Crafts & Activities
The Top 50 Etsy Parents of 2012
As parents, putting family first can make us feel like our own interests and hobbies are pushed to the backburner. However, sometimes you meet a mom or dad who carves out time to pursue their passions — and make a living from it, to boot. While compiling this list, we’ve had the chance to hear from incredible parents around the globe. What they all have in common is a love for beautiful things — and the savvy to share it with others on Etsy.The shops on this year’s list are as diverse as the sellers behind them. From couture kids clothes to vintage home goods, each object showcased here is a representation of the creative stories behind them. Warning: this is online shopping, taken up a notch. Prepare to become addicted! (And if you think we missed a shop, nominate it in the comments!) — Amy Levin-Epstein
27 / 50
Little Alouette
Owner: Amy Turn Sharp, mom to sons Finn, 8, Blaise, 5, and Scout, 2, living in Columbus, Ohio
Blog: http://littlealouetteblog.tumblr.com/
Shop here for: Custom, playful wooden rattles and teethers
Signature Item: Hippo teeth, $10
Amy Turn Sharp built her business selling eco-friendly, USA-made teething toys for little ones — but that doesn’t mean she didn’t have a few teeth to cut herself. Amy had no background experience in starting a business prior to opening up Little Alouette. “We just thought we would try [selling on Etsy],” she says. “I’m so glad we did.”
Today, Little Alouette is known ’round the blogosphere for its simple, stunning wares. Amy credits her success to not only to the Etsy community — since starting her shop, she’s spoken at Etsy HQ and has become a certified Etsy educator — and the national media, but also to fellow mom bloggers. “I am sure we have sold thousands of hippos because Heather Armstrong of Dooce.com wrote about them,” she says. “The same goes for our [big] sales of barnyard sets because of the sweet Ree Drummond.” As the shop has recently been featured in Martha Stewart Living and is currently preparing for a line of holiday toys, we’re placing our bets on its continued success.
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