Greetings! My name is Justine Smith and I am the creator of Handmade Marketer. This is my first of many posts for Handmade Spark and I’m thrilled to be here. My first ever blog, the “Etsy Business Blog” , was rebranded to my current site in January 2010 and for months I’ve had incredible seller stories in the vault, waiting to be shared. I am excited to announce that these interviews will be posted on Tim’s fantastic blog several times a week from now on!

Anna Attard’s incredible children’s apparel line Amelie Jo features organic onesies, hats, shirts and pants with a unique, whimsical twist. Anna ‘sat down’ with me to share her story of being an Etsy Mom for Handmade Spark.

Tell us about yourself and how you found Etsy:

I am a stay at home mother of a 17 month old, my sweet Amelie Jo and a 13 year old step daughter, Taylor.  I have always been interested in crafting and purchasing organic in all aspects of my life.  I found Etsy after a friend told me about an adorable organic baby hat that a shop owner had listed and I was hooked!

What’s your family life like?

My husband is the bread winner of our family and works 10 hour days with a 2 hour commute.  We spend weekends together, but there is simply not enough time during the week. Saturday is family day and Sunday we spend at home.

Does Etsy help contribute to your family’s income?

I would love for my Etsy shop to generate enough revenue to contribute to the family’s income, but I haven’t built a large enough clientele yet. I just opened my shop in December of 2009, but it seems to be getting a lot of exposure, due to the fact that I am constantly blogging and on Facebook.  I am a member of Lollishops, which seems to be a good source of cheap advertising in a community setting.

How do you find time to work with kids around?

It is very difficult to work at a craft when children are around. I do most of my work at night or during naptime.  I have learned to be very efficient and careful with my time.  I answer and send emails from my phone and jot down ideas periodically throughout the day.  I do a lot of my sewing by hand when my daughter is busy watching Sesame Street or looking at books.  It all seems to get done and I am happy with the results, so I must be managing!

What are your Etsy goals for the future?

My Etsy goals for the future are to run a successful shop and produce my shirts and onesies on a larger scale.  Ultimately, I would like to have a small clothing line that customers can purchase from a website or independently owned boutiques.

Please be sure to check out Anna’s shop Amelie Jo for beautiful handmade organic apparel plus follow her on Twitter. I bought my daughter an Amelie Jo original tee for her 2nd birthday (which she loved) and it is SOOOOOO soft!