Team FEST - Florida Etsy Street Team

Wow. I just discovered and joined the Florida Etsy Street Team (FEST) and I am discovering so many new and beautiful things and people. Have you discovered Etsy yet? It's a marketplace for everything handmade.

My first sale was a postcard to a young girl in Nova Scotia. I've purchased from and sold art to artists and people all over the world from Estonia, Norway, London and all over the US. Yesterday I received an e-mail from someone in Singapore who was having trouble completing a sale on my website because of the customs forms, etc. At first I suggested we set up a conference call on Skype and I could talk her through a Paypal transaction. Then I remembered Etsy. I quickly uploaded her order in the "reserved" section of my etsy store and she was able to complete the sale within minutes using her credit card. Voila! No hassles. No worries about time difference. No forms to fill out. (I had already checked the USPS website for shipping rates and had added it to the reserved order.)

I have a separate paypal account set aside for my Etsy purchases too. Last month I realized my friend's birthday was coming up fast and money was short. I remembered my Etsy reserves and went online to search for a handpainted wine glass, which I was sure she would love. I sent the artist an e-mail and asked her if I could buy just one rather than a set of two and I asked her if she could get it to her in time. She said yes to both and the deal was done. What a fun and wonderful way to shop!

Here's a link to my heartfulart.etsy.com store. It's small. I only have 50 items uploaded compared to over 1,500 at www.heartfulart.com. As I learn more about Etsy, I'll add more products to my store and continue to discover new artists and new friends from around the world.

Here are a few of my favorite stores I just discovered this morning:

• My Mother's Garden - Mymothersgarden.etsy.com (ceramic garden art)
  
• cjBlue Company - cjBlue.etsy.com (Rescued * RePurposed * ReUsed * ReCycled * ReFashioned)
• iWunder - iWunder.etsy.com (hand knit scarves, hand dyed yarns, crocheted brooches)
  

Browse for more Florida artisans on the Etsy home page by doing a search with for handmade using the word "FEST" - happy shopping.