Get To Know - My Country Closet

By Michelle of Evie's Tool Emporium

What is your etsy shop name?
MyCountryCloset

How did you come up with that name?
I live in a rural part of East TN, and my inventory is all related to clothing, such as patterns, cloth and trims.

What sort of crafting supplies do you sell?
All types of patterns, womens, mens, kids, craft and doll patterns. Fabrics and trims as available. I have tons of each, so it's just the process of adding them to my shop.

Favorite website aside from etsy?
Facebook, where I stay in touch with my family..4 adult children, 9 grandchildren, plus siblings and extended family. I have a link to my etsy stores on FB.

Do you craft yourself? If so, what do you like to make?
I've been crafting and sewing since I was 9 yrs. old. I've made just about everything in types of clothing, decorator linens, toys, dolls clothing, coats, costumes, etc. I've also been crocheting just as long; scarves, bags, afghans, pillows, doll clothes, and more. My grandmother taught me how to crochet and I learned how to sew by trial and error. I also make miniatures, and tried about every other hand craft technique.

Please tell us one thing that nobody would know about you?
I have terrible hand-eye coordination; I was always the last one chosen for teams!

What is your favorite thing to make for dinner?
Salads, all styles, and with everything included except for the recipe card. I have a great Greek salad I make often, and I'm always looking for new recipes.

What goals do you have for your shop over the next year?
To get the hundreds of items I have for sale written up, photographed and posted. I'm determined to destash this year !

If you sell on other venues, where else can we find your items?
I sell as Sews4you on ebay for all items not acceptable for etsy.
Sews4you

I also have another etsy shop here:
FeedsackCrafts

I have a few blogs to promote my products and teach sewing techniques.
sews4you-peggyspretties
sews4you

Get To Know - LivinOnTheFringe

By Michelle of Evie's Tool Emporium

Tell us about your store.
Linens and Laurel is the store of my dreams! As a child, I fell in love with the chests full of my great-great-great grandmother’s sewing notions from the late 1800s and early 1900s. Now I sell vintage style ribbon loop fringe made on machines from that era.

What kind of supplies do you offer for crafters and artisans?
Although ribbon loop fringe is my main supply offering, I do have tassels, appliques and beaded trims for sale periodically. They are priced very affordably and, unlike the ribbon loop which is always available, “when they are gone, they are gone”. Finally, I am always looking for vintage sewing notions, fabric and tools. Some of those I share for sale.

Is there any particular item you sell that you like to use regularly when you're creating?
I like to use the ribbon loop, of course! It makes great flowers and flower centers. Add a vintage or interesting pin to the center and done! Of course, it is precious on pillows, bags and lamps, too.

When did you open your store and what inspired you to do so?
I first started selling vintage crafting items online in 1998. It was a perfect fit when I had to be available to drive my son to school and lots of activities.

What do you offer your customers that the larger stores can't?
Personalized customer service and quality control are the most important aspects of my business. I answer my emails and phone calls promptly. And, each item is measured and packed by me for shipping so I know the product is perfect.

What do you like to do in your spare time?
I like to walk local trails and shop yard sales and thrift stores in my spare time.

What's a question you wish I would've asked? And please answer that question.
What was your latest antique/vintage sewing acquisition?
Ooops! Unfair of me! You will have to visit my blog in a couple of days to find out. It is SO a secret and something I had once, sold, and now have again.

What are ten fun facts about you?
1.I love mid-century modern homes, and live in one that has been updated.
2.I love Mad Men.
3.If I didn’t know about mid-century modern, Belle Epoch would be my favorite era. So I live MCM and create BE style.
4.Within the last five years, we lived in Dallas, TX; Stowe-HGTV Dream Home,Vermont and now in the East Bay, CA! After six months here, we are still time zone challenged.
5.New Orleans has been our “home” base for 20 years, but we are actually New Yorkers.
6.I learned to really cook while we were stranded for 4 long winters in Vermont.
7.We rarely eat out. The food is better at home. (see above.)
8.I dream daily of moving back to Winter Park, FL. It’s basically New York with a great climate.
9.I read and comment on lots of blogs. It keeps me updated and provides a marketing tool because it’s tough getting out there as a little specialty shop.
10.My mission is to support women owned small businesses.

