Today I am thrilled to bring you an interview that I did with Guinivere of Camelot's Treasures Etsy Shop
I have been a long time follower of Camelot's Treasures Facebook Fan Page and enjoy seeing new designs in Guinivere's Shop on her blog .
I chose the above photo from her shop of her Cobwebs dress for Halloween as I love spiders! I am the Chief Spider Shoo'wer in my house. I love this cute design.
Offered at $14.99 and photographed beautifully in her Etsy shop, click here for listing.
Camelot's Treasures offers more then just holiday dresses this fully stocked Etsy shop has had more then 100 sales, over 300 admirers and more then 70 items on line. Each carefully and lovingly made by Guinivere. I am so happy to bring you part of our interview and share photos of her work with all of you.
Q: How long have you been sewing for American Girl Dolls?
A- "I've been sewing for American Girl dolls for about 4 years now. I've been sewing off and on since I was pre-teen, but got really into sewing after the birth of my son 5 years ago."
What is your favorite thing to make for American girl dolls?
A- "I think my favorite things to make are our outfits that match certain trends I see around or other things that inspire me. And anything that I don't see anyone else selling/making makes me feel like I'm filling a niche."
When you make items who do you have in mind?
A- "When I'm making items I'm usually thinking if Mallory (my 10 year old daughter) would like it, and my potential customer. I want to be sure that I'm making things that appeal to the doll lover, while keeping things affordable for them to buy."
I understand you are a military family, how do you reach out to other Military families through your work?
A-"I am part of a great Etsy team (Homefront Team) that helps support other military spouses who are a part of the handmade movement. I am very involved with this team, trying to promote my fellow members shops through team blogs, newsletters, and promotions. For a lot of the members, having an Etsy shop helps get us through long deployments and being far from our family!
I also made outfits using military uniforms and/or fabric, which some were even brought along for a Welcome Home party when Dads came back from a long deployment."
How many dolls you you have and which are your favorites?
A-"We definitely have a lot of AG dolls in our house! In my personal collection, I have 6 dolls (Ruthie, Lanie, Delilah,Bridgette, Veronica, and Kenzie). My daughter has 3 dolls (Angelica, Elizabeth, and Felicity) and we share McKenna. Then my son just adopted one from me, but we changed his doll into a boy doll (Aaron) who was named for his favorite football quarterback.
When I was younger, I always wanted Samantha; I read all of her books and just loved how pretty she was. Unfortunately, I didn't receive my first doll until I was 26 years old which was a Christmas present from my mom (better late than never!) and it was Ruthie. Ruthie is definitely my favorite, even above Samantha; I love how her hair is styled and her grey eyes are so beautiful! I think my next favorite doll is, and hopefully I will be able to buy her soon, is Cecile!"
What do you wish people knew about your shop and your work.
A-"Something that I think is very important to know about me and other small at home business owners is how much work goes into running these businesses...WOW! When you're the only employee in your "company" you have to do the work of many; photographer, seamstress, designer, marketer, lister, etc. Your job is never done! I find myself crocheting hats or clipping strings while watching TV, I take my laptop or tablet to bed with me so I can work on some last minute emails or blog entries. It's definitely a lot of work, but knowing that I made something special that someone will enjoy for a long time is well worth all of the effort I put into it!"
"I'm also amazed by how far I've come in the past 4 years! My photography has gotten better, my sewing skills have greatly improved, I have repeat customers, I have a small following. I appreciate each and every person who has supported and inspired me during this journey with Camelot's Treasures, even if they didn't purchase anything from me. I enjoy going to the craft fairs, not just to make some extra money, but so I can interact with the people that come into my booth. This has been a fun ride for me, although sometimes a bit bumpy, and I'm excited to see what's to come in the future!"
I hope you have enjoyed today's post. To visit Camelot's Treasures Etsy Shop click here
To visit Camelot's Treasures and Like them on Facebook click here
Follow Guinivere's blog by clicking here
As with all my posts I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com
Karen, could you combine your tutu making tutorial with the dollar sock making tutorial and add an inexpensive tee shirt to make a knock off of the pricey and popular AG Halloween outfit that is sooo cute.
ReplyDeleteThanks Catherine! I never thought of that!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing my store and my story Karen! As usual you did a fabulous job :)
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