Search results (tags) for: "family"

Quit Your Day Job: FarmsteadOrganics

2008-09-02T18:46:00Z

Jennifer of FarmsteadOrganics recently contacted me with her story of selling on Etsy full time. Jennifer and her husband decided to make the most of some bad news when they found out her husband's company would be making some cut backs and he would be losing his job. After some consideration and noticing an increase in sales, they decided to work together and turn their brand new Etsy shop into a full time family run business. Keep reading to find out how they make it all work, what her husband can't stand about an unorganized house, how the children pitch in the family business, and the new baby on the way!

When you first started selling on Etsy did you have dreams or goals of eventually quitting your day job?
When I first started selling on Etsy, it was my dream to make some extra cash and contribute a healthy second income that would allow my husband to possibly eventually take a lesser paying job closer to home. When the gas prices sky-rocketed, our income basically dwindled to a ridiculous new low because of my husband's daily commute to work. The thought of having a full-time family business was a "dream," but not something that we ever really thought would happen...at least not for several years.

How long were you selling on Etsy before taking the plunge into selling full time?
The plunge into full-time came only 5 months into the Etsy gig when my husband's company began laying off workers left and right...and he was one of them. We were a little freaked out, to say the least. I mean, Etsy has been going pretty well, especially considering how new our shop is, but, to actually support our family on it is another story! Thankfully we have a few months of unemployment to keep us afloat and he can look for other work in the mean time. We also figured that by the time unemployment runs out, we will be smack in the middle of the busy online shopping season (November). The funny thing is that around the time he lost his job our business really started to pick up and the thought that maybe we could actually survive off of this deal started to become a possibility in our minds.

What was the deciding factor resulting in your pursuing Etsy as your full time job?
With the gas prices as high as they are, we find that we save a significant amount of money just by having Dave home. My husband is also a "grab a snack and a newspaper" kinda guy and he would waste a lot of money on little stuff everyday. What we are finding out is that we save such a huge amount of money by him not working, and if we can increase our sales over the next few months and secure some loyal customers, we might end up in better financial shape than what we were in before. So, the money saved, rather than the money earned, by both of us working at home has been the deciding factor in actually pursuing this as a full-time job.

Did you do anything to prepare ahead of time before taking the plunge?
We did have our DBA and had stocked up on some supplies before this all happened, but that was basically just how luck would have it. We had no idea that he would lose his job and that we would be depending on this business to take off...so, we really did not prepare. I wish we would have been more prepared! But, everything has worked out ok. Dave has gotten us a lot more organized since he has been home. He has organized labels and taken an inventory, built some better shelves and storage space. I am not an organized person at all! I am very creative, but not neat about it. He hates that. I had been trying to build up our inventory like mad because we have another baby due in November but that didn't have anything to do with taking the plunge into full time business, either. Everything has been really like riding the wind the past couple of months!

What are the most effective ways you have promoted and marketed your Etsy business? What's your best marketing tip?
I am a natural health and nutrition researcher, writer, and herbalist by trade. Because of this, we already had an established web site up and running for a couple of years before Etsy. Obviously, this allowed me to bring some customers with me. I have promoted our shop through my simple living newsletter and through some of my articles. Other than that, we promote the shop by listing items...often! I have found that you have to list and relist everyday on Etsy. Especially when you have so many other bath and body sellers. If you don't keep yourself visible, you'll get lost in the crowd. I do post on the forums sometimes, but I am so insanely busy with our children and school and home-life that it is pretty nearly impossible for me to be a forum regular. I did join an Etsy team (The Old Farmhouse Gathering), which I highly recommend doing. We have also branched out into other handmade crafts. I don't want to keep all of my eggs in one basket, so to speak. That would be boring. I think that it has helped us in that someone who is looking at one of our aprons or dolls might end up buying soap even though that is not what they were in the market for originally when they clicked on our shop. Once a person tries our soap or lotion, we usually have them hooked. We have a lot of return customers. It is good to be diverse, I think. Same thing goes for someone who might be looking for soap and they end buying an apron. This cross promotion with unrelated products really helps when you are in such a saturated market like soap. Any promotion is probably good promotion when you are first starting out. Even 1 or 2 customers brought in is a bonus!

Would you walk us through what a typical workday might entail being your own boss?
A typical day at our house is a hoot! We have 5 children, 4 dogs, 4 cats, chickens, ducks, goats, we homeschool, and we run a business...need I say more? It can be crazy...but never a dull moment! Not to mention that we tend to be very creative and are always doing a number of different projects at one time!

When we wake up, usually it is me or my oldest daughter, Savannah, who makes breakfast. We eat meals in this house. I am not into just grab and go food.
While breakfast is cooking, my husband is printing orders that came in overnight or early morning.
We eat.
Dave then heads out with a few children to do chores and milk the goats.
Savannah stays inside and begins taking an inventory on what we need to make that day and what is ready to be shipped.
I answer conversations and emails.
Usually in the midst of this we are already making some soap or mixing up some concoction. When the chores are done, school begins.
The computer usually gets shut down until after lunch.
I am making stuff on and off all day. Dave packages our orders. Savannah does our labels and helps me.

She is thankfully extremely smart and quick to finish her school work which means that by lunch time she is helping fill orders or sewing laundry bags. I can only imagine what that girl will do as an adult. She is so unbelievably talented at her age and has so many good ideas! All of our children help out and even the younger ones are an asset to our business because they give me ideas...and ideas are the key to keeping this business fresh and competitive. Dave tries to get to the post office each afternoon. Thankfully, even though we live out in the middle of an Old Order Amish community, we are only 3 miles from a small town that has a post office! How cool is that? I love that we can ship often and quickly to our customers. That is very important. My husband can't stand to have a messy house, so we stay on top of that throughout the day so that things don't get too out of control, which you can imagine is not easy. He has had to learn to ease up...some serious battles have taken place. In fact, that is something to take into consideration if you are planning a home-based family business. If you will be working with your husband, will you kill each other or can you work well together? Believe me, we have our moments!

Once the children are in bed for the night, we make our big batches of soap. I don't like to bring out the lye until they are all in bed and far away.
During the day we do our rebatching and other things they can help with. I also try to do my writing in the evenings and in general, it is nice to relax a bit.

What do you enjoy most about not having a day job? Is there anything you miss?
Some days it is exhausting and it feels like from the time my feet hit the ground I am going non stop, but other days are slower and more leisurely. We like the flexibility that we have as a family. If we want to go pick blueberries, we go. If we want to head to my grandparent's for the day, we do it. If the sun is shining and I feel like taking a break out to the garden, I can. Being your own boss is great. I would never want to work for anybody else again. My husband likes being home all day and I love the extra help around the house. I really enjoy having a business that involves our whole family and our kids are learning amazing things! It is so great being able to give them this kind of experience and the freedom to be creative themselves. I would like to see each one of them grow up to have their own businesses based on a trade or skill that they choose to perfect themselves. I believe in artistic entrepreneurship. I believe that we are all created to be creative at something.

How's it going so far? Are you supporting yourself?
Obviously, if we had known that Dave would lose his job, we would have invested more of our time and money in the business before hand. It would have been great if we would have started on Etsy a year ago and had more time to build up a clientele. Things I put off, I wish I hadn't. I would suggest to anyone considering taking the plunge to sell full time of Etsy to build up an inventory and make sure you have enough supplies and materials to carry you through the first several months. The hardest part for us has been having to put our money back into the business right now and not having much surplus left over. Have a business plan, even if it is just handwritten into a notebook. Make a list, set goals, be realistic, but don't be afraid to dream big and take some chances.

