Member of the Week: Kristen of Sweet V Confections!

This week the Vegan Etsy Team features Kristen of Sweet V Confections as our VET Member of the Week! This is one of several team shops that keeps us up to our ears in delectable vegan sweet treats (such as her absolutely gorgeous dark chocolate peanut butter bunny). Today Kristen talks to us from behind the scenes of Sweet V.

When did you open your Etsy shop, and how did you choose its name?
I agonized over a shop name for several days. While I want everyone to know that my goodies are vegan, I also don't want to "scare" anyone off by having the word vegan in my shop name. So, I decided to just use the letter V, instead of the word vegan. I have been a member of Etsy since October of last year.

What kinds of items do you sell in your shop, and what inspired you to start creating them?
I sell vegan baked goods and chocolates. I absolutely love baking, especially for other people. Being vegan in a small Midwest town I wasn't able to get vegan baked goods very often, and when I did I found they were expensive. I decided to just start making my own. After my family and friends tried some of my goodies, they convinced me that I needed to start selling them.

What are some of your favorite things about Etsy?
I love seeing all the wonderful things other sellers have in their shops. I am always amazed by what people are able to create. I also love being part of the EtsyVeg team and Vegan Etsy Team. The members of these teams have been so helpful and supportive, especially when I was just starting out.

Have you been featured anywhere?
Sweet V has been featured on This Just In for my oatmeal cream pies, on the EtsyVeg blog, on the Daisy Wares blog, and previously here on the Vegan Etsy blog.

How long have you been vegan, and what made you go vegan?
I have been vegan since October of 2007. My main reason for being vegan is the animals. I saw the video 'Meet Your Meat,' and realized that I couldn't be the type of person I wanted to be if I were still eating animal products.

What are your favorite foods?
I love pretty much any dish that includes pasta. My favorite is probably the stuffed shells that I make. The vegan crab cakes at Whole Foods are probably my newest favorite food. It's a good thing we don't live closer to WF, or I'd be eating those almost every day. As far as my baked goods go, my favorites are scotcharoos and mocha stout cupcakes. I've been known to have the cupcakes for breakfast!

Do you have any favorite vegan things, like books, websites, stores, etc.?
My favorite vegan books are all cookbooks. I have way too many and don't use them as often as I should. As far as websites go, I am always on the Post Punk Kitchen.

What kinds of hobbies and interests do you have?
When I have time to, I love to read. I'm currently working my way through The China Study, Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer, and Portions From a Wine-Stained Notebook by Charles Bukowski.

Also, I lived in Illinois for most of my life, and am really excited about getting to explore the mountains in North Carolina with my fiance.

Do you have any animal companions?
Yes! We have two kitties. We got Elle about 6 years ago from a family friend. Her name was originally Nomar (as in Nomar Garciaparra), since we were told she was a boy when we got her. Luckily, after about a week, I realized she was really a she, and then we had to go through the naming process again. Chloe found us about 3 1/2 months ago. She was a stray who had been hanging around our apartment complex. I could hear her little cry from our balcony, and with the nights getting pretty chilly here I couldn't let her stay another night outside. It took us a little while to get her to come inside, but once she did, she loved it.

Do you have any future plans for your shop?
In the near future I plan on adding several new items. I'm going to be experimenting with agave nectar and fruit-sweetened goodies. A little further down the road, I'd really like to open a vegan bakery in the Charlotte, NC area.

Is there anything else you would like to add or share?
Thank you so much for choosing me to be member of the week! I am so proud to be a part of a team with such talented and wonderful members.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cups
from Sweet V Confections