Teams Spotlight: Etsy Project Embrace

This is a very touching story and one that is close to my heart ~ my sister is a stage 3 breast cancer survivor. She was diagnosed just a few weeks after our mom passed away in 2006. It was a hard and long battle, but with God's grace and the love and comfort of family and friends, she is now doing very well. I am so proud to be part of this team, Etsy Project Embrace. Thank you for sharing this story with everyone.

What a great project!

Oh what a beautiful story, thank you so much for sharing it

i am honored to be a part of this team. laura is truly an inspiration to us all. the friendships, encouragement, laughs, and the fact that we are together supporting such a worthy cause is amazing. thank you, friends.

Thank you so much for highlighting the team neonmorgan. Great article that really gets to the heart of what EPE is all about! Looking good Laura!

Congrats!!!

What a wonderful article! This team is filled with amazing people! I love you guys. xoxo

This is such a wonderful story. Thanks for sharing, and I admire Laura's strength!

I, too, am honored to be part of the team. Laura inspired an ever-caring and ever-growing amazing team. We have so many stories to share as survivors, supporters and etsians;. It is, indeed, an amazing group!

Thank you so much for helping spread the word about our great team!!! With all the corporate greed out there in the world, it's so refreshing to see a large group of people willing to give of themselves for such a great cause.

Ahh! I can hardly finish the story with all the tears in my eyes! THank you so much for sharing <3

Excellent article!

Great story! Yay, team.

Wow, thank you for sharing such an amazing story with us. Support is such an important component. Whether one is just facing a diagnosis, battling the big fight or deep within the healing process, having a community of caring friends and family around can be a definite blessing.

An uplifting story for sure. Etsy is absolutely a one-of-a-kind site, especially for encouraging and supporting a community environment. The teams are a great way of meeting other like-minded creatives, let's hear it for Etsy! <3 Andrea

Thank you for this article, Etsy Project Embrace is a wonderful group of Etsians, I'm honored to be a part of the team!!!

i am honored to be a part of this amazing team!

This is such a warm and loving team to be part of. Every morning I click on the EPE forum. Happy or sad, I always feel blessed to have these ladies in my life! XO "the other Suz"

Touching article! What a great team!!

Wonderful team feature and I'm so happy to be a part of this warm and considerate team!

This team is an amazing group of talented and generous spirits and friends~ and it's truly an honor to be a member! go team!

Wonderful article!

...this team makes me proud to be an etsian...thanks for the inspiration! XOX

Proud to be a member of this incredibly supportive and friendly team! Woo-hoo team EPE!!!!!!

So nice to hear how the team started. A team full of lovely, kind people.

Fantastic! Laura, you are such a huge inspiration and I am so glad my path has crossed with yours. I am honored to be a part of this team and am blessed to have met so many wonderful people through it.

Forgot to say...Ginny and Kristin, you both look fabulous!

Oh and Jenn and Kelly you both look beautiful, too! Last comment by me...promise.

Wow! What an amazing story and amazing people! So inspiring! Thank you for sharing your stories!

What a great team! Congratulations to all of you:-)

It's such an honor to know these woman and be a part of this magically inspiring team!

YAY for the team! We are so lucky to have great people like Kristin, Ginny and Laura! They are the sweetest people:)

I'm so proud of you! Congratultions:-)

Fantastic article..It brought tears to my eyes...happy ones... Everyone looks fantastic! Love being able to put faces with names!!!

And yes, so very happy to be a member of this team!!

very inspiring - turning such a great challenge into a positive, courageous "reaching out" to others is very inspiring.

Etsy Project Embrace is absolutely amazing. This story is touching- thank you for sharing.

Awwww.... Big hearts! Such a great team, and everyone on it is so wonderful and welcoming, no exaggeration there. :)

I am so happy to be a part of this fabulous team! Each and every member has such a huge heart, and I've loved getting to know them. I'm so pleased to see this article, and I know that more wonderful things are ahead!