Thankfully, like I said, Dave is still collecting some unemployment. He is also most likely going to take a part-time job this fall until we see for sure how we do after the shopping rush slows down at the end of the year. I can honestly say though that we have been shocked at how much business we get on Etsy. It is amazing! I can only wonder how we'll be doing next year at this time. We have only been selling here since March! Considering that, things are looking bright for the future. But, I also know that life can take unexpected turns...I don't count my chickens before they hatch. Nobody should!

What goals do you wish to accomplish in the coming year for your Etsy business?
We are planning on expanding our handmade goods extensively in the next few months. I have a zillion ideas flowing through my mind at any given moment, but on the front burner is to start selling more of our tote bags, aprons, and launch our baby rag blankets with matching crib sheets, cloth diapers, burp cloths...and we'll never stop creating our goat milk skin care products! I am especially eager to add more skin care for babies and children. Those goats are near and dear to our hearts and I have a burning passion for making soap and lotion with that creamy, wonderful milk! We are very dedicated to keeping everything as natural as possible and we are always looking for more ways to eliminate waste, as well. One thing that we are hoping to do in the next year is to switch all of our packaging back to glass and paper. We began packaging some of our items in plastic due to cost restraints and easier and cheaper shipping but we have not been happy or at ease with that decision. Plastics are getting better. Phthalate free is available now and recycled, but glass is more easily reused, recycled, and does not absorb or release chemicals. I am constantly coming up with new ideas based on my own needs as a mom of a growing family. That is what started all of this in the first place. My kids are all coming up with ideas for their own Etsy shops that they will open in the future too. Who knows where it will all end up! It is one big craft fair around here!

Is there anything else you'd like to share?
I can't thank Etsy enough for providing us with this amazing outlet to showcase our goods and for supporting handmade crafts! The world needs to get back to supporting small businesses and purchasing based on quality rather than cheap cost. I know of so many talented people who will spend their lives slaving away in a factory or in a job they hate because they don't know how to market their product or their skilled trade. It is sad. People don't think that soap-making is a real "job." We have forgotten that soap-making was once a legitimate and lucrative business in this country...Benjamin Franklin's father was a very successful soapmaker. Painters, seamstresses, woodcarvers, welders (like my husband), goat herders, beekeepers, sheep shearers...those are all real jobs! I would love to see things like they were before the industrial revolution when families could actually support themselves by being creative, smart, skilled, and hardworking! Etsy is a move in that direction!

Thanks to FarmsteadOrganics for sharing her story and business with us! Check out the related items below to see some of her items. You can find some of our previous Quit Your Day Job posts here.

Special Frontpage Children's Showcase: On Sale on Thursday July 10, 2008

2008-08-05T15:00:00Z

UPDATE: The special Handmade Kids Showcase has been extended through August 11, 11:59pm. Sellers can continue to purchase spots in this Showcase for your Childrens category items.

The following was originally posted on July 9.

Dear Sellers,

In conjunction with our Handmade Kids project, we'll be running a special frontpage Children's Showcase for three weeks. Three frontpage banners — rotating one per week — will link to the special Showcase.

The larger Handmade Kids project includes related Storque content, outside ads, a contest and more. A dedicated landing page will serve as an introduction for newcomers to all things kids on Etsy. This landing page will also feature a link to the special Children's Showcase, giving it added exposure. Read more about the Handmade Kids project here.

In order to keep the Showcase on point thematically, the tool will only pull in items placed in the Children's Category (i.e. top-level tag being "children").

The Handmade Kids frontpage Showcase goes on sale Thursday, July 10 at 3:00 pm EDT.
Go to the Showcase Gateway to purchase a spot.
It goes live on Monday, July 14 at 12 am (midnight) EDT and will run until 11:59 PM EDT on August 3.
For $15 USD, Etsy sellers can purchase a 24 hour spot in the Handmade Kids Showcase, which is linked to from a prominent banner on Etsy's homepage, links from the Storque's related series, as well as the special landing page.
Sellers determine which item to be featured in your Showcase slot. Sellers must use the tool in Your Shop. Read more about this process here.

What is this Showcase thing? For a general introduction to Showcase, read Matt's Storque article 13.5 Questions about the Showcase, and for deeper thoughts on figuring out if Showcase is right for you, see Beth's Showcase Deconstructed article.

Featured Buyer: Jenn of Minor Details with Picks for the Family Friendly Home

2008-07-23T12:13:00Z

We have a special Featured Buyer this week: Jennifer Ward aka minordetails, the owner, blogger, Imagination Agent and Creative Director of Minor Details Design, a children’s interior consulting firm focusing on commercial, residential, and recreational spaces. Jennifer also writes a daily blog about design for children by the same name, is a contributor for the online children's magazine LMNOP, and lives in Brooklyn with her husband and 4-year-old daughter.

I attended Parson's School of Design for Interior Architecture and then had a daughter. Getting tired of the freelance world, I set my sights on the Creative Agency called The Apartment. It was here where I learned a great deal about running a creative business and the moxie it would take. With my daughter Parker as my main source of inspiration, Minor Details was born in early 2007.

I have a very minimal and clean approach to my design, with a flare for vintage and bargains. My personal style is very comfortable. Most days you'll find me in my Converse shoes, white t-shirt, jeans and hair pulled back. My true passion lies in creating space. For parents, I want to show them that you can set the footprint for your home to include your children and not sacrifice aesthetic or design.

I'm really influenced by the Reggio Emilia philosophy. It's an educational approach that can easily fall into your home, playground or any place a child thrives. The Reggio Emilia approach to teaching young children puts the natural development of children, as well as the close relationships that they share with their environment, at the center of its philosophy.

I love this Bird on Elephant Sculpture! This would make for such a sweet baby shower or newborn gift to get the parents excited about little pieces of art in their child's room. By bunnywithatoolbelt, $45.

The Cretaceous Dinosaur Shadow Puppets are just what any kid needs to stimulate imagination and fantasy play. Get a flashlight and a tent in the living room and you've got instant creative play. By orangemoontoys, $30.

One of my favorite Etsy shops is modmomfurniture, as all of her pieces are truly wonderful. The one that stands out the most to me is the Sammy Toy Box. But that's just me....I'm a modern minimalist at heart! By modmomfurniture, $375.

The By Order of the Management posters are just what any child's wall needs. By johnwgolden, $20.

The Waldorf Playstands are one of my absolute favorites. In fact, I just put one in a playspace for a little girl. I turned it into a fruit stand. These playstands can take on many uses! By palumba, $309.99.

I think that these bird prints would complement any nursery wall very well! By jaimers, $18.

This Wear Me dress is such a fun piece. It's made with just the right mix-match fabric to remain delicate but fun at the same time. Beautiful! By hautechocolategirl, $87.50

The Fancy Folding Furniture Set makes for a wonderful indoor or outdoor table for children. Easy to clean up and simple to put away. By chalkydoodles, $115.

Zaragardner's Pirate Punk set can turn any kid (or adult) into a pirate in seconds. I like that you get two colors for the price of one, as the patch and mustache are reversible. By zaragardner, $12.

I really like the idea of customizing your items. Take for instance the Animal Pull Toys from hiccupdecor. These toys are just right for little hands and are a product of your choosing. By hiccupdecor, $20.

