New Products!

When I first opened Design Gem I focused a lot on paper products and personalized prints. As Design Gem just turned two (Feb 18), I have been thinking a lot about the last two years and how much we've grown and the kind of products I want to continue to design in the future. I love gift products more than anything. I love finding that perfect gift for someone special and I get so very excited to give that perfect gift to them. Watching them open it makes me so excited hoping they love it. I want that feeling for my customers with the gifts I design. Something else I strive for (hang in here with me, folks!)...You know when you find a cute product and it reminds you so much of someone that you just have to get it for them? Yep. I want my gifts to be like that too. I focus a lot on niche items. Here are some examples below:

I know you know someone that would love this mug. This coffee mug is 100% me and I love it so.

A gift for your bestie, who of course, is da best!

For your littles that love Frozen, they will surely love these Frozen pencils. These were a big seller during Christmas as a stocking stuffer and now they have been selling as Frozen party favors.

I love the movie The Help and I love this quote. These pencils are perfect as a pick-me-up for a friend or for someone that just loves that movie! 

Happy 2nd Birthday Design Gem!

Happy 2nd Birthday to my small yet incredibly fulfilling Etsy shop, Design Gem. I absolutely love being creative and my shop has given me more than just a creative outlet...It has shown me my passion and love for gift product design! This shop lights my heart on fire and I cannot wait to see what is in store for year three.

Since today we are celebrating DG's birthday, I want to introduce our newest product....a TUMBLER! I am very excited about this for several reasons. 1) Well, I love tumblers and use one everyday. 2) It's so cute with it's striped straw and bright turquoise color! 3) It has a meaningful reminder and I need positive reminders on the daily! 4) There is a tiny heart in the curve of the "e" in "love". It's pretty cute!

This tumbler would be the cutest gift filled with candy for a friend or add some of Design Gem's pencils for a different yet sweet touch.

Design Gem is Now Doing Wholesale!

Exciting news for Design Gem! We are now accepting wholesale orders for retail stores and online shops! Please contact us for wholesale inquiries! We know your customs will love Design Gem products!

New Products in the Shop!

I am SO excited about the new products recently added to Design Gem! I have loved designing stamps and wall art but decided to dabble in some new items. So without further ado...

iPhone 5 cases. These beauties come in two variations, regular case and the tough case :) I can also do other cases. All phone cases can be customized with name, monogram etc. Yay!

I have some favorite phrases and earlier this year I made them into a print (here). Well, I love this print so much that I decided to make some engraved pencils with none other than gold writing. Love love.

I was just telling you about my favorite print, it has been popular so I decided to create a gold foil version and I am seriously swooning over how it turned out. The gold is so shiny and pretty!

See! I told you it was SHINY!

 Next up and new to the shop are these custom stickers! The example above does show an address but really, with stickers, the options could go on! Holiday stickers? Yes! Stickers for your kids? Yes! To and From stickers for gifts? Yes! The possibilities are endless!

Lastly, I have a new stamp design in the shop. This design is very modern and if you'll notice, there is a slight offset with the type creating a subtle line, seriously, it looks so modern and awesome.

So...what do y'all think? I'd love your feedback!

I have a couple more items headed to the shop soon...stay turned, my friends! xoxo

Design Gem's Very First Craft Show!

Hello there, bloggettes! I have been busy the past month getting ready for Design Gem's very first craft show. Goodness it was a lot of work but in a good, satisfying kind of way! I set my booth up nervously on Friday while I was trying to eye everyone else's "set up" methods. I have never done a craft show before so mostly I just planned it all and my head, made what I needed and crossed my fingers that it worked out--I am pleasantly surprised to say that the set up went just fine with no major hiccups. 

Now for a few pictures of my booth...oh, please keep in mind that the actual building was not all that pretty so I tried to make my booth as colorful as possible, trying to distract from the gross walls. 

All packed up and ready to go! 

Welcome to my booth :)

Most of my prints are bright enough to be hung my themselves and look just fine but because I love a good gallery wall, I wanted to advertise my prints being great for that.

If anyone knows of any craft shows happening in the Oklahoma City area in the spring, let me know! 

What my Etsy Shop has taught me

Well folks, I have officially hit 60 orders on etsy! Whoo hoo! It may not sound like that many orders to you, but to me, it's a lot and I am proud! You see, I just have my little shop as a hobby and not as a source of income. So, any extra time I have outside of work (when I am not completely exhausted of...well, working, goes to my little shop)

I started Design Gem on a whim. I was sad that my boyfriend was leaving for Australia for three weeks and I knew I needed something more than my occasional girls night, working out, gardening and cooking hobbies to fill my time. So, Design Gem was born. But why the name Design Gem? I thought long and hard about my shop name. I wanted something fun, catchy but broad so I could eventually expand into other gift products if I desired. Though I am only selling paper products in my shop at this time, I hope to expand in the future. So, no "paper gem" or "paper pretties" or any kind of "paper" shop name for this blooming entrepreneur. After making list after list, I chose Design Gem because I wanted customers to stumble upon my Etsy shop like a treasure and perhaps find a little paper treasure for themselves or their loved ones! The tagline of the shop is "paper treasures and gifts". And so the adventures of Design Gem began...

