Where are you from? and a little bit about you
I’m from a small town in Central Queensland in Australia, right on the coast at the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef. We have a tropical climate here most of the year, mild winters & humidity fuelled summers. I like to call it Poverty in Paradise. I’m married to my very patient husband, Kevin. No children, but we have a cat & a dog who are our kids.
How did you decide on your shop name?
Quite easy really – my name is Charmaine, my friends all call me Char, so Char’s Treasures seemed appropriate.
Why did you start your business?
I just love making things and if I can sell them too, well that’s a bonus! I’ve sold on Ebay for the past 9 years or so, but not specifically craft items, but with the current high fees on Ebay it is quickly becoming a non viable proposition, so I started looking for an avenue that I could sell my craft items at realistic fee structures and decided to try Etsy – and here I am!
Do you have anything new you plan on adding to your store?
My work constantly evolves & I love lots of different crafts – I quilt, sew, knit etc so depending on what my craft of the moment is, it may well end up on Etsy. I’m also blessed, or cursed with the hoarding gene and as a consequence I have lots of craft supplies & vintage items that I need to destash, so you will never know what you will find in my store.
What is your favorite thing about being a seller?
I love the idea and get a real buzz that someone on the other side of the world has bought something I made, even though I’m only new and sales are so exciting, I’m sure that, that feeling will not disappear when I’m celebrating my 1, 5 or 10 year anniversary on Etsy.
Do you have a blog, twitter, or facebook page?
Yes, I have a blog, which is an exciting new learning experience for me. I like to write about my life, my community and my craft. My blog address is http://charstreasures.blogspot.com/
I do have a facebook page also but not a lot happens on it, but I do need to resurrect it, because it’s advertising and any advertising is a help, right?
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Chars-Treasures/316729593420
I don’t tweet….. yet……but then I said that about blogging & Facebook.
What inspires you to make the items in your shop?
My inspiration from just about anything, a broken earring, a damaged doily, a piece of lace or fabric. I try to let my ideas go with the flow, sometimes things work, sometimes they don’t. It’s all a huge learning curve, if something doesn’t work I’ll try to turn it into something else that does.
What items in your shop do you most enjoy making and why?
I like making cards at the moment, because they are a virtually instant creation. I love making quilts too, but they are a much longer process and even though the end result is worth it, it’s the time in getting there that is the main problem for me at the moment.
Anything else you would like us to know
You can be assured of a well made product, attention to detail and 100% customer service at all times.
** As always I would like to encourage all of you to visit Charmaine ‘s store. She has many wonderful items that I am sure you will all love! For the next 24 hours you may have an extra entry into any of my giveaways for visiting charstreasures and telling me one thing you learned about her and one item from their shop you just love
