Etsy

Etsy is "Your place to buy and sell all things handmade". It's a neat little online shopping mall that I had heard of quite a while ago. I browsed a couple of times, but it never really interested me.

Dior brought it up to me again last May (yep, went back and found that e-mail!) and suggested I sell my dry embossed cards on the site. I was deathly afraid and never acted on the idea.

Long story short, I ended up on Etsy again last week and became hooked! So many items posted by so many talented people! It's mind-boggling, really. Anyway, as I browsed, I began to think, "Hey, if these people can do it, maybe I can, too."

So, I'm now contemplating opening an Etsy store. I've actually taken a huge first step, one that I probably should have taken a year ago. Since the dry embossing stencils I use are copyrighted designs, I need to ask the company for its permission to sell any products made using their stencils. So, I e-mailed them on Friday and am awaiting a response. Dior, I took your advice regarding the content of my request and am hoping for a positive outcome. :)

However, I'm not quite sure what the tax implications are if I start selling stuff on Etsy...how to report the income, expenses, etc. Guess I should consult a tax person about that one. Perhaps I won't want the hassle and will scratch the idea altogether.

Regardless, here are some fun things I found on Etsy.

Cute zipper pouches by Etsy seller JPATPURSES:


Blue Buds Harmony Large Flat Bottom Zipper Pouch
(I actually bought this one!)


Sakura Dynasty Little Zip Pouch
(I also bought this one for a co-worker's upcoming birthday)

And of course, you know I had to search for chrysanthemums. I wish I had known about Etsy while I was planning my wedding. Although it's priced at $105, this would have made an amazing wedding day accessory:


Ivory Silk Chrysanthemum Clutch lined in blue silk
by Etsy seller Red Ruby Rose

Handmade by Nicole | Dry Embossed Greeting Cards

I've finally uploaded more of my cards to a "secret" blog. I plan to keep adding designs as I make them. Click on the banner to see the site!


My buddy, and future attorney, Dior, suggested that I write to the company that makes the stencils I use. They explicitly state on their website that those who wish to use their stencils to make products for sale must obtain their written permission to do so.

I haven't "sold" anything yet. I make the cards as gifts and for my own personal use. But, you never know what may happen so I've been meaning to write to the company. I'll keep you all posted.

Custom Rubber Stamp?

I'm thinking of getting a custom rubber stamp that looks like this from Design your own card.com:


It would measure 1-1/2" long by 1/2" tall. It's $6.50 for the custom stamp and $4.60 USPS Priority Mail shipping.

I'm thinking of using it to stamp the backs of some of the dry embossed cards I make. I want to leave my "mark", but I also want it to be subtle. Creations Unlimited sells these VersaMark watermark ink pads.


I think this would be perfect as it will be subtle, yet visible even on some of the darker cardstocks I use.

If I actually had a company, I'd get one with my company name on it. However, since this is still just a hobby for now, I think I'll just stick with this.

Dry Embossed Butterfly

Another friend of mine at work is getting married early next month. Her theme is butterflies and her color is a nice Carolina/Cornflower blue, which is one of my favorite colors and was also one of my wedding colors.

I decided, once again, to try out another design and get some exposure. I'm going to give her a set of these as a surprise gift. Who knows, maybe she'll be able to use them as Thank You cards!

The light blue background is "Blue Bell", the dark blue shimmery accent paper is called "Lapis Lazuli", and the embossing is done on "Virtual Pearl" which shimmers in a blue color.

A different color combo for the butterfly. The possibilities are endless!

Dry Embossed "Ai"

I made this for this girl in my office who's getting married at the end of this month. My boss asked me to plan a surprise luncheon for her and get a card to pass around the office.

Although I really am not close to this girl, no one else would do it. My other co-workers are all guys and the only other female in my office and this bride-to-be don't like each other.

Anywho, I saw this as an opportunity to try out a new design and sort of advertise my services. I suppose the more exposure I can get, the more opportunities might come along.

My little brother pointed out to me that in the Japanese culture, black cards are normally used for funerals. I had a feeling this might be the case before I made the card, but the girl's wedding color is red, she's having an Asian theme, and kanji is always written in black ink. So, a black card background worked out the best. Oh well.

Dry Embossed Notecard Shout-out!

Evonne Wong of Events by Evonne, my friend and wedding planning extraordinaire, gave me a nice little shout-out on her company's blog! Click HERE to see the shout-out.

I've been making dry embossed note cards in my free time and was inspired by Evonne's company colors and orchid theme. I found paper in just the right shades of dark brown and chartreuse and a great little orchid stencil at Creations Unlimited, located in Wahiawa. Here's the end-result:

Dry Embossed Note Cards

Hawaiian Quilt

Bamboo

Bird of Paradise

Phalaenopsis Orchid

Plumeria
I learned a thing or two about Dry Embossing while using this technique to make our 80 wedding invitations back in 2006.

I'm not really sure if this will turn into anything more than just a hobby, but I know I need to ask the stencil company, Stencil With Style, if I intend to use their stencils to make a product to sell.