Monday, May 19, 2008

Etsy Seller of the Week: Circleinthesand

This week I am featuring CircleintheSand! Check out her shop for fun supplies and a variety of handmade items! PLUS, put "Rain" in notes to seller, and she'll give you 10% off your order while she is featured.

How did you find Etsy?
Our local newspaper did an article on a lady in Jacksonville (thedoglady), who was making pet accessories in order to raise money for her vet bills, cos her doggies were in need of medical attention. I was intrigued, so I started browsing around on Etsy looking at all the wonderful handmade items. I did that for almost a year before I had the nerve to actually sign up.

What do you love about Etsy?
Well, of course, what got my attention at the beginning was the 20 cent listings for 4 months. I had been selling on Ebay before coming here and the fees are so much better. But, after I started spending more time on Etsy, I grew to just love the spirit of friendship, helpfulness, caring and love that everybody had for each other. I have since then made some really close wonderful friendships here. And, I think it is neat as heck that I can talk to folks all over the world! Some of those close friendships that I've made are from ladies "across the waters".

What is your favorite dinner?
My favorite dinner is anything that I am eating with hubby!! We have a good time just eating together, no matter what the menu is.

What would you like us to know about your craft/shop?
I would just like for everyone to come away from my shop feeling as if they had an enjoyable experience - whether they buy anything or not. I always try to have fun, colorful items listed, I try to keep my Sections List easy to read and organized and I try to keep the number of items per section at less than 12 so that folks only have one page to look at. I am always pleasant and friendly with my customers - I want them to come back time and time again. I can't work at Etsy fulltime, so I have to try harder to compete with the larger shops, so every shopper is a potential customer, and every customer is a potential referral for another customer so I try and treat each one special. And, I'm known for my fast shipping (just read some of my feedback).

If you could take an all-expenses paid trip anywhere in the world, where would you go?
If I could have an all-expense paid trip - I would like to have a fullsized motorhome so hubby and I could travel all over the United States.

What do you love about what you make/sell?
I just love playing around with all kinds of different crafts - but I also love playing around with all kinds of supplies to make those crafts. And it gives me great pleasure to put those supplies in the hands of another crafter so that she can play around with her favorite craft. One of my favorite things to "play" with is vintage buttons, I love getting them and sorting them and grouping them together. And, I use button on some of my own creations, like the purse pouches.

What is your favorite way to relax or unwind?
I love to relax by browsing around on the internet, or reading thru several favorite magazines that I get, or sitting and watching a movie with hubby - we don't really watch any TV, but we have a ton of movies; give us a big bowl of popcorn and we're set!!

What do you like to shop for on Etsy, even if it is just browsing, not buying?
I love to browse around Etsy looking for some of my own favorite things - vintage buttons, plastic canvas items, supplies, cross stitch - and I also look for things that I can use as Christmas gifts. I did a great deal of Christmas shopping last year right here on Etsy.

Where do you see your Etsy Shop in 3 years?
I dream of being able to do this fulltime, and actually make some income, lol. It is so much fun - both being here on Etsy and searching for those special items to put in my shop. It would be awesome to have this as my sole employment.

6 comments:

The Stewart Stuff said...

Great feature! I especially like the USA card! Very patriotic and fun. Best of luck to both of you!

-10oneworld on Etsy
-Jennifer in real life

Brian and Jennifer said...

You can tell she loves what she does by the great selection in her shop! I especially love the paper flowers. Great feature~

Krazy Kate Designs said...

Great article Rainy, Circlesinthesand is such a fun shop filled with treasure.

Unknown said...

Nice interview! I love Circle's shop!

Anonymous said...

Great interview! Duckie rocks!

SpinachNPeace said...

Thanks you for sharing Circleinthesand with us! She has beuatiful stuff!