Website: Linens and Laurel (for ribbon loop by the yard, and occasional beaded trims, tassels and appliques)
Etsy: Livin' on the Fringe (for odds and ends, bits and pieces of trims.)
Blog: Linens and Laurel Updates, sales, projects
eBay id: lachambrerose for clearing out stuff, mostly vintage items we acquired over the years

Get To Know - Sew Many Diapers

By Michelle of Evie's Tool Emporium

What is your Etsy shop name?
Sew Many Diapers

How did you come up with that name?
I thought it sounded cute for a play on fabrics used to make cloth diapers. My husband hated it when I first told him about it, but I get lots of compliments and he admits now that I picked a good one!

What sort of crafting supplies do you sell?
I sell fabrics, notions, and patterns mostly geared towards making cloth diapers.

Favorite website(s) aside from Etsy?
I love reading discussion boards about cloth diapering and I am a new member of the SewingMamas discussion board also, as I'm trying to branch out from diapers to children's clothing as well.

Do you craft yourself?
If so, what do you like to make? I love to craft, but I never seem to find the time! The cobbler's kids, right? I am always finding things that "need" to be done on the computer, mostly to actively market my business and keep it updated and fresh.

Please tell us one thing that nobody would know about you.
I was once a guest on the Jerry Springer Show (no, I didn't take off any piece of clothing and I did not get into a fist fight...it was a LONG time ago, and I hope the footage never resurfaces!)

What is your favorite thing to make for dinner?
Spaghetti! Easy and fast to make, not to mention cheap...and I know that every member of the family will eat it without complaining!

What goals do you have for your shop over the next year?
I'd like to get to the point that my business is doing more than just supporting itself. Being in the black is great, but all this work that I do is not yet putting any money towards paying our household bills and I'd like to be able to brag that I work at home AND make a profit doing it! I'd also like to expand to finished goods, but if I can't even sew up an outfit for one of my children, I doubt I could ship up an entire line to fill up a shop...but a girl can dream, right?

If you sell on other venues, where else can we find your items?
I have 2 regular websites where I sell basically the same types of items: http://www.sewmanydiapers.com/ and http://www.sewmanypatterns.com/. I have a third site set up at http://www.clothtots.com/ (and an Etsy to go with it) which I think is a great looking site, but alas, nothing is stocked in there yet. At least when I do get the sewing mojo going again, I will have the site up and ready to go.

Get To Know - Thôt Design

By Michelle of Evie's Tool Emporium

What is your Etsy shop name?
Thôt Design

How did you come up with that name?
Thôt Design is as in “thought” or “thinking”. I’m always thinking, not necessarily about super important stuff but the wheels are always turning (sometimes to a fault). Most of the time I’m thinking about design – floral design, interior design, fashion design, or creative design in the sense of craft or handmade. I’m a floral designer & décor stylist by day. My company is called thôt floral | design | décor. In November 2010, the online Etsy shop, thôt design, opened in an effort to reduce some standing holiday inventory. There weren’t any other shops offering Colorful Ashley Spruce Wreaths or Deco Poly Mesh at the time. This small gap in the handmade supply market gave me the opportunity to give Etsy a try.

What sort of crafting supplies do you sell?
Products include: Deco Poly Mesh :: Geo Mesh :: Art Mesh :: Wreath Forms :: Deco Flex Tubing :: Ribbon :: Double Faced Satin Ribbon :: Wired Specialty Ribbon :: Chiffon Ribbon :: Colorful Ashley Spruce Wreaths :: Seasonal Accents & Décor and more.

Favorite website(s) aside from Etsy?
http://www.Twitter.com - @thotdesign I love twitter because with my attention span, 144 characters is right up my alley! http://www.pinterest.com/ Love, love, love this site. It’s so creative and being a very visual person, all the colorful photographs really keep me interested.

