Back to this...

I'm back to making my handmade boxes for orders that are going out this next week. I ordered my kraft boxes back on the 15th and haven't heard hide nor hair of them since. I tried contacting Nile Corp today to no avail, so I sent them an email in hopes that I hear from them soon! It's frustrating when you think you've ordered your supplies in time to find that for some reason or another things get all snafu'd and don't go the way you had planned...such is life :)

Don't get me wrong...I love making these boxes because of that little extra touch of handmade. BUT, there's definitely something to be said when you've found a way of packaging your handmade goodies that represents both you and your business. It took me awhile to do just that, and I found it in all aspects including the design, natural colors and textures.

Who would've thought that I would be so concerned about packaging when I started this business? Let me tell you though, the packaging is like meeting someone for the first time....it's all about making a good first impression. At least that's the way I look at it. Many would probably argue that they bought the product not the packaging....true....but just imagine how you would feel if you just spent your hard earned money on a spendy piece of jewelry only to have it come in an envelope wrapped in paper. That tells me that the seller doesn't care enough about their items to either protect it or present it well. Think of it (packaging) as just another way of marketing your business. You never know who may end up with it...word of mouth can be very lucrative :)

New Packaging

Yay...I finally got my new gift boxes!! It was a really tough choice personally to change from handmade gift boxes to these kraft boxes because I loved that little extra personal touch. BUT...economically speaking this was a much better way to go. The handmade gift boxes cost $2 each to make not including ribbon, organza bag, plastic storage baggy, tags, etc. These boxes work out to be .17 cents per box again not including the extras but it works out to be more financially feasible. Plus...these can be sent in a bubble mailer first class. With my previous handmade boxes I shipped Priority Mail, but then again this is something that I can consistantly do during the year that won't hurt the bottom line.

For the holidays though, I will be doing a shipping special that will consist of free Priority Mail shipping. I will also be doing SNS's (Saturday Night Sales/Specials) for discounts during this time as well. Once I've got the details I will post it here!

Stamps!

Yay...I got them today and quickly pulled out my tags and ink and started stamping away. I love my new logo and I can't wait to Trademark it. Hopefully next month :)

Chris from Avatarman did all of the hard work by turning the image into black and white line art. Chris is also the proud owner of two other shops Ideasign and Ideasigntattoos. He did a great job and I don't know what I would've done without him! Terbearco is the Etsy shop who makes these great stamps. Definitely check out all of their shops!

I'll be using the smaller stamp (used for the pictures above) for my earring cards and stamps. The larger stamp will be used for my kraft gift boxes. Those were just shipped to me yesterday so hopefully I'll receive them early next week. I'm using green ink and have purchased burgundy ribbon to tie off the packages....I'm so excited. I'll be sure to take pictures when I've received everything!

A Shout Out!

I had purchased a custom stamp with my logo. Unbeknownst to me I had to change the picture of this logo to black and white line art with no grey...wth?? I'm no artist, and I know just enough about my photo program to get by. Well after hours of messing around with my image and finding myself nearly bald from pulling out my hair, I sent what I had come up with back to the seller. But of course it was not at all what she needed...uuuggghhh. She said, think "coloring book" and it needs to be really large...aye! So at my wits end, I had no idea what I was going to do. I was about to give up and ask for a refund when a light bulb went off! Duh...on my street team there is a very talented graphics designer, Chris Strohm!!! I sent a convo to Chris, pretty much begging and pleading, and hoping he would understand what I needed....he did indeed, and was more than happy to help....YAY!! *Happy Dance* He was very patient with me with all the changes that I asked for, and created exactly what I needed.

If you need any graphic design help, or if you have an Etsy store and need a banner and an avatar that truly represents your shop, I definitely recommend working with Chris. You can find him on Etsy, just look for his shop Avatarman . While you're at it, check out his Digital Fine Art and Photos shop, ideasign and his Custom and Semi-Custom Temporary Tattoos shop at ideasigntattoos . He's very easy to talk to and an absolute pleasure to work with.

Chris, if you read this, thanks again, you turned a very frustrating experience into an enjoyable one, I couldn't have done it without you! I can't wait to get my custom logo stamp and show off what you've done for me!