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Thanks to The Cotton Shoppe for a memorable group shot!

The past couple of weeks have been very invigorating, and inspiring.  For the first time since I joined Etsy years ago, I finally see the living and breathing faces behind the website I’ve come to love. I actually joined Etsy around 2006, shortly after their initial launch but closed shop pretty soon because I just couldn’t sort out an efficient delivery system with our postal system back in Manila.  But when I moved to Singapore four years ago, I found myself giving it yet another go.

Photos by TinkerSG and Matt Doris.

So here we were recently, all the makers of sellers based in Singapore coming together to meet up with lovely people from Etsy’s UK office!  It was an afternoon well spent and a day of good vibes, exchanging ideas, meeting like-minded characters and forging new friendships. I’ve also gotten an invitation a year ago for a craft party but I wasn’t feeling too craftsy at that time.  When they announced that Etsy’s global craft party was coming up, I said “Well, why not?”, especially since the theme was PAPER. When I entered The Playtent, it was refreshing to see the colorful, packed venue bursting with life and already in full-swing.  I found myself sitting with the group of Ana, where they were quietly folding paper to make paper bracelets. People always mistake me to be the crafty type.  But nothing could be further from the truth.  Not to mention, aftsy and craftsy are worlds apart and not mutually exclusive. Doing simple crafts — needle point, origami or sewing — pose as a challenge both for my dexterity and my patience 😀 As there were so many little kids running around, I actually didn’t notice there was a collage activity happening on the first floor.  I only noticed this on my way out.  I actually enjoy cutting paper so I wish I saw this earlier 🙁 I wish I could have stayed longer but the logistics posed some difficulties for me with a sprained ankle, which did not allow for me to fold my legs beneath me and sit on the floor. Looking forward to the next Etsy activity!