TERRIFIC TEMPLATES

These vintage style drawer pulls were used in library card catalogues or apothecary cabinets. Arranged as a PDF printable these also come as individual PNGs. Download altogether in the zip folder link below.

DOWNLOAD ZIP FILE HERE

Happy Crafting
Shawnna

Etsy has been around for quite a few years now, but its popularity has really exploded in just the last few. As an online marketplace it's a great place for people to sell handmade goods, vintage items, and various supplies. But has its recent exponential growth made it too saturated to start your business on?

A lot of new sellers coming into the marketplace say yes. But in reality the answer isn't that simple. It's certainly harder to stand out and get found than it used to be, but not impossible. The Etsy of today is not the Etsy of 10 years ago. And sellers need to up their game to get in and do well, but there is definitely room for new products and new ideas.

HOW MANY SELLERS ARE ON ETSY

As of early 2023 the number of seller accounts are being reported as active on Etsy are approx 5.4 million - with 89 million total users on the site. An active seller account means that the shop had at least one transaction in the last reported 12 month period.

HOW DOES THAT COMPARE TO OTHER VENUES?

If we look to Ebay as a comparison (and ebay has been around a lot longer) there are 18.3 million sellers with 138 million total users. So more than double the sellers but no one is saying Ebay is over saturated.

Meanwhile, Instagram is currently at 2.3 billion users. So selling via social media would be just as, if not more challenging.

The internet as a whole is quite crowded, so it will likely always be difficult to be seen or found. Not impossible, you'll just need to work at it.

ARE CERTAIN PRODUCTS OVER-SATURATED ON ETSY?

This comes up quite a bit. There are certainly quite a few specific product groups that are very heavy in selection, jewelry is a popular example. But over-saturation means that product availability has out-stripped demand. And I'm not sure that this is true for any category on Etsy. 

You really have to look beyond Etsy to the wider market when you analyze this question. Is there more jewelry on Etsy for example than the rest of the internet combined? Hardly. Because Etsy is a marketplace though you're going to find a broader selection than single retailer sites. 

For some perspective the word 'jewelry' on Etsy had 25.3 million results. On Ebay there were 1.8 billion.

SO WHY IS SELLING ON ETSY SO HARD?

This is complicated, and the answer is, it depends on the seller in question. Here are a few factors to consider when starting out as an Etsy seller:

1. Most new sellers to Etsy don't have real world business experience or even a relevant education in a useful business field (like marketing maybe). So sellers are learning 'on the job' and that takes time.

2. A lot of new Etsy sellers jump in feet first without a lot of prep work or research beforehand. This step can make a big difference to how quickly or how well a shop does.

3. There's a common misconception that selling on Etsy is easy. It isn't. It's usually hard work.

4. Too many sellers make mistakes that get them shut down or simply ranked so poorly they'll never be found in search. See points 1 and 2.

5. Lastly, shops that are creative and original do better than those who just add more of the same that's already there. 

I hope this helps de-mystify the Etsy saturation question!
Shawnna

I used Photoshop to make this design, but you can use any software that gives you the ability to layer elements, apply opacity and/or layer adjustments and an eraser tool.

You could use Canva but I find it doesn't have quite enough design flexibility. So something like Procreate or an online editor such as Photopea are better choices if you don't have access to PS.

To make this collage card I used the following steps (all elements used are available in my shop):

1. I started with a 3x5" canvas and added a texture background by re-sizing one of my digital papers to fit as desired.

2. I then added the library card PNG overlay, which fits nicely into the canvas size. I applied the layer adjustment multiply so it blended a bit into the background paper.

3. Insert the vintage lady graphic and re-size to fit nicely. I used Multiply again but also took the opacity down to about 80%. 

4. At this point the library card lines are running through the graphic quite harshly and I want to soften the whole element to give it a grungier look, so I use the eraser with a texture selection at 50% flow and just brush lightly and randomly until I'm happy with how it looks. (you can change the eraser to any grungy texture for this)

5. I opted to add an embellishment in the top corner but took the opacity way down for a barely there look so that it's more like a watermark.

6. To finish off I added a dragonfly on top, re-sized and positioned to fit again applying Multiply as a layer adjustment.

And that's it!

Resources Used:
Paper Background in this set
Library Card Overlay
Vintage Ladies
Gold Swirl Elements
Dragonfly from this set of graphics

Happy crafting
Shawnna

For more junk journal goodies I have these library card overlays to make your own card designs with. Just add to any background and decorate as desired!

These come in JPG and PNG plus an editable PSD file if you wish to change the text. Look for additional overlays like this for notes and habit trackers with more designs on the way soon,

You'll find these in my shop.

Let me know in the comments if you've put this to use and share your creations!

Happy Crafting
Shawnna

A customer suggested this to me and what a great idea, a handy template for making cute mason jar creations for use as junk journal tags... or any other paper crafty project!

Use a clipping mask in Photoshop/Photopea to add scenes, papers or scraps to the 'jar' then just edit the colors for the lid and vignette edging. Or use the other file formats to design similarly in your choice of software. It's super easy!

Look out for more designs like this coming soon.

You'll find these in my shop.

Let me know in the comments if you've put this to use and share your creations!

Happy Crafting
Shawnna

This is not a full tutorial, but an inspiration design post with a few tips to quickly create these using my handy templates.

Every software program will have slightly different steps depending on the file format you're using, so make use of google to search for tutorials on specific steps you get stuck on with your program of choice!

Use the stencil window template in programs like Word or Canva for super fast designs. In this example I simply added colorful rectangles on a blank canvas then dropped the template on top. A few quick adjustments to the color strip placement and instant presto, I have a ready to print and cut tab sheet.

If you are using Cricut, upload the SVG file and you can directly edit the tabs however you want right in Design Space. Beware of the print and cut sizing though, you'll need to lose a column of tabs to accommodate!

Want to edit in Photoshop, Photopea or PS Elements? Use the PSD file and simply change the shape colors individually or by row in just a couple clicks. Use the clipping mask tool to insert patterns.

You can also edit these in just about any other program, just look for the file format compatibility and use the correct file for your program.

Add additional details like labels or icons to further personalize. You get to create whatever you want with these!

Resources Used:
Tab template from my shop

Happy Crafting
Shawnna

Three beautiful vintage birthday cards featuring purple lilac flowers scanned in at extra large size for utmost versatility. Use these public domain images in any project type.

DOWNLOAD ZIP FILE HERE

Happy Crafting
Shawnna

I've been working on a range of letter size vintage style papers that would be perfect for junk journal, gift tags or other paper crafty goodies.

I'll be slowly adding more of these throughout the year, they're an ideal accompaniment to my craft template files!

You'll find these in my shop.

Let me know in the comments if you've put this to use and share your creations!

Happy Crafting
Shawnna