Interview-Art by Susmitha/Veganosaurus

How did you choose the name of your shop and how long have you been a member of Etsy?



I'm Susmitha and my store offers art created by me so I just went with Art by Susmitha :) I've been selling online since 2003 and on Etsy since 2007.




What kinds of items do you sell in your shop and what inspired you to startcreating them?




I have 2 Etsy stores. In my Art by Susmitha store I mainly sell jewelry and beads made of clay, wire, gemstones, crystals and other media (all Vegan). I occasionally list a few other odds and ends like wire bookmarks, mobile phone danglers and photographs. I also used to sell my miniature clay sculptures of critters and monsters at this store but since November 2008 they have a space of their own at Veganosaurus on etsy.






Do you donate to any charities or do any volunteer work?



A portion of the sales from the Art by Susmitha store goes to animal charities each month. My preferred charity is the VSPCA Cow Sanctuary (http://vspca.org).





What are some of your favorite things about etsy?



The ease of listing, the community atmosphere and the look and feel of the website are some of the many things which I love about Etsy




Do you sell your items outside of etsy, either online or in retail shops?




Etsy is the only global online marketplace I currently sell at. For Indian customers particularly I have a small collection of items at a gifting website called Exciting Lives




http://excitinglives.com/experience/index.php?main_page=advanced_search_result&search_in_description=1&keyword=Art%20By%20Susmitha )




Have you been featured anywhere?



I have been featured on a few blogs. My most recent feature was on Etsy's blog The Storque where my tutorial on Creating a Facebook Fan Page http://www.etsy.com/storque/how-to/etsy-seller-how-to-creating-a-facebook-fan-page-4085/#comment-119353 was posted.




What kinds of hobbies and interests do you have?



I am very interested in metaphysics. I practice Reiki healing and Tarot reading.







Do you have any websites besides your shop that you would like to tell us about?




http://www.veganosaurus.com






How long have you been vegan and what made you go vegan?



I've been vegetarian since birth and I've been vegan for a little more than 6 years now. My husband became a vegan after learning about what goes on behind the scenes in the dairy industry. I followed suit. We haven't looked back since.




Do you have any favorite vegan things, like books, websites, stores, etc.?




Vegan Books are easy: Very Vegetarian and Vegan Planet are right at the top of my list!Websites and Blogs - I have many many favorites, here are a few off the top of my head:http://vegan-food.nethttp://cherrybombpie.com/http://vegspinz.blogspot.com/




What are your favorite foods?




I'm a foodie so there really isn't much that is not a favorite. As long as it's vegan and made with love I'm going to love it :)








Is there anything else you would like to add or share?



I love being a member of Vegan Etsy! It really is a blessing to be part of a group of so many like minded people where I can speak my mind without needing to justify or argue for my beliefs.

What's in my box? Weekly CSA update, veggies galore

A CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture, and before the growing season starts you purchase a share of the farm, then when veggies start popping up, you get a box every week. The box we get from our csa is more than enough for the 2 of us and our 2 dogs, and I bet would be fine for even a family of 4! My csa is with Old Path Farm, an organic farm in my area. Our boxes started the first Monday in June, but of course I didnt have the brilliant idea to document them until last week! The first box also came with 2 organic tomato plants, which are growing like weeds! So now that you are familiar with what a csa is, lets get down to the goodies! What is in my box this week?

Thyme Plant, smells great

Lovage, which I had never heard of before, but I guess it makes a great salt substitute...so we shall see. It has a very interesting flavor, and I really like it, I cant wait to use it in a raw recipe of yummmy ness!

Radishes, beats (Penney's second favorite to get in her food, she also likes sweet peas!), scapes (kind of like an onion and garlic had a baby, it would be called a scape), zucchini, snap peas (which barely made it in the photo, I love them so they were mostly demolished by this time, lots of parsley (we are making tabouleh today!), arugala, red leaf lettuce (my fav. lettuce)

Interested in getting a CSA in your area, go to google and google your town with CSA next to it and see what comes up. It might be too late for this year, but you can get on next years waiting list early. Our first year with Old Path Farm, we were late signing up so they let us get a half share for $200 and we started halfway through the season! Good luck, and eat your veggies!

Welcome Kenny Coop!

Please give a big welcome to our newest member this week, Kenny Coop. Make sure to check out their shop and heart them!

The Great Vegan Etsy Give Away 5

Every month, or even Bi-Monthly sometimes, the VeganEtsy Team hosts a give-away challenge that awards a prize pack of vegan samples from it's team members.



Fun With Food!

• Start: Now

• End: Thursday July 23rd




• Go to Etsy.Com and search for items that are tagged with VEGANETSY TEAM. Look for any and everything that is Food or Food related!

• Respond to this post with the link of the item you picked and a short quip about why you picked it.

• Each person can only respond 1 time for 1 entry into the drawing. Blog followers get double entry.

• All contestants will be assigned a number. These numbers will be placed into a random generator at the end of the contest to determine the winner.

• Please note you must have contact information!
If you do not have any contact information in your user profile, please leave a email that you can be contacted through to inform you of your winnings.



