The Difference is in the Detail 9: Packaging

Hello again. Anne-Marie  of Handmade by Amo'r here with the fortnightly focus on those unique little details that are special to handmade and original artwork or craftsmanship.

We are at the start of what is traditionally the 'busy season' for Etsy sellers. Let's hope it's a good one!  With this in mind, I deviated this week  to seek out a few details that can make packaging  that little bit special - with a little help from Crafty Ireland Team suppliers and paper crafters.

 

Belly bands by Irregular Paper: 'Handmade with Love'

Irregular Paper sells a wide range of lovely embellishements and packaging aids like these belly bands.  

 

Floral fabric tape by Packages and String

Packages and String sells a host of twine, tape and bags etc. If you haven't got the time or means to make embellishments or tags this floral tape can provide a quick and easy solution.

Orange Sheaf of Wheat Embellishments from My Wedding Favours

My Wedding Favours makes cute boxes and embellishments. You could glue a sheaf of wheat like this onto your package or incorporate one into a bow.

 

Gift Tags by Little Atae 

Check out Little Atae for sweet and unusual tags, stickets etc. I love the theme and feel of these kraft gift tags.

Red buttons from The Irish Knitting Room

You can use all sort of items like feathers, charms, beads or buttons to pretty up plain packaging. These red buttons from The Irish Knitting Room will look striking against affordable brown wrapping paper or glued onto a plain gift box.

 

Packaging used by Bead Bash

Amy of Bead Bash successfully uses a button to dress up packaging.  Take a peak at her blog post about her packaging.

 

6 Mini Thank You Cards by Doodle Moose Design

You can't go wrong with a thank you note. I mostly make my own out of scrap card or my own business cards but I feel it is worth investing in (more professional looking) ready-made Thank You cards for repeat or larger orders. These mini cards by Doodle Moose Design wont break the bank.

Printable Digital Papers by Firedrop Design

Many sellers include a free gift with all orders, repeat orders or orders worth over a certain amount. I often make small envelopes or pouches out of scrap paper, tissue or scrapbooking papers. Then I pop in a little clip on charm, beaded zip pull or small pendant. I came across these gorgeous digital papers by Firedrop Design. Print your own pretty paper to wrap small things or make envelopes or thank you cards.

I hope that's given you a few ideas for your packaging. Here's wishing all team members a successful season!

Packaging Orders - Some Useful Tips

Hello
I would like to thank the lovely Ruth from Nice Day Designs for allowing me to republish some of her articles/tutorials - they are full of useful information and advice

Enjoy!

Packaging Orders

As much as possible I try to make systems for all of my work so that things run smoother. I'm not naturally inclined towards being organised so I've spent years training myself to do this to try to make running a business less stressful. When I first started selling on Etsy getting orders was both very exciting and hugely time consuming. The first few orders I got, I had to walk down town to buy packaging, then spend ages rooting out the Sellotape. Thankfully things have changed, now I have what I like to call my 'postal station', which has:
Pens
Markers
Envelopes of multiple sizes
Thank you notes (see my how-to here)
Business Flyer
Return Address labels
Wide Tape that never leaves this basket so I always know where it is.
Craft freebie magnets(see here)
Bubble wrap
Velvet gift bags
Zip lock bags

Having all these things easily to hand makes life so much easier, especially when I get a few orders in the same day. Also I've kept the colour scheme consistent with my logo, the blue is carried through from the flyer, thank you note, the sticker on the envelope with my logo, the logo on the promo magnet and even the blue in the return address labels. This is to reinforce my brand and also to give a slick professional appearance. I make sure to keep these extra touches to a minimum though so that it doesn't hike up my costs. I've bought lots of stuff on Etsy over the years and it really makes a difference, the shopping experience becomes even more special. Bonzie and Magpie and Button are two people who pop into my mind who went the extra step and really personalised their packaging. If this is a selling point in your pieces it wouldn't be a bad idea to put a photo of your wrapping/parceling in your last listing image like Balanced does. 

Balanced Beautiful Packaging

Thanks again to Ruth for allowing us to re-use her article - very informative!
If anyone else would like to share their knowledge, experience or advice with us please contact me through my Etsy Shop Cari Design.
Thanks
Caroline

Are you ready to sell?

Yellow and Blue Heart Favour or Proposal Box by Nice Day Designs

Today I posted a packet with 8 Purls of Colour items to Limerick to be (hopefully sold) by Ruth from Nice Day Designs at the Etsy Ireland pop-up shop at the Catherine Street Cultural Dig on 13-15 May 2011. I am really excited about this fabulous opportunity to display my knitwear somewhere else in Ireland! It's also great to see something happening that we've talked about at team meetings and on the blog for some time, namely our own pop-up shop.

Thanks Ruth for not letting this opportunity slip by!

 You're amazing by Lucky Rainbow Designs

Of course it is scary to part with something I've worked on for some time and give it into somebody else's hands, but since I am not a natural-born seller and far too precious about my own creations, it was high time that I did send off a few of my pieces to be displayed and sold elsewhere. I am supposed to sell my knitwear, not just make them and then put them into a storage box!

