asked me to stamp pieces for gifts, weddings, etc and it then just took off! I self taught myself re: hand stamping, wire techniques, etc. I have no formal background in design, but I think I'm doing pretty well!

5.) Tell me a bit about your creative process.
My creative process is based on trial and error. I will think of an idea and will draw it out. If it looks pretty good, then I'll just do it! Since I am self-described perfectionist, I'll keep making changes until I'm happy. I'm influenced by things I see around me and what the current "hot" trends are. But, I really try to avoid being "trendy". I try to stick with what works and what looks good. If I make mistakes along the way, its just part of the creative process!

6.) What are your plans for the rest of the year?
Keep doing what works and figure out what else works well! I also want to challenge myself and think out of the box with some new pieces, but still keeping in line with clean and simple looks. We'll see what happens! I am also hoping to use my hand stamping techniques and pieces to benefit some animal charities. Since I rescued our first dog and adopted our second, I would like to give back to the agencies that helped me find the best dogs in the world! I have to do some research about how to facilitate this, but I am hoping to make this happen!

Visit Irene at A Spring Handmade Market this Saturday or on her Etsy shop