Santa's Toronto Gift Guide

There's a lot of people seeking gifts this time of year. Hanukkah has already started. Christmas is only three weeks away. As we approach the winter solstice, there are many festivals being celebrated. Buying handmade, or vintage gifts is a great way to have a lower impact with your gift giving - and that's where etsy comes in. But if you're seeking to help Santa Claus find the perfect gift, how do you make sure it get there in time to be under the tree? Buy local, of course! We have almost eighty shops now on the Toronto Etsy Street Team. We thought we'd offer a taste of what's on offer from Toronto sellers - starting with the gifts for little ones. (We're going to follow up with a Naughty & Nice Gift Guide, because adults like Christmas too, so stay tuned).

You little one can stay cozy and warm with a huggable Blinky Blue the Hot Water Bottle Cover by Bellie Friends


What's more huggable than bacon? Get the Surprised Bacon Pillow by quacked





Cool and eco-friendly, get the Girls' Lightning Screenprint Upcycled Denim Dress - 3T for the little girl on your list.




Older girls might enjoy the Kawaii Light Blue/Green Sparkly Glitter Laser Cut Acrylic Layered Penguin Pendant with swarovski crystals cute happy japanese anime style by kumacraft


Children's rooms call out for whimsical art like the Limited Edition Archival Print of Original Mixed Media Painting by Piperinapeartree



Babies need a Sock Monkey Minky Baby Blanket by saritababy and this is the LAST ONE





Have you noticed all the kids are wearing animal hats? Bet you haven't seen a koala. Let your kid be the original with the Koala Hat - Large - Earflap Hat by GoodYarns



A great, fun, notebook, sketchbook or diary for an older child is the Large Notebook - Creatures by Papermuse Designs




For the little Blythe collector: One-piece wrap dress for Blythe by kltrocks





For the practical parent with stylish baby - So Rad Long Sleeved Kimono Bumdershirts by sorad





Check out the fun rings for girls, like the Hostess Cupcake Ring by candychick





ClaraClips has all sorts of adorable accessories and toys for the little ones, like these Wool Felt Baby Owl Booties




Check out this great stocking-stuffer for the little girls: custom order children's bracelets by Bullasursum

T.E.S.T. Interview: J'Anns Boutique

We hope to introduce you to all the great etsy sellers to be found right here in Toronto. Here at the T.E.S.T. blog, we plan to interview them all. This is the tenth in our series, an interview with Jody-Ann (J'Ann) of JAnnsBoutique.

Your Etsy profile refers to your obsession with vintage purses. Give a bit more detail on that - how long has it been going on?!

I believe my etsy store J'Anns Boutique is a glimpse of my experiences as a child. My obsession (healthy love) of vintage purses comes from my childhood days of playing dress up with my mom’s accessories. Stomping around in her patent pumps, lips covered in her classic red lipstick, beaded necklace a must, and clip on earrings to match…

Then there was the purse, ever so neatly tucked between my little elbow fold, providing the grace and poise I needed to make my fantasy of adulthood complete. My mom was (and still is) the DIY dressmaker in our family (too bad her daughter missed the sewing gene), and always had magazines with patterns and outlines of various outfits being modeled around the house. I was always fascinated by the purses the models carried and just how elegant it made them look. So it is only natural that I am still fascinated today by the handbags of yesteryear. However, today they are no longer “mommy’s handbag” but rather “vintage”. It is this love that you see today in J’Anns Boutique and also what I try to bring to my blog.

What is your day job? Do you have a design or arts background?

By day I am a librarian, and by night a femme fetale…


No seriously... My day job is actually a tad on the serious side, I work as a Legal Assistant/ Event Coordinator. Not a very artsy job when you think of the legal aspect, however being responsible for the coordination of corporate events does allow me to get a bit of creativity in, so it balances out (I think). I do not have a design or arts background, but I am usually quite smitten by those who do and the amazing things they can create.


Your blog is delightful - with all the glimpses of gems you find along the way. Is it a key promotional tool for you - or a labour of love? In what other ways do you promote your business? Which do you find the most effective?

Thank you! My blog is actually a bit of both. I originally started my blog at the suggestion of a friend, who thought it might be a great idea to give current and potential visitors to my store, a glimpse into the “mind behind the bag” so to speak. Although started for a different reason, I have found my blog to be a great promotional tool, as visitors to my blog who were not aware of my etsy store before finding my blog have become customers and vice versa. In terms of promotion I honestly do not do a lot, however, I usually try to buy at least one etsy showcase spot per month, and these have proved to be a very effective marketing tool for my store.

How do you see your business evolving in the short and long term?