Thanks so much for this article... this team is extremely supportive and loving to all. It's almost daily that we have a new member who joins because he or she have recently learned of a loved one, family member or friend or neighbor, who has been diagnosed with cancer. We are there for everyone! It's been an honor to get to know Laura, Kristin, Mollie, Ginny, Jenn, Sam, and Kim... and all the other fabulous team members... and what makes it even better is that the work that this team produces is amazing!!

Love all of you!!! And have to say that I joined Etsy Project Embrace before I was diagnosed and now that I'm dealing with my cancer I find these artisans to be sooooo supportive and loving!! Thank you Laura for your inspiration in how to live your life despite setbacks and pain. Thank you all of you for your beauty and life and friendship! xo Cait

Thank you for telling your inspirational story. Love the family portraits. Dawn's comment on grassroots is well said.

A fantastic story! And I am honored to be part of this fantastic team :)

Such a beautiful article! I'm so thrilled to see Laura glowing with spirit and her wonderful family in this article. Here's to EPE! I'm proud to be a member in a team filled with love and hope and talent. Thank you, Etsy! xo

best wishes to a healthy recovery!

Love you Laura and all the "girls" on Team Epe ! So inspiring and full of hope. Proud to be part of this great team and project.

This just made me cry. You've all said it in a nutshell. TeamEPE is packed to the BRIM with generous, loving people who, from the goodness of their hearts, have banded together to support Laura and others like her who never asked for such a diagnosis. No, most of us have never met Laura, but we are all part of her "family" nevertheless. I love this team.

I truly loved this article. THanks for sharing us your story!

WOW! Amazing story...can never read these without getting a tear in my eye! Wishing you all the best!

I am overwhelmed with emotions at seeing this article in "print"! Tears of joy are all over my keyboard and I am so honored to be the lead-person of this incredible group of women and men who reach deep into their hearts on a daily basis to give strength, hope and courage to any and all who need it. Laura is a shining beacon of inspiration and an amazing woman who knows what it means to look cancer right in the eye, gather her forces and do what is necessary to walk away cancer free with grace, dignity and a heavy dose of humor. THANK YOU Laura for inspiring us, Sam for writing this Article, Kim and Amy for all you did to start this Team and Morgan, for helping us bring Etsy Project Embrace to a World Wide Audience through the Storque!!

Amazing article for a well deserved group of supportive and talented people. I am honored to be part of this team.

great article, great people, great cause ! it makes one proud to be part of etsy

Such a great article. I can tell you from experience that the people involved are some of the best in the world. Always there to chat or lend a virtual shoulder. I love being a member of Etsy Project Embrace. I love this article. Thank you to all involved.

It's such an honor to be a member of this generous and loving team! Watching TeamEPE grow from a group of caring friends to a world wide "family" inspires me more than words can say. And just look at those beautiful people up there - Ginny and Kristin, Laura and Co., Kelly and Jenn! Uh-oh, now I'm crying too ...

Yay for Team EPE! Laura - you look amazing. Look at all the hair you got back already! Email coming your way soon. XOXO - Mieko

How wonderful to see this fabulous team featured here! Thank you to everyone who made this happen! As one of the few guys on TeamEPE, I'll be happy to hand out clean hankies to anyone who needs them - heh heh. Hey there, everybody up there in the pics and all who've posted above me - this team is terrific!

It's an honor to be a member of this team. Everyone is so friendly, kind and supportive. Most of us have a friend or family member who has been affected by cancer It's so heartwarming to know that together we can make a difference, while supporting a dear fellow Etsian. This article is so inspiring! Love and light to Laura, and all those battling cancer.

I am so thrilled to read this story about Project Embrace. I "ran into" Laura in treasuryland on many occasions and was touched by her warmth and kindness. It's amazing how Etsy brings wonderful people together in the spirit of creativity, support and friendship. Bravo!

That was such a great article. This is why I love Etsy, people caring for someone they've never met and supporting each other.

What a wonderful group and wonderful article! Thanks so much for sharing it with us all!

