Front Page Fantastick!

Once again some of our great team members made it to the front page of etsy today!


The treasury was created by team member Go Against The Grain and had items from fellow knet team members Bella Mia Bows n Things, Plumb Pretty, Crochet TLC and Madas Place

To get links to all the items please check out the craft cult website here.

Congrats ladies!

Member Feature: Barefoot Soaps

Tell us a little about your shop.
Barefoot Soaps sells handmade glycerin soaps and bath bombs. Every bar is handmade from top quality ingredients that are great for your skin!

What brought you to etsy?
I discovered Etsy when I was planning my wedding. After I was done with wedding related shopping, I started browsing for everyday handmade things and fell in love. I had been making soaps and bath products for about a year for friends and family and thought I would give Etsy a try!

How long have you been crafting?
I’ve been soaping for a little over a year, but I LOVE to create so I’ve been crafting for as long as I can remember!

What is your favorite item in your shop right now?
My Vanilla Cuppies. They smell JUST like vanilla cupcakes, and they have added cocoa butter to keep your skin silky smooth. I also love our Massage Bars.

What is your "day job?"
I am vocal music director for 6-12th grade. I teach three choirs as well as middle school general music. Crafting after school is like therapy for me.

Where do you find inspiration?
The outdoors. I find delicious outdoor scented fragrance oils and let my imagination go. I also love finding untraditional things to use as soap molds. I also LOVE getting inspired by foods. I also decorate cake, cupcakes, and cookies (another one of my crafting hobbies) so I’m constantly looking for molds and fragrance oils that remind me of baking.

What is one thing you wish you could do better?
I really wish I could sew. My grandmother is an amazing seamstress and she tried to teach me growing up, but I could never really catch on. I would love to be able to sew!

What is one crafting tool you couldn't live without?
My silicone soap molds. They make unmolding soap so much easier, and last so much longer than traditional molds!

What is your favorite book/movie/song?
I don’t really have favorite books, more like favorite authors. I LOVE Patricia Cornwell, James Patterson and Stuart Woods. I also love the Harry Potter series. My favorite movies are Star Wars. I also LOVED Avatar and the new Alice in Wonderland! Being a musician, it’s so hard to name a favorite song. There are too many!

Where else can we find you?

I’m on Twitter at @barefootsoaps

Member Feature: Bowrene's Things

Tell us a little about your shop.
My shop is full of hats and other wearables and toys for babies and adults alike.

What brought you to etsy?
I love the site and the community as a shopper and it just seemed like the kind of place where I could do well and where I could sell items that are premade in addition to giving me a forum for creating custom items (custom orders are my fave!)

How long have you been crafting?
I started crocheting when I was 9...so about 15 years ago! I was taught to crochet by my late great-grandmother and then I self taught. I also am a self taught knitter, but that ability is still in the works.

What is your favorite item in your shop right now?
My favorite item is my chocolate ribbed newsboy hat. I love the buttons, the ribbing, the brim, EVERYTHING about it!

What is your "day job?"

I am a graduate teaching assistant and teach discussion sections for a course called "Language and the Mind." I'm also a student pursuing my master's degree in Linguistics and will continue on with my PhD work next year. I'm working on my thesis right now.

Where do you find inspiration?

Everywhere (so cliche). Sometimes I just wander the local yarneries and think "what could I do with this?" A lot of my projects reflect nature--I love making flowers. I also am inspired by the winter itself. Working with wool lends itself to developing hats that cover as much of the head as possible while still being cute! My son also inspires me. I love making hats just for him.

What is one thing you wish you could do better?

I wish I could knit better. I've just started up again, and I love to do it, but my brain wants to switch into crochet mode on occasion.

What is one crafting tool you couldn't live without?

My needles! Especially those I inherited from my great-grandmother. They are really special to me.

What is your favorite book/movie/song?

My favorite book has to be the Harry Potter series, but I'm also really into some of the classics. I am in the middle of a Vonnegut phase. My favorite movie is The Wizard of Oz (helloooo Kansan here!)My favorite song is Philosophy by Ben Folds. It gets me going when I have a big project to do.

Where else can we find you?

My blog is http://itchingforastitching.blogspot.com

My twitter is http://twitter.com/bowrene

My facebook page is http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bowrenes-Etsy/90547942085?ref=ts

Member Feature: Damask Diva

Tell us a little about your shop.
For the most part, I sell damask votive wraps for votive candles. I can do wraps for almost anything though such as vases, pillars, favor boxes, etc. I also create custom I Do letters, and lately I have added a seating chart design and matching table numbers. I plan to expand on those collections greatly in 2010.

What brought you to etsy?
My shop came about because I was really frustrated with the lack of affordable damask items for weddings. If I did find a damask item, it would usually be expensive or I could only find one or two. Then I decided to use my love of damask plus my love of being cheap (or thrifty!) and combine the two.

How long have you been crafting?
For a very long time! I’ve always been the creative type, and I like to think outside the box. I believe beautiful damask items can be a lovely décor piece in weddings, showers, and even in the home. Crafting is a way to be productive and keep my mind going. Plus, it’s something I can do while drinking cheap wine!

What is your favorite item in your shop right now?
My favorite item would have to be my Spring Elegance Variety Pack. This winter was really cold in South Texas, so this variety packs reminds me of the lovely spring that should be arriving soon.

What is your "day job?"
I am a Student Advisor at a Community College. I enjoy helping students, but I really want to make my Etsy store my full-time job in the next 2 years or so.
Where do you find inspiration?
I tend to stay away from magazines and such because I don’t want to copy anyone’s ideas. Mostly I walk the aisles of Michael’s or Hobby Lobby, and I ask myself how I could “damask-ify” that. Yes, that’s a word.

What is one thing you wish you could do better?
I wish I could get my orders out the very next day, but it’s difficult because of my “day job”. I do strive to get orders out ASAP though.

What is one crafting tool you couldn't live without?
My laser printer. I LOVE IT!

What is your favorite book/movie/song?
My favorite book is The Great Gatsby. So classic! My favorite movie is The Wedding Planner, because Matthew McConaughey is GORGEOUS! But besides that, I’ve always wanted to be a wedding planner and it’s a cute movie. Song? Anything by Britney Spears. (Don’t laugh!)

Where else can we find you? I am all over the place!
Blog: http://www.monicabenavidez.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/thedamaskdiva
Etsy: http://www.damaskdiva.etsy.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/damaskdivadesigns