Handmade Spotlight (and Giveaway!): Designs By Jamie

Dear readers, you are in for a treat with this giveaway! Why, you ask? There will be TWO winners! Read through the feature of this lovely Etsy shop and find out how to win! Today I am featuring Designs By Jamie.



Jamie is a stay at home mom who loves to sew. "I'm addicted to fabric and have so much fun working with different fabric combinations to create unique handbags and accessories" she says about her shop. She also designs purses for purse parties in her area! She got started about 4 years ago. She dreamed of having a booth selling SOMETHING at a craft show and decided on purses. She had been making them for friends and after getting a good response, she decided it was right for her. At her first craft show, she sold almost EVERYTHING and decided this was worth pursuing.

Her favorite item in her shop is this Angie Bag. She loves it because it "is made up in yummy Fall colored fabrics of brown, pink and orange."



Jamie's advice for new Etsy shops is this: "Be patient, sales will come. Keep creating and listing items as often as you can. Keep your items at the top of the categories by renewing your listings. Create a blog, twitter account and facebook page as a way to advertise your creations. Encourage and promote others etsy sellers on these pages and that often leads to new sales for you as well."

One of Jamie's favorite Etsy shops is Janesapron. "She makes great items like notecards and clipboards using vintage sewing patterns. I believe I found out about Janesapron through another blog."

When not on Etsy, Jamie likes to hang out with her family and go to coffee with her girlfriends. She is addicted to blogs and loves seeing what people are up to and their crafty inspirations. She says she is "really lucky to be able to stay home with my kids, and own my own business doing something that I love."

You can find DesignsByJamie on any of these sites:

Shop: www.designsbyjamie.etsy.com
Blog: www.designsjamie.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lewiston-ID/Designs-By-Jamie/90201257060

A look into DesignsByJamie:






GIVEAWAY TIME!!!

One winner can choose any scrabble tile pendant available in DesignsByJamie's Etsy store and the other winner can choose from any key fob.

Ways to enter:
-Follow this blog and leave a comment on this post saying so
-Follow DesignsByJamie's blog and comment on this post saying so
-Become a fan of DesignsByJamie on facebook and comment on this post saying so
-Visit DesignsByJamie 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 DesignsByJamie's shop and comment here with a link to the purchased item.

Contest is open until Saturday, December 5, 2009. Two winners will be selected!

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!