Click here to view MsGeorgesClassArt on Etsy
I am so excited to introduce my second love, my Etsy shop MsGeorgesClassArt, where you can find beautiful, uplifting prints and gifts for your classroom and home! These gifts are Etsy teacher appreciation gifts and design to make teachers feel great about their profession. I am a creative being. I love crafts, designing worksheets, and creative writing. I have to give credit to my beautiful aunt, Cheryl (Annie) Atwater. She is my mother’s fraternal twin. Aunt Annie, we lovingly call her, is one of seven children from my grandparents, Austin and Edythe Fox. She is an introvert, a lover of books, and a designer of crafts. She helped mold me into the woman I am today. I vividly remember spending summers with her and her husband, Bruce Atwater, when we would make small crafts with bright colored paints and artificial flowers. Aunt Annie and Uncle Bruce would drink coffee and read the latest novel on the porch. Then later, they would discuss the climax of the novel. She had a bookshelf in her guest bedroom, and when I was bored, I would pick up one of the books and read it. One book I read was Terry McMillian’s Disappearing Acts. When they weren’t reading, they found time to create welcome mats with jazz musicians performing at an event. I remember Uncle Bruce meticulously using his paintbrush to create a cool cat blowing music through his saxophone. The eye, care, and attention they gave to their work paid off because they began selling the rugs at a local flea market. Those memories of reading books, creating crafts, and going swimming in the summer will remain with me forever.
The Herstory of Etsy Teacher Appreciation Gifts
I was reintroduced to making crafts when I was in college. I was initiated into a sorority my junior year, and part of the process was making handmade gifts. I made handmade gifts and created beautiful banners with my line sisters that were posted between two trees outside the dorms. Our designs were simple but beautifully created with red, black, and white felt. After graduation, I continued to make beautiful handmade gifts for the new initiates. The items would take hours to create, but the acceptance of the gifts was priceless. I loved making gifts that made someone smile. Although the gifts were replicates of gifts that I was given, I was proud that I could recreate the image.
When I became a teacher, I worked with the junior class as the class advisor. We had the special job of being the host for homecoming and prom. I spent many hours creating nice-looking tickets, memory books, flyers, and other items. It was fun making the items using Microsoft Word. However, now I use specific designing software to create my Etsy teacher appreciation gifts. If I had that software then, the tickets would have been more professional looking.
Today, I am creating items that teachers, cosmetologists, and school nurses could enjoy. Instead of creating welcome mats, like Uncle Bruce, I am using technology to make beautiful prints. I did my homework by researching what was selling on Etsy, what was aesthetically appealing to the eye, and what need was out there for teachers. I decided to focus on the teacher, English teacher, and cosmetology niches. I’m an English teacher and a cosmetologist. I did not see many print items for cosmetologists, and I thought it might be a good start, along with the teaching niche. I began creating prints that I would like to display within my classroom. I created quotes from my favorite authors, Maya Angelou, Alice Walker, and Langston Hughes. I actually have Langston Hughes’ quote framed art in my classroom. Then I branched out to include inspirational quotes for teachers. I fell in love with beautiful watercolor flowers. I created prints with encouraging quotes in the middle surrounded by pink watercolor flowers. I designed prints with sassy, fierce women and short quotes that promote confidence. I am more confident with my designs, and I’m hoping that my customers will feel the same way.
Continuing The Dream
The more confident I became, the more prints I created. Every Saturday and Sunday, I would spend hours creating prints that I thought an elementary, middle school or high school teacher would love to receive as a gift or place within their classroom. I was thinking of mugs and totes for teachers. I found a company that would make a mug or tote and has it delivered to a customer. I began designing images for the mugs and totes. The mugs are cute and quirky, while the totes have large images that represent the teaching profession. I’m in love with the mugs and totes! They’re definitely a unique gift and would be the talk of the staff’s breakroom.
What’s next?
I am planning to create items for school nurses, in honor of my cousins, Melissa Cantrell, and Kelly Hughes. These two ladies are my first cousins on my mother’s side. Their mothers, Marva and Mitzi, are my mother’s sisters. I grew up with them and had many playdates (although they weren’t called playdates in the 1980s) with them. Both ladies have recently received their degrees in the nursing field. Melissa is a school nurse at a local elementary school, and Kelly is a nurse at a local juvenile detention center. This month, I was talking to both of my cousins, and they mentioned having nursing items. I knew the nursing niche was a large field, but if I niched it to the school nurse, it would fit with my teaching field. Currently, I am coming up with concepts and images that would fit into the category of school nursing.
My sister, Stacy Fox-Blanton, is a scientist, and she is the manager of a biology laboratory in Indianapolis. She would like to see items relating to sports because my eight-year-old nephew plays baseball. I don’t want to stray too far from my niches of teachers and cosmetologists, but I would make an exception for her. So, watch out for a limited collection of items for team moms.
Big News for the Brand
My main focus will continue to be providing beautiful gifts and prints for teachers and cosmetologists. I am creating a MsGeorgesClassArt Club! I want to say thank you and provide an incentive for my repeat customers. The club is still in the beginning stages, but it will include direct access to me, monthly printables, and a Facebook group! This is the next level for the MsGeorgesClassArt brand. I’m excited to move forward with the club, and I cannot wait to see what it brings. The goal of the club is to connect and retain more like-minded people who want to share ideas and experiences with each other. This is big and exciting news for Etsy teacher appreciation gifts and the MsGeorgeClassArt!
The concept for the MsGeorgesClassArt Club was planted from a seed from the creator of the SOS club, Michelle. I want my shop to grow, and I want it to have longevity. Never have I considered being an entrepreneur, but the joy my shop has created for me makes me want to see it grow and become more than my largest dream. I want to create a sense of community. If you like teacher prints, mugs, and totes and like communicating with others, join the club. The club will also give more insight into what the customers want from MsGeorgesClassArt. I’m so excited about what this club will provide for the community.
Your Support is Appreciated
Sign up for the MsGeorgesClassArt newsletter, and we will send you a coupon code good for 10% off your order. Copy and paste the link below into your browser, and once you sign up, we’ll email you the coupon code. http://www.handmadenewsletter.com/MsGeorgesClassArt Signing up will also put you on the list to receive information about the MsGeorgesClassArt Club. Join my group on Facebook MsGeorgesClassArt to engage with other Etsy shoppers.
Let me know if you have an Etsy shop or if you are considering creating one in the comment area below.
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