FMI - For Mama's Information

Three Cheers for Etsy and the Do-it-yourself-ers

Small, locally based crafting and artisan businesses are able to benefit, as so many of us small businesses are, from technology and the internet. If you have not yet discovered Etsy, get over to the website and prepare to spend hours looking!

Etsy is a brilliant concept that allows anyone to post their handmade wares, whether you make sock puppets and pet rocks or welded iron work and wood furniture.

There are about a billion postings on the site from all over the world, but the clever folks at Etsy have made it easy and fun to shop and browse according to many different criteria, including the standard categories (for men, women, children, etc), by colour, by location, or by most-recently-posted, to name a few. They also rotate featured items, have featured sellers and have a forum to read so that you can get to know some of the vendors a little bit. Once you have an account, you can order and leave feedback and add businesses and stores to your favourites. You can also see who has added other stores to their favourites, giving you another way to find what you suspect you will like or what you are looking for.

And if you are an amateur artiste, sign up to sell your projects!

Not yet a nouvelle mama?

You bet you are! If you have a child of any age, or are going to be having a child, and are interested in parenting, you already qualify. Now sign up for the newsletter and make it official!

Sign up your friends, too!