Do you craft yourself? If so, what do you like to make?
I have a tiny obsession with vintage and estate finds which has led to some repurposed or upcycled crafts. I enjoy paper crafts and scrapbooking but haven’t done much lately. I do some beading, sewing, extremely light knitting & crocheting. I dabble in needlepoint and tatting from time to time. Truth be told, I just like crafting in general and I love to learn new techniques. I have another Etsy Shop, ReStylista, where I have some cute frames, wardrobe embellishments & repurposed neckties. ReStylista has a blog as well http://www.restylista.co/.

What is your favorite thing to make for dinner?
A reservation! I don’t really enjoy cooking but I like to bake so I guess we could have chocolate cake!

What goals do you have for your shop over the next year?
I’m currently working on some DIY kits and very excited to expand this area of business. The first kit will be “How to make a Deco Poly Mesh Wreath” to include the deco poly mesh roll, wire wreath frame, fasteners, tutorial and wreath storage box. Customers can look forward to the DIY Deco Poly Mesh Wreath Kit in the thôt design Etsy shop by the end of May. I’m also ramping up the tweeting and recently created a Facebook page. Be sure to follow ( @thotdesign ) on twitter and LIKE thôt design on Facebook.

http://www.thotdesign.etsy.com/
http://www.twitter.com/thotdesign
http://www.facebook.com/ThotDesign
http://www.restylista.etsy.com/
http://www.restylista.co/
http://www.twitter.com/re_stylista
http://www.facebook.com/restylista

Get To Know - Country Cottage Supply

By Michelle of Evie's Tool Emporium

What is your Etsy shop name?
Which one? LOL!! Country Cottage Supply

How did you come up with that name?
When I was growing up, I spent summers at my Grandparent's farm. Although they were retired farmers then, I loved it "the farm". And when I moved to my current home, it felt like I was in the country even though we are close to everything. So this is MY Country Cottage!!

What sort of crafting supplies do you sell?
Whatever I can find or have extra from my stash! Currently I am selling miniatures, my Grandaddy's Lunaria Seeds, glass, and crafting books.

Favorite website(s) aside from Etsy?
I love to surf looking at many different craft and art sites, but I also try to keep up with my friends and family on Facebook when I have time. Many of you are on FB too and it helps me see what new ideas are on the horizon. I don't have a lot of time for the computer, so Etsy and Facebook are priorities when I do have a few extra moments..

Do you craft yourself? If so, what do you like to make?
I love to piddle with everything. I love colored glass, mosaics, decoupage, photography, and jewelry and beads. I'm learning to scrapbook and am using all of the ideas and items from my other projects and loves within my books. I hope my children will appreciate these years from now. They will show how much I love them and how much I want to be creative. (I must have learned it from my Mom, who loves color, color, color!) Mixed media is great!

Please tell us one thing that nobody would know about you.
I've always thought that a day is wasted if I don't learn something new or experience a creative moment every day!

What is your favorite thing to make for dinner?
Whatever my wonderful hubby wants to cook! I used to cook all the time, but he has spoiled me! Do I have to pick dinner? I'm happy if I have my coffee, a salad, and anything chocolate!!

What goals do you have for your shop over the next year?
I'm actually fortunate enough to have retired from my “real” job early. My goal is to maintain my shops and hopefully expand in the fall. Having shops on Etsy allows me to stay in touch with what everyone else is doing in the art and craft world, allows me to declutter my craft room, and allows me to have a little extra spending money when I go on scavenger hunts for more supplies! I wish I had time to really make it a 40+ hour a week project because I love it! But life is precious and I love being retired and spending it with my husband and family. I was blessed to have helped my Father and Sister before they passed away, and now help with my elderly in-laws, and help with raising my sister's three special needs children. Life is too short - every day is important. But Etsy is a big part of my life too!!

If you sell on other venues, where else can we find your items?
I used to sell on Ebay and I've sold on Artfire before, but I am focusing on Etsy. Catch me at CountryCottageSupply, OurBookShelf, PackRatPattys and PattysPassions on Etsy. My newest is OurBookShelf and is a collaboration of my love of collecting and my husband's love of reading. OurBookShelf and PackRatPattys both actually have lots of photogravures that would be great as a “supply” in other artwork, even though they are gorgeous framed by themselves. I just love them - beautiful Oriental, German, and Religious black and white prints.

