Local Mother's Day

Show your Momma some love by shopping local this Mother’s Day.  By shifting just a portion of your spending, you can help create more jobs, a stronger economy and build a better community here in Toronto.  So take a short peruse through these charming Mother’s Day gifts from our favorite Toronto Etsy Shops.

Cat's Cradle Dish - $45.00

Local Father-Daughter Team, Una and Aleks, from Whistle And Work created this amazing hand-painted, ceramic dish.  The illustration is an intricate game of Cat’s Cradle, which my Momma taught me how to play at a very young age.  We certainly did spend a lot of time futzing with the Cat’s Cradle string.  This ceramic dish is perfect for any nostalgic Mother-Daughter pair.  The dish is very versatile and can be used to store soaps, jewelry or candies.  I can picture my Mom eating a big piece of chocolate cake off it.  Whatever Mom will use it for, it will always remind her of her babies.

Kostimusha is such an amazing Etsy shop – it’s impossible to pick a favorite piece. Kostimusha’s pieces are often asymmetrical, rough and purposely imperfect. They celebrate individuality, uniqueness and creative freedom.

Leather Necklace - $65.63

All items in the shop are handmade with an emotion and with great attention paid on detail.  I love the idea of a leather statement necklace as a gift for Mom as these types of necklaces are rare and instantly upgrade a look to edgy chic.  My Momma is a motorcycle biker and a school teacher.  This statement necklace is edgy, feminine and unique – just like Mom.  It would also compliment her everyday clothing like jeans, leather or even a little black dress.

Mom makes life more beautiful.  Why not reciprocate her pretty ways and send her a little bouquet of beauty?  

Mother's Day Card - $7.88

I’ll be sending Mom a card this Mother’s Day and I am especially loving this sweet and savvy greeting created by Rovena at Handmade By Rovena.  The handmade card features a gently raised bouquet of pink cherry blossoms and sweet white flowers. The bouquet is wrapped up with baker’s twine for a nice finishing touch – perfect for Mom.  Be sure to check out Handmade By Rovena for all of your stationary needs. Rovena has a heap of quirky cards that reflect her life as a mother, a scientist and a creative paper artist.

Grizzly Bear Tote Bag - $22.00

My Mom is a total sucker for tote bags.  She uses them to carry school work, as a plastic bag alternative and to haul around her usual stack of library books.  This grizzly bear tote bag is designed and screen printed by Heart’s Haven.  The tote is called “Setting Free the Bears!” which is named after the famous John Irving novel.  We know book-loving Momma would adore this tote.  And who in their right mind could resist the grizzly bear?!  This strong cotton tote bag is also perfect for Mom as it can probably carry 100 times more than she can carry.  Go check out Heart’s Haven shop you for more awesome handmade accessories.

Vegan Seaweed Salt Scrub – $11.88 CAD

Does your Momma love bubble baths and beauty products?  It’s certainly the case with my Mom and I.  As a fellow bath and beauty lover, I feel like I have the authority to tell you not to miss out on this local ‘n’ lovely organic beauty shop called The Basic Elements.  The best part about The Basic Elements is that their products are 100% safe for Moms skin!  Their products are free of chemicals, detergents, dyes, synthetics and preservatives.  This restorative seaweed scrub is perfect for pampering Momma.  The scrub will detoxify, polish and massage her skin.  But wait, there’s more!  The seaweed scrubcontains nourishing grapeseed and essential oils that condition and soften the skin.  Check The Basic Elements Etsy Shop frequently as they are often rolling out new products every few weeks.

Potato Masher – $8.00 CAD

Because our Momma makes the best mashed potatoes!  I love, love, love the Coco And Bear Etsy Shop.  Coco And Bear is full of unique vintage finds for your home, office or business.  It’s really well merchandised and we love their style of photography.  This farmhouse style potato masher is simply amazing.  I remember a similar masher in my Mothers kitchen.  Just looking at this photograph, I can picture Mom rattling those pots and pans during a long holiday weekend.  Often she would pass the wirey potato masher to me over a pot of steaming potatoes and say, “Have at it!”  If your Mom loves that shabby chic style, this would be a great lil’ addition to her home.

So there you go Toronto.  Local homegrown goodness for the coolest lady in your life.  Be sure to check out Etsy for even more local Mother’ Day gifts.  Nothing could make your Momma more proud than buying products absolutely unique to your area.  Happy shopping locally!

T.E.S.T. Interview: Kostimusha

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 59^th in our series with Snezana of Kostimusha.

Does the name of your shop have a particular significance?