I'm a sucker for vintage toys.

Take for instance this red vintage cash register from bluebellbazaar.

I just missed this vintage child's sand pail over at kelleystreetvintage!

I could also be happy with anything from whiteelephantvintage. Especially the globes!

Don't go into child item overload. Keep a minimal approach. If you overwhelm a baby, toddler or child with too many things, they will lose focus and interest quickly. Leave the large kid items to their bedrooms, but share the rest of your home with them as well. Give them the bottom crisper drawer in the fridge, make desk space for them in your home office, make space on your lower bookcases for their books or toy bin and always keep the art supply bin well stocked. Also, getting items that serve multi-purposes is a nice way to maintain budget and creativity. For instance, get a low coffee table that the kids sit around and enjoy as well. Adaptability is key.

To find out more about Minor Details Design, go to www.minordetailsnyc.com or email info@minordetailsnyc.com. Look for their website this fall.

Handmade Kids Series | Special Kids Showcase | Baby Gift Guide | Children Gift Guide

SouleMama's Creativity: Food & Family

2008-07-21T12:15:00Z

Amanda Soule of SouleMama shares advice, Etsy Finds, and a placemat project How-To for you and your kids to explore food and life creatively.

Please introduce yourself and talk a bit about your blog and book.
Hello! I'm Amanda of SouleMama, and author of The Creative Family: How to Encourage Imagination and Nurture Family Connections. Most of all, I'm Mama to three (soon to be four!) little ones. We live near Portland, Maine, where in the midst of the busyness and sometimes-chaos of daily family life, we try our best to do lots of playing, creating, making, adventure-seeking and loving.

You craft at home and you are unschooling your kids. Can you talk a bit about integrating creativity and learning into your everyday life?
Much of the sewing I do happens at night when my little ones are in bed. It's my unwinding, quiet and super important to me: creative "Mama" time at the end of our busy days. Nearly every evening, I write or make something.

But during the days, there's a lot of "making," too. Making things — whether it be costumes, art, a meal or a garden — is one of the primary ways we learn as a family of unschoolers. "Creating" literally brings something to life — and so it becomes a powerful, natural and very real way to reflect and really experience what we're learning about.

What's the best part about getting your hands dirty?
I think for most adults — myself included — our impulse is of course to avoid the dirt. We think about the "adult" consequences — the mess, and the cleanup namely. But there's something really powerful that happens when we are able to just "get dirty." There's a moment of release — for me, anyway — of letting go, when I give in to the task or the creative project at hand. It's incredibly freeing, creatively and spiritually…and good things always ensue.

Sometimes when I'm the most worked up or stressed, I can look to my kids — fully absorbed in what they're doing with every ounce of their body and spirit — and that becomes a powerful reminder to me that we all need a bit of that freedom and exploration in our everyday — however old we may be.

What's your philosophy of food and how does it relate to your kids?
I'm fairly certain — with three growing little ones — that 90% of my day is spent in about a 2 foot square spot in my kitchen! For something that we spend so much of our lives doing, it feels important to me that it be a mindful experience, and that we're as connected to our food as we can be. We do some vegetable gardening at home, and rely on a local community farm for what we can't produce ourselves as much as is seasonally possible. The farm is also where we get an amazing education in local food, agriculture and farming.

Besides the growing, we spend a lot of time making food as a family. The kids are fairly involved in the day-to-day baking and cooking for the family. As they age, and different interests emerge, what that looks like changes. Right now, I have one that is passionate about creating his own recipes — dreaming up different combinations of foods and testing them out; another who is quick to run for an apron to be a "helper" whenever I'm in the kitchen; and one who would be happy to skip the daily food prep, but is extremely passionate about farming food, in addition to being a super adventurous and passionate eater of the food we make!

Can you share with us a story of when your kids inspired you to create something new?
Most of the things I make have been somehow inspired by the kids — things for them, or things that somehow make our days easier, or help our house run more smoothly. My favorite things to make, I think, are those things we use every day. Quilts, aprons, napkins. Simple things, but things that have a presence in our daily lives.

But my favorite crafting projects are those that we collaborate on as a family. Our bird calendar we created for holiday gifts last year might be my favorite thus far. After a year spent really interested in birds, the children had piles of bird drawings that I scanned, and edited into calendar pages, with commentary about each bird from the kids. Every time I look at that calendar, I am reminded of how much fun we had looking for birds, making the drawings, and the joy and pride they had in sharing the gift with friends and family they loved.

What do your kids like to make?
Anything! And they fully believe they can make anything, which is both thrilling to me and logistically challenging! Shoes? A plane (one in which you could actually fly)? The requests always amaze me.

But they do make lots of things — each of them in their own way, and reflective of whatever they might be interested in at the moment. Today, for example: an over-the-door basketball hoop was constructed out of cardboard and fabric; a smoothie was concocted with all manner of surprising things from the fridge; and a farmhouse 'chicken coop' was constructed out of felt, wood and duct tape.

I must say, for a home that is so full of creative materials, do you know what their favorite craft supply is? Cardboard. Endless creations are made each day from the cardboard in our recyling bin — animal cages, houses, traps, masks, swords and so many other things they dream up.

Have you cooked something recently with your family?
Let's see. We've been doing all the regular baking (bread, granola, muffins), and meal cooking. But there's been a big flurry of the fun seasonal stuff that's coming in right now. Strawberries are just about finished up around here, and we've been making loads of jam, smoothies, pies, tarts, and freezing as much as we can for the winter. Next, we're eagerly anticipating the blueberries!

You seem to really live life intentionally, enjoying the little things. Have you always been grounded in this lifestyle? When did you start making things and seeing things through an artist's eye?
I certainly try to live my life with intention, but it's also a practice I work hard at every single day. Some days it flows smoothly and feels easy, and other times, it's much more of a practice and work to stay mindful and present. Meditating, creating, writing — they're all important tools to me in the process.

It was only after becoming a mother that I began to embrace creativity as an important part of my life. I think a part of me came alive through the process of giving birth for the first time, and working my way into the role of Mama. Imagining the world through my children's eyes, I began to see things much differently than I ever had before. The little moments, the small and real connections, the wonders of nature, the everyday living — for me, that's really what this life is all about, and where true beauty lies. Simply by being children, they remind me of this, and inspire me to stay focused on the path each and every day.

Below, I've gathered some of my favorite "food and family" finds right now on Etsy. Amazing and beautiful handmade things that encourage imaginative play, messy play, food-making, growing, eating, and yes — even some food art!

Enjoy!

Toast Print by StephanieDosReis, $18.

Wool Play Food by woolcomesalive, $24.

Patchwork Bib by ScissorStitch, $14.

Crochet Free Range Eggs by annamadeit, $12.

Itsy Bitsy Dishes by rmesdag, $14.

Kids Reversible Apron by whiterabbit21, $26.

Natural Wooden Baby Spoon by canadianwoodcrafts, $26.

Heirloom Linen Bib by bronwenhandcrafted, $25.

Clay Baby Cup by jillsoriginals, $24.

Child Chef Hat by TomKitten, $9.

Breakfast Bunny Print by sarahjanestudios, $24.

Lastly, here's a placemat project from my book, The Creative Family, to get kids excited about art and food!

See Amanda's blog and her book for more inspiring family moments.

