When my oldest two children went off to college, I found our single income budget insufficient. But as a homeschool mom with another child still at home and my husband's erratic work schedule, working outside the home was not a possibility. I was inspired by the prophet Elisha in the Old Testament. He asked the widow who was in great need of making some money, "What do you have in the house?" So I considered what I could do with what I already had - stacks of scrapbooking supplies. That was the beginning of Ellie Marie Designs.

My girls helped me to choose the name. Ellie is one of Hannah's nick names (derived from her middle name). Hannah now has an Etsy shop of her own, using all the things she's learning in college to make some beautiful creations. You can see her work at https://www.etsy.com/shop/GoldenAppleDesignsCo

Holly's middle name is Marie. She is my youngest and a freshman in college. She is studying Professional Writing.