For the Handmade Kids series, we asked the Cafe Moms Etsy Team — a group of Etsians who self-organized around their passion for CafeMom.com and Etsy — to talk a bit about what they're up to. donnapool and rockerchic, the heads of that team, gave us the inside scoop on being moms who connect online to a virtual support network. The folks who work for CafeMom.com also share some info about their website and how Etsy moms have gotten involved. 

According to  Ya-Yung Cheng and her coworkers over at CafeMom, the site "is the largest online social community for moms, where moms connect with each other based on shared interests to make friends, share advice and find support. Since its launch in late 2006, CafeMom has grown to over one million members with more than 50,000 groups created by moms. Popular groups include arts & crafts, recipe swaps, setting up home businesses, marriage and relationships, parenting, etc."

"Being a mom can be a very gratifying role for many women, but it can feel a bit isolating at times," says Elizabeth S., Community Manager at CafeMom and mother of two. "At CafeMom, we try to help moms who are looking to maintain or revive their social network after beginning a family by connecting them with other moms who share similar interests and life experiences. The Etsy moms are a great example of that: there are over 1,500 members who also love Etsy, and are supporting and inspiring each other every day on CafeMom. If you do a keyword search for 'Etsy' on CafeMom, you will find over 25 Etsy-related groups. In addition, we have over 500 groups devoted to buying and selling members' own products."

Over at Etsy, the CafeMom Team was founded on May 3rd, 2007 by rockerchic aka Kristie. An active member of the new social networking site, CafeMom, she knew it would be a great place to get to know fellow Etsians AND introduce other members of CafeMom to Etsy. There are many who have started selling and buying on Etsy after learning of it through the CafeMom Etsy Moms group. Kristie says that many more moms have come to the team "for help, guidance, advice, and suggestions. Now, we enjoy the benefits and recognition of an official Etsy Team."

Online Social Networking sites are popular for moms because we find common ground among other women who know where we are in our particular stage of life or where we have been. It was surprising to find that there were 315 other members of CafeMom who are also Etsy sellers! It’s been great to meet other mothers who create and sell on Etsy, not only to promote our Etsy shops, but also to talk about our latest ideas, or even compare our children’s development! Sharing about life’s little interruptions is a recurring theme in our group. 'I didn't get anything done because the baby was sick.' Or 'Look at this picture of my son in my tulle.' The moms in our group are awesome! We help each other so much! Whether we’re learning a new craft, getting help with blogs, or even networking! When we’re looking to buy something on Etsy, we always search for the tag "cafemom team".

Being a mother is the ultimate creative endeavor because we’re constantly trying to figure out what it is that WORKS! We may be looking for the right cut for a dress that really fits a growing daughter, or an easy way to get kids to take a bath by trying soap that looks like cupcakes! We even know exactly what it takes when it’s finally Mom’s turn to relax: soy candles, hand crocheted wash cloths, and pink lemonade bath bombs!

What's the most exciting thing for the CafeMom Etsy Team? The lasting friendships we have made with each other. We will forever be grateful for that bonus!