Handmade Kids Series | Special Kids Showcase | Baby Gift Guide | Children Gift Guide

Introducing a New Etsy Project: Handmade Kids

2008-07-09T10:58:00Z

Dear Sellers,

This past Spring, we brought you the Handmade Wedding series, so ... bet you guessed what's up next! Handmade Kids.* We here at Etsy have noticed through our research that this special project has the potential to reach a lot of new customers and generate growth for children's sellers as well as Etsy in general.

Simply put, Etsy sellers have a ton to offer new families and we want to help spread the word! We'll be reaching out to the media in order to bring in new folks and wanted to give you the heads up to make sure your shops are ready for business. This special project will launch on July 14 and continue through to August 4, 2008.

Here's what we'll be doing:

Contest with prizes for sellers and buyers, open to US residents. **
Outside ads on targeted blogs and websites.
Original Storque content from Etsians as well as popular bloggers and websites with cross-pollinating posts.
Themed frontpage Showcase, going on sale on Thursday July 10 at 3pm EDT (see details about this here).
Periodic frontpages with kids themed content from the Storque and the Treasury.
Links to corresponding Gift Guides and curated content.
How-tos for the family (How-tos have proven to generate a lot of buzz and bring new visitors to Etsy).
Special landing page where kids' content is grouped. This will welcome first time visitors who click through from related outside ads and blog posts.

How can sellers get involved?

We want you to list your finest items for children, babies, new moms and dads, and make sure those are tagged properly of course! Michelle has written up this informative tagging how-to for you.
Many different types of items could fit in the Children's Category (for example, furniture for kids may be categorized in the Children's Category or in the Furniture Category). Now would be a good time to test out which category works better for your items and track your views and sales.
Clearly indicate if your items (such as toys) are intended for adults or children.
If you do custom work for new families, make sure your Alchemy announcement is set up.
The Children's Category Showcase will be getting increase traffic, so heads up on that.
The more buzz we get going about this series, the more links we get into Etsy, the better our Google search results. This is great for the whole marketplace. So let's all get together and blog (see these posts for help)!
Give us suggestions for sub-categories of the Children's Category.

Thanks so much and let me know if you have ideas or questions in the comments below!

*[No, the Etsy admin are not pregnant. But presumably a lot of our shoppers are! Etsy is 96% female and the average buyer's age is 32. Check out our survey results.]

**[This contest will only be open to US residents. Believe me, we are as frustrated by this as you are! As a US-based company, when offering prizes of any kind, we are bound by US contest law. We can't wait for the day when Etsy opens international sites and we can exclude US residents from contests. I joke... but seriously, we are looking into ways to legally include international Etsians in future contests. Please be patient with us, we love you!]

Tagging Tips for Sellers: Kids, Baby, and Maternity

2008-07-09T10:58:00Z

Hello sellers of children's, baby, and maternity items! The Handmade Kids series prompted us to start a conversation about tagging your items.

Finding the right tags is an easy way to increase the number of buyers who are seeing your items. Here are a few suggestions for tags to use to improve your exposure and get your items in the right places in the Category Browser and in search.

Tip #1: Choosing Categories
Are there multiple top-level categories that your items could fit into? For example, if you make toys for children, you might try listing some of them in Children, and some in Toys. Overall, the Children category is the best place to list Children's items, but listing in other appropriate categories can increase your exposure. After you list, check the views and hearts of your items to see which category is best for your items.

Tip #2: Research in the Category Browser
Look under the category where you've listed your item. Add the names of any subcategories that are accurate to your tags. Look under these subcategories, and add any sub-subs that are accurate as well.

Tip #3: Synonyms
Are there any words that buyers might search for that mean the same thing as the normal word you might use? These make great tags. Some examples:

Children: kids, girls, boys, toddlers, tots

Baby: Infant, Newborn (generally under 3 months old)

Tip #4: Activities and Uses
Think about the uses and activities that apply to your item. Here are some examples:

- Breastfeeding, nursing, feeding

- Play, dress-up

- Educational, learning

Tip #5: Sizes
Add the size as a tag for clothing.

In your description for children's clothing, try putting the approximate age of the child that this would fit. This helps relatives and friends who are shopping for a gift — but don't have kids themselves — find the correct size.

So, there you go! Hopefully, these tips will give you a good start for tagging your items. Please suggest any sub-categories or tags below. We want to hear from you.

As well, check out this tagging tips article for more suggestions for effective tags. Happy selling!

Etsy Finds: Can I Finally Be a Member, andrealagrillo?

2008-06-06T14:28:00Z

At the height of Michael Jackson's fame in 1983, my older brother, Josh, got a super-rad, epauletted Member's Only Jacket. I was so incredibly jealous. Not only did it look vaguely like the jacket that The King of Pop wore in his Thriller video, my brother told me that I would never be allowed to have one because I was "not a member, and this coat was for member's only." I distinctly remember crying.

PS. Not my brother, but this was the coat.

Well, here I am a quarter of a century later, and thank you andrealagrillo for updating the classic look with this beautiful coat.

Your clothing is wonderful, and with your amazing jackets, I finally belong.

Need a daily fix of Etsy Finds? Sign up for the Etsy Finds e-mail! Conveniently delivered to your inbox on the daily!

Father's Day Showcase | Gift Guide for Him | Father's Day Gift Guide | A Dude's Perspective

The Generations of Men on Etsy

2008-06-06T13:37:00Z

During our Virtual Labs office hours, Etsian abitabite tipped the Storque that a post about humbleglory, Rith, and donaldrith would make an interesting story about three generations of men on Etsy — ripe for our Dude's Perspective series. Turns out this family has even more relatives on Etsy than we'd thought:

My name is Gary Rith, my shop is Rith.etsy.com and I have been a full-time potter for eleven years. I live outside of Ithaca, NY with my studio, 3 dogs, 2 cats, and 1 wife. My father Donald Rith aka donaldrith is a watercolorist who lives an hour away and my nephew is Ben Rith-Najarian aka humbleglory, who is an alchemist (etc). Ben's mother aka riversedge, Ben's sister aka leslierrn, and Ben's other aunt aka janetexcat are all also Etsy artists.

[Ben aka humbleglory with aunt Jane janetexcat at art fair in Chicago]

I was the first to join Etsy. I had read about Etsy winter of 2006-07 and got started, and then talked to my father and sister and then they got involved, and Ben too.

I make pottery on the wheel and sculpture. I would not say there are any direct influences between us, but our family has been making art for generations, so it seems to be hereditary.

donaldrith, the grandfather in the group, spoke a bit about tuning into Etsy after his retirement. He made me think about all the Etsians out there who must have retiring fathers who, now free of their day jobs, turn their attentions to something more creative:

I took up painting watercolors upon retirement from teaching at the State University of New York College at Brockport twelve years ago. At that time my daughter Janet Rith-Najarian who also sells various home made crafts such as hats and other wearing apparel for small dogs including Pugs in particular, sent me a set of watercolor paints and said "get going!"

I was further encouraged to engage with Etsy by my son Gary Rith, a potter and ceramics expert, who also sells his ceramics creations through Etsy and is very successful at it. But that is not the only family involvement. My granddaughter Leslie Rith-Najarian has her own unique creations she sells on Etsy and plans to continue to do so even while attending Harvard University as a first year student this fall.

Thus, as this Father's Day approaches, I feel very fortunate indeed to have, along with myself, such talented children and grandchildren involved in such entrepreneurial experiences through Etsy.