However, this opportunity yet again makes me realise the question of being ready to sell. I haven't been blessed with many sales on Etsy - most of my sales and commissions happen through friends and family - so I somehow still haven't really managed the whole aspect of presentation and packaging.

 Brown paper package in red ribbon card by Paperpennies

Well, since my funds are lower than certain celebs' necklines, I never invested much money into wrapping paper, little gifts and packaging material - and on top of this just ran out of business cards. My parcels are created with cheerfully recycled materials, which suits me because I like doing my bit for the environment. But I am so unprepared - when a sale happens, then I start rushing around, looking for envelopes, looking for a Belfast card to add to the piece, scrambling for tissue paper and bits of yarn to wrap everything nicely - leaving my studio in total disarray and myself in a total frenzy. If there suddenly were a big rush on my shop, I think I'd run for the hills (and probably would have to collect leaves as wrapping material...).

Vintage cameo Grecian girl wall plate pin dish by Irish Bounty

Preparation is the key! You have to be prepared to sell, have envelopes, thank you cards and wrapping paper ready before a sale, and not end up in a frenzy once you get the lovely 'Etsy transactions' message. Maybe being prepared is sending a strong message to the sales fairy in the sky and she will whip out that cornucopia, overflowing with sales vibes...

 Heading to Limerick...

Somehow your head has to be in sales mode to be an Etsy Success! poster girl, so I need to tackle the aspect of getting ready and preparing for the sales, and also to stop clinging to my pieces as if my life depended on it. Sending the parcel off was a big step to do so. I had to be prepared, organised, think about the pieces I was going to send, write the descriptions and prices on sales tags and make sure that everything was included, because once the parcel was sent, I could not rely on a last-minute stroke of creativity to compensate for the fact that I had forgotten something. I also did for once not allow myself to be distracted by a sudden urge to knit another (and very special) item for the parcel.

Now the parcel is away and I feel inspired and ready to sell...


To send your own parcel to Ruth for the wonderful opportunity to show off and sell your pieces at the Etsy Ireland team pop up shop, check out the blog article on the Catherine Street Cultural Dig and email her at ruthcrean@yahoo.ie

Tiny Box Company Discount

We are delighted to announce that Tiny Box Company have organised a discount for Etsy Ireland Team members.

Tiny Box Company only offers recycled packaging and eco friendly packaging so are a great choice for the environmentally minded crafters out there. Don't worry though there is no compromise on visuals they still look as good as other boxes & even better than many more on the market.I love that you can buy individual boxes & mix 'n' match so many different sizes, patterns & colours. From paper bags to photography boxes, they even have tissue paper & ribbons so Tiny Box Company really is a one stop shop for all your packaging needs.

At the moment their checkout facility is only available for UK residents but they are in the process of changing their website to accommodate Irish customers. So for the moment we can only order through e-mail (hello[at]tinyboxcompany.com) or over the phone (+44 1342 810900) but don't let that stop you from quoting your discount code. Details have been e-mailed out to members so check your inbox & if you haven't already sent me on your e-mail address, please do.

How to make a recycled Gift Bow

I hate to throw anything out, ANYTHING, but this is something that a lot of people won't throw out. What am I talking about? Gift Bags, you know the ones with ropey handles that have been reused one too many times & have a few too many creases, but still, I can't throw them out. Then they start to build up & I know that eventually I'll make something with them, right? Well no, not until I have to!

So bring on a weekend when I'm not feeling the best & I have a present for a children's birthday party but no Gift wrap. Finally I decide to use one of my old gift bags and try to make a bow or something that resembles a bow to dress up the present a little bit.

Here's the step by step:

1. Tear off the handles, sides & base of the gift bag (Try not to keep them, throw them in the recycle, ah go on). You can use one side to make one bow. Cut the bag into five equal strips of approx. 13 x 1.25 inches. I used a fancy punch (you can just make out what the image was on the gift bag in picture 1.) but I'm sure it will work just as well with straight solid strips.

2. Take the first strip in your hand, curl it & stick edge at the half-way mark.

3. Turn the whole thing around & repeat step 2.

4. You should end up with the loopy 3D figure 8 shown in picture 4. Make four more of these loopy figure 8s.

5. Put double sided sticky tape at the back of each loopy figure 8

6. To make the centre of the bow repeat step 2. but stick the edge at about the quarter-way mark, keep your thumb holding it together.

7. Curl the strip around your thumb.

8. Loop the tail edge & stick it in the middle. That's your centre done.

9. Turn two figure 8's upside down facing opposite directions and stick together.

10. Stick the next loopy 8 on top right side up facing a different direction from the last two.

11. Stick the last loopy 8 on top right side up again facing a different direction from the last three.

12. Stick the bow centre in the middle in between all the loops.

If you want to see the step by step in larger pictures you can find them on my facebook page in the album How to make a recycled Gift Bow