This contests prize grab bag is sponsored by:

The VeganEtsy Team
Inc. Greetings
Late July Photography
Aguavino
Uber Duper Creations
Saving Estelle
Starrlight Jewelry -&- Designs
Veganessa
Pink Bubble Designs
Strange And Violent
Bright Design
Threaded Smiles

Indie Garage Sale Was Slow But Fun Fun Fun

Yesterday I participated in the Indie Garage Sale, here in Utica, it was my second time participating in this particular fair. It is held in downtown Utica in an old art gallery, a long space about half as wide as it is long. It is perfect for a crafter on each side of the corridor all the way down, and supprisingly wasnt TOO hot, it could have been worse. Some of my baked yummies, like my vegan rice krispie treats, melted a bit and became a rice krispie granola instead haha. The one down side to this space is that there is no bathroom, so that means after 8 hours of being there, it's almost an emergency type situation! Overall the day was decent, not a whole lot of people came, I think because it is so close to graduation and there were 2 other events going on in Utica the same day. On the bright side, I did meet some new people and had a lot of fun talking with people that somewhat similar interests as I do. I also found out from some friends that are also on the CNY ETSY team that there are some awesome fairs coming up around here! Which means excitement, and time to get busy and make some amazing stuff to sell!

Here's what I am hoping to be a part of this summer:

Clinton Arts and Music Festival

Utica Music and Arts Fest

Westcott Cultural Fair

Syracuse VegFEST

So with all of these fairs coming up, I need to get my little fingers ready to sew sew sew create create create!!! Are you doing a fair soon and want some tips? I have only done 3 so far, but here are some must have for a fair:

1. Scissors, pen, paper, marker, tape, string, thread, needle (anything you might need for a quick touch up!)
2. Lotion or body balm, for dry tired hands
3. sunscreen if you are going to be outside a lot
4. tissues, napkins, roll of toilet paper (you never know what might happen)
5. a rain poncho if its an outside show
6. appropriate clothing, bring a light jacket if it goes into the evening
7.******MOST IMPORTANT******* Bring water water water water water, and some snacks, healthy snacks like carrots, celery, cashew butter, apples, oranges, along those lines, to keep you moving all day! Stay hydrated, you cant share your craft with people if your head is spinning and you are laying on the ground!
8. Bring a camera, document your day, and if you take nice photos and make a blog post, please be sure to come let me know! I always try to remember my camera, sometimes i fail hah
9. I recommend NOT using a cash box, too many people have sticky fingers, I recommend a cute little vendors apron. I got mine from Red Paper Record
10. Calculator if you need one to add up your prices!
11. Credit card imprinter and necessities (which I dont yet have!)
12. Business Cards
13. Offer a raffle for an item, then people can enter and be signed up for a mailing list, so you can send them future offers!
14. bags for purchases ( i like to reuse plastic bags from the grocery store recycling bins)
15. Reciepts (carbon copy ones)
16. Tent if its an outdoors event, 7+ hours in the hot and sun would be killer!
17. price each item, i hate asking what everything costs and im sure most other do too!
18. your display items, mannequins, dress forms etc.
19. Mirrors for customers to use
20. Tables chairs, nice table cloths
21. **small trash can***
22. Practice setting up your table, make it look nice, and get second and third opinions!
23. get everything ready and by the door the night before, get a good nights sleep and dont forget breakfast!!!
24. Almost forgot have PLENTY of change, I say about 10 10's. 20 5's and 50 1's atleast! depending on the show size!!!

most importantly HAVE FUN!!!

Tabling = Awesome.

A short (or maybe not so short) list of superdeluxe things that happened on Saturday, June 27th as I tabled at the NYC Zine Fest:

1. Met an eight year old girl who's been vegetarian since she was three (and whose parents aren't), who was very excited that I am vegan.

2. Gave a out a pretty significant number of the Vegan Etsy flyers I made up, yay!

3. Upon giving the flyer to one particular charming young woman, had a conversation in which she explained that she'd given up trying to find vegan items on Etsy because so many items are mislabeled, but now that she can just search for our team tag it's a whole new world.

4. Had a visit from Lisa of Panda with Cookie... who BROUGHT ME A VEGAN CUPCAKE! Which I stupidly did not take a picture of, d'oh. It was chocolate with vanilla icing, and had little chocolate chips in it! Not only superdeluxe - superdelish. Made me feel totally special to get a visit from a fellow team member, and the cupcake was the perfect treat after a long hard day of tabling!

5. Speaking of cupcakes, had a discussion with two separate groups of people about how vegan cupcakes are a fantastic way to bridge the gap between vegans and omnis. Everybody understands (and loves!) cupcakes!

6. Sold out of my zine "Being Vegan is Awesome!" - that may be my most popular zine ever!

7. Even after I'd sold out of it, people kept coming by asking for it! I somehow became known as the vegan table at the event. One guy came by looking for gifts for his 5-years-vegan friend - you know I hooked him up.

