I joined Etsy on September 30, 2005, just a few months after the site first launched. I had been searching desperately for an alternative to eBay, which had always felt like such a vast and impersonal place to sell my artwork. I remember how excited I was when I came across a website specifically focused on handmade arts and crafts, because it felt like for the first time, I finally had a warm and cozy spot on the internet to call home. I had no expectations and no business plans, but I knew that this was the place I wanted to be . . . but what was I going to sell? I ended up going through several phases before landing on the whole "rubber stamp" idea, and waaaay back in the beginning I actually had a shop full of paintings and prints.
This was my very first sale on Etsy. A print of my "Secret Garden" painting.
A "Little Deer" painting on wood. Look familiar?
