This Saturday Join me at the Toronto blues fest where I will be vending

I am excited to be attending the Toronto Blues Fest on June 24th as a vendor this upcoming weekend. It will be a fun day of music and food and there will be a number of artisans like such as myself selling their wares. This event is hosted by the Toronto East Rotary Club who were running my favourite Christmas market before the pandemic.

I have health concerns that make me especially high risk for covid so I haven’t been able to do indoor shows for a while so I am excited to have the chance to participate in an outdoor show.

The location is the East York Civic Center right at Coxwell and Mortimer. I intend to put many of my pieces on sale and it’s a great chance to see them in person and really get the tactile experience.

I look forward to seeing you there!

Reaching out to our community!

As you may know I am a member of the goldsmith community at Jewel Envy in Toronto.

One of our members is a very talented artist who is originally from Afghanistan, and who’s family has been in grave danger since the US pulled out of the country.

Fortunately, they have been able to get out of the country to a refugee camp in Pakistan, but they are stuck there until we can get them the support they need to start their new lives in Canada.

To that end, the Jewel Envy community is running a fundraiser for them to be able to come to Canada and finally get some of the stability and security they so desperately need.

Jewel Envy is running an online auction of pieces donated by the jewellers in the studio, including myself, and the proceeds will go to the fundraiser, you can also donate directly if you would prefer.

In times like these we all need to reach out and help those nearest to us, and this is a very direct way to make some lives better. Please have a look at the fundraiser page and donate or participate in the auction if you are able! You can also view the pieces in person if you head into the store at 151 Marion street, off Roncesvalles.

I am honoured to be able to help them in my small way and I hope we can spread the word to make their transition to Canada as painless as possible after the years of hardship they have endured.

A selection of the auction items available.

Why Patreon? An explanation

You may know that last year I started a Patreon. This was an effort to offer more to my clients, and community in an ongoing way, and expanding on the content I was already offering for free on social media in a way that was more sustainable for me.

Before I go further I have to tell you that I am running a giveaway for this silver, clasped hands heart brooch a the end of this week, for all of my subscribers, so this is a great time to join!

If you have explored my Patreon already, you will know that I offer several tiers, the first offers perks such as, behind the scenes footage, a monthly Ask me Anything stream, access to regular giveaways and an ongoing 10 percent off discount. Then there is a tier for people who want to offer general support and learn some medieval sewing, along with all the perks available in the first tier AND a special gift every 7 months. The upper two are for folks who would like to save up over time for a larger project, so if you have something special you’ve been wanting but need some external support to save up for it, that is a great option for you.

I’d be delighted if you went over there and have a look at my offerings. I am always looking to expand what I have and I love getting feedback from my subscribers as to what sort of additional content and rewards they might like.

Patreon is very helpful for artists such as myself who are trying to stabilize the erratic nature of our income while engaging directly with our community, so it means the world when people subscribe.

Thanks for reading!

Aurora