Custom Made With Love

At the start of the pandemic there was a lot of confusion and uncertainty. We were forced to social distance and stay inside, away from everything and everyone we loved. Most of us looked to better ourselves and finally dive into that hobby that we had been itching to get started. While others decided to finally cave in and join the dangerous realm known as TikTok. You started out by saying you’re only going to watch a few videos to kill time, only to end up awake still at 3am down a rabbit hole you never intended to go down. The content is entertaining; dance videos, cooking videos, tips, tricks, and skits. Anything you can imagine is thrown at you with a flick of your thumb as you scroll through these videos. While a lot of people fell into the everyday obsession with the app, others took that opportunity to launch their own businesses and gain an income by being creative geniuses. The phrase ‘custom content’ took on a whole new meaning, and isn’t looking to slow down anytime soon.

Stickers Galore, Gimmie More!

The endless number of videos with vinyl stickers of all shapes and sizes flooded my feed. It got to the point that I couldn’t get through three videos without someone making stickers pop up, but I didn’t hate it, no way! I loved watching the process from the design, all the way to the finish of cutting them out with their Circut. It was inspiring to see so many entrepreneurs creating some pretty amazing designs.

I will admit, I did try to make my own stickers on my iPad with the program Procreate, but it was a bit of a hot mess. My skills were not up to par to bring my sticker design to completion. I did love the design process though, and it quickly made me realize how much work went into all of it. This gave me a whole new appreciation for what these small business owners were doing. Instead of trying to mimic them, I decided to support them instead.

Etsy, What Dreams Are Made Of

Enter Etsy. The wonderful world of small businesses that stretches far and wide. Although Etsy has been around for some time, I hadn’t purchased much from their site aside from a few items here or there, but now that the sticker empire was upon us it became a whole new experience. The pop culture ones caught my eye the most with Disney references, TV and movie quotes, and of course my personal favorite Hamilton lyrics. It was hard to decide which to choose from, so I did what any overwhelmed shopper would do, I bought from a few different sellers all at once.

At this time in my life, I was looking into taking my writing journey a bit more serious so I loaded up on stickers that I could put on my MacBook to inspire me to keep writing. Surprisingly enough it seemed to have done the trick. The stickers were a nice confidence boost that I desperately needed. They were unique, original, and made by some pretty talented , creative individuals. The best part about purchasing from a small business is the personalization you get from them, with the true appreciation they have in your taking the time to buy something that they have created. Most of my stickers came with personalized envelopes and letters of thanks for my purchase. Some even came with an additional sticker or two as a bonus gift. I think the best part is feeling like this person truly is thankful that you bought something from their business, no matter the size or quantity.

Small Businesses Deserve All the Love

Inkyconverters is owned by Angela He from St Louis, Missouri. She has a wide variety of items that she creates and designs herself to choose from. Her shop consists of cute animal designs and other fun objects. There’s a wide selection of keychains and even stationary to pick from. I was completely satisfied with the quality, as well as the time it took for shipping and delivery of the stickers I purchased. Check out Angela’s awesome shop on Etsy as well as her Instagram.

Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/inkyconverters

Instagram: @inkyconverters

NovaBookish is owned by Cheyanne Young in North Houston, Texas. Her store has an array of quality vinyl decals for every book lover and writer. Once I typed ‘writer stickers’ into the search bar, hers were the first ones that caught my eye. She also sells some pretty cool door handle signs and hair accessories. We all want to just ‘write epic sh!t’ and her sticker decal on my MacBook reminds of me of that every time I open it up. Cheyanne is also a YA author on top of being a small business owner. Links to her sites and Instagram are below.

Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/novabookish

Instagram: @NovaBookish

Website for her books: www.cheyanneyoung.com

Heyunclekate is owned by Uncle Kate from Cincinnati, Ohio. She’s got all kinds of unique and edgy designs to choose from. The feel of her products is very fun and quirky, with a bit of a dark feel. If you love some vulgar terms to inspire you to get your writing on, then she is definitely worth checking out. The stickers I bought are small, and the quality on them is still pretty amazing. I would definitely purchase again without hesitation. Check out her Instagram and Etsy shop for all her cool products.

Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/heyunclekate

Instagram: @heyunclekate

FaliopeandCo owned by Nick M. from Scottsdale, Arizona has to be one of my ultimate favorites. All his items are printed and made in his home studio, and this guy has got some mega talent! I was looking for a lion with a crown sticker, very specific I know, but I’m so glad that my search led me to Nick’s page. His quality is exquisite and super detailed. He also has digital printable art too that is amazing! I highly recommend you take a moment to look over some of his work, because it’ll be hard to leave his page without hitting that add to cart. Check out his Instagram and Etsy store link below.

Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/faliopeandco

Instagram: @Faliopeandco

Finally, I bring you to my most favorite discovery of all time. Kreeturez captivated me on TikTok with her skills on the sewing machine. She creates some pretty original and memorable pieces of art when it comes to her sweater designs, and stickers. Her content is heavy in Star Wars, Harry Potter, and Twilight. I’m a big Twi-hard, and an inside joke between my husband and I has always been the way that Mike Newton says to Bella “How You Likin’ the Rain Girl?” Kreeturez won my heart with not only that saying on a sweater but also the fact that it was purple, my favorite color. Some might say that was kismet I found her on TikTok, but I like to think it’s just the universe working its magic once again. Kreeturez has been sold out of this sweater and many others for quite some time, but she’s working around the clock endlessly to keep up with the demand. I was lucky enough to snag some of her Twilight stickers, (see pictured below) but I am still anticipating the moment I can snag one of her sweaters. If you’re a fan of Star Wars, Mandalorian, Twilight, and Harry Potter then check out her website, TikTok, and Instagram below.

Website: https://kreeturez.carrd.co

Instagram: @kreeturez

TikTok: @kreeturez

Bored In the House, Add to the Cart Bored

The pandemic has been rough and mentally exhausting for all of us. There’s only so many times you can watch someone do Renegade or hear Bored in the House (in the house bored), but a positive that occurred was small businesses that create custom content thrived through it. TikTok brought us entertainment and introduced us to the sticker craze along with the custom content craze. It humbled me in a way to see how much time and effort people who care about their craft put in. They’ve inspired me to not give up and to keep chasing dreams, you never know when something you have a vision for is going to take off.