It's All in the Packaging

{as seen on, oh, hello friend}

Crafters and small business owners alike, pay attention!

This post has to do with you and the growth of your craft!

Perhaps you already know this, in which case it's always good to be reminded

of things and to cross reference what you've learned.

If this is new information, I'd encourage you to read and see what you can

apply!Today I came across this article, How to Deliver an Experience, via

Etsy newsletters, and I found it to be so encouraging in the area of shipping

your product.I've read it in just about every "small business" book I've read:

it's really all about the packaging.

Naturally, it all makes perfect sense.

You make knitted finger puppets, it's a longtime hobby and you do it just

about everywhere you go. You decide to sell on etsy and are so excited to

be making a profit with your favorite craft; your first buyer makes a purchase

and you jump on the opportunity to make them a returning customer, your

one stump is that you don't have that much capital to spend on specialty

wrapping, stickers, stamps, or tissue paper.

But since your motto is, "Do the best you can, with

what you have, where you are." (thank you, Teddy),

you decide to do just that.

So, you lovingly wrap your knitted finger puppets in some brightly colored

tissue paper you got at Target, oh, and you place a few of your business

cards along with the puppets, just in case. Then you decide on the smallest

box at the post office and--wait, you make notecards too! They're not on your

shop yet but you decide to write a personal note on it (you never know),

thanking the buyer for his purchase and letting him know of the other products

you sell (like those beaded scarves you love making), and you add another

business card in the note ( just in case one falls out). Then you tape it up and

handwrite the buyer's name and address with that floral design you enjoy

drawing, better write "have a great day" on the back, just so they don't forget

you. Then you place it in the trusty hands of the USPS and off you go, making

more items and hopefully sell more items. The point being that a) you don't

need commercial packaging to make a difference, and b) it's not that hard

because it's a way of promoting what you love doing.

Your product is an outflow and representation of you and your work,

what does your work say about you?

The excited crafter will want to make her customer as satisfied as she can with

her craft and to stimulate future business. The seller in the article added her

logo and name no less than five times in her package, how can you forget

something after seeing it five times?

What can you be doing to ensure a cheerful, unforgetable business experience?

After reading, ask yourself what more you can be doing to promote what you

love, how can you stand out to your buyers?

Let me know what you think; I'd love to know what you come up with!

Mi Familia

Here are a few snapshots of our time at my Grandmother's.
Sophia (above) is my sister's oldest daughter and at eight years old is
very responsible and funny; I think it has something to do with her new glasses
(which are the same as her mum's)
but she's always been very funny, in a goofy kind of way. :)

Dominic (Dom) is coming into his own sweet, quirky personality
(sometimes he talks out of the corner of his mouth);
it's hard to believe that he'll be two in May but there it is!

Mia.
There is so much I could share with you about her but for now
you should know that she's four, prone to tears, and very goofy.
I think braiding her hair has a calming effect,
and she does not care for pancakes (very odd, I know).

That's my fabulous Mom and gorgeous "seester" Nicole.

And there's is a close-up of Dom's eyes,
they're blue and very captivating.


So, there you have a quick peek at our time at my Grandmother's!
The afternoon these pictures were taken was so picturesque and wonderful.
Most everyone went outside after dinner and flew a kite (very Mary Poppinsish),
then we finished the evening with some dishes of ice cream.
Very nice. :)

{Hello Again}

Well, I'm back! It was a much needed break to focus on

other things. : ) Like letter writing! That's right,

I still enjoy the lost art.

I'm excited to be working on this blog again and there are

lots of post ideas swimming around in my head!

My family and I headed up to the Texas Hill Country

for my Grandmother's birthday celebration and

some excellent family time. Mica was able to make very good

use of her new camera (more on that here);

I'll be showing some great pictures of my

nieces and nephew in future posts.

I finished my very first baby sweater!

Again, baby things are so confidence boosting and I

can't wait to show you the finished product

(hopefully on a real baby!).

There is a story that goes with it but more on that later too.

As always, food. : )

This is a new chicken soup recipe that I. just. love.

The Thai curry spice is key and it's a great

variation on the soup. A bit warm for these toasty,

windy days but it's still a great comfort food!

What have you been up to lately?

Have any of you been apart/started a book club?

I'd love to start one this summer and I'd be very

happy to know what little things you've enjoyed!

I'll bet you're wondering about those

{Dubai Covers},

well, you can stop wondering and click

on the button at the top of the page

(or here).

Just had to add that one. : )

{Rest} Riposo. Repos. Descanso.

{Sorry, source is unknown/forgotton!}

This is an example of what I will not be doing on my blogging break,
actually, I take that back, I might be knitting but probably not in a big empty room.
Sharing life with you here is pretty rad, however, a few things have taken precedence
so I must let you know of my wee blogging break!

What, you may ask?

Well, things like
our church Spring Conference (I'm so excited to hear Pastor Conrad Mbewe speak!),
assisting the wedding planning of my friend
(At last! To put the books down and help plan a real wedding),
studying and practicing piano (Beethoven, here I come!), and
driving up to the Texas hill country for my Grandmother's birthday
and have some quality time with my seester!

Life is bustling, especially now, and since I'm striving to be diligent in all that I do,
I'm declaring an official break, instead of just leaving you all hanging!
You can check the Pickwick Portfolio for other posts, videos, and thoughts that might
be had by Nicole, Mica, Caro, or myself.

So, in the meantime, I hope you have a beautiful weekend!

Don't worry! The Dubai Covers will still be available for sale!
Be sure to visit the page above, {Dubai Covers},
for all of the info, details, and covers!

Hello, Union Jack

Interested in British flags? Check out this British item in the etsy shop :)


{Remember!}

Check out the {Dubai Covers} page above!

It has all of the details for purchasing and ordering

the nursing covers we made for our trip!

Today we girls bittersweetly dropped my Dad off at the airport

for his two-week business trip to the UK (yes, he's off again!).

It was bitter because we know that two weeks is a long time, and it was sweet

because of the fun things he might be able to see on the weekends,

the souvenirs he might bring back, and when he comes back to the States

we'll meet in Austin for my Grandmother's birthday party.

As I'm looking at the schedule for the next few weeks, I know that the

time will pass very quickly (though not quickly enough for some of my family!).

Unfortunately he won't be in the London area this time, so he won't be able to

attend church at the Metropolitan Tabernacle but this gives him an

opportