Of Rodents and Rabbits

It's all about small mammals with big teeth this February, starting with a very snowy Groundhog Day! T.E.S.T. can offer a rather more Canadian-themed rodent: check out these Beaver Stamp Cufflinks by cuffcraft, or the Toronto's most common rodent (we hope) the squirrel (see Little Squirrel by drelin). Tomorrow is Chinese New Year and we commence the Year of the Rabbit! 恭喜发财! Kiung Hi Fat Chhoi! Enjoy all these bunnies and rabbits and hares!


Little Squirrel by drelin








We hope mice are less common, unless they are Purrrfect Eco Mice by Voteza








Celebrate the Chinese New Year with Tu-z - The Rabbit, Linocut, 4th in Chinese Zodiac, Limited Edition by minouette







Year of the Rabbit art titled Meditative Rabbit Pointing at the Moon by GwenArtDreamscape







Get the Rabbit Chinese Zodiac Plush Doll by quacked for your little rabbit.







Send the Year of the Rabbit Happy Chinese New Year card by VintagePaperParade







Fed your rabbits the best! Organic Orange Imperator Carrot Seeds by cubits







For your little bunny's hair: Bunny Rabbit Wool Felt Hair Clip








For the perpetually late bunny: The White Rabbit Ring by candychick








Get in on the vampire trend in the Year of the Rabbit: Fun Vampire Bunny Brooch by AutumnAndBoo







Wear the Bunny on Vanilla and Red. A fused glass pendant necklace. by ellecools







Decorate with the Screenprinted Wooden Ornament- bunny with maple leaves by genevievejodouin







For the baby bunny: Angel Bunny Knitted by GoodYarns








Wear the On Sale - Miniature Rabbit Manju Charm by PetiteCreation








Wear the CutiePie charm bracelet (with bunny) by ratgirl








Use the Bunny Silhouette - Available in Print or Web Versions by SoRad







Send the TAKE ME TO THE HOP - Greeting card by thegirlinyellow








Wear the Neighborhood Animals (1.25 inch button pack) by zomb

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

Mother's Day Gift Ideas

Remember, May 9th is Mother's Day! Need some great gift ideas? Check out some of the great options from the Toronto Etsy Street Team!






Bebbers has a mother's day card for the cat-loving Mom.





Can't afford to get Mom a Birkin bag for Mother's Day? Tell her you would if you could with the I heart Birkin Tote - Teal by avilloreti



Not just roses, get
Flower drop earrings 18k gp by vitrine.




A group of siblings can give Mom the From us cool kids greeting card by sorad




Offer Mom some Earthy Treasure - Gold-Plated Flower Necklace with Quartz, Freshwater Pearls and Prehinite by SolBijou



Fill SixthandElm's woodburned The Photographer's Box - Vinatge Red Oak Stain with family photos for a very thoughtful gift.



Anyone can give flowers, surprise her with the Victoria's Gray Satin Rose and Guinea Feathers Brooch Pin by shopjoliette



Offer her the
Amazon. Turquoise Leather Wrap Bracelet. Five time wrap. Color of the year 2010.
by shopelegante


Make Mom queen for a day with lil bling by shannellesmith





Give Mom a one of a kindantiqued key necklace by moonlightforviolet





A lovely object for the kitchen, get the olive star rice bowl by lurearts





New mothers would appreciate the Bohemian Baby Sling Wrap Indigo Cotton with Italian Tapestry Front Panel 20 inch longth by LilliesOValley



Impress Mom with the Mother's Day - My Angel Mother - Swarovski Embellished Greeting Card by FostenGreeting

T.E.S.T. Interview: SoRad

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 fourth in our series, an interview with SoRad.

Tell us about your shop.
I opened my shop last summer in hopes to sell some extra cards I had printed for a craft show. Right now, my shop has greeting cards, prints and some baby and kids clothes.

How is your Etsy experience so far? What have you learned about yourself? How does your store fit into your life?
So far, not so bad. I was hoping for more sales, but I'm sure most people are when they first open a shop! I've learned that I definitely love working for myself. I like having all of my stuff online, available to the public and I really like having my own shop! Having a shop on Etsy seems to give me motivation to create more stuff. When you work for yourself, it's SO easy to slack.

Tell us about your creative process - what is your favourite medium to work with?

Creative process.. funny, I had someone else ask me to write an article about my creative process and I'll be honest, it wasn't too long. Ideas just come to me out of the blue. I might get stuck on wording and spend time talking to myself for a day or so, but then I'm back on
track. A bit of my background might make this make more sense - I used to be a digital illustrator for clipart.com. I worked part time and my
monthly quota was minimum 60 illustrations, I sometimes did 90. I also did freelance for liquidlibrary.com and had another 4 (more beautiful) illustrations per month. My favourite medium is the computer! My mac book pro and my tablet *sigh*... My husband said I looked just as excited when I got it as I did when I had my son! haha

Your artwork has quite a bit of variety, how would you define your style?
Being a digital illustrator, you tend to have to adapt. I love lots of styles and wish I could do more even, so I guess maybe I am still searching for my own style. I have been told, I do have a specific style and I need more diversity, so go figure!

Love your monsters! How were they born?

Like I said, I love lots of styles. One in particular are those japanimation characters and creatures. I also love simplicity and wanted something I could work with without too much detail. Something that could be done easily in Adobe Illustrator and resized to 54892 x 7489 if it needed to be.:)


What are your upcoming plans and goals?
I am actually thinking about not doing anymore cards. I love making the artwork and I love the characters (which will carry over into the next endeavor). Right now, I am working on my own baby clothing line - yes, now I am a fashion designer - stay tuned...

Check out more of Jazz's work on her Facebook sorad page, in her blog, follow her on twitter, or on her website and in sorad in etsy.

Interviewed by Zippster on January 28, 2010.