Being an Etsy Customer

As I was searching across Etsy to buy something for my class, I came across this company called “The White Tulip.”  This shop on Etsy monograms whatever you would like on items such as napkins.  There are many many products to choose from and you can personalize them as much as you would like.

I found these napkins and thought they would be a perfect to match my mother’s china.  Her china is an off-white plate with peach, a mint green, and gold colored floral design covering the entire plate.  When I found these napkins they had to option to choose the type of napkin and also the color, off-white or stark white, so I chose off-white.  From there, the options for the color of the monogramming were endless.  The store owner allowed me to choose whichever color I would like.  I sent in my requests and Alison, the store owner, immediately sent back options for the color thread I would like.  We went back and forth with each other trying to understand the colors that I needed, whether it be a peach color, mint green, gold, or the final decision off-white.  Alison was very helpful and sent back a lot of feedback very quickly. 

I received the napkins in a very short amount of time and they were nicely packaged when I received them.  The napkins were folded and pressed nicely and put 4 into a clear plastic packaging with a self adhesive seal.  There was also a business car added to one of the packages with “The White Tulip” logo on it. 

Overall, the customer service was excellent and the pricing was good for the amount of napkins I did receive.  The interaction with the shop owner was professional and efficient.  They were willing to help me choose the colors I wanted, so something as simple as a napkin was turned into a nice personalized item I was able to give to my mother to use for our Thanksgiving table. 

I would recommend this shop to anyone looking for professional service and an outstanding product!

-Caroline-

Brown Paper Packages

Along with the LSU school spirited coasters, I also made USM and MSU coasters.  Here are some pictures that I took to put them on Etsy. 

My Etsy store name is BrownPaperPackages12. 

These school spirited coasters on selling for $20.00 for a set of four.  They are handpainted, porcelain tiles that can be personalized to your specific school. 

Enjoy!

 The University of Southern Mississippi:

 

 

Mississippi State University:

 

 

Louisiana State University:

 

 

School Spirited Coasters

Now the prototype of my coasters!

Here is the process step by step!

Step 1: First, find the 4” x 4” tile you would like from Lowe’s or The Home Depot.  You can buy them in bulk, or the amount you need for each particular project. For my coasters I am going to sell on Etsy, I need 4 for each different school. 

Step 2: Figure out the design you want to put on the coaster.  My idea came from an LSU Tiger Band logo.  It is in a diamond shape and gave me an idea to make my coasters look like a logo all together but abstract all apart.

Step 3: Tape off the area in which you would like to paint the outer part of the diamond.

Step 4: Paint the inside of the green tape whichever color acrylic paint you would like.  Here is shown purple for the LSU coaster.  Paint 4 to 5 coats and let dry to make sure the color is the correct shade for the school. 

 

 

Step 5: Repeat step 4 for all of the remaining coasters. 

 

Step 6: Draw out the letters of the school following the same shape of the diamond.  For LSU, the letters will be painted with a gold color.  After you draw them out on the porcelain tiles, paint the LSU with gold acrylic paint.  

  

Step 7: Coat the coaster with a polyurethane sealer.  This will keep the coaster from chipping and will keep them water resistant. 

 

Step 8: Add 4 felt pads to the bottom of the coasters and you are ready to sell them in a handmade marketplace!

 

This is the final product of my School Spirited Coasters!

School Spirit!

When deciding my product to sell on Etsy just had to be school spirited coasters, I asked myself why! Why do I want them to be school spirited coasters?  Well, since last December, I have been making coasters for different family members.  I made some LSU, Jesuit, and Saints coasters for my aunt for Christmas 2011.  These were schools that her sons went to, or a sports team that they love to support.  I also made some for my mother and brother.  This sparked my interest to future my coaster production. 

After speaking with my class, I decided to make personalized school spirited coasters.  Each person roots for a different team, whether it be LSU, USM, MSU, or even a high school team! From there I did some research and came up with a design that could be personalized to each special school.

Overall, this idea has opened up so many outlets for different products with this same idea. This can go from a larger tile to be able to protect a table from a hot pot or even a wall hanging tile to created a great look in a dull room. 

Stay tuned to see what the products look like and the process it took to create them!

-Caroline-

Competitor Analysis

In my entrepreneurship class, we are assigned to create an Etsy shop.  In the book The Handmade Marketplace by Kari Chapin, she writes about Etsy and all it has to offer, how to create this online shop, and gives many good ideas on how to be successful on Etsy. 

After much research on Etsy, I had to complete an assignment called a Competitor Analysis.  I had to research many ideas and handmade products that could compete with the products I want to sell on Etsy.  The item I had an idea to sell was coasters.  At first I wanted to do some New Orleans based coasters, but after much design thinking and help from my class I am now going to do school spirited coasters.  From this idea, I went online to find coasters in the same category. 

Luckily, I found only one type of school spirited coaster and they were fabric.  Also, I found some coasters for weddings and geometrically painted coasters. I also found some that are not directly like mine, for instance a coaster made out of old bicycle parts. However, they could potentially rust if they were not cured properly. 

With all of my research, I found that school spirit coasters were in much need.  Therefore, I have come up with a great idea to make personal school spirit coaster for every Etsy customer I may have!

The Handmade Marketplace

This entire semester we have been reading from the book The Handmade Marketplace: How to Sell Your Crafts Locally, Globally, and On-Line by Kari Chapin.  This book is a very informative book that lays out everything, from creating and online store, to setting up your own marketplace.  It is very helpful for this entire class and has given me a good sense of knowledge of this type of selling strategy.  The writer has significant knowledge in all areas of handmade items and how to sell them correctly.

 

For all of you entrepreneurs out there, this is the book to get!  It is an easy read with good ideas and illustrations to help with any type of selling you want to do!

-Caroline-

Prototypes

Earlier this semester, my entrepreneurship class discussed prototypes and we actually made one ourselves.  We did much research on different products on Pinterest.  These products we searched were all made out of cereal boxes.  That is what the challenge was: making something out of a cereal box.  At first, I was thinking that was so hard! But after much design thinking and brainstorming with my class, I came to the conclusion that all a cereal box is is cardboard! How simple is that! From there, I searched high and low on Pinterest for ideas.  Jewelry Boxes, purses, organizers, baby mobiles and many other products were found in my research and then it hit me.  I could make one of those cool changeable calendars out of my cereal box. Paint them to represent different seasons or even different school spirit ideas.  Here is my process:

First, I made a template that I found to make a square on Pinterest. I then traced it and cut it out to form this shape.    I made two of these to make sure all the numbers of the months 1-31 were able to be used on the squares.

The second step was to find a template to make long rectangular boxes for the months of the year.  I made three to make sure all twelve months had a side. 

The third step was to tape all the sides together of both newly cut cardboard shapes. 

The next step was to make a surround to hold in the rectangles and squares. 

The final step was to place all items into the new surround.  Paint the months and the numbers on the boxes, and there you have it! A changeable calendar for every season or school! To make this product sell on a place like Etsy, wood or some long lasting material could be used.  Overall, I feel this prototype was a success.