I would say that it probably does not have a particular significance on some larger, human or philosophical level, but it does have a particular significance for my personal development and me. I established the shop in order to explore my own style, both as a designer and a consumer, and to discover what I am drawn to in terms of fashion design. All this was important to me as I do have education in fashion, as well as interest and love for it, but so far I did not have an opportunity to dedicate to that aspect of design. In a way, my Etsy shop is my baby step towards more independence and individuality in my work.

What kind of person/people do you envision wearing your pieces, and for what type of events?

I always imagined that woman who would wear my pieces will have a strong personality, with good sense of fashion and courage to express her individuality through her clothing. Events in this case would be less relevant.

How would you describe the "Kostimusha" style?

That is hard question… I am doing it, so I do not have to describe it ☺
I would say that my jewelry is eclectic, inspired by primitive ways of jewelry making but with modern twist to it.

Who or what are your main influences as an artist?

As a jewelry designer, my main influences are coming from African tribes, antique jewelry making, and fashion designers such as Haider Ackerman, Rick Owens and Damir Doma.

Where do you source your materials from?

There are a few stores in Toronto where I often go to check out their leather stock. I usually do not purchase big quantities and I need to touch and feel every single piece of material that I am going to use. For metal bits, I keep my eyes open wherever I go – from hardware and bead stores to old metal shops. Some of the metal that I use is custom made for me in those shops.

Check out the other items available from Snezana in her Etsy shop! You can find more of her work on Facebook and Pinterest.

Interviewed by Christa of ChristaRowley in November 2013 in Toronto.

T.E.S.T. Interview: FitzyDesign

Hand Painted Leather Cube Earrings with
Solid Copper Earring Wires by FitzyDesign

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 55^th in our series with Robin Fitzsimons of FitzyDesign.

How did you get started making jewellery and other goodies?


In September of 2012 I started a 365 project as a way to bring more spontaneity to my artistic practice. (I’m an artist by trade and hold a BFA in Sculpture/Installation from OCAD University.) Since then, I have been making something every single day, and posting it on my tumblr (robinfitzsimons365.tumblr.com) by midnight. The pieces I’ve made so far run quite a wide range of media including drawing, graphic design, textiles, video, and a whole bunch of leather craft. Many of my daily pieces have been various styles of leather jewellery, and so after numerous comments from friends and fans who follow the blog, I decided to start selling my jewellery, and Fitzy was born.

Leather Hair Bow by FitzyDesign

What influenced your choice of materials?

I have always loved working with natural, hardwearing materials. When I first started working with leather, I knew that I had found my perfect material. Leather has so many of the qualities that I love about wood, it’s natural, durable, develops a gorgeous patina as it ages, but is much easier to cut with an x-acto knife, a huge plus since my current studio is my living room.

What inspires you in your designs?

Hand Dyed Leather Key Chain by FitzyDesign

I have always employed a clean, simple visual aesthetic in my work, and Fitzy is no different, this way my materials speak for themselves.

What is your process in making jewellery and other goodies?

I’d rather keep my processes under wraps.

There's usually a story behind a shop's name, so could you tell me the story behind the name Fitzy?

I wanted to choose a name that was short, simple, and related to my name, Robin Fitzsimons, but without being a direct copy of my name, and so I settled on Fitzy.

Is your career making jewellery and other goodies or do you have a day job as well?

Wide Mystery Braid Leather Bracelet by FitzyDesign

Right now Fitzy is my full time job. I’m lucky enough to have a great support system, so that I can put everything I have into making Fitzy a success.

What goals or plans do you have in store for your business over the next 6 months, 1 year, 2 years?

Six months from now, I hope to have a number of steady wholesale accounts, at stores across Canada, a year from now I hope to be spending every weekend at summer craft shows, and two years from now I hope to have my own studio.

Hand Stitched Leather iPhone Case
with Removeable Cord by FitzyDesign

How do you promote yourself? Do you find social media an effective form of promotion?

Right now my primary form of promotion is social media. On any given day you can find me tweeting, tumbling, instagraming and facebooking all the goings on at Fitzy. I think social media is a great way to keep Fitzy fans updated, but I still believe that word of mouth is the best way to get new customers.

Do you do craft shows?

Leather Cycling Leg Strap by FitzyDesign

I did my first shows this summer: the Parkdale Flea (July 7th) and Big on Bloor Festival (July 20, 21). My next show is the Junction Flea on October 27, at the Evergreen Brickworks

Leather Headphone Cord Keeper by FitzyDesign

Check out the other items available from Robin in her Etsy shop FitzyDesign! You can find more of her work on her website Fitzy.ca, on Tumblr, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Interviewed by Brenda of SilverFoxDesigns6 in 2013 in Toronto.