http://www.etsy.com2009-01-11T14:30:00-05:00All the news that's fit to serve for ficklefaerie2009-01-11T14:30:00-05:00ficklefaerie, Vanessahttp://www.etsy.com/storque/events/baby-surprise-3176/

<p><em><strong>UPDATE</strong>: We have scheduled the live event for January 28 at 4pm Eastern time.</em></p> <p>[the following was originally posted on January 7, 2009]</p> <p>With the excitement of a brand new, tiny person's arrival, come...adorable tiny clothes, huggable toys, and all those things new moms need. Whether you're a new mom, a craftsperson specializing in baby items, or someone browsing for baby shower gifts, this event is for you: Virtual Baby Shower and Trunk Show!</p> <p>Etsy will be hosting this online event in the <a href="http://www.etsy.com/virtual_labs.php" target="_blank">Virtual Labs</a> with <a href="http://ficklefaerie.etsy.com">ficklefaerie</a>, exact time and date TBD. Gather round as we announce the most recent additions to the Etsy community, and as we surprise new moms with a lottery of donated baby shower items. This is also an opportunity for shoppers to get a peek at sellers' picks from their shops in a fun environment. Cuteness all around!</p> <p>The Etsy Baby Shower is a community project <a href="http://ficklefaerie.etsy.com">ficklefaerie</a> started in the Etsy forums. Now in its second year, the project deserves a special event, so we decided to do something <em>live</em>! Read about how the project got started in <a href="http://www.etsy.com/storque/spotlight/etsy-wuvs-babies-25/">this post</a>.</p> <p>We'll be inviting our contacts and blogger friends to spread the word about the event; we hope to get lots of people to attend.&nbsp; Please post in <a href="http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5979017">this forum thread</a> if you'd like to participate either as a mom or as a generous seller who'd like to donate a gift. The details are in the thread, and we're closing comments here to consolidate questions and such in one place.</p> <p><em> We especially can't wait to meet the first 2009 babies!</em></p>

2007-08-30T20:00:00-05:00ficklefaeriehttp://www.etsy.com/storque/spotlight/etsy-wuvs-babies-25/

<p>Within a month of joining Etsy and spending a lot of time in the forums, it became evident that Etsy was not just an online selling venue: it is a wonderful community made up of people from all over the world sharing their lives as well as their products.<br /><br />While using the forums, I soon began to connect with fellow Etsians through posts sharing our everyday lives. Many Etsy members were posting about babies they were expecting. Some were sad because they did not have family that could throw them a shower, and I thought it would be a great idea if we could throw a shower for these moms. Since everyone is from all over the globe it would be nearly impossible to get everyone together in person, so the "virtual shower" idea was born.<br /><br />I started posting about the shower in December of 2006, asking if any shops would be interested in donating a gift to expectant mothers. I received a great response. For the first shower we had five moms and twenty-five shops donate gifts to the expectant mothers. We now hold a shower every three months for the newly arriving babies.<br /><br />The baby shower concept works as such: sellers donate a free gift, including the shipping, of their choice from their shop. We do our best to help promote these wonderful, generous shops by posting information in the forums and linking everyone on Etsy to a huge <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/31174283@N00" target="_blank">flickr pool</a> of the gifts that <a href="http://SoCaliGirl.etsy.com">SoCaliGirl</a> compiles as they are received. <br /><br />The shower has now become so huge that we have started to include any mom who has had a baby, but was missed on the previous shower. We have also included babies that are being adopted by our Etsy members.</p> <p>&nbsp;<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/etsystorque/1287878147/" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1150/1287878147_8017cb409b_o.jpg" alt="" /></a></p> <p><br />The shower we held for June had eighteen moms and over ninety gifts, and I am sure we missed a shop or two. As Etsy grows so will our baby shower!<br /><br />- June from <a href="http://ficklefaerie.etsy.com">ficklefaerie.etsy.com</a></p>