Inspiring....I'm honored to be part of it.

truly, truly heartwarming. bravo, fellow etsians! :)

What an inspiring story! Friendship has no limits, and this team symbolizes that! Keep up the positive thoughts and support!

what a fantastic write up, when you read all about us again, like that, you realize just how incredible, yet now natural it all is. yes, we may never meet, but who says that real friendships can't be formed on internet - show this this story! proud to be a member :)

I am also a proud member of Etsy Project Embrace ~ what a truly wonderful and inspiring article! I lost both parents to cancer; my mother to lung cancer on Mother's Day 2000 and my Dad in 2006 to prostate cancer. My heartfelt prayers go out to you Laura - I admire your strength and courage, and appreciate your words of wisdom. Big hugs to everyone involved in Team EPE... Thank you for all you do! xo

I'm very new to this team, but already I have been met with nothing but love and welcome. This truly is an amazing group of people with an amazing purpose.

love you Laura, so proud to be part of the team. Thanks for the story, Morgan. xoSherry

Great article!

A wonderful group, a great article! Thank you.

♥ great article. i love etsy project embrace!

Wonderful article! Yay for Etsy Project Embrace!!

It's a pleasure to belong to this team, and to read about it here.

whoooo hooooo! love it... and love you guys! xoxox!

I'm honored to be part of this amazing team, filled with supportive and caring artists ... and it is a thrill to call many of you a friend even though we've never met. It's wonderful to know that the 'bit of money' I can raise goes to an organisation that is dedicated to finding ways to cure cancer and also supporting people with the disease. The wheels run ever so smoothly thanks to kristin (loveartworks) and the others. And thanks Kim (slinkymalinkicat) for being you. Laura, we love you & you continue to be an inspiration to us all XOX

Lauras story is awesome and she totally inspires me! Sending love your way, Laura! :)

This article brought tears to my eyes. I am so honored to be part of this amazing team! The love and support that I see daily in our team thread and on our blog, Facebook, Twitter, etc. is nothing less than inspiring. Thanks you for such a terrific article!

What a fantastic article! Laura is such an inspiration to us all...I'm honored to be part of the team. xo

Inspirational - thank you for sharing with all of us - We have certainly become a "circle of friends"

Congrats :)

i'm speechless and eyes full of tears. What a journey i've been on and so thankful that you have shared my journey with me. Thank you from the very bottom of my heart. Thanks so much to my family at home and all the team.... all 260 + sellers....... plus Morgan, Kristin, Ginny, Sam, Mollie and Joe, Jenn and Kelly :D ....and especially slinky Kim, who despite a very busy schedule with beautiful girls to tend to, had the energy and vision to start something as profound as this. Words just don't do justice, but maybe my tears of joy do. XXOO laura

I am so excited to see this story in the storque!!! I really love this group of people and get constant inspiration and motivation from them! I hope everyone can grow and benefit from this positive story! Thanks so much to admin for putting it out there and for Kristin and Laura for being so generous with their lives and time!

Super article! I'm on vacation and found a place to connect to the internet just to read this. Congratulations to everyone on teamepe! Here's to a great group of people with HUGE hearts!

I just joined this team yesterday, and what a wonderful surprise to find this beautiful, inspiring post. Thank you, Etsy, for highlighting Etsy Project Embrace, who is bringing me such hope right now.

Love being part of this wonderful team... thank you for the opportuity :O)

what a great article!! and it just scratches the surface of allll that goes on with this team, between creating treasuries promoting each other, donating to The Cause, and offering support to each other in all forms.. Thank You to all our leaders who keep us on track. XOXOXOXO!!!!!!!

WOW! I am new to Etsy, still working on my shop, but I keep getting side tracked venturing trough the site. I am so empressed with this site it is a great honor to become a part of it !! My Mother died of Ovarian Cancer, and my Grandmother. I just had my Ovaries taken out this past November because they found a large mass when I had a MRI done for my back! I am okay thanks to my lower back1 LOL. Thanks for sharing this story, what a great team!!!!!!!!

Great article! Yay for our TeamEPE!

Laura I love you- what an amazing group- I am honored to know all of you!

Thank you for sharing your stories and experiences. I am so touched by the generosity and focus of your team. Inspiring.

Fantastic article, go EPE!!

I am SO happy and proud to be a part of this wonderful team. And I love that Etsy has honored us by including this article in the Storque.

WOW, I, too, have tears in my eyes. A beautiful feature on a beautiful team. These members are awesome in their strength, kindness and generosity. I am honored to be apart of all the good EPE does.

What a wonderful feature! I am honored to be a part of this caring and supportive team!

This is what makes Etsy special!

Thank you Etsy for this fabulous article! I'm very honored to be a part of the Team Etsy Project Embrace!! The LEADERS of our Team are all extremely loving and talented and give of themselves tremendously. Kristin said it best: "This is an incredible group of people whose bonding power could be summed up in these four words: altruism, advocacy, awareness and love. We are all about giving strength, hope and courage to each other and those in need no matter where they are,” explains team leader Kristin Love (loveartworks). These selfless Team Members have enabled the rest of us to become empowered to take action to try to make a difference. It's an incredibly supportive and loving team and I encourage everyone who has either lost someone very special or feels helpless as they see a loved one suffer from cancer--JOIN Team Etsy Project Embrace and make a difference!

etsy people are SO awesome!

The article is great! I am honored to be a part of this fantastic team and to have meet all these fantastic and supportive people.

I had not heard about EPE prior to this post. What a wonderful group of people. It warms my heart to read how a single conversation between two strangers on Etsy began a project that will touch so many people. I do think that Etsy is unique in the way it encourages interaction, friendship and support through the various Community options it provides.

I am so honored to be a part of such an amazing, inspiring group of people who work every day to make a difference-- whether it's through their generous donations or just being there for each other to lean on. EPE is an awesome group of people. xoxoxo

i just loved reading all of this, i think so much of you laura. you are such a strong person, you just amaze me! wonderful wonderful article!

Etsy is truly a world community...what a lovely story about the Project Embrace team and all best wishes to Laura!

i'm so excited to read this great post -- it's wonderful that morgan featured the story of EPE on the storque so that others might find inspiration from this very special team. thank you morgan! laura-- we love you-- you continue to be the light of this team!! and the rest of you -- each and every one of you are super!! i've felt very lucky to be a part of this giving and caring team-- it's a wonderful thing. and hey-- i just came from laura's blog post-- she has some great news... http://staytuned09.blogspot.com love to all XOXO!

Awesome article! Go Team! Awesome people and it truly is LOVE!

A great story! Now you have all got to truly believe that if women were in charge of all governments, rather than competing with other countries, they'd all just become friends- kinda like how we {females} do on etsy.

What an incredible honor to be a part of EPE. Thank you for spotlighting Etsy Project Embrace.. everyone there is a true inspiration and amazing source of friendship and support. Ginny, Kristin, Laura, Jenn, Kelly, you ladies all look gorgeous! :) Warm hugs to all!

I've had contact with some people of this team and must say that they are gems one by one! Big thumbs up for all the support and care! What an amazing community can accomplish! Yay for team EPE!

I am honoured to be a member of such an amazing team. I feel blessed to know Laura, you truly are an inspiration to me, and to so many others Laura, thank you! Thank you Morgan for posting this!

I'm truly blessed to have found and become a member of this team! I'm always inspired by the courage, resiliency and the humor those on the team who are dealing with very serious issues in their lives have! Go TeamEPE!

My mother-in-law passed away from Ovarian Cancer last year. Her frustration was that is is so devastating; but often overlooked in terms of awareness and fundraising. She would have loved this story and how one person's challenge can start a groundswell of change. Best of health to everyone!

Thank you for inspiring us all, Laura. I am honored to be a member of this fantastic team! A wonderful article- thanks for posting!

thank you for the great article and congrats

I do love this story and thank you for sharing it! I am so proud of my sister, Laura who has been an amazing inspiration throughout all of this and I am so proud of this team who have graciously donated their time, efforts, support and money to this wonderful cause. Thank you!

I really enjoyed reading this! I'm honored to be part of such a wonderful team! :) xo

I just wanted to cry. My son in law passed away 3 years ago from Hodgkin cancer. I have 2 close friends died form pancreatic cancer. There is so much need to be done until we can find the cure for this terrible disease.

Thank you for an amazing article and continued hope.

This article is too awesome for words! I feel so lucky to have met Laura and her family- and all the other Team EPE members! Thanks for running this story Etsy!

Oh, and my favorite part is where Laura says: "my husband went online to search for support groups. He said to me that night, 'I will never do that again. I was so depressed that I had to get off the computer.' I replied, 'I don’t need support groups, all I need are my friends on Etsy! They lift me up on a daily basis.'"

Wonderful article!! Keep on the good work :)

I'm so honored to be a part of this wonderful team. Talk about a fantastic group of talented people! Hugs all around!

This is a wonderful story. I'm so glad to hear that as a community we're not just competitors but also supporters of our fellow Etsians - it's a wonderful we play in, isn't it?

What a wonderful article and an amazing group of supportive, caring people! Laura continues to be an inspiration, just look at that full of life smile!!!

What a wonderful and touching story. I am so honored to be a member of this amazing and loving team.

I love this article and am so proud to be a member with such amazing, sweet, sensitive and talented people. Thanks for taking the time to write about the wonderful people who created the team and the inspiration behind it. Etsy is such an amazing community and I unfold more and more layers every day!

AWESOME!! I just found out about the teams feature on EPE Facebook Page;-) This is a great article and heart warming story. I am so honored to be a part of this amazing team ! GO TEAM!!!xoxoxoxo

what an absolutely wonderful story. i've got to applaud these ladies for supporting each other and building each other up! for me etsy, twitter, and being part of the larger handmade community has made self-employment far more enjoyable :)

incredible team!

WOW...Etsy is so huge....I just can't imagine how many people are connected....it's very touching for me now that I am dealing with an uncle with cancer. It's a bit more bearable when you get some support. :)

Beautiful team and cause! What an inspiration. Go Team!

Fantastic Lovely items

this is a great team.. although i am not officially a member, i have read about them and talked in the forums, and they are wonderful and supportive!

What a heartwarming article. This team sounds so loving and supportive. Thanks for sharing your story.

My sister-in-law and a friend both are Ovarian Cancer survivors, and I am more than glad to participate in Etsy Project Embrace in support of Laura and the wider circle of survivors.

Ahh this is so touching and inspiring. I'd already heard about Project Embrace from Ginny Huber via the treasuries and it's great to hear more about the wonderful support and friendships, let alone the talent from these members :-) Well done to all of you love Debra x

The conception of this team and the ability to share its story and Laura's success, via the internet is incredible. I think of the member list of EPE being at 254 and growing everyday - - come on, that's amazing! Alllllll good coming out of something that began as so bad. Amen.

A wonderful article and the team is truly inspirational!

Thank you so much for adding this video, I had posted this one from Youtube.com... I have just made my first recycled plactic grocery bag, which toook approx 35 plastic bags to make....it will last a life time...truly memorable and inspirational! My Best Jayne Bruck-Fryer.

This story is so touching! Sometimes I feel very disconnected from the world in my tiny Taos community but the world really is at our fingertips these days. I'm glad to see people connecting in very positive and beneficial ways through Etsy and the world wide web.

A beautiful story of the wonders of modern times with the net connecting us all across the world!

how did I miss this! you are amazing! thank you for allowing me to be a part of this fantastic group of people... I have been blessed for the friendships and feel richer for the experiance! thank you!

it's a wondefull story I am so touched

I am very inspired to seek participation in Etsy Team Project Embrace. Both my husband and I have recently experienced our sisters battle cancer, and I know the love and support of friends is very important.

what a wonderful story i am touched by laura and inspired with her amazing atitude to life

Wonderful article! What an insprational story! Go teamepe!

Inspirational.

Wonderfully told :)

This is the greatest, most supportive team, even if we pop in or out after weeks. You all look beautiful!

OMG!! I am so excited to see this article! I am so happy that this team, based on love and support, getting attention and exposure. Thanks to the team leaders for keeping it going and growing! Everyone should check out the team blog! Thanks to admin for covering this!