8. Had a visit from my friend Olivia of SuperVegan - If you're vegan and in the NYC area, this website is a godsend, and even if you're not in our neck of the woods there are lots of interesting articles and such. Hooray for SuperVegan!

9. Released issue two of Vegetable Vegetable Mineral, my zine about food issues and the food industry from a vegan's perspective, and sold several copies of both issues. Getting the knowledge to the people, yes!

10. Saw numerous festgoers take the Farm Sanctuary and Compassion over Killing materials I made available, and one woman even thanked me for giving out information about eggs from battery-caged hens.

All in all, I'd call the day a rocking success. Exhausting, but so worthwhile. A good day for tabling, a good day for zines, and a good day for veganism!

Alright poppets. Until next Monday,

hearts,
Melissa Bastian

Post Script: Don't forget to stop by next Monday for "Two vegans, two years, one wedding: part two"!

Interview-Midnight Rabbits

Todays interview is with Vanessa of Midnight Rabbits and Veganessa




What kinds of items do you sell in your shop and what inspired you to start creating them?


I have 2 etsy shops, one being veganessa where I sell bags and accessories, all of which are vegan, and are decorrated with words or images that promote veganism and respect etc.The other being midnightrabbits where i sell bags and accessories, that are 100% donated to the etsyforAnimals charity of the month.

Do you donate to any charities or do any volunteer work?

Apart from midnightrabbits where 100% of the sale price of the item is donated to an animal charity, I donate to Dr hadwen trust, Redwings horse sanctuary, FAUNA (Friends of animals under abuse), to name a few.

What are some of your favorite things about etsy?

The community that it is. I have made some wonderful Etsy friends, and really value the vegan etsy team. It's nice to connect with other vegans.

What kinds of hobbies and interests do you have?

Recently I've been going to the cinema quite often. I enjoy seeing films on the 'big screen' the last film I saw was 'Drag me To hell'. It was very entertaining. I'm waiting for the new Transformers film to be released. I like gardening, or at least wandering around garden centres, and dreaming of my 'perfect' garden that I'll have one day.

Do you have any websites besides your shop that you would like to tell us about?

I subscribe to a website package, that was intended for my inline shop, but i have yet to acquire the skills to set it up properly. But i have enrolled in a web design course, starting in September, so in time I aim to have my own website.I have a blog, http://midnightrabbits.blogspot.com which is a mix of things, vegan stuff, my animal companions, things I like and so forth. I like my blog, and enjoy writing on it when i get time.



How long have you been vegan and what made you go vegan?

I became vegan because of my concern and love for all beings. Animal cruelty is so against my nature. I went Vegan about 25 years ago, and am very healthy, although I eat 'junk foods' as well as 'good foods', I believe vegans are naturally healthier. Also if anyone has any doubts about the ability to live healthily on a vegan diet, I am a good example. And when someone remarks on how 'young' i look for my age, I tell them it's because i'm vegan ;).......well it might be.............



Do you have any favorite vegan things, like books, websites, stores, etc.?

My favourite cookbook is 'vegan cupcakes take over the world' I only discovered it recently, and the cupcakes are delicious. I'm a cake addict. I could have cake and coffee every day and never get tired of it.My favourite TV programme is 'Shameless', which is a british comedy-drama. It's so true to life in Britain, it's sad, but funny, but sad.

Do you have any animal companions?



5 cats and 3 dogs, which all make for a very noisy, smelly house :) I love them to bits. they're each very special and have their own personalities. I couldn't imagine a life without animal friendship.

Review - Peace to All Creatures zine - Summer 09 issue

The first thing I noticed when I got my copy of the Peace to All Creatures zine was the beautiful cover artwork, which showed in vibrant colors the artists love for birds. Throughout the zine I found other gorgeous art and eye-catching photos. This zine is certainly a feast for the eyes as well as food for thought. The art showed with great visual impact that loving and helping the animals all around us is not just about sacrifice and hard work, it’s also joyful, loving, and rewarding.

I love how this slim volume covered such divergent topics, whatever your interests or current involvement in animal issues you’ll find something in this zine custom-tailored to you. Topics ranged from an amazing recipe for Choco-chunk cookies (and who doesn’t love cookies) to a humorous take on that experience familiar to all rescuers—loving an animal with hygiene, health, or odor issues. I consider myself pretty well-versed in animal issues but even I learned many new things, how artists create masterpieces out of trash and the intricate, peaceful lives of snails just to name a few. You’ll also find instructions on how to do more to help animals and reduce your environmental footprint.



I found the article on using nutrition to prevent skin cancer engrossing since skin cancer runs in my own family. Articles on freegansim and expanding our concepts of equality will challenge the reader to look a little more deeply at our culture and ourselves.

In the end, this zine certainly lives up to its name, as it shows all of us, no matter how busy we are or how much we currently do to help animals, that we really can try to bring peace to all creatures, including our fellow human creatures, and all the non-humans who share the planet with us. Many thanks to all the contributors and to editors Pippi Howard and Jessi VanPelt for bringing us this lovely and thought-provoking publication.

This Review Was Written By Neva