Lara Lewis used to be a stressed-out single mother whose teaching job left her little time for her young daughter, but now she works from home, selling an estimated $60,000 a year worth of jewellery online.
The 37-year-old from State College, Pennsylvania, is one of an estimated 5.1 million stay-at-home US mothers, many of whom juggle child-rearing and generating an income. A growing number are starting their own businesses.
The Small Business Administration says the number of self-employed women around the country jumped by 10 per cent from 2000 to 2006, to 5.3 million. For Lewis, an online marketplace called Etsy provided a place to sell her estate-style and faux vintage pieces.
The website, www.etsy.com, lets craft makers set up their own virtual shops. It currently has more than 4.2 million users.
"It's wonderful to be able to call my own shots," Ms Lewis said. "I can work at night, so if I want to do something with my family, I can."
Launched in 2005, the Brooklyn, New York-based Etsy now has more than 400,000 sellers, most of whom are women, and posted more than $180 million in sales last year. Nearly 70 per cent of sellers are college-educated.
"You have this generation of women who understand the value of staying at home to raise their children, but they also want to contribute to the household income and have a creative outlet," said Megan Auman, a Pennsylvania-based designer who started Crafting an MBA, www.craftmba.com, a blog aimed at helping artisans market their products online. "It's another path to financial security."
Etsy's craft makers, some of whom are scattered around the world, sell elegant gold bracelets, crocheted dishrags, wooden teething toys and everything in between, paying 20 cents per listing and a 3.5 per cent commission.
Julie Boyles, 46, who lives near Indianapolis, Indiana, quit her job to stay home with her three children in 2000, but found the loss of income stretched the family budget. She joined Etsy in 2008 and sells leather-bound journals, earning about $1,500 a month.
"When it gets busy, I include everybody, my husband as well as the kids," said Ms Boyles said. "I work out in the living room, so I can be helping with homework and put in a few stitches at the same time."