What Should I Do with Those Scrapbooking Supplies?

So I had these stacks and stacks of scrapbooking supplies and had to decide what to do with them.  I did some research on Etsy and saw that people do sell 12 x 12 scrapbook pages.  But how do they ship them?  That route seemed too complicated for the beginning of my adventure.

Summer Beach Tags

 

I gathered my supplies and just started cutting, stamping and gluing and soon some festive little Christmas gift tags had been created. I listed about ten sets in my shop and I was a happy camper.  I was so pleased to have almost half a page filled up.  It took about two weeks to get my first sale.  I was ecstatic!  

Gift Tag Grab Bag

 

Decorative gift tags are one of my favorite things to make.  But I've realized that not everyone needs six or ten of the same tag.  So recently I've bagged up an assortment of ten different tags in a grab bag.  Each bag is different and it's a bit of a surprise what each customer will receive. There are baby shower tags, fall tags, teacher appreciation tags, Valentine's Day, wedding or bridal shower tags, birthday gift tags, etc. It's like an All Occasion gift tag supply.

Why Do I Sell Paper Products?

Trying to decide what to sell in my Esty shop was not too hard.  I am not really super talented in the area of arts and crafts.  When I was about 16, I took a macrame class.  I really enjoyed that and did quite well with it.  Then I tried toll painting, decoupage, stenciling, cake decorating, cross stitch, sewing, plastic canvas and whatever else was new.  It was always a colossal failure.  It wasn't any good or it was too messy, too expensive.  Some projects took too long and I lost interest.

Paper Posies - Scrapbook Embellishment in Bright Summer Colors 

 

Then scrapbooking came along.  Someone compared it to making bulletin boards, but on a much smaller scale.  Well.  I'm a teacher.  Bulletin boards I can do.

When we were in Romania, I started a scrapbooking ministry with the ladies there.  They had seen my scrapbooks and I thought it would be fun to get the supplies and show them how to make them. It was a fun way to reach out and fellowship!  When we left the country, I gave away a lot of my supplies.  But I still had a bunch that we brought back to the US.

 

Rainbow Flowers for Scrapbook Layout

So when I considered what to sell on Ellie Marie Designs,  I was inspired by the prophet Elisha in the Old Testament. He asked the widow who was in great need of making some money, "What do you have in the house?"  What did I have in my house?  Stacks of scrapbooking supplies.

Do you sell on Etsy?  How did you decide what to sell?

So Why Did I Start an Etsy Shop Anyway?

My family and I were missionaries to Romania.  And when we returned from the field, we found ourselves in Richmond, VA living on a single and insufficient income. So I started working too.  I subbed in the public schools anywhere from one day a week to full time.  John worked evenings, I worked days and somehow we managed to continue homeschooling our three children.

Lion Birthday Favor Tags

Then my oldest two, Gabriel and Hannah, graduated from high school the same year and went off to college.  So now we not only had the added expense of two children in college but working outside the home became complicated.  John's schedule had changed from permanent evenings to shift work.  That made it impossible for me substitute without leaving our youngest, Holly, home alone for hours at a time.  

 Upcycled Birthday Gift Tags

I was discussing my dilemma with a friend at church who happens to have a very successful etsy shop selling adorable baby bows and headbands. So I started praying about what I could do at home and soon Ellie Marie Designs had begun.

 Purple Goody Bag Labels