Feel free to add anything else you would like!
I've enjoyed spending time on Etsy and the team boards. I just wish each day had about 48 hours in it !! I am truly thankful to be a part of this, and I really appreciate those that are the "glue" to it all!
Country Cottage Supply - Supplies and more!
OurBookShelf - My Books, Photogravures, and Paper Site
PackRatPattys - Vintage and Supplies
PattysPassions - A few of my loves sold here! My art and more!

Thanks Ya'll !!!

Get To Know - a Little Graphic

By Michelle of Evie's Tool Emporium

What is your Etsy shop name?
Our shop name on Etsy is aLittleGraphic.

How did you come up with that name?
We wanted a name that would be memorable and a bit cheeky while expressing what we do. We also wanted a name that would match our website/blog.

What sort of crafting supplies do you sell?
We offer digital vintage images that we have restored, preserved and otherwise derived from actual vintage artwork, sheet music and other paper ephemera that are at least 75 years old.

Favorite website(s) aside from Etsy?
Blogger. I love to design a blog so it looks like a website. I had no idea I was this much of a geek, but there it is. I'm also a twitter junkie http://www.twitter.com/alittle_graphic and have several twitter accounts for my various interests.

Do you craft yourself? If so, what do you like to make?
Making jewelry intimidates me. I love working with paper, but I have crafter's ADD so I tend to start a project, then get distracted by something shiny and abandon it. Making my digital vintage images and collages is my crafting outlet.

Please tell us one thing that nobody would know about you.
I am embarrassed to say I have very few secrets. I guess one fun little-known fact about me is that I can be seen as a waitress in the movie "Bruce Almighty" during Tony Bennett's rendition of "If I Ruled The World."

What is your favorite thing to make for dinner?
Guacamole. And chips. No really, it's a healthy meal.

What goals do you have for your shop over the next year?
To learn what crafters need and fulfill those needs.
To offer an automated system that would allow our customers to receive their files immediately, 24 hours per day. To expand our product line to include more collages and vintage images.

If you sell on other venues, where else can we find your items?
We are setting up shop within our website at http://www.alittlegraphic.com/. We want to provide "on demand" service to our customers, so through our website they will be able to either download images or receive them via email immediately. Frankly I don't have the energy to open up shops on artfire or zibbett!

Feel free to add anything else you would like. emh productions, inc. is the corporation behind alittlegraphic and is based in Las Vegas, Nevada. I am Liz Hewes, president, chairperson and chief bottle-washer.

A love of vintage, a passion for creativity, and an inability to throw anything away have all conspired to bring us to this place we like to call virtual vintage. It's heartbreaking to find a gorgeous 100 year-old piece of sheet music that has been marked up, folded, and used as a coaster. So we scan it, doctor it, crop it, tweak it... and return it to the world as a "new" creation. It's our humble little way of playing God.

Get To Know - Feille

By Michelle of Evie's Tool Emporium

What is your Etsy shop name?
My Etsy shop name is Feille.

How did you come up with that name?
I love leaves and flowers, and intended to use the woud "feuille", the french word for leaf. I accidentally left out the "u" when choosing my Etsy username, and the rest is history!

What sort of crafting supplies do you sell?
I sell handmade fabric buttons, and embellished and decorated fabric as well.

Favorite website(s) aside from Etsy?
Flickr : Flickr
My Flickr Stream : 4turners
Ravelry : Ravelry

Do you craft yourself? If so, what do you like to make?
I am Jane of all crafts! There isn't almost anything I haven't tried. I do have a handmade shop on etsy that features crochet, fabric and leather items . It's where all my forays into other crafts end up! The shop is here: embellishedlife.

Please tell us one thing that nobody would know about you.
I secretly would love to be the next Martha Stewart, or the next best thing, work for her. To craft all day and come up with new ideas for a living would be a dream come true!

What is your favorite thing to make for dinner?
Homemade chicken soup with dumplings and sweet potatoes.