The Riths are a great example, then, not just of men on Etsy but of many family members engaged in making things by hand. As humbleglory put it, "I was raised with the idea that a handmade/created gift was better than a store bought gift."

[Donald and grandson Ben]

And while they claim that their artwork doesn't directly influence each other, I wonder if the generations — both older and younger — set examples to each other, nudge each other, encourage each other to share their respective work with the world. Maybe the entrepreneurial spirit, enthusiasm, and drive is passed on.

[Gary with cousin Christina from Germany who is "not yet on Etsy"]

And each has his own way of doing business. After speaking with Gary, I realized he is an example of a talented artist using Etsy on his own terms. He was already an established potter and sees Etsy as just another venue for his sales. I asked him about his thoughts on the Etsy community, and I found his point-of-view to be one not often voiced on Etsy, above the clamour of the intensive users aka the "Etsy addicts":

The three of us guys tend to be solitary. It seems that many people, perhaps women more than men, enjoy socializing on Etsy. I am a member of the EtsyMudTeam and Beagles Team, but don't have the time to [be involved]. It is exhausting trying to keep up with all of it, and I don't know how Etsy or groups could better draw men in. Etsy to me is a minor offshoot of my blog http://grpottersblog.blogspot.com where I daily describe my work and ideas. I sell hundreds of items directly through my blog each year. I think the difference is that the blog is mine to control and be at the center of, whereas Etsy and the teams and groups are in somebody else's control. If I could blog directly on my Etsy page every day, I would do that instead, but as it is I have to use blogger.

[Ben's mother aka riversedge, Ben's sister aka leslierrn, at the Minnesota "Pug A Dazzle" Pug Rescue fund raiser, with items from their joint Etsy shop PortlyPug]

Gary does not want to "socialize" on Etsy and speaks about the spread-too-thin feeling many of us get when tackling all of our online activities layered on top of our real-life lives — like so many blankets on top of the bed. How is one supposed to make one's bed in the morning when there's so many blankets, nevermind get in it and feel confortable at bedtime? We've all experienced the moment when, after finally catching up on email and checking in on Etsy and writing a blog post and checking the other websites we use — when all that is done, we find that the day is almost over.

I hear this lament from different types of people. I'm not sure if it's related to gender or even if it's a "generation thing." I think certain artist/business people prefer to carve out their own space while some prefer to work collaboratively within a pre-existing space — when it comes to the creative process and/or the social networking that supports and facilitates a business community. Perhaps too much social networking could become detrimental, according to humbleglory:

I spent some time in the community parts of Etsy at first, and it really helped sales and exposure. But it can become quite stressful at times.

The Rith's ways of doing business on Etsy show that there are many different modes of using the site. From this, I would put forth that Etsy should develop other tools to help support this sort of user — more ways to adapt Etsy to one's outside blog or website, an extended profile page for portfolio work, ways for families to help get relatives started, and perhaps opt-in blogs for each shop.

Speaking with the Riths brought up some interesting points. Do you think the "socializing" is more of a female way of doing business? How do you use Etsy — are you a networked-artist or a solitary-artist? Post in the comments below!

Father's Day Showcase | Gift Guide for Him | Father's Day Gift Guide | A Dude's Perspective

When You Don't Like Your Mom...

2008-05-08T15:18:00Z

Mother's Day can be pretty annoying. Not to disparage all the amazing moms out there, but some of us have "challenging" relationships with Mama. Here is a collection of humorous pieces to lighten the overbearing load.

Most likely you have other cool people in your life and Mother's Day is a good time to share a laugh with them! You are not alone!

Mothers Galore

2008-05-07T14:40:00Z

Together, Marianne and her daughter Adrianne run Bellebeads (also known as Family Flame Artisan Beads). Carole Brender of brenderart is mother to Marianne and grandmother to Adrianne — three generations on Etsy! Carole says that she heard about Etsy through her daughter and granddaughter. "My daughter has been helping me learn to list items, and even participate in forums, etc. If I have a question, both my daughter and grandaughter are there to help." It's a true family affair!

Do you have a job or do you Etsy full-time or are you at home with the kids? Do you try to "do it all"?
Adrianne says: I do lampwork beads and jewelry design part time and am a full time mother / housekeeper. In September I will be returning to school part time to further my talents and knowledge in photography and glass as an art and career.

Marianne says: I am a full-time housewife and glass artist.

Carole says: I am a full time artist (screenprints, watercolor, drawing, sublimation) and piano teacher.

[Five generation portrait 2008. Left to right back row: Marianne, Carole, Carole's mom. Front: Adrianne, daughter Audry, niece Lexi]

How has your mother influenced you or passed down the creative gene? Or has it, as some say, skipped a generation? Did you learn from your grandmother?
Adrianne says: My mother, grandmother, and great grandmothers have influenced me my whole life. Growing up I was always taught the importance of individuality and putting my best into everything I do. I was and still am a daydreamer. I think that is the creative gene in me from them. My mother pretty much taught me everything I know in beadwork and jewelry design, and eventually got me into lampworking. I seem to always follow in my mom's footsteps. My grandparents took me to Europe when I was 14. In Venice, Italy, we watched the glass blowers, and learned about how the different colors were made. Little did I know that experience would have a huge impact on what I am doing today.

Marianne says: My mother, Carole Brender, has always been my inspiration. She has been a professional artist most of my life. I helped her at art shows, and we were members of a local cooperative gallery for many years.

Carole says: My mother, grandmother, and I took china painting classes together. Mother was always creating something, and still is at 95!

Please let us know if you're a Mother/Daughter-Son creative duo in the comments below or in this forum thread!

Mother-Daughter Shops: CaptureCapeMay

2008-05-06T15:24:00Z

Mothers and their daughters and/or sons can often be creative forces to reckon with: keeping it all in the family and playing off of each other's deep understanding of strengths and weaknesses. Sometimes frought, sometimes breezy, these duos bring something special to the handmade experience. CaptureCapeMay is one such team...

If you're a mom, tell us how many kids you have. Do you have a job, do you Etsy full-time, or are you at home with the kids? Do you try to "do it all"?
My mom and I run CaptureCapeMay together. I am her only child. Right at this very moment, I am 10 weeks pregnant with my first baby! My mom works full-time for the county and I am a full-time Social Worker serving the elderly community. I am not sure what I will do after I have the baby, I would like to continue working full-time but you never know. We both are "do-it-all" kind of people.

How has your mother influenced you or passed down the creative gene? Or has it, as some say, skipped a generation? Did you learn from your grandmother?
There are no genetics involved as I am adopted. I have no way of knowing genetically what was passed to me. I am able to specifically pinpoint the basic principles of both art and science that I learned as a child due to activities with my mom. Together we enjoyed making candles, creating "rainbow ice" with salt and food coloring, mixing our own play-dough, using glue to curl shoe laces, making underwater volcanoes in a cylinder bowl and forming sentences with flash cards we made ourselves. I was always very much nurtured in the most scientific arts and the most creative sciences and had a lot of fun.

Is there anything particularly difficult or great about working with your Mother?
Unfortunately, I am not in Cape May full-time like my mom is. I moved to Pennsylvania (about 1.5 hours from Cape May) when I got married almost two years ago.

I still go down on weekends and in the summer. The great thing about working with my mom is, she is a very good photographer and I can leave custom orders safely in her hands.

