Whether you’re accessorizing your home or getting a jump on holiday shopping, you’ve probably seen ‘currently out of stock’ while shopping in stores and online. As we head into our second winter of the pandemic, the world’s supply chains are a mess… and likely will be for the next couple of years.
So what can you do?
How about a little creative DIY decorating with an assist by Zazzle.com or CafePress.com.
These companies can print custom designs on throw pillows, pet bowls, clocks, duvets, cookies (yes, Cookies!) and a whole lot more. Upload your own digital files or choose from an endless selection of designs by the thousands of talented designers who use Zazzle and CafePress as virtual galleries.
How it works
It’s really rather simple. Just go to either site and start browsing. Be prepared for the wide searchable selection of unique design and product selections available to you. Many of the products you see can be personalized or customized with images or text to suit your situation.
You can also upload your own graphic designs, photos or artwork to be printed on any of the hundreds of products available. Zazzle prints and ships the item to you – or to anyone you may want to give a gift to.
How I Use Zazzle
Between home improvement projects here at Stonehaven I like to share my sense of humour on these printable products as well. I set up a couple of virtual ‘stores’ on Zazzle many years ago. A few of my designs are included with this post.
When I have an idea I want to share, I upload the artwork image (I like to use PNG format ) to my ‘store’. I can choose which products that it can be printed on – mugs, T-shirts, greeting cards, etc. Once these items are in my store anyone can purchase a product with my design printed on it. The purchaser can customize it by adding their own picture or create a personalized gift- by including a name or favourite quote.
Each product purchased is printed and shipped by Zazzle. I receive a small royalty for my design. Since I’m just dabbling in this endeavour I earn a little spending money. But just look around the Zazzle site and you’ll find there are a lot of creative entrepreneurs that make their living selling their designs this way.
The New Normal
As we head into our second winter of pandemic, it’s clear a lot has forever changed. And we’re still trying figure out how to cope with our new reality. Like it or not, we’ll be spending more time at home…looking after our families, working or just waiting ’til it feels ‘safer’ to get back out into the world.
We’ve literally ‘zoomed’ 10 years ahead in adopting technological advances for work and everyday life. We’ve learned just how easy it is to buy just about anything from the comfort of your own couch. Why not embrace the available technology that let’s us customize our space.