What goals do you have for your shop over the next year?
My goals for the next year are to keep adding more gorgeous fabrics; to introduce some tutorials for my customers; keep on experimenting with buttons; venture into more aggressive and targeted advertising; maybe start a blog; and last but not least, sell more and reduce my inventory!

If you sell on other venues, where else can we find your items?
Artfire: embellishedlife
My own site (fabric only for now) : embellishedlifedesigns
Ravelry (crochet patterns) : embellishedlife-designs

I would just like to say thanks to all the Etsy suppliers! Even though I am a seller, I also buy supplies for my handmade items and am always excited by the sheer beauty of what's available!

Get To Know - West Coast Sea Glass

By Michelle of Evie's Tool Emporium

What is your Etsy shop name?
WestCoastSeaGlass

How did you come up with that name?
We've traveled the world for genuine, vintage sea glass but most of our trekking comes from years of living and working along the Pacific's West Coast where our work studios are and where the shores are rugged and majestic. This combined with decades of natural tumbling has conditioned our regional glass to be some of the best quality sea glass found.

What sort of crafting supplies do you sell?
We sell from a large and rare collection of loose sea glass, hand collected by us over decades from mostly Pacific Ocean shores. When we can let go of a piece (because we are artists ourselves) we list them by lots, by color, condition and drilled when desired for other crafters around the world.

Favorite website(s) aside from Etsy?
Because we are beach combers by profession we live by the tide charts, earthquake charts and tsunami watch sites almost on a daily basis.

Do you craft yourself? If so, what do you like to make?
We are trained silversmiths so a lot of our glass is used in our own creations in earrings, necklaces, bracelets and more. We really have two working studios. One is where most of the collection is housed and the other is where we do about half of our jewelry design work.

Please tell us one thing that nobody would know about you.
I've developed a stifling fear of small taxi-cabs over the past two years.

What is your favorite thing to make for dinner?
Green chile enchiladas.

What goals do you have for your shop over the next year?
At WCSG we wrote out 6 specific goals with measurable objectives for each for 2011. A couple that I can share here are:
1. Improve Our Studio Work Area - Installing new power tools, new lighting, etc.
2. Another one is that we've scheduled 4 beach trips (each quarter) to do some photo work and to get out and get inspiration and get some farther away collecting done.

If you sell on other venues, where else can we find your items?: WestCoastSeaGlass.com and in about 40 galleries around the world including England, New Zealand, Australia, The Caribbean Islands and more.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/westcoastseaglass/3969443744/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/westcoastseaglass/4664962273/

Get To Know - Matur Suksema

By Michelle of Evie's Tool Emporium

What is your Etsy shop name?
Matur Suksema (mah toor sook sah muh)

How did you come up with that name?
It means thank you in Balinese. More literally it means to give good feelings. I was looking for a name that no one else had that had meaning for me and hopefully for my customers.

What sort of crafting supplies do you sell?
Genuine, direct for the artisans Bali sterling silver beads and findings. Also direct for the artisan hand carved bone faces in lots of sizes and shapes. Fairly traded, BTW. I actually know several of my artisans personally. And because of that we can do custom work.

Favorite website(s) aside from Etsy?
Lots of them. For selling, Artfire and Zibbet.

Do you craft yourself? If so, what do you like to make?
Not anymore. I did when I was younger but I realized I never finished anything so I quit starting. It’s called ADD! The fun is in the planning and starting and then I get bored. I just found a pair of pillow cases unfinished in my “hope chest” that I started when I was in grade school and I just turned 64!

Please tell us one thing that nobody would know about you.
I take groups to Bali and hope to have a group next year that goes to Komodo National Park, one of the national parks in Borneo where the orangutans are, and to a national park in Sumatra where the endangered tigers, elephants, and rhinos are. Those are all in Indonesia.

What is your favorite thing to make for dinner?
Take-out Thai food!

What goals do you have for your shop over the next year?
To continue to grow my sales

If you sell on other venues, where else can we find your items?
eBay, World of Good by eBay (things I can’t sell on the other venues), Artfire, and Zibbet, all with the ID matursuksema

I have wholesale and quantity discounts on the bone items but the buyer needs to contact me before buying so I can do a custom listing.

