Etsy

One of my latest projects was making panels for the sides of our pack n' play for when we travel. Mom's know, especially once your kids get older the distractions of sleeping in a new place can be so enticing. So, this is what I came up with: two panels, both of which snap at the bottom or roll up and tie.

I posted pictures of the finished product on facebook and got a lot of comments from other moms about how great of an idea this was and how I should market it. I said thanks and yeah, yeah, until two different people suggested selling them on Etsy.

For a couple of years I've known about Etsy.com, an ebay of sorts for those selling homemade goods. It is incredibly intimidating though, many of the things sold are of professional quality and there's a lot I don't know about the whole process. Do I really need to make twenty different panels so that I have them on-hand in the hopes that someone will stumble upon my site? And when someone orders something, especially a custom job, what if I'm out of town or sick or whatever... I'm definitely not a savvy business woman, ready to pump out the products and head to UPS. I imagine there are other sellers like me on there, just stay-at-homers who came up with a unique idea, but it seems scary.

My question to any of you who have used Etsy before is, is this something I could really do? The extra cash would be great and I have my evenings free at home while Blair works anyway. Why not sew! I'm just picturing this being a moderate investment that doesn't go anywhere or I get horrible reviews because a seam isn't straight or something. The perfectionists worst nightmare! Let me know your thoughts...