Craft News: Wandering Craft Show

Don't forget to join TEST's own Emma of Landfilldesigns (as known as ShopCats) and many great TESTy craftspeople at the 2nd Wandering Craft Show next week!


Saturday, December 10th, 11 am to 5 pm at the Gladstone Hotel
Groundfloor Ballroom
1215 Queen St. W.

Vender call: 2nd Annual Wandering Winter Craft Show

Only two dates/locations this year, but they are awesome locals!

Sat. Nov. 26 - The Church of the Holy Trinity (the Church beside the Eaton Centre)
Sat. Dec. 10 - The Gladstone Hotel Ballroom

For more information visit the ShopCats blog. For the application, go here. Hosted by T.E.S.T.'s own LandfillDesigns.

Toronto Etsy Street Team Spring Craft Show at the Gladstone

Here's a little peak of our first team sale! The sale at the Gladstone in April was a great success. Those of you who were not able to make it can have a look at the sale, venders and wares - and put some faces to our shop names. We hope this will be the first of many, so this is a peak of what is to come.



Many thanks to Pam of lurearts and her husband & videographer Nial McFadyen for making this little gem. Also, as the video states, we would like to thank Etsy for giving us a Team Grant to help promote this show! Last but not least, thanks go to Emma of LandfillDesigns for hosting the show!

T.E.S.T. Interview: MrHandsomeface

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 18^th in our series, an interview with Sara of mrhandsomeface.

Tell me where you got your name? I giggle everytime I say Mr. Handsomeface.

I have 2 adorable kitties and I love them to bits! Anybody who is a cat person knows this; sometimes the cuteness of a cat can make you say silly things. I call it Kitten Talk, it's similar to Baby Talk. 'Mr. Handsomeface' is just one of the many nonsensical things that has come out of my mouth in the presence of a kitty.


Have you always been into stationery? Do you do other "crafty" things?

I started to get into stationery and wedding invites about 3 years ago when I made the invitations for my wedding. I also made the programs and thank you cards. I had so much fun doing it that I didn't really want to stop. I bought a couple books on Illustrator, a new printer, an industrial paper cutter and I was on my way! But I've always been a crafty person. I also sew, crochet and cross stich. I'm the type of person with a hundred of half-finished projects in my closest!

Have you been in any local shows or craft fairs? Which was your favourite event?

I haven't actually had much experience with craft shows! I had a table at a Christmas Craft Show this past year. It took place in the head office of the company I work for. It went pretty good, but it was stressful! I'd like to try another one sometime. I hear there's a TESTy show coming up in April!! :)

What is your favourite season; why? :)

Summer! Wedding season! I seriously love weddings. Which is why I think it's awesome when I get to be a small part of someone's wedding with my invites or stationery. It means so much to me when people choose one of my invites for the most important party they will probably ever throw. I also love brides (and grooms!) who are into having a more off-beat wedding. Your big day is supposed to be fun! If being all proper and formal isn't your thing, then you shouldn't have to do that!

Summer is also a great time to take pictures. I'm just getting into photography, very very new in fact, but I love to walk around Toronto on a summer day with my camera around my neck. It's such a beautiful city and I think it really comes alive in the summer.

What advice would you give to someone who has yet to have a sale on Etsy?

I know everyone says this, but just keep at it. Running an Etsy store is an ongoing process. I'm constantly trying to improve my photos, come up with new designs and get more active in the Etsy community. It takes time, but I think the most important thing is that you love what you are selling. If you're really proud of your work, others will see that. Also, make sure you show your buyers the person behind the Etsy store. That's one of the awesome things about buying handmade, you know there's a real person who put a lot of love into what they're making.

Where do you see Mr. Handsomeface in 5 years? What is your "dream" for Mr. Handsomeface?

