I love tortoises. We have quite a few at this point and I have rescued, rehabilitated and re-homed several more. They spend their days lazily roaming our large outdoor tortoise habitat in the nude. I have a tortoise blog, if you are interested - www.tortaddiction.blogspot.com.

I opened this Etsy shop to raise some extra funds for my 'tortoise budget' - originally I planned to mainly sell tortoise-themed paintings.

Crocheting tortoise cozies and tortoise yard finders started as a fun little joke that became really popular, and then went viral online. If you'd like, just do a quick google search on "Tortoise Cozy" or "Tortoise Cozies"... tadaaa! There I am! Who would have thought?! But on the other hand, who doesn't think a tortoise in a sweater is oh-so-cute? (and a bit wacky, too... but in a fun way?)

Crocheting has become a part of my daily life - I bring my projects with me everywhere I go in order to keep up with the many orders. Friends and family have gotten used to seeing me crochet at the playground, in kids' sports, during meetings, or while riding in the car (NOT while I'm the driver, for the record). Thankfully I enjoy keeping my hands busy, and I pride myself in producing beautiful, even, high quality stitch-work. It makes my day that I am able to make others smile, or even laugh, with my silly creations!

It this point, my Etsy shop is a one-woman operation. If business continues to expand, I hope to hire one or two crocheters to help me keep up during the busy holiday season.

Want to see a video about the tortoise cozies? This was produced after I gave an interview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeDpyz5a1Lo

My other Etsy shop, www.MossyRockDesigns.etsy.com, where I sell multicultural nursery art and illustrations, has also been quite successful these past years.

By the way, 10% of my income from this shop is donated to International Reptile Rescue in Canby, Oregon each month.