{"id":18525,"date":"2016-08-26T06:34:45","date_gmt":"2016-08-26T11:34:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nashvillewraps.com\/blog\/?p=18525"},"modified":"2023-11-16T13:55:07","modified_gmt":"2023-11-16T19:55:07","slug":"paperwhite-designs-making-tissue-paper-fun-profitable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nashvillewraps.com\/blog\/2016\/08\/26\/paperwhite-designs-making-tissue-paper-fun-profitable","title":{"rendered":"Paperwhite Designs – Making Tissue Paper Fun & Profitable"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Paperwhite<\/a>DIY is not for everyone. Not everyone is crafty or has time to make all the cute ideas on Pinterest. That’s where\u00a0Sarah Jelgerhuis comes in. In 2011, Sarah started her\u00a0tissue pom business Paperwhite Designs when she realized there was a demand not being met.<\/p>\n

Sarah explains, “Out of college I dabbled in the world of event planning, but eventually got tired of the long hours, so I quit and found myself doing sales for a special event rental company. Part of my job was to keep the showroom up to date with the latest trends. Pom poms were big that year (thanks to Martha Stewart) so I decided to make a few to put over one of the tables.\u00a0I would have brides asking me all the time if they could rent them, buy them or learn how to make them.”\u00a0For a few weeks Sarah\u00a0was holding pom-making sessions with bride after bride, sharing her\u00a0secrets for\u00a0the perfect pom.<\/p>\n

\"Paperwhite<\/a><\/p>\n

Launching an Online Tissue Paper Business<\/strong><\/h2>\n

She quickly recognized a business opportunity\u00a0and decided to put her tissue poms on a new website called Etsy.\u00a0“I had a sale my very first day,” she says. Orders continued to roll in, and when\u00a0she moved\u00a0from Chattanooga to St. Louis so\u00a0her\u00a0husband could\u00a0start graduate school, Sarah decided to take a\u00a0leap of faith and make Paperwhite her focus.\u00a0“Within 4 months I was able to quit my day job and devote all of my time to creating tissue lovelies in my basement workshop.”<\/p>\n

Initially she purchased tissue paper from a craft hobby store\u00a0and began\u00a0making pom moms at\u00a0her\u00a0kitchen table, but with many more orders came the need to purchase wholesale tissue paper. “I found Nashville Wraps<\/a> after a Google search for ‘tissue paper suppliers<\/a>‘. I had reached the point where I needed to start buying in bulk, and Nashville Wraps made that simple with their different quantity options.”<\/p>\n

\"Paperwhite<\/a><\/p>\n

Tissue Paper Supplier of Choice – Nashville Wraps<\/strong><\/h2>\n

“I remember ordering small amounts from several suppliers and what ultimately won me over with Nashville Wraps<\/a> is they were the only company to say yes to my request for samples of each color so I could order with confidence. Their quick deliveries and customer service are still what keeps me coming back!” Nashville Wraps sells 100% recycled tissue paper<\/a> in solid colors and printed designs – all made in the USA.<\/p>\n

“I have also loved their continually expanding color palette. When you work with the same colors over and over as often as I do, it puts a real pep in your step to see something new come onto the scene!”\u00a0The bread and butter of her\u00a0business is still pom poms\u00a0and pom vines, but\u00a0she also sells raindrop garlands, tissue fringe, paper confetti and paper sprinkles. Poms are boxed up and\u00a0shipped\u00a0flat all\u00a0ready for blooming, <\/em>as Sarah calls it, by the end user.\u00a0See her how-to video below.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Paperwhite<\/a>The\u00a0Melanie collection is her most\u00a0popular because it’s\u00a0full of scrumptious blush and gold tones with a vintage tinge.\u00a0Her\u00a0creations are most commonly used at baby showers, bridal showers, weddings, and as baby\/kid room d\u00e9cor. “One of my favorite things I\u2019ve seen done over and over is the host of the baby shower will order the pom poms for the shower, but then gift them to the mom-to-be for later d\u00e9cor in the babies’ room.”<\/p>\n

It’s More Than Paper – It’s Celebration & Connection<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Sarah handles everything, from the production of the pom poms, ordering,\u00a0inventory, social media marketing and email correspondence to the printing of the shipping labels and daily post office runs. “It often feels like a circus around here, and the floors of my workshop look like Time Square after midnight on New Years Eve, but that’s what makes my job the best. I’m surrounded by color and creativity, and there is always something new going on.”<\/p>\n

Many of Sarah’s customers appreciate the creative, handmade look, but\u00a0don\u2019t want\u00a0to think through all the details of planning a\u00a0party to make sure everything is color coordinated. Ordering Sarah’s products\u00a0take something off their plate. She explains, “My ultimate desire is that my products aid in the creating of space for celebration and connection.”<\/p>\n

\"Paperwhite<\/a>The majority of her sales comes from Etsy, which now has over 50 million registered users. In the beginning she would have to explain to customers what Etsy was exactly. These days it\u2019s rare to\u00a0meet anyone who hasn\u2019t heard of it. “Just the other day, we had a repair man come out to the house who was in his 70\u2019s. After going into our garage which is our Paperwhite workshop, he asked me what was going on in there and I told him I have an Etsy business. He said, ‘My wife LOVES Etsy’.”<\/p>\n

Simple Products = Beautiful Results<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"Paperwhite<\/a>To\u00a0aspiring\u00a0creative entrepreneurs, Sarah says, “Just start somewhere. Sometimes the biggest hurdle to overcome is your perfectionist tendencies and it can be paralyzing. I remember when I started (and even still now) I wanted everything\u00a0to look just right before I debuted it to people. Had I waited I would have NEVER gotten my shop up and running. It\u2019s constantly a work in progress\u2026and that\u2019s the fun part!”<\/p>\n

With trends in party and wedding decor always changing, Sarah says it\u2019s always a challenge to stay relevant. “I know that tissue pom poms won\u2019t always be popular. But that\u2019s part of what I love about what I do. I\u2019m always playing with something new. I like to challenge myself to think, ‘What else could I make out of tissue paper?’ I\u2019ve always strived for simplicity of material. It\u2019s how I\u2019m able to keep my overhead low. I don\u2019t have lots of different products made from lots of different materials; I have lots of different products made from about 3 materials.<\/p>\n

\"Paperwhite<\/a>“I’m constantly inspired by the creativity I see from so many of my clients in the ways they implement my products into their parties and celebrations. I’m so thankful for all my wonderful customers for enabling me to support my husband through graduate school, all while doing something I love!”<\/p>\n

You can purchase Sarah’s products at\u00a0Paperwhite Designs\u00a0or visit\u00a0her Etsy store.<\/p>\n