I lost my mom to Breast Cancer, so I am so happy to be a part of this group! Wonderful people who genuinely want to give back and be there for each other.

great human story and activity , i feel like embracing, supporting and and joinning

Laura is truly an inspiring woman!! What a story.....I feel so fortunate to have become good friends with her and she lives 5 minutes away from me!! :)))))) Love her like a sister I don't have :))))) Also, thrilled to be part of EPE, and its supporters. The out reach of ALL of them is incredible. Hope I can count on them if I ever need support =)))

I joined this team in the last month and everyone has been very friendly. My grandmother died of ovarian cancer when I was around 10. I've always wondered what it would be like if she were still around, the birthdays she would have gone to, the people she, herself, may have helped. That's why I'm happy to start donating a portion of my sales to research and help bring more awareness to the issue. I don't think we should lose anyone we love to something like this.

Laura was my first pal on Etsy, showing me the ropes when I first joined. I love Team EPE.

I wish you all the best. Keep fighting!

That is such a beautiful human story. Funny is i know a lot of the group members from Treasurries too and become friends with few, Sending convo to see if they are all right ,wishes for the holidays, So etsy for me wasn't only the solution for the changes in my life but also a way to have friends all over the globe. Wishin you all the best and keep up the good work

wow...i am blown away by this beautiful story...this last year has been a very challenging one without going into detail...i too have been touched by the support, friendship and love in this etsy community...i have meet some of the most giving, encouraging, supportive people here...it boggles my mind when i tell people about "my friend" and then realize that i have NEVER EVER met any of my etsy friends... i am so grateful to this amazing community... :)

I am really inspired by the way this group has formed and grown over the months. Tagging my items for teamepe and donating to the American Cancer Society has been really easy. I treasure my friends on Etsy and am amazed at their strength amid such life changing challenges. Go team!

What a truly touching and inspiring post. Go team!!

how interesting

How does one get the Etsy Project Embrace button to add to one's Etsy listing and also create a way for a portion of the purchase of the listing be donate to EPE? I saw a ETE button on dbdesigns.etsy.com and with some research found myself here. Any info forthcoming would be appreciated. Thank you for any help you can provide for me to help EPE.

Just stumbled on this Storque, and have been a member of teamepe for a little while. I am so honored to be a part of this group of loving and giving and o so talented people. TEAMEPE ROCKS!!

Good luck and God Bless you Laura. You've a long road ahead and I truly hope you're winning the battle. Breast Cancer research has come so far because of donations to that cause. The same needs to be done for Ovarian Cancer and all the other cancers out there. I hope Project Embrace is brought into the spotlight so that donations start pouring in and research can continue.

Thank you for the inspiration. God bless you Laura and good luck to the team.

What a fantastic story of support! Such a great team! It says above if I have a story of meeting friends on Etsy to tell it here, Well I have one. I joined our local Etsy group when I saw a link to Brenda (who is our team leader) on an email I received from a friends forward. I saw "art" so I went to look at her blog. She mentioned how a group of ladies were meeting for coffee to discuss how to sell on Etsy and I was thinking, I'd really like to do that and maybe could learn something so I contacted her and asked if this was a private club or could anyone come. She said, well come on down and if it seems to be something for you, they would like me to get an Etsy shop because that is what the group was about. This group of ladies has been the greatest group I have ever belonged to! They all met by somehow finding out that there was another Etsy seller in our small Oregon Coast town. No one knew each other before this and most likely none of our paths would have crossed had it not been for Etsy. We meet every single Thursday, sometimes for hours, just talking about our lives and of course how to better our shops. There is soooo much positive energy and hugs and laughter, none of us like to miss even one weekly meeting! There is no gossip, no negative talk or energy, everyone loves each other and are always there for each other. You should have seen us band together when one of our sweet ladies suddenly shockingly passed away. This story could go on, but I wanted to let you know that this Etsy group oceanteam, is the best thing that has EVER happened to me. Thank you Etsy!

Best of luck, what an inspiration!

Looks great.......thank you...