While I was getting issue 5 together, I was poking around Jane Wynn’s blog and found Some Girls Wander. Totally enraptured by the charming outfits (so how I would dress if I could ever get myself together…) I read nearly the whole thing in one sitting. Through that I found her online store, and discovered that she is also a great illustrator and promptly asked her to be one of the artists we featured in the Stitching in Ink article. Except the only way I could get a hold of her was to join this mysterious thing called Etsy. Wow. It’s hard for me to come across a person these days who doesn’t know Etsy, but if you don’t - wow. It’s a virtual mall selling things that have anything to do with everything handmade; it’s like a more specialized myspace with shopping carts. I was hooked.

Worn officially opened its own etsy store, TheHouseofWorn in mid-November and issues have been selling at a brisk pace ever since. It’s a great place to reach a new audience and a really great resource of crafty things, but also how to run your own small indie business. A few other Worn associates are on there too - atelierwoodenapples (Amy Johnson’s Wooden Apples Boutique), iheartnorwegianwood and TysonBodnarchuk (Headquarters proprietors Angie and Tyson respectively), scarypretty (issue 4 illustrator and my penpal Hollie Dzama) and redroostercraft (the notorious Pin Pals girls, to be featured in issue 6).

a Pin Pals puppet and a pair of Tyson’s shoes.

Needless to say (if you’ve read issue 5) Some Girls Wander turned out to be Emily Martin of The Black Apple, a sort of celebrity in Etsy circles. So, in conclusion, I feel less guilty about spending large portions of my mornings poking around blogs. It can only lead to good things!