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More and more creative individuals are seeking full or part-time self-employment as a way of freeing themselves from traditional corporate structure and following their passions with the meaningful work of “making.”

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“sweet bouquets in warm gray linen” by Willowlandtextiles

Take one look at the search results for #spoonflowermakers on Instagram and you’ll find that sewing blankets, zipper pouches, and soft baby clothing (two words: baby leggings) from Spoonflower’s digitally printed fabric is a popular route for enterprising crafters. Though less visible from this angle, a growing collective of entrepreneurs are building the core of their small businesses not around fabric, but with Spoonflower’s custom wallpaper and gift wrap. These creative crafters are taking the path less traveled––and they told us how it’s done.

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“the wheels on the bike…” by Sef

You may recognize Kate Zaremba from 1990s television fame, but that was ages ago. Since then, she has carved out a creative life for herself as an accomplished surface designer, and today she runs Kate Zaremba Company, focused on selling her own bright and playful designs on wallpaper and gift wrap.

“As an illustrator and surface designer I want to stay focused on creating new designs more than anything else. Spoonflower is the only place you can print small quantities of high quality custom textiles, wallpaper, or gift wrap. It has been integral to the start of my business and continues to be a constant resource to me three years later,” says Zaremba.

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“swiss cross pattern – grey on white” by Inspirationz

Spoonflower has a very close relationship to the maker economy since small business owners and independent designers are drawn to the Spoonflower Marketplace as a way to grow their businesses. Designers get up to 15% commission on every sale of their designs, which supports independent designers in over 100 countries.

“Spoonflower was the perfect place for me to start sampling my designs when I decided to start my own business. It’s become a major resource for me and allows me to take on custom projects with clients all over the world,” said Zaremba.

Another crafty entrepreneur, Amanda Stanley, shares this sentiment about customization and the lack of a minimum order requirement, saying, “Spoonflower has become such a great resource for me to create unique furniture with a focus on design.”

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Stanley uses Spoonflower’s Satin gift wrap to line drawers and shelves of refurbished antique furniture for her company Ferpie + Fray.

“I think it helps tie everything together when the knobs, paint and paper all coordinate,” shares Stanley, “I love that Spoonflower’s designs are created by artists growing their own small businesses. Not only does it feel good to be able to support that, but I think that it also helps with the diversity of what they offer. I feel like I can find any theme, color, or pattern that I need.”

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“triangle peach nude” by Curious_nook

With over 350,000 designs (and more added every day) in the Spoonflower Marketplace, it is the largest design collection by independent designers in the world.

Earlier this year, Spoonflower launched Spoonflower Pro, a service for small business owners and frequent orderers that boasts free standard shipping worldwide, expedited processing, half price expedited shipping, a dedicated help team, unlimited half-price swatches and swatch samplers, private forums, and early access to insider news.

Disclosure: Jenny Schnaak is an employee at Spoonflower.

All photos courtesy of Amanda Stanley.

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