[The duo will write something about your mom in the sand and capture it for you. Perfect for mom's who are hard to shop for!]
She (and my dad, too) also funded getting the really nice cameras for the business. I run the Etsy store, the website and all forms of online communication and marketing. I'm more internet savvy than she is and enjoy computers, so it works out well. There isn't really anything difficult, we work well together.

Next year will be Amanda's first Mother's Day. She says she's looking forward to "anything in DesignsbyAutumn's or Savor's Etsy stores." Please let us know if you're a Mother/Daughter-Son duo in the comments below or in this forum thread!

Personal Passover Traditions

2008-04-19T13:18:00Z

To me, Passover is a time for family, traditions, and of course, food. Oh, the food. My personal favorite Passover delicacy is Matzah Ball Soup.

My mom's recipe for Matzah Ball Soup calls to add some club soda to the sticky matzah mixture before forming the balls and dropping them into the boiling broth to cook. She says the club soda makes matzah balls fluffier and more tasty. And trust me, she's right.

One year my mother gave my grandmother the task of whipping up her recipe. But instead of adding the club soda to the matzah ball mix and then boiling the balls in the soup broth, my grandmother boiled the matzah balls a big pot of club soda. When my mother discovered my grandmother's substitution, she raised her eyebrows a little and served up the concoction. It wasn't that bad.

Let us know about your family's Passover traditions in the comments below!

Handmade Weddings: 1970s Blast from the Past

2008-03-23T10:28:00Z

The Handmade Wedding Series gazed at the 1980s in full glory with Confections' post. Without further ado, here are the amazing 1970s stylings of vintagethisretrothat's parents. Vintage inspiration!

My mothers gown was $110.00.

The wedding gown was bought way before she even had any intentions of getting married. She saw the gown in a store window, like love at first sight! She called my grandmother and said, "I think I’ve found the gown I’ll get married in," long before any wedding or engagement.

I think one of the more endearing qualities of my parents' wedding is how quintessentially 1970s they appear. You have some real iconic fashions going on in this wedding: my uncle's platforms, big double-bridge glasses, Polyester suits with ruffles! I feel like asking my mom, "Mom, who designed dad's suit? Liberace?!?" Looking back, I can’t believe my mom thought a mile high waist ruffle polyester suit would look stupendous on the groom!

This was a very small town wedding, my mother and her family did all the work. from cooking food to decorating. Imagine: no wedding planner or wedding professionals, my mom did all the planning herself. The wedding cakes and decorations were all made by my mother's sister-in-law.

The whole family got involved and helped out.

And the wedding song my parents chose? “Color My World” by Chicago.

Wedding Gift Guide | Wedding Category | Wedding Showcase | Handmade Wedding Series

We want to see your family and friends' weddings from times past. Let us know in the comments below if you have photos from a "period wedding." 50s or 50s, anyone? The Storque wants to show these off in all their handmade and vintage glory!

Portrait of a Tinaseamonster

2008-02-21T12:53:00Z

tinaseamonster, an artist and mother, is like a lot of us — totally dedicated to both her family and her creativity. The result? Spread a little thin, yeah, but living a very fulfilling life. There's a lot of interest in this lifestyle these days — from academics, to the newsmedia, to curious relatives. A photography student approached tinaseamonster with the idea for a project to document her life for six months. The end product, a selection of those photos, is on display at the Corcoran Gallery of Art. Here's what Tina has to say about it:

"It is strange how things happen. I met a mom at the playground because my twins were wearing some of the shirts that I make. She placed a big order for a birthday party for her daughter. One of the parents who came to the party and got a zombie shirt for his son was a teacher at the Corcoran and wrote to me about Valerie's project. The idea that we would have a photographer following us for 6 months was a little scary, but when we met Valerie, it totally made sense. We loved having her around. I loved knowing that the act of mothering and making at the same time was important enough to document."

from Valerie:

"Tina, Jeff and the girls have been great and have provided me with a unique look into an artistic family that is loving and fun."

Valerie Dryden: Tina's Seamonsters
Senior Thesis Exhibition
February 20-24, 2008
Open 10 am-5pm

Corcoran Gallery of Art
Gallery 31
500 Seventeenth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20006
Gallery 31 which is in the entrance on New York Ave.

D.C. folk, go to the show and let us know what you think in the comments below! Would you be interested in a Storque series about Etsy families?

Tina has written for the Storque: Shop Makeover Series: I Heart Marketing My Etsy Shop and You Will, Too! Part 1

Handmade Heirlooms: Grandma Imogene's Quilt

2008-01-15T19:30:00Z

Alison aka TeenAngster shares her Handmade Heirloom story. You can too! Upload your video to Youtube or blip.tv or vimeo and tag it with: etsy, handmade, and heirloom. Check out all the quilts Etsy has to offer!

Fundraising for Dawn's Boys

2008-01-02T13:01:00Z

A group of Etsians have banded together to raise money for two Louisiana Boys , 8 and 10 years old, who just lost their hard working and wonderful artist Mom in a motorcycle accident a few days before Christmas. Dawn Habisreitinger was an artist with a shop on Etsy.com called JewelrybyDawn.etsy.com. She had been doing well enough on Etsy and eBay to make a living from her art. Now, this group of Etsy artists from all over the world are fundraising for her boys through this blog post and by listing items for sale through Etsy. Search for "Dawns Boys" on Etsy and you'll see all the items listed.

You might buy something from the list or donate straight to the fund via paypal link provided through this blog post. This young 30 year old single Mom had just restored her Slidell, Louisiana home after it was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. She had just graduated from college and was rebuilding her jewelry business. The Etsy Community will miss Dawn greatly and we encourage Etsians to help her sons.

Boxing Day: Hidden Origins & New Traditions

2007-12-26T02:33:00Z

Birmingham UK local, Phillipa aka Feltathome fills us non-Boxing Day celebrating people in on the roots of the holiday and how it's come to be celebrated. Like many holidays these days, it's evolved (de-volved?) into another crazed day at the mall — similar to Black Friday in the US. Feltathome shares what her family does — not at the mall — but at home with the kids on Boxing Day.

It is only the Brits, Aussies and Canadians (and a select few others) that celebrate Boxing Day, a post-Christmas wind-down today, and we do so in a much different way to the days in which it may have begun. The period between the Christmas Day and New Years celebrations is staggered by Boxing Day, which allows us a little time to relax, put away the pots and pans and process all of the Christmas day excitement before we return to work and wind-up for the New Year.

Once the boughs have been decked, the pipers piped, and the crackers pulled, it’s time to embark on Boxing Day and munch through the remainder of a cold Christmas Dinner. Traditionally, of course, the meaning of the public holiday celebrated on 26th December by some did not originate from the hoards of post-festive, frolicking families relaxing by the fire with turkey sandwiches ("no, really, I'm STUFFED!"). I have it on reasonable authority that it comes from Victorian Britain, whereby house servants, who worked on Christmas Day were rewarded by their masters, the day after — by way of gifts of money, clothes and food in ‘Christmas boxes.’ Another school of thought puts forth that churches collected from the rich in wooden boxes, and then opened them to give out alms on the day after Christmas — hence ‘Box-ing Day.’

Nowadays, Boxing Day is accepted as a bank holiday, and not many question the meaning but rather merely associate it with what we have come to know and love. Those who do explore its origins argue as to its exact meaning, but many continue the tradition of giving to those other than family by offering tips to their refuse collectors or milkmen, and so on.

