Introductions

[#1]

Hi Everyone,
I thought it would be nice for everyone to include a little post about themselves and their shop by way of an introduction.
Just a little bit about yourself and what you make etc.

I'm 30 years old, I'm married and have a 2 year old son. I am a web designer by trade but have always loved arts and crafts, my shop CLS Creations primarily sells bags, brooches and felted items. But at a later stage I hope to include some artwork and other bits and pieces, so that's me :)

[Former_Member]

Hi everyone, my name is Barbara and I'm a textile artist living in Lincolnshire. I work full time in my studio as my three children are now at uni. I hold textile and ceramic classes at my studio and also teach art to special needs children in a local school which I love. I've had my shop for a while, but have it slip recently so I'm in the process of re stocking.
Lovely to be part of this team!

[Former_Member]

I'm 29 years old, married and have 2 cats. I've been knitting since I was eight years old, and only a few years ago learned about Etsy. I'm really excited to have found it!

[Former_Member]

Hello its lovely to meet everyone! I'm Dianne, from NZ originally but I've lived in London for the last 6 years. Yeesh! I make crafty things all the time and have been selling here on Etsy for about 2 years. Mostly jewellery but also Photography and drawings of Owls! I love Owls. I also love doing the odd craft fair about London Town. I live in Crouch End. Where it is currently very cold! xxx

[Former_Member]

Hi my name is Elissa I have a serious fabric and button addiction and adore creating. I started selling online January this year. 2010 has been a learning curve, however, I am loving every minute. I am really looking forward to getting to know you all.

[Former_Member]

Hello all,

I am relocating to the UK in the next year so I hope you all don't mind that I've joined. I'm, hopefully, going to the University of Edinburgh next year for genetics

[Former_Member]

Hello! Thank you so much for the invitation! I'm Amanda and I come from Sweden, but since 2007 I live in the UK.

I have crocheted since I was 8, but I only set up my shop the 3rd of December as my friends kept telling me I should sell my creations rather than just having them gather dust in my cupboard ;)

I'm not a big fan of counting stitches, and I have to say I am rubbish at following instructions! As soon as I get a pattern in front of me I just want to rebel and end up doing something completely different. All my creations are made randomly, and I seldom know what I'm doing until it has some kind of recognisable shape I can work with.

I'm hoping to be able to give up my day-job and make a living of my art and amigurumis some day - that would be awesome!

[Former_Member]

Hi everyone

My name is Jacqui and I live on the Oxfordshire/Berkshire border, north of Reading.

I opened my shop in August of this year after much cajoling and encouragement from my 22 year old daughter! She had introduced me to Steampunk jewellery and I had been creating pieces just for my own amusement and for her to wear. We found so much stuff we loved here on Etsy that I eventually decided to give it a go.

My day job is in Learning Support for students with difficulties/disabilities, which I love. I did have a career in IT many moons ago but am now a bit of a dinosaur when it comes to new technology!

Both my children have flown the nest, my husband (of over 30 years) was recently made redundant and is now setting up a Social Enterprise locally, to help unemployed young people into work. We keep chickens and a few pigs and I am busy working on my jewellery designs - we are now fondly known as 'Cottage Industries Are Us'!!

I am loving being part of the Etsy community and hope to get to know you all.

Merry Christmas and best wishes to all for 2011

[Addy]

I'm Erin. Addy is my cat. I wasn't thinking about selling on etsy when I registered 3.5 years ago so picked my cat's name as a user name.

I live in Essex with my partner who also has a shop on etsy. By day, I work for a homelessness charity. On weekends I'm at charity shops, auctions, and antique fairs gathering stuff for my shop! I take silver jewellery classes when I can and am trying to learn to sew.

That's me!

[BabaMoon]

Hi thanks for inviting me to join the team! It's nice to be part of a British team :) I am Naomi and I am from Birmingham, I'm 26 and have 2 young children that are the inspiration for my store Babamoon. I make crochet hats and headbands for little ones, but I also run a altered photography store, moonangelnay.etsy.com which showcases my love for the abstract side to nature. I love to read, watch documentaries, take photos, knit, crochet, gardening, cooking and baking, and i love to spend time with my family. I am so happy to be a part of Etsy, it is quite a big part of my life now and I'm very grateful for the opportunity! :)

[Former_Member]

Hello! Lisa here, I've just been invited :) I';m really an Aussie, but I've lived in London the past 6 years, so I'm very much a UK seller these days!

My items are mostly crochet, not sure I'll keep that up once the Northern Winter is over, but then again, who knows, it's the Southern Winter then, and being a Transplanted Australian, I could possibly appeal to that market :)

I've been on Etsy in various guises, never successful before, but this time around I've been open since June and started listing in October - so 12 sales later (with lots of promotion to get that far!) I think I'm doing quite well!

Oh - married to the loveliest man in the world, with whom I have the 4 most gorgeous children (also "in the world")!

[PrinceDesignUK]

Hi everyone,
thank you for inviting me to join the team!
I'm Elizabeth, and am a full time ceramicist based in Manchester. I love spending time with my friends and family whenever I am not covered in clay.
It's a great idea to have a British team - looking forward to getting to know more of the team's shops!

[IzabelaRocks]

Hi
Thank you so much for inviting me, my name is Izabela and I am a maker and designer of crocheted things. I am a mum of three lovely kids and I try to keep up with my blogging friends, writing my own here: http://izabelaitsme.wordpress.com/

Hi to all British sellers on Etsy
xx

[Lybo]

Hello everyone, I live in St Albans, Herts and joined etsy as a seller in October, I'm really enjoying it after it taking me at least a couple of years to pluck up the courage to launch my shop! I love to crochet and needle felt and I enjoy making strange and cute creatures as well as brooches, hair clips and accessories. Looking forward to lots of UK-based mutual support!!

