Staying Home and Making a Difference in Others Lives

Introducing my company, On the Lake Creations.

Staying Home and Making a Difference in Others Lives
Merrifield, MN
Ellie Tolbers was tired of counting hours on the time clock and working without doing something that "felt" productive. This creative, caring individual wanted to make a difference and do something that she loved every day.
Enter On the Lake Creations and the Caring Crafters. Already interested in crafting, rubber-stamping, and enjoying designing beautiful one-of-a-kind greeting cards and stationery in her spare time, Tolbers teamed together with other stampers, artists, and crafters to form the Caring Crafters group.
These artisans create beautiful cards to send to people in need. Many small business owners donate money, or even time, but this group learns of a person in turmoil, creates a special card, stuffs the envelope, licks the stamp, and sends their own special hug to people who need it most.
Ellie Tolbers began creating one-of-a-kind cards when she discovered rubber-stamping. By September 2000, friends and family kept her busy requesting handmade cards to send. Tolbers thought, "Here you go, here is something you could do everyday!" No more watching the time clock or feeling unproductive. Ellie generates hundreds of cards for family, friends, customers, and the recipients of the cards from the Caring Crafters group.
One of Ellie's most popular products stems also from her creative streak. Her hand-decorated mini tote bags are very popular with customers. Tolbers also loves to do custom work for clients. This is one of her least known talents, states Ellie.
Ellie Tolbers has been rubber-stamping since 1998 and calls it "her passion". She also teaches rubber-stamping classes and donates products to other Internet businesses for their contests and giveaways.
In addition to offering her own handcrafted products, Ellie sells Gabby Goodies gourmet products and other artisans crafts on consignment. Like many women running businesses from their home, the Internet and the World Wide Web provide an incredible opportunity to have a customer base that reaches far beyond the boundaries of geographic distances.
By providing custom cards and through her work with Caring Crafters, Ellie gets to see her beautiful products bring twice the joy. Her customers enjoy ordering and receiving their creations, and then the recipients of her customers' mail get the joy of not only a note from someone they care about, but a card they never would have found in a store