Etsy is the Ebay version for crafts. It’s one of my favorite sites! The blog featured today, Etsy’s Most Wonderful Things, finds the coolest things on Etsy.

1. When did you start your blog, Etsy’s Most Wonderful Things and why?

I started the Etsy’s Most Wonderful Things blog just a few months ago, in March. It started out as a way of promoting my Etsy shop, but soon it turned into so much more. It’s such fun to discover a brilliant artist who is just starting out, or who hasn’t gotten the recognition they deserve, and tell the world about them. There are so many talented artists, and now I have a tiny bit of power to let everyone know about all of the great work they do. (I promise to use my power for good, not evil.)

2. Also, tell us a little more about your Etsy shop and the goods you sell there.

My Etsy shop is called Sugarcube Design, and I sell all kinds of handmade notecards, gift tags, and envelopes. I have things like notecard and envelope sets with big, mod flowers and handmade envelopes I create from old anatomy textbooks. I design everything, right down to the templates I use.

I was doing freelance illustration work for many years, and getting really frustrated about having to wait for the next job to come along. Then I heard about Etsy, and it seemed like a great way to do the kind of work I liked without having to wait around for someone else’s say-so. Now, whenever I have a brilliant idea, I just make it happen!

3. What have been some of your favorite Etsy finds?

There are plenty of nice things on Etsy, but my very favorite Etsy find has got to be the people! The Etsy community is so wonderful. Whether
I’ve got a quick question about the site or something in my life I’d like to share or vent about, or even if I’m just feeling bored, there’s always a friendly someone who’s happy to discuss it with me. And the lovely administration people behind the scenes at Etsy and EtsyLabs are great, too. So cute and funny and helpful. What more could you ask for?

4. What are some of your favorite Etsy shops that you frequently browse?

There are so many, but I really enjoy PataPri‘s silkscreened textiles. I’ve featured her work on my blog before. She has an amazing design sensibility and the colors she uses are just perfect. I also like Mark Wallace’s photographs. They’re beautiful and eerie at the same time.

5. Can you recommend other websites you enjoy? (Can be related to your own or not)

I’m on BoingBoing at least once a day! It’s like this little bubbleful of interesting stuff going on in the world. I also love, love, love the Make website. They’ve taught me to create fabulous things that make me look like a freakin’ genius (like a hovercraft from paper plates and a CPU fan!); and Bre Pettis does a weekly podcast that always inspires me to be a better geek.

Visit Etsy’s Most Wonderful Things.

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