My absolute dream would be to work on Mr. H full time. I have so many ideas and so many things I want to create and just not enough hours in the day. It would be my dream job to make wedding invitations all day. I know I have a lot more to learn about design before I can turn that dream into reality, but it's always something that's in the back of my head. I'm also trying to keep better track of my sales and expenses. This year I started putting all my numbers into a spreadsheet so I can see where I stand. I gotta tell ya, it's surprising me so far!

Can we see pictures of your cats? :)

I'm glad you asked. Look at those Mr. Handsomefaces!!

You can find more of Sara's work in her etsy shop Mrhandsomeface and you can follow her on twitter. Interviewed by Emma of LandfillDesigns in March, 2011.

T.E.S.T. Interview: Landfill Designs

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 17^th in our series, an interview with Emma of LandfillDesings.

Tell us a bit about yourself. How long have you been making jewelry?

My earliest memory of actually making jewellery was when I was 12 or 13 and I dipped pieces of old spring into my brothers neon yellow model paint and then (when dry) I attached them to two ear wires I’d scavenged. I was so proud of myself and my neon yellow spring earrings. It was the 80’s, and neon was huge in my Jr. High school and I’d just had my ears pierced so very quickly everything I could put on an ear wire became an earring. Lego, candy, Barbie boots, you name it I wore it dangling off my ear. Really nothing much has changed. I’m still focused on found objects, especially if they’re free, and I still like using “strange” components or pieces that other people might not consider.

Where do you find your materials?


I find stuff everywhere. Thrift stores, eBay, antique markets, the beach, and of course bead stores. I think I’m always shopping, pretty sure my boyfriend would agree with that statement! I’ve also been known to buy current “fashion” jewellery and then take it apart for its components. And friends, all my friends now give me pretty glass bottles or all their broken jewellery.

I love that you're making something pretty out of items most people would consider trash! Tell us about why you choose the materials you do.

From an early age I remember going to garage sales with my Grandfather, we’d go early in the morning, 6 or 7AM, and he’d be bargain hunting. Looking for something that was worth more than what it was being sold for, he was a Watchmaker and jeweler and knew a lot about antiques and collectibles. So we all not only absorbed a lot of that knowledge, we also absorbed that bargain hunting gene. Garbage or “trash” truly is another man’s treasure. I’ve gotten furniture, computers, and collectibles, all out of the garbage. Just because someone doesn’t want them anymore doesn’t mean they aren’t good!

How do you promote your work?

I do a lot of blogging, and twittering, and facebooking. I need to do more, and I do plan to do more as this grows, I’m just not sure what that “more” looks like yet. Probably more blogging. I really like blogging. :)

What are your plans and goals for Landfill Designs?

To be honest I don’t have big plans for Landfill. I see Landfill as always remaining a small but very active part of my creative life. I don’t want to create full time, but I’ll always need a venue to allow my creations to get out into the world, but I don’t see Landfill as the main event. There are many other ventures I want to explore, and Landfill will be a part of that, but Landfill won’t be the focus.

Do you have any tips for new Etsy sellers?

Don’t get discouraged if your first sale is a long time in coming! To date I’ve only ever had ONE sale on Etsy, and that was very recently! But that’s not to say that Etsy hasn’t been very successful for me, I sell things because of my items being listed on Etsy just not through Etsy. Oh, and one other thing! If you can, list one thing a day! It keeps your shop fresh, and keeps you “on the top” so to speak! And blog, blog, blog! Blogging is your friend!

You can find more of Emma's work in her etsy shop Landfill Designs and on her blog. Follow her on twitter. One of her other creative outlets is ShopCats. If you don't already know the Wandering craft shows, check out ShopCats - whose mission is showcase local crafters and artists and exhibit their locally-made handicrafts & goods at one of a kind pop-up markets!

Interviewed by Sara of MrHandsomeface in March, 2011.

Blog Feature: Making Something Out of Nothing...

Check out team member SeaFlower Studio's profile of team member Landfill Designs here: Making Something Out of Nothing with Landfill Designs !

(and if you missed her last profile, be sure to check out Warm Up With Wintergarden)