Get To Know - Woolenmore

By Michelle of Evie's Tool Emporium

What is your Etsy shop name?
woolenmore

How did you come up with that name?
Having a name that would sum up what I have. Since I feature wool fabric and more, my husband dubbed it years ago.

What sort of crafting supplies do you sell?
I offer wools for crafting and the home seamstress. Most of which are wool fabrics that are manufactured by Pendleton, plus my hand over dyed woolens.

Favorite website(s) aside from Etsy?
It is hard to pick just one, but I prefer websites that are about sewing, primitive crafts and home construction.

Do you craft yourself? If so, what do you like to make?
I do, is there a supplier who doesn't? I love to construct clothing, and do craft a variety of things. From primitives to decorative painting, sculpting and carving. About the only thing I haven't ventured into is jewelry and knitting!

Please tell us one thing that nobody would know about you.
There probably isn't anything, maybe that’s a bad thing.

What is your favorite thing to make for dinner?
I try to avoid cooking, if I think about it it is going be frosting.

What goals do you have for your shop over the next year?
I really would like to find the time to list everything, where IS that extra minute?

Get To Know - Grams Vintage Buttons

By Michelle of Evie's Tool Emporium

What is your Etsy shop name?
GramsVintageButtons

How did you come up with that name?
My Mom's Mom was very special to me and we named this shop after my gramma Boyea. I was her first grandchild and I had a chance to live with her just before I got married. Our time together will always be a favorite memory for me.

What sort of crafting supplies do you sell?
We sell buttons for crafting and collecting. At an auction we were lucky enough to get an old picnic basket full of vintage black glass buttons from the Victorian era. Now Mom (my business partner) and I are on the look out for old buttons to add to our shop.

Favorite website(s) aside from Etsy?
I am kind of addicted to Facebook. My kids are on it and most of my huge family (I have over 40 first cousins) and I love to play Farmville! Bad girl!!

Do you craft yourself? If so, what do you like to make?
I used to make jewelry with my Mom. We sold our jewelry at home parties. I have issues with my hands now and the wire work that I enjoyed is now difficult to do. I also love to do scrapbooking. I have several going right now, one for each son ( I have 2) and I am redoing my wedding album.

Please tell us one thing that nobody would know about you.
I have a tatoo! Shhh...;)

What is your favorite thing to make for dinner?
Chicken pesto - my kids love it and it is easy to make with a store bought pesto.

What goals do you have for your shop over the next year?
To list, list and list some more! I have found that listing new items brings in shoppers plain and simple.

I also have 2 other Etsy shops.
CarDonCreativeDesign where we sell jewelry making items and LottieMaesVintage where we sell most everything vintage.

Get To Know - Findings Leslietsy

By Michelle of Evie's Tool Emporium

What is your Etsy shop name?
My supply shop is Findings
My original work is on The Creative Block

How did you come up with that name?
Both names are descriptive but slightly punny: Findings of course refers to jewelry components, but also to other interesting stuff I find and list.
The Creative Block is a place to create, but it also refers to that dead spot every creator experiences from time to time.

What sort of crafting supplies do you sell?
Mostly jewelry supplies--findings, of course, lots of vintage, both new and used, gemstone beads (in assortments and for eurostyle/pandora), some sterling (especially chains at great prices), quite a few Jewish, Buddhist, and Wiccan items. I sell only things that I would use myself.

Favorite website(s) aside from Etsy?
Couchsurfing
Facebook

Do you craft yourself? If so, what do you like to make?
These days I mostly make jewelry, for both humans and ball-jointed dolls, but that's partly a function of mobility limitations and a house that seems to be an ongoing construction project. I knit and crochet in the car and sometimes at meetings, etc. where I can't work on jewelry. I also love to sew, often my own designs, often using recycled fabric, but at the moment cutting space is limited.