Today, when we think of ‘Boxing Day’ we think ‘sale’! It is this day that shops start to sell their Christmas stock at reduced prices and so some shop in the sales, whilst others avoid the crush and take excited children and shiny new bikes around winter parks. For our family, Boxing Day is my turn to feed the masses with the ever popular buffet and watch the children play with all that Santa brought. Boxing Day provides the excuse to watch sport and re-runs of popular (matter of opinion!) tv shows, spending most of the day eating, recovering, then eating some more! And of course, playing games.

My family also has a special little ritual of our own that we'd love to share with you: catching Yuletide fairies. On Christmas night, my children and I leave small glass jars open by the fireplace and a careful trail of flour to trace little fairy footprints. A magical tiny door, which provides a porthole between our world and theirs, is placed somewhere on the hearth. If we are lucky, in the morning you can see where the tiny feet danced along the mantelpiece in and out of the garland and toadstools right into those jars where the fairies stand quite still. (See, if a fairy catches the glance of a human eye, she must stand like stone until she is out of sight once more!) We let them go of course, and in the morning the jars are empty again, but it's sure nice to see them every Boxing Day. It gives us something to look forward to after the excitement of Christmas Day has passed.

I love to see the children’s faces as they run around excitedly having caught a fairy or two on Boxing Day morn. I hope that it’s a new tradition that they will remember fondly and continue with their own children.

Last-minute Gifts or Ways to Entertain Younger Relatives

2007-12-24T11:13:00Z

Remember when Great Uncle Al used to amaze you when you were little by pulling a quarter out of his ear? The time has come. Now it's your turn to do small miraculous things with legal tender!

Enjoy this video, courtesy of abitabite. These make great last minute stocking stuffers or Christmas tree ornaments. Plus, you never know when making origami items out of dollar bills may come in handy when you're snowed in for two days with 15 screaming little cousins...

Family Farm: From Sheep to Yarn

2007-12-15T19:47:00Z

In an era when many family farms are disappearing, there are members of the Etsy community keeping this way of life sustainable. Woolhandcrafts is one such Etsy seller. Please also read motleymutton's previous post, in what we hope will be a series. Please comment below if you are an Etsy seller living and working on a family farm.

Welcome to Vermont Grand View Farm! We are a small fiber farm nestled on a hillside in the Green Mountains of Vermont. Each member of our family participates in the care and feeding of our animals. Our store, Woolhandcrafts, at Etsy.com has allowed our family to continue in this lifestyle and has broadened our customer base world wide.

Through our years of farming, I have come to realize that most people have no idea where the wool in their sweaters and blankets come from. Everything just comes from StuffMart, doesn’t it? “Wool grows from seeds planted in the ground,” a father explained to his son after passing through the sheep barn at a local fair. Upon hearing that comment, I just stood in amazement. I"d like to tell you a bit about our Vermont sheep farm so you can learn about our wool producers!

From Sheep

Our small flock of Romney sheep, angora rabbits, and llamas produce the fiber we use in our unique Vermont farm yarns. Much love, time, and labor go into the care of each of our animals and the production of our yarn. We breed for soft, lustrous locks of wool ensuring a high quality product. Come follow our ewe, Fedora, from shearing to yarn.

To Shearing

After growing her wool for 11 months, Fedora's wool is approximately six to seven inches long. Through the summer Fedora is out on pasture where the rains keep her wool clean. During the winter months Fedora wears a coat to protect her wool from getting full of hay. In late March the sheep are ready for shearing. Shearing day on a fiber farm is very exciting. On this day our year long labor brings reward. The sheep shearer comes to the farm to carefully shear each sheep. A skillful shearer will remove the entire fleece in one large piece.

To Mill

Next, we take the fleeces to the skirting table. Here we remove any wool with hay in it or any manure tags. We use only the best wool for our yarns! Then we put the wool into clear plastic bags. Each bag is labeled with the name of the sheep and the weight of the fleece. It is important to us to know whose fleeces we are combining when sending them away for a yarn order since we want our customers to know whose wool goes into the yarn they are buying. We are finally ready to decide which fleeces will be sent to the mill and which ones will be handspun at home.

To Yarn

Our desire is to have a yarn that is grown and processed in Vermont. However, the mills in Vermont are unable to process the long staple length of our wool. We work closely with a wonderful fiber mill in Michigan called Stonehedge Fiber Mill for our processing.

At Stonehedge, the fleeces are washed and dried. Then, they are ready to go onto their carding machines where the fiber is carded into long roving. This roving is threaded onto spinning machines which spin our wool into yarn. The folks at the mill are able to set their machines to my specified weight of yarn. The completed yarn is put into skeins at the mill and then shipped back to us. Once back at home, we hand wash the skeins before selling them to you.

We usually keep out most of the natural colored wool and ask the mill to send us roving for handspinning. Our natural colored sheep each have a unique color that I want to preserve and pass on to our customers. Our angora fiber from our bunnies and our llama fiber are also hand blended with a drum carder and handspun into unique blends of wonderfully soft yarns. On occasion, we purchase fibers from other local small farms to offer you more variety.

We greatly appreciate our customers. With the help of Etsy and our customers we are able to continue farming. When purchasing small farm yarns you are:

supporting a family farm and home business
receiving a high quality yarn from all natural fibers
promoting the fiber arts

Thank you for your continued support! We look forward to many more years of providing you with yarns from the Green Mountains of Vermont.

Check out their website for more info!

Featured Buyer: UrbanBaby's Brooke Showell

2007-12-12T07:29:00Z

We invited Brooke Showell of UrbanBaby to be our Featured Buyer this week. UrbanBaby is an online resource guide dedicated to all things hip for metropolitan mamas and families. They also feature a gift guide for the holidays, filled with cozy blankets and stroller warmers for babies to chic maternity dresses for mom. Below you'll find some of Brooke's favorite items on Etsy.

Presents Perfect: Baby Gifts That Make the Grade

With all the scary toy recalls out there, parents want to know about the items they buy for their baby: where they come from, what they’re made of and how. That’s why handcrafted items are so big in this market: they’re made at a kitchen table instead of an unknown factory, and on Etsy, you can convo a seller to ask what materials were used. Even better, handmade toys make great holiday gifts.

Yes, today’s parents crave modern design. They want to keep their home sleek even with the addition of a stroller parked in the hall, and that stroller should be able to slide up to the table at brunch. Fortunately, there’s a lot of well-designed gear that’s both great to look at and functional. Right now it’s all about the mix of old and new. You can be both contemporary and kitschy, or streamlined and sugary sweet. When shopping for the favorite little one in your life, choose items that speak to you, and cultivate a collection of eclectic baby goodies.

This wooden cradle is locally made with Northern Vermont cherry by scottbergman.

It has has the simplicity (think early Biedermeier) that modern parents seek. Thank goodness for environmentally friendly materials. It reminds us of the new sustainable, toxin-free nursery furniture from Q Collection Junior and Fabrica 718.

Plush teddy bears still have a place in our hearts, and these hand-knit versions by simplijessi are so cute and cozy.

Mio is made of Italian wool, silk and cashmere, which makes the perfect lovey for a little one. Hand-knit toys made of natural materials and colors are increasingly popular. Call it an old-world appeal.

But if you’re going for color, these hand-crocheted bears by penguinandfish are for you!

They come in yummy shades of pink, blue, lime or tangerine and feature alphabet letters. Their crooked eyes and arms askew remind me of the Ugly Dolls everyone’s so crazy about.