[Former_Member]

Hey, thanks for inviting me.
I'm 40, married, live in Devon and have for 11 years now though I'm half Welsh and half Austrian.
I teach art, design and jewellery at Plymouth College of Art and I continue as an art jeweller when the teaching job and my toddler allow, which is hard work. Other than that, I ride a motorbike as my transport, I like trying to surf (note, "trying"), walks, camping, collecting stuff, cooking. Etsy is hard work to keep going, but after a year on here it's going better than I'd hoped, I've 'met' great people, made business contacts, learned a lot and improved on my photography skills, so it's been well worth it. Here's to another year...
Merry Crimbo all you Brits :-)

[LouiseBrainwood]

Hi everyone

I'm Louise and I live and work in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire. I have gradually built up my business making and selling cushions and home accessories using new and vintage fabrics.

We have a very creative household, my husband works in television but is also a photographer and my two teenage daughters are both wanting to follw a creative path, the eldest texties and the younger as an illustrator.

I'm looking forward to connecting with more UK sellers as Etsy becomes more well known here!

P.S have a good xmas everyone! xx

[Ruthfully]

Hello and Happy Christmas to everyone. I live in on the west coast of Wales where there aren't many people so Etsy for me is a great opportunity to reach the world with the stuff I make.
I mostly work with fabric, screen printing and sewing in my studio which is just out the back of my house.
I live with my 2 children and partner and 2 cats.
I have to go and do some last minute shopping right now so will continue later. . . . . . .

[AzureDayArt]

Hi, Happy Christmas everyone!
I'm Joyce, I live near Matlock in Derbyshire, and started my etsy shop in February this year.
I love painting and work mainly in acrylics and oil paint, with subjects often based on local scenery or gardens.
I'm a freelance copyeditor, so work always seems to spill over into my 'spare time', but in the new year I hope to set aside more time for painting.

[Former_Member]

So lovely to read everyone's introductions...

Hello! My name is Helen, I'm 29 and I live in Northumberland with my husband and very elderly chinchilla (I have had him since I was 10 years old).

I'm a freelance designer. I work mainly from home running Storeyshop but also freelance at design companies in the north east and London. It gets very busy but I love it!

Merry Christmas and I look forward to getting to know you all better in 2011!

[VeganAhead]

Hi All

I'm Nadine. I live near Colchester in Essex and make crochet accessories. I work for a mental health charity. Would love to reduce work hours and spend more time creating in 2011!

Thanks for the invite, happy to be part of the team and do my bit promoting UK sellers! :)

[cathyconnolley]

Hello everyone, I am Cathy - Cathleen really so I decided to use the Irish spelling of my name for my shop to celebrate my Irish ancestry. I am mid fifties and a carer to my mother so I have plenty of time at home with computer and pen and ink. I live in the beautiful Chilterns in Bucks and adore nature, wildlife, long walks, colours, and love finding the whimsical and quirky in life. Only opened my shop a week ago so still waiting for that first precious sale - may have to wait quite a while by the sound of it...haha. Pleased to meet you all.

[dragonratjewellery]

Hi

I'm Leigh (the female kind), and I'm from South Wales but am currently living near Redcar in N. Yorkshire.

I began jewellery-making as a hobby, but decided to try and make a go of it as a business when my health declined to the point that 'proper' employers wouldn't put up with the amount of time I was taking off sick. This way I can be ill in the morning, but feel better enough to work in the afternoon and evening; no more clocking in!

I have a website - www.dragonratjewellery.com - and sell at various local shows, concentrating on 'Mind, Body & Spirit' ones. I've also got a small selection of pieces at another artist's shop in Middlesbrough. I also list on eBay, but would love to get away from that.

Aside from work, my main hobby is reading, something often interrupted by our manic cocker spaniel and 18 rats.

[Former_Member]

Hi everyone! Glad to be part of a Brit team :D My name is Deb and I make natural fibre handbags and accessories from my home in Lincolnshire. I love to use all natural yarns, and especially eco yarns and British breed yarns. My best sellers are my medium size handbags.

I'm 39 and stay at home mum to our son, who we are home educating. Looking forward to getting to know more UK sellers!

Deb :-)

[Former_Member]

Hello fellow Brits,

I'm Kate, one half of BarSoap, making handmade coctail inspired soaps. Dan is my boyfriend and business partner. We live in Manchester, but both grew up in Preston, Lancashire.

Unfortunately the business is just part time at the moment, I am a solicitor by day and Dan is the more glamourous sounding musician and music journalist.

I would really like us to have a real team spirit and promote each other. I have been making a number of treasuries lately to promote fellow UKers.

I was thinking it would be good if we did more of those.

My thinking is that if one of us is featured in a treasury then we would make a treasury featuring that person in return. I'm envisaging some kind of snowball effect and a UK Etsian Revolution!!

What does everyone think about this plan?? Its optimisic I know!!

xxxx

[Former_Member]

Kate, I love your soaps!

[Former_Member]

Hello everyone,

I've not posted here as I've been very busy with University this year (I started in September and it's been a complete shock to my system since it's 21 years since I left school!)

I just wanted to introduce myself. I'm Yvonne, I live in the UK and I'm mother to two boys (3 and 4 years) and a soap maker.

This holiday break has given me a chance to sit back and sort out my time a bit more and I hope to post more often. I look forward to talking with you all.

In the mean time, take care and have a great new year.
Yvonne
x