A day in the life:

Amy Summers is a stay-at-home mom with a passion for creating and an appreciation for the Internet. Summers has sold her hand-sewn items in Ogden for years and now has a shop on the popular site for hand-made goods, Etsy.com.

The Signpost: Do you mainly sell baby items on Etsy? Amy Summers: No, I sell a lot of baby items probably because that's mostly what people ask for. But I sell some adult things too. Mostly little hand-made items, a lot of sewn items for adults. Mostly little things because I get bored easy. SP: How long have you been making items to sell? AS: I have making things since I was a little girl. My grandma taught me how to crotchet when I was five and to sew on buttons and all of that. I have always had something in my hand to make. I started selling stuff several years ago and it was mostly just word-of-mouth and I actually sell more by word-of-mouth still, than I do on Etsy. Most of the things I make never even make it there. Somebody comes to my house and buys it before I can even get it listed. SP: When did you start your Etsy shop? AS: I started buying stuff on Etsy first. I actually just opened my shop last fall, but I've been familiar with Etsy pretty much since it started. It's one of my favorite places to even buy things I'd rather not make. I buy a lot of stuff through Etsy. SP: How has Etsy changed your business? AS: It gives me a broader group of people to sell to. It's been fun to see where trends are. Certain things will sell in certain parts of the United States and people in Canada will buy certain things that maybe aren't selling as well here. It's also fun to mail things out across the United States to places I haven't seen or may not see and talk to people there. SP: What is the furthest you've sent an order? AS: I sent a special order of baby booties up to British Columbia and I sent a few things over to Florida. That may be the furthest. A lot of stuff back east for some reason. SP: How does the Internet affect people with small businesses? AS: It's absolutely huge. It has made my business what it is. I think it has made it much easier to spot trends. For example, several years ago I started my business with selling hair bows. Then, the trend turned to flowers for the hair, so I started selling big flowers. Now it's more about the felt hair clips, booties, burps and hats and next year it will be something else. It's much easier to make items that fit the current trendy style when you can look at what is working for other people and then make it your own! SP: Are there drawbacks to Web sites like Etsy? AS: The only drawback I can think of is that there are a lot of people that make things, that sell the same type of things. People copying can be good for somebody but it can be bad for the original person. You'll find somebody who is making a knock-off that maybe isn't as good as you would have liked to see. I still think the positives outweigh the negatives SP: How did you find customers when you finally decided you wanted to sell? AS: It was more word-of mouth. You sell something to somebody or you give something to a friend because you've made it for your kids and their kids. And they wanto to buy one for a baby shower they are going to. Etsy is fun because it gives me a broader audience. Pretty much how I got started is people would just call me from somewhere. They would tell me they saw my booties on some baby and I would say come on over let's make you what you want. SP: How long does it take you to make an item? AS: I really try to get paid for the time I spend. I've been doing it for a long time so I am fast. Booties can take anywhere from an hour to a couple days. I have a lot of crocheted items because they are more affordable. Coming from Utah and having four kids, I understand that sometimes affordable is better. While I would love to dress my kids in boutique styles all the time, we can't always afford it. So I try to keep my things affordable and some of the booties I make are very simple for that reason. SP: Do you have any advice for those who may want to begin selling online? AS: It's kind of scary and it's a little intimidating but it has really been fun to see the interest people have. There is always somebody that wants what you have. Even random items, someone is looking for what your talent is. It's been fun to see who wants to buy different things.