Please tell us one thing that nobody would know about you.
Actually a fair number of people, but not too many on Etsy, know that I'm the mom of 5 kids (now adults) adopted from foster care at ages between 8 and 14 -- and now also have 5 grands, ranging in age from 23 to 6 months, 4 of whom are girls.

What is your favorite thing to make for dinner?
Anything quick, simple, healthy, and delicious.

What goals do you have for your shop over the next year?
Amazingly to me, Findings has been largely self-supporting since around the end of its first year, and making enough to pay for a lot of my personal supplies since then. I'd like to cultivate more bulk and repeat orders, to maintain the level of personal attention my customers talk about in feedback, and, of course, to turn more stock over faster. Findings is at around 950 sales - I know we'll reach 1000, but would love to hit 1500 or even 2000 in the next year. I'm also working on being well enough organized so that we can travel and someone else can pack and mail orders.

If you sell on other venues, where else can we find your items?
Other than etsy, I sell only at a few Art/Craft fairs and one local coffee shop, which turns out to be the best venue, especially for my handmade items, that I've ever had.

I do post works in progress and occasional items not listed on Etsy on my blog, Those Blue Remembered Hills and each shop has a Facebook fan page, on which Findings has a monthly drawing entered by posting a photo showing something you've made with anything from the shop.

In addition to all of the above, I belong to several etsy teams besides this one. The newest is Couchsurfing (not sure if it's etsyCouchSurfing or CouchSurfingetsy), + a CouchSurfing team for Etsy sellers. I highly recommend these--with CouchSurfing you can travel all over the world visiting friends you haven't met yet, and what better than having them also be Etsians?

Get To Know - Rose's Buttons

By Michelle of Evie's Tool Emporium

What is your Etsy shop name?
My etsy shop name is RosesButtons

How did you come up with that name?
Well, my first name is Rose and I started to sell vintage buttons.

What sort of crafting supplies do you sell?
In addition to the vintage buttons, I also sell vintage fabric and patterns,and embellishments. I have two other business names From Grandma's Tree selling vintage Christmas decorations and Rose's Sundries selling mostly ephemera and other objects I find interesting.

Favorite website(s) aside from Etsy?
I sell on eBay and am a big fan of both etsy and eBay. I also have my own websites for each of my identities http://www.rosesbuttons.com/, http://www.fromgrandmastree.com/ and http://www.rosessundries.com/. I also have facebook pages for each of these identities as well as squidoo pages.

Do you craft yourself? If so, what do you like to make?
I do craft, but most of my crafting now is making props for my local community theater. This is fun because you never know what you can find that can be made into something else for the stage. I learned to embroider from my mother and learned to sew in high school home economics class. As a child, I used to love going through my grandmothers sewing basket. She had all kinds of interesting notions and saved all the buttons from every piece of clothing that came her way. I inherited her sewing basket when she passed away. It is one of my most treasured possessions. I also have my mother's button stash. I'm a self taught knitter and have yet to tackle crocheting and tatting. I dabble in jewelry making and would like to learn more. I'm thinking of taking a glass blowing or lampworking class.

Please tell us one thing that nobody would know about you.
I love to sing and act. And I didn't start doing either until I retired and moved to my present location. I sing in my church choir and have had parts in plays put on by my local community theater. I've been taking voice lessons by trading for time spent maintaining my voice teacher's etsy shop.

What goals do you have for your shop over the next year?
I have a house full of stuff that I want to get listed online so I can have my space back. My goal is to reduce, recycle and reuse if at all possible. And if I can't, I want my customers to do so. That's why I love selling vintage. Putting these lovely reuseable or repurposeable items in others hands brings me joy.

If you sell on other venues, where else can we find your items? In my eBay store or on my websites.
http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-....m-Grandmas-Tree
http://www.rosesbuttons.com/
http://www.fromgrandmastree.com/
http://www.rosessundries.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/httpwwwrosesbuttonscom/134821616135
http://www.facebook.com/pages/wwwfromgrandmastreecom/128067404088
http://www.facebook.com/pages/wwwrosessundriescom/120499736635
http://www.squidoo.com/rosesbuttons
http://www.squidoo.com/rosessundries
http://www.squidoo.com/fromgrandmastree