Time for an Announcement!

I have an announcement that I’m very excited to share!

I’ve been blogging with Sea Flower Studios for over a year now and I enjoy it so much more than I ever thought I would. What started as a personal blog to share recipes, DIY projects and great handmade finds has taken a bit of a turn over the last year. As my followers know I started sharing vendor calls after realizing it was difficult to find a comprehensive list and that has brought many followers and helped me connect with many creative entrepreneurs in our community. Over the last few months that has become a large focus of my blog.

I’ve decided it’s time to branch out and split my blog into two in order to give my followers more focused posts. First off I will keep Sea Flower Studios and I will go back to posting delicious recipes, fun DIY projects, what I’m up to with my jewelry, great handmade finds and anything else fun I decide I want to share.

The big news is that I now have a second brand new blog called Handmakers Haven. Handmakers Haven is just that…a haven for artisans to come learn, get inspired and connect with other creative entrepreneurs. This new blog will be where from now on I will be posting vendor calls. I will still focus on Toronto and Area but will be posting more about shows throughout Ontario and across Canada. I will also post more resources to help creative entrepreneurs build their businesses and Handmakers Haven will be the new host of the Artisan Support Forum so we can continue building connections with each other.

I’m so excited about the growth I’ve seen in my blog over the last year and I expect with this change I will be able to give my amazing readers even more of what you want! If you are currently a follower of Sea Flower Studios and are interested in the creative  business side of things head over to Handmakers Haven and follow me there as well. For the next month or so during this transition I will post vendor calls on both blogs, but will be reminding readers to head over to Handmakers Haven.

Of course this also means new Facebook and Twitter pages so if you use those methods to follow please feel free to head over and follow Handmakers Haven those ways as well!

It’s a little scary to start fresh with a second blog and I’m sure the first few months will have ups and downs as work out any kinks with the new blog so I appreciate your patience and support and I look forward to being able to connect with even more readers! ♥

Updated Vendor Calls List

Sorry about the silence over the last week or so. Life has been a little hectic but I’ve been gathering lots of great information so be prepared for several posts over the next few days while I get caught up.

I know everyone is busy filling their fall and winter craft show festival so the first thing I want to do is get my “Calls for Vendors” page updated.

The Collective 12 Days of Art and Ideas is currently looking for artisans. This is the second year for the show that will run for 12 days from December 8th to 19th. The event is held at the Triangle Gallery where their staff will handle sales during the duration of the show. For more information check out their site here.

I’ve added several other shows to the “Calls for Vendors” page so be sure to head over there and I hope you find some that interest you! A big thanks to Julia and Jennifer for emailing me with info for a few shows I was missing!

Don’t forget you can check out the new Artisan Support Forum to connect with others to co-ordinate carpooling for shows or table shares or just to chat and share information!

As you know I love feedback to make sure I’m posting the information you, my readers and followers, are looking for and find interesting and helpful. To help with this I’ve created a short little poll and would appreciate your input. This will make sure I continue to post what you want to read! You can find the poll in the right hand margin and it will only take you a few seconds to complete. Select as many answers as apply for you. Thanks for taking the time to fill it out! ♥

Just Launched…Artisan Support Network Forum

Let me start out by reminding everyone why I love to blog. I enjoy sharing helpful information with others, specifically with other handmade sellers. I love how helpful the community of Artisans can be and I think that’s a great thing to encourage!

I’ve been posting vendor calls for quite a while now. I know many people visit this page of my blog on a regular basis but sometimes it’s hard to get feedback from readers. My last post was letting everyone know that I had updated the “Calls for Vendors” page with several new shows and the addition of shows not only in Toronto but throughout Ontario and even some across Canada. I received a great response of positive feedback via Facebook and emails. It was so great to hear that what I spend time doing really is helping! Really everyone who took the time to say thank you made my day!

Okay enough mushy stuff…

One email I received was from a handmade business owner telling me how helpful it was to have these vendor calls posted but that she is very limited to what shows she can get to, because like many of us living in Toronto, she doesn’t have access to a car. This got me thinking. This is a barrier I’ve had but I assumed it was mostly because I’m new to the city and am just starting to build a group a network here. Then today at the market I was participating in I heard the same thing from a couple of the vendors throughout the day. I decided to try to do something about this barrier.

New Vendor Calls Added

It’s sadly nearing the end of summer and time to start planning for Christmas. As sellers of handmade goods we know that we have to always be ahead of our customers so we find ourselves listing items for the Fall now and very soon for Christmas. Also it’s time (or past in some cases!) to plan for the Christmas Season of Craft Shows.

Photo Courtsey of Pinterest

I’ve been searching the web to update the “Calls for Vendors” page with some upcoming shows. This summer I visited a few shows outside of Toronto and at each one I recognized vendors from Toronto. I realized that many people travel throughout Ontario and even Canada to attend shows that are well attended. Also I’ve noticed many of my followers are from cities across Canada so I’ve decided to start including some vendor calls from throughout Ontario and across the country. Obviously I can’t get every little show from coast to coast but I will be sure to post any that I come across or that anyone contacts me with information about. I hope this helps even more people with finding some great shows to attend!

I updated with way too many shows to list them all in my post today so if you’re looking for new shows to apply for please take a minute to visit the “Calls for Vendors” page and see if any are right for you!

As always if you are organizing a show or know of one I can include on the list please be sure to contact me! ♥

Vendor Calls In Niagara Region

Today I have a couple new vendor calls I’ve come across in the Niagara Region. Many artisans from Toronto choose to leave the city to visit some well known and high quality shows. I’ve also noticed that I have many readers from across Ontario and even Canada. I’ll do my best to start to include vendor calls in other cities across Ontario and even across Canada if I come across them. I hope this will help even more fellow artisans! If you know of any vendor calls I can include or you’re organizing a craft show please help me out by leaving a comment or emailing me to give me a heads up! Check out these vendors calls or see the complete listing on my “Calls For Vendors” page.

The Handmade Market is a two day upscale art + craft market featuring unique, hand made products by local artisans.  The Handmade Market is also a travelling boutique shopping experience that promotes the handmade arts, local artisans and a ‘small-box’ sweat-shop-free atmosphere.  The two upcoming shows are scheduled for September 16th and 17th and November 26th and 27th and they are accepting applications here.

The St. Catharines International Buskerfest will be held August 12th to 14th on the streets of downtown St. Catharines. One Hundred acts from across the globe will preform during this free community festival. The early bird deadline has passed but they are still acepting vendor applications online here for food and artisan vendors.