Favourite Etsy Shop Friday

Favourite Etsy Shop Feature

Stay Awake And Play
www.stayawake.etsy.com

1. Tell us a bit about yourself.
I live in Ontario Canada, with my amazing husband and children - a 4 year old girl and 2 year old boy. I drive my husband a bit nuts with the 'mess' in our playroom which is our craft area. My kids and I are always making something, and I can't seem to stop at one craft project at a time! The kids and I love fort building, cloud gazing, cookie baking and playing make believe. When I'm not crafting, I am busy volunteering at my church or a summer camp I'm very involved in or playing outside.

2. What made you open you shop and why Etsy?
My daughter is a bit puppet-crazy, and after looking for cute puppets for her I realized I'd have to spend a fortune to get a decent collection going! So I tried stitching up my own. We loved how they turned out, and so did our friends! After showing them to a few people, I had orders and people telling me I needed to be on Etsy. I hadn't really considered any other craft venue, because Etsy is where I had shopped in the past and I loved the vibe there. I listed my first 6 sets last May, and had sold three of them within the first 24 hours! I took that as a good sign to stick with it. :) The money I make from Etsy lets me buy things for my family, from other Etsians, and support causes I feel strongly about. :)



3. Do you sell your puppets anywhere else?
Just Etsy for now!

4. How did you choose your shop name?
I think staying awake and full of wonder in this world is one of the most important things we can do! We live in an incredible world. Having children kind of reawakened my sense of all that is amazing and beautiful and I wanted to 'stay awake'. My kids, on the other hand, always want to 'stay awake and play' with me at night. It seemed to work. :) One of my favourite movies is a strange little film called "Joe Vs. The Volcano" and it’s a little bit ridiculous, romantic, spiritual, lighthearted and deep at the same time. It is in truth about a man who sets off to find his soul, and discovers something far greater. It involves a shipwreck, volcano, orange soda and some very tenacious luggage. Anyway, there is a quote in the movie that has always stuck with me…

“My father says that almost the whole world is asleep. Everybody you know. Everybody you see. Everybody you talk to. He says that only a few people are awake and they live in a state of constant total amazement.”



5. What are your favourite things to do?
Craft, Sing, Be outside, Camp, Cook (especially finding new gluten-free recipes for my celiac son) and spend time with my family!

6. What inspires you?
Nature, my children's imaginations, I'm a big blog reader, browsing Etsy and Ohdeedoh, reading good books.



7. If you could learn one new craft, what would it be?
I wish I could use a sewing machine without fear! I would love to be able to quilt. It's just a big undertaking. I have the attention span for small projects. :)

8. Which puppets are the most popular?
Far and away my most popular sets are the forest animal ones. I've sold the most of those - and they were some of the first in my shop! But the space sets are slowly catching up. :)



9. Which handmade possession given to you do you cherish?
A quilt my grandmother made. I remember her making it, and was even with her when she chose the colours. It was on her bed for a few years, and now I have it. It's beautiful, and one of the things I cherish most.

10. Name 3 other Etsy shops you love to visit.
These are three shops I love the feel of, and love to just go browse through! :)

handmade pretties
Lulu Bug Jewelry
Imagination Kids



Thank you so much to Stay Awake And Play for being my featured seller this week. This shop is a recent discovery. I dont know how it took me this long to find it but Im so glad I did. Aren't these finger puppets just amazing. I could see us playing with them for hours. I could just picture adults who dont even have any kids around finding them irresistible not to put on their finger and play like nobody is watching hehe. I love how there are so many different sets that cover both girls and boys. Something for everybody. These pictures are just the tip of the iceberg. Take a look and you will find a shop filled with the possibility of hours of fun.