My etsy shop has been in business for nearly right at 8 months. It look me about 3.5 weeks to get my first order. Other than a blog post, I did not do any kind of paid advertising through Etsy, though in hind sight, that probably would have been beneficial. Anyway, let me tell you, those three weeks were nearly agonizing as I waited for my first order. I checked etsy probably 20 times each day (I still do!) in hopes of my first order. At this point I only had about 5 or 6 items for sale in my shop, Etsy recommends 7 items. So, I kept designing and adding products and finally, FINALLY in mid-March, I got my first order for a little boy birth announcement print. My boyfriend and I happened to be driving on a mini road trip to go hiking and I happened to check Etsy while in the car and good gracious, that was one exciting moment for me as I thought to myself excitedly, "someone other than me likes my designs!!!!!!!". And the rest is history. Just kidding. This story wouldn't be nearly as interesting if I ended here. Other than exciting sales and extra perks like a little extra money earned from my shop, having Design Gem has taught me some very rewarding and valuable lessons that I am very appreciative of. So, here are just a few:

1: Customer Service is top priority. There is a reason people shop on etsy: for unique, custom or handmade gifts that they can't find just anywhere. If someone is buying an item from you--it means they like it your style, they LIKE YOUR SHOP! That should bring you a ton of joy! Always thank them immediately via Etsy convo or email for their order and do whatever it takes to make them happy! If they have any requests, questions or concerns, answer them asap! There is a sense of relief for the buyer when the seller responds to quickly and kindly to the buyers questions! Also, up until the customer receives and opens their package, you should go the extra mile for a great customer experience. Cough up the extra cents and make the packaging pretty, add a sweet note and keep them in the loop by letting them know their package has shipped!

2: Being organized is a must! Though I like to think of myself as fairly organized, my etsy shop has really helped me get a hold of my organizational skills and my time management skills. Also, planning ahead and ordering those little things like envelopes, ink... has helped me find myself in stressful "out of supplies and I have to run to Office Max" situations a lot less often.

3:  Don't compare your style of work, number of orders, etsy "success" to other etsy sellers. Comparing your shop to someone else's shop, especially someone who has done 14,000 orders in 5 years, is discouraging, destructive and a waste of your time. Nothing positive will ever come from this. Take my advice, this will only bring thoughts of "quitting" and "giving up" on something that makes you happy all because someone else is 5 years ahead of you. Who knows where you will be in 5 years...maybe you'll be at 20,000 orders! Just sell etsy items that you are proud of and make items that are genuine to you--customers can see that and that is what sells!

4: Don't be scared to get your name out there. I have been afraid to share my etsy shop on facebook for a long time for various reasons but one day I decided to just make a little album and you know what? The first day I posted about Design Gem, I got 2 orders from FB friends, a party sign design order and an invitation design order!

5. Work doesn't feel like work when you are passionate and loving what you are doing. It's true! I find myself working on the weekends but I love it and it really does bring a rewarding sense of joy to my heart.

6: Lastly, I have learned that my etsy shop brings a deep creative/entrepreneurial fulfillment like I have never had before. I have always had a dream of being an entrepreneur and I really love getting a taste of it through my etsy shop--I am the creative director, the boss, the designer, the owner, the packager and shipper etc. There is risk with all of these titles but I think the over-all reward far out ways the risk. 

I have no idea what the future holds for little ol' Design Gem but I have a feeling it'll be good, real good. Thus far, Design Gem has been featured on the Disney Baby blog for an Ombre themed post (slide 3). Our views sky rocketed for about a week and have remained at a steady high which is wonderful. Small but exciting steps like being featured on Disney Baby really fire me up and keep me motivated!

Lastly, I suppose I should thank my sweetie boyfriend, Blake, for going to Australia (even though I wanted to go ;)). I might not have started this wonderful adventure if it hadn't been for those three very long and slow weeks last February. Blake has been the most supportive and encouraging fan of my etsy shop and I have been so thankful for that, especially during the times that I just want to give up! Anyway, when I get a sell, I think he is just as excited as I am. It's great. Thanks Blake!

Etsy Shop Update

Hi friends! It's been too long. I have been busy busy with my little shop on Etsy. It has been so fun getting to work on various projects and letting my creative juices flow :) This is definitely an endeavor I find very rewarding. When I get a sale, it's the best feeling--simply knowing that someone likes your design enough to put up in their home, their child or new babes nursery or to give as a gift to someone special. I have been mostly focusing on kids/baby prints but am now trying to branch out to other areas including office/home prints. Here is one of my first designs...I can envision this print on my desk or possibly my vanity.