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About


Hi there! Thanks for stopping by. I'm Alyssa, owner and creator of Amaia Papaya. I'm a mom to two amazing kids, Amaia and Alexander. In my spare time you can find me sitting behind my sewing machine, designing up new bags, or setting up shop at a local craft market. 

 I opened my first Etsy shop in 2014 just a few short months after my daughter was born. We had been calling her Amaia Papaya since she was in my belly, so the name just naturally fit.
My mom taught me to sew when I was a young kid, but it honestly was not love at first stitch. Thanks to a rickety old machine that was constantly jamming, I often gave up. Fast forward a few years and thanks to a brand new machine, I'm absolutely hooked. There is nothing better than dreaming up a design and turning it into reality. Plus, I am an avid fabric shopper. Sometimes I wonder, what do I love more? Browsing fabric or sewing itself?
I'm so happy you are here to follow along on my journey. Thanks for joining me!
I'd love to stay in touch!

Email: amaiapapayashop@gmail.com
Visit us: amaiapapayashop.blogspot.com
Follow us on Instagram: @amaiapapayashop

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Bamboo Cutlery Sets

Friends! It's been a while since I last posted on here, but I am listing some awesome new bamboo cutlery sets tomorrow so I wanted to pop back on and give you a quick sneak peek! This is a product I've been dreaming up for quite some time. When I started my shop a few years back, my goal was to make products that help people move towards a "zero waste" lifestyle. Combing that goal with my love of creating and sewing, I started a small Etsy shop and decided to blog along the way. Admittedly I got a little distracted over the years (pretty fabrics and zipper pouches, what can I say!), so I'm eager to get back on track and bring you more eco-friendly handmade goods. But have no fear, my zipper pouches are not disappearing! I'm certainly not a sustainability expert, but my background is in biology and public health and I love brining that knowledge out here. I'm hoping to share more on what I am doing in my own home to make small, eco-friendly chang...
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Market time again!

Last week we packed up our goods and headed over to the Ashland farmers market for their sustainability day and we had one of our best selling days ever! The weather was gorgeous, the people were friendly, and the feedback from customers was beyond supportive and positive. I even had a few people run back to my booth around closing time to pick up some more goods. Overall a wonderfully successful day that not only re-motivated me, but made me realize that following my dreams isn't so crazy after all! We set up shop with our usual tent, but this time added a nice new handmade sign. A definite plus for getting our name out there! Although some people were wondering where the papayas were...And please ignore Axel who looks so thrilled in the background of every picture. I swear, he really was excited to be there! There was a huge turnout for the market's sustainability day event. All the vendors had a focus on reusable and sustainable products, so our produce ba...
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What I learned: my first farmers market

At the beginning of May I set up shop at the Lowell Farm Market for their "I Heart Mom" event. And it was a blast!    ( picture courtesy of The Farm Market's Facebook page ) This marked my first time ever selling handmade items at a market. Intimidating and terrifying, for sure. But also a very fun experience. My intention wasn't to sell a ton, but to learn as much as possible. Having one event under my belt, I feel more prepared and excited to sign up for more in the future. Back in the beginning of the year, I set three goals for my shop: 1) open an Etsy account and list at least ten items (done!) 2) sign up for at least one market/craft fair (done!) and 3) start blogging (done!). Only five months into the year and I've already checked everything off the list. Not too bad! So here's how it went. I registered for the event pretty late and only gave myself a few weeks to pull things together. Not the best idea, but I pulled through. It meant...
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