Today we’d like to introduce you to Erin Rodriguez
Hi Erin, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
After 14 years of teaching, I made the move in 2019 to stay home with our children and homeschool our children.
I enjoy being creative and began making wreaths for our door for the holidays. I also enjoyed doing crafts with our children.
Towards the end of 2023, we bought a laser cutter and the kids and I had fun learning to use it and make projects.
In early 2024, I started playing around with earrings and making earrings with our laser cutter.
Several family members encouraged me to sell them, so over the summer we started Carolina Crafty Turtle! We came up with the name because we are located in South Carolina and our daughter loves turtles so much that we ended up getting two turtles for pets. It only seemed natural, for us, to include them in our business! I enjoy making fun, cute earrings and for the holidays, I also made ornaments!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Like any business starting up, there have been a few bumps in the road. One of my biggest struggles was trying to figure out a balance with school and working on my business. I prioritize our homeschooling and most days I’m able to work after lunch. Luckily, the kids enjoy helping me or working on their own art, so they are pretty motivated to get their schoolwork done before lunch.
Another struggle was coming out of my shell to do craft shows. I’m a pretty introverted person, so the week before my first show, I was a big ball of nerves. But, now, I actually enjoy doing shows and talking to my customers and fellow vendors.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My business is Carolina Crafty Turtle. I use my laser cutter to make fun and cute hand painted wood earrings! I like to make seasonal and holiday earrings, both dangle and stud earrings. I also like to make a variety of turtle earrings. I make ornaments during the holiday season.
I’m proud that my business has essentially become our family business. My husband helps me with my shows and has also designed a couple earrings. Our kids love to help out at shows and our son is learning to make his own earring designs! I love that we can all work together!
Customers love my unique and fun designs. I’ve also created a changeable earring, which uses a magnet setting that allows the customer to switch the design of their earring!
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
What matters most to me is creating a quality product that makes people happy. I want to create earrings that will last for my customers. I also want my customers to enjoy the fun designs. I also want to run a business that will allow our kids to help out and grow.
Pricing:
- Most stud earrings are $10
- Most Dangle earrings range $12-$15
Contact Info:
- Website: HTTPS://carolina-crafty-turtle.square.site
- Instagram: Https://www.instagram.com/carolinacraftyturtle
- Facebook: Https://www.facebook.com/carolinacraftyturtle