We live in a multicultural world, yet until recently it was hard to find a doll that mirrored that. These Sock Kids by dmollison are just too cute.

They come in every color of the rainbow, from their chubby little faces to their tie-dyed togs. (She will even match eye colors upon request.)

I have to admit, I’m a little tired of all the rocker tees and onesies with snarky little sayings. You’ve seen it once, you’ve seen them all. But Vintage Lucy’s suspender shirt puts a new spin on hipster tots.

The front is adorned suspenders, safety pins and buttons, and is just the thing a pint-sized pink rocker needs for the next slammin’ Laurie Berkner concert.

Or go totally girly. Little girls still love playing dress up (the Disney Princesses have taken over), and anything with a fairy wand is sure to please. Babies too: These faerie onesies by WhimsyByJess are so pretty, with sewn-on flowers and ribbon adorning the hand-painted flower.

When it comes to decorating a young child’s room, there’s an onslaught of cool artwork to hang on their walls. This mixed media collage by graphitegirl adds just the right touch of whimsy with painting, vintage illustrations and decorative papers that will inspire imaginations.

Correspondence is a must when you have a baby. You’ll want to write thank-yous for all those great gifts, and keeping in touch with friends and family becomes increasingly important. These lovely Tweet cards by seasidecardcompany are a treat for the recipient, with a hand-painted watercolor design.

You may even want to order a few extra to frame.

With pre-school admissions getting more competitive by the minute, the race to raise the next Einstein is on. Even in you’re not quite that intense, this is a hilarious take on all the educational toys that claim to teach kids five languages or help turn them into an NBA all-star. The Nerdy Baby ABC flash cards by electricboogaloo are “an awesomely pretentious gift for nerdy parents with nerdy babies.”

Get little environmentalists on the right track with “G is for Glaciation.”

But don’t just take our word for it. Browse Etsy and find a designer who strikes your fancy. There’s so much variety that it’s all about choice. Happy shopping.

Further Resources:
GlamNest: Baby Gear

Remember to check out Etsy's Baby Gift Guide for more ideas!

The Story of Quilts

2007-12-04T11:45:00Z

As a history buff, my initial attraction to the craft of quilting was its history. Quilts have a rich past that has embedded itself into American history. As I learned more about it, the more I realized how deeply quilts have also embedded themselves into our personal histories as well.

For women in America, quilting began at least as early as 1750 as an opportunity for them to channel their creativity. Quilting was considered an important skill for women. Young girls were given quilting projects to help teach them to sew, such as creating small quilts for their dolls. The American Girl's Book from 1831 recommended quilt making for girls, noting that "little girls often find amusement in making patchwork quilts for the beds of their dolls."

Quilting is a unique craft that can allow many people to work on a quilt at the same time, and many women found companionship in quilting with friends and relatives. These social Quilting Bees were opportunities for women to discuss everything from recipes, to child-rearing, to politics.

The quilts themselves became significant symbols. Quilters in the 19th century regularly created quilts as political statements, using them as raffle prizes to support various causes such as abolition, temperance and during the Civil War. Quilts were one way that women of the 19th century were given a voice in their contemporary world.

And, of course, quilts became precious family heirlooms. Quilts were traditionally made and used to mark life's most significant experiences. Baby quilts were given to new mothers and larger quilts were given to couples when they were married, often with symbolic block patterns like a Lover's Knot or Double Wedding Ring.

Even in death, quilts sometimes played a significant role. During a difficult journey moving westward, death was common. But scarce wood or lack of time, often prevented trail travelers from making coffins. On these occasion, the dead were often buried wrapped in a family quilt. Those leaving the dead behind were comforted knowing that their loved one had something symbolizing the family's love in their lonely grave.

When a family relocated to a new home, friends and family members would often make a quilt as a parting gift. These friendship or album quilts, made by a group for a departing friend, were especially popular during the 1840s when there was a great surge of population moving to the western United States. The recipient of these quilts could leave with a symbolic, tangible reminder of the loved ones left behind...loved ones they probably never saw again. Margaret Seebold of Pennsylvania said, "Quilts make you think a little of the person who made it or whose dresses were in there. Maybe you don't think of them any other time except when you see that quilt."

Today, quilts play many of these same rolls in our lives. Many quilts are given at the birth of a child, as a wedding gift, and even as parting gifts. Quilts can even tie us to our dead. In preparation for this article, I asked my fellow Etsians to tell me about the quilts they have made and own. I was rewarded with some wonderful stories about how quilts continue to play a significant role in our personal and family histories.

[Heather of babyannequilts, creating a sock monkey baby quilt for her new nephew. Photo by Karl Harwood.]

Quilts connect us to other people. Jeanettejed tells how a quilt she owns connects her very intimately with family she never met: "I have a quilt that my mother just gave me a few months ago. It was made by my great-grandmother, my mother's grandmother. I feel so comforted knowing a woman who never knew I would exist put so much work into this quilt — and she did not even have the honor of knowing my mother, her granddaughter well. It just feels like love."

Quilts can also become symbolic for our own life. Jmcocoadesigns has a quilt that has carried her through most of her life's experiences: "My great grandmother, Granny, made my very first quilt as a baby gift. It has gone everywhere with me. Girl Scout camps, summer vacations, sleepovers, and even my honeymoon. (I know, I might just be a little over attatched to my baby blanket!) My blanket holds every memory possible! I am sure it holds plenty for my family as well! It has been through my whole life with me and will continue to go through life with me. What story does [my] quilt tell? My life!"

Remember, you don't have to make a quilt to be involved with quilting history...You just have to use a quilt. The memories and personal significance will come with time and use. And soon, your quilt will have its own story!

Please add YOUR quilt stories to the comments below or share it on the the forum thread!

Sources
The American Quilt: A History of Cloth and Comfort 1750-1950
Womenfolk: The Art of Quilting Yesterday & Today

Additional resources
The National Quilting Association
Lost Quilt Come Home: Dedicated to displaying lost and stolen quilts and to providing information on protecting quilts.

Also, check out this quilt contest from Greenjeans, one of the Storque's former Featured Buyers.

Etsy in the Press: Pre-Holiday Digest

2007-11-26T14:28:00Z

Where to begin? Perhaps with one of the Etsy mentions in print magazines such as Real Simple, which described us as, “a shopping mecca for one-of-a-kind objects.” Or maybe Rob’s interview in The Deal, or the fact that Etsy made it onto Entrepreneur magazine’s 2008 Hot List. Or should it be the articles that feature Etsy sellers in Parents and Family Circle? So many choices! You can peruse these at your leisure on our press page.

Moving on(line), Etsy was the topic of interest in Canada’s The Globe and Mail, the Chicago Sun Times, and the Austin American-Statesman. And let’s all congratulate the sellers who got mentions in Madison, Wisconsin’s The Capital Times, chicagoist, apartment therapy (San Francisco, New York, and Chicago), Yes! Weekly out of Greensboro, NC, and SFGate.

Last, but certainly not least, decor8 blogger Holly Becker just started a feature called, “Take 5 Tuesdays” in which she will be sharing 5 of her favorite Etsy shops each week. Check it out! We love her picks.

On the horizon: if you live in or near Austin, Texas, be sure to watch the segment featuring local Etsy sellers on KEYE 42 CBS.It will air this Wednesday, November 28, during the 5:00 pm evening news.

As always, you can check up on Etsy's coverage of the coverage on The Storque's EtsyinthePress Featured Column.