At the moment my store can be considered small scale in comparison to some of the other vintage stores on etsy. I would love to expand significantly the number of vintage purses offered through my store, and this is something I am currently working on. I am also exploring the possibility of acquiring carts at vintage shows in my city, to be able market my items to a more direct customer base. My next focus is to revamp my marketing strategies, which at the moment is pretty much non-existent except for a few etsy showcases. Advertising on blogs I frequent that might bring traffic to my store is something that I am currently considering.

As a relatively new Etsy seller, what are the most helpful tools Etsy offers? Are there other tools you would like to see that you would find helpful?

Etsy offers an amazingly comprehensive marketplace. I used to sell on ebay, and listing, renewing and cancelling an item is much easier and user-friendly on etsy, and let’s not forget the lower fees, a welcomed bonus! I recently discovered the etsy teams and I find this to be incredibly helpful, as it allows interaction with other sellers with similar interests and/or locations, which can be a great resource for new sellers. I cannot get enough of the Etsy success, Quit your day job, and Featured seller series, great for getting ideas of what may or may not work for your store. Coupon Codes! I am beyond excited about this new tool, before this great tool my method of getting discounts to my customers were by emailing them a coupon, and then refunding the discounted amount on paypal, so I am very excited about this new feature. One tool I would love to see on etsy is a shipping cost calculator. As a relatively new etsy seller, I find depending on the product I do have to keep adjusting my shipping rate. There have been the cases where I’ve charged a customer an amount for shipping and was charged twice as much when it was calculated at the post office. But overall etsy is amazing!

Interviewed by LD of GoodYarns in November, 2010.

T.E.S.T. Interview: Good Yarns

We hope to introduce you to all the great etsy sellers to be found right here in Toronto. Here at the T.E.S.T. blog, we plan to interview them all. This is the nineth in our series, an interview with Lisa-Dawn of GoodYarns.

Tell us a bit about yourself. How did you get started with GoodYarns?

I'm a mother of 3 teens and a little extra blessing who is 5. I have an MA in journalism. I have been busy over the last several years home teaching my kids (the older ones until about 4 years ago). Needless to say it is an exuberant, creative household.

How and why Good Yarns?

As far as knitting goes, mainly I have made things for my kids. I have always liked that DIY allows you to pick from a broader palate of colours, richer fibres and your own choice of styles than can be found at the average local department store. After all isn't personalization what DIY is all about?!

For classic patterns - over the years I have hunted for classic items for family members that you just can't find in stores - for example the basic kitty ears balaclava for toddlers and sailor's watch cap for men. My Etsy shop allows me to help others resource these classics too.

Satisfying a creative need - I've always liked the portability of knitting - you can take it along to doctor's visits, baseball tournaments or whatever. It's been a sanity saving creative outlet for me. Someone said in conversation a few years ago that she wasn't "a maker." This dumbfounded me. I didn't know there was any other way to be!

When choosing a name for my shop, I asked my older daughter for an idea for a name that combined knitting and writing, and she immediately blurted out, "Good Yarns." There you have it!

Apart from creating knitted items, what do you do? What is your day job?

My day job is still teaching my youngest son, who after a year of walking on eggshells through Junior Kindergarten (JK), boycotted Senior Kindergarten (SK) this year. No biggie - we just carry on with reading & math games, etc. He loves making things, anything to do with letters, markers, paints. And digging. He can hardly wait for snow so he can get his snow shovel back out (me, not so much)! We go on what he calls 'adventure walks' on trails in local conservation areas whenever we can. He loves every hat and toy that pops off my needles, believing they are all his. This has led to some heart breaking sobbing and wailing when someone has bought something from a craft table that he didn't think was mine to give away.

What goals or plans do you have in store for your business?

I actually have no plans whatsoever to go back to a day job. Why would I when I can make things, go on adventure walk whenever the sun shines, and enjoy these precious moments with my little boy (and my big kids too). I guess the future holds more knitting, more writing - more joy! Oh and here's an alien notion - more time with my best friend, my beloved spouse, who has supported me in my mothering, teaching and creative imperatives over the years.


How do you promote yourself? and what is your best marketing tip?

The marketing strategy that works best for me is - my kids as walking billboards! Not that I force them to wear stuff just so people buy it - but so many times I have had inquiries and/or commissions out of the blue based on something the kids have been wearing. After that, Etsy is a great and simple way to get your stuff out there and enable people to obtain it easily if desired.

What advice would you give to new etsy sellers?

I always cringe a bit at the site interviews that give top priority to great pictures. Sure, bad pictures don't do your product justice. But I find I have more personal tolerance for photos that aren't just the bland studio white. Better I think is the advice that you should make or sell what rings your bell. It's that passion that is contagious to others.

Intereviewed November, 2010 by JAnnsBoutique