Handmade Spotlight: Carolina Craft Shoppe

Dear readers, I am pleased to introduce to you a shop that takes one of my favorite hobbies and simplifies it! Carolina Craft Shoppe is run by Abby and Elaina, two sisters from North Carolina. They sell premade scrapbook layouts, which are shipped completely put together and ready for buyers to post photos on and slip into their albums. Why buy premade, you ask? Scrapbooking can be very expensive and time consuming so Carolina Craft Shoppe started their business to help busy people organize their memories and keepsakes without a lot of the hassle.

They also have ready made embellishments, which are great for scrapbook pages, gift bags or handmade cards. They both enjoy crafting, and they try to split a lot of the design work between the two of them. Often, one of them will create the bones of a page and the other will come behind – with a fresh perspective – and apply the finishing touches. They have both been scrapbooking for many years so they have a great supply of materials to work with. "Not that this keeps us from buying more! Scrapbooking is addictive!" they add. I totally agree! It's so impossible for me to control my spending when I buy scrap supplies. Buying premade pages would be a great way to go! Carolina Craft Shoppe opened in September 2008, and their first sale came within the same month! They say that they have been blessed with some very loyal customers... and can you blame them for coming back?



Their favorite items in their shop right now are the baby announcement layouts (SPOILER ALERT! You can win one of these!). "Scrapbooking is very personal, and it's meant to be a place to keep memories. These layouts are great gifts for new moms, and they're easily matched to a nursery. We even recommend framing them for the nursery - they're fabulous keepsakes!" says Carolina Craft Shoppe about their favorite product.



Carolina Craft Shoppe has some very good advice for Etsians, "First, remember that etsy is not likely to replace your full-time job! If you look at it like a hobby and realize that as you work you’re honing your craft it will be much more enjoyable. Keep your prices reasonable and supply your customers with timely and safe shipping to keep them happy. And remember that your pictures have to be really great – so practice, practice, practice! Photos are what draw the buyers in so you want to be sure they represent your items to the fullest. In other words, colors need to be bright and true to life, and your focus needs to be sharp."

Their favorite shop on Etsy right now is Wiregirl. The reason why? "Her jewelry is so unique and each piece is definitely a conversation starter! We like items that have character – not something you can pick up in a department store. Plus she’s so cheerful and often offers specials on facebook."

When not on Etsy, the girls of Carolina Craft Shoppe like to read, and they recently started a book club with friends. Elaina has a dog – Beau – who is really like her son (and a cute one at that!). She also loves decorating her home and gardening. Abby has a little boy, who takes up a lot of her time these days! She also has a food blog – her other baby – shallwecook.blogspot.com. Her favorite pastimes are definitely time in the kitchen, especially baking, and photography, which she says she only "dabbles" in!

You can find Carolina Craft Shoppe on any of these sites:
www.CarolinaCraftShoppe.etsy.com
www.twitter.com/scrapshop
www.carolinacraftshoppe.blogspot.com

And now a look at Carolina Craft Shoppe!





And now it's giveaway time! Carolina Craft Shoppe is generously giving away one of their Baby Announcement Layouts! Winner will receive their choice of any one Baby Announcement Layouts from their shop.



Ways to enter:
-Follow this blog and leave a comment on this post
-Follow Carolina Craft Shoppe's blog and comment on this post
-Follow Carolina Craft Shoppe on Twitter and comment on this post
-Visit Carolina Craft Shoppe and comment back with your favorite item
-Blog, tweet, or promote this giveaway in the forums or on facebook & comment with a link

For 5 bonus points, purchase anything from MamiMadeIt's shop and comment here with a link to the purchased item.

Each entry must be posted in a separate comment. Winner will be selected by a random number generator from Random.org. Giveaway ends at 12 AM (CT) on Saturday, November 28. Good luck!