Whether you’re looking for a koala tea cosy, a set of crocheted lungs, or a hat for your dog, if it’s crafty, cute and could comfortably nestle in between the covers of Frankie magazine, chances are you’ll find it on Etsy. Since its launch in 2005, Etsy has been clothing the iPhones of the craft-conscious around the world, charming us with its quaint commitment to cross-stitch and its earnest love of vintage sweaters.

For those of you that imagine the Etsy life to be somewhere between Snow White’s idyllic woodland home and the we’re-too-hip-for-offices offices of Google, Etsy’s upcoming Creative Sydney events may shed some light on the innermost hopes and dreams of the internet’s cuddliest shopping portal.

First up is Hands On: Makers Show Their Wares on Friday night, which sees artisans sharing the secrets of their successes, including Sydney-based Etsy makers Rare Beasts, who FBi has just been told are the lucky winners of the Etsy comp (you read it here first people!). Event coordinator Jess Scully told FBi: “I am […] amazed by the variety of creative work on there – our submissions for the Etsy spot at Creative Sydney were so varied – from kids clothes to painted ceramics to jewellery to crazy sonic gadgets! What shop in the world is that eclectic?"

This much craftiness in one place is doubtless to make you thirsty. That’s where FBi Social comes in, as it hosts a kickin’ Etsy after party. So leave your knitting needles at home, and come meet your fellow Etsy-lovers while Jack Shit and Kate Jinx provide aural accompaniments. There’s even a lucky door prize, donated by – well – you! Bring along a piece to pop in the magic bag. If you still haven’t had your fill of Etsy (and let’s face it, you probably haven’t), you can head back for more on Saturday arvo, as Etsy’s European Director Matt Stinchcomb heads up a panel of brand makers and breakers at The Affection Economy, telling the rest of us suckers how to make dollars and love all at the same time.

Although we’ll no doubt have it sorted by the end of this weekend, I couldn’t resist asking Scully what it really is that makes Etsy so irresistible. Her answer pretty much sums it up: "It's that personal contact you have with the seller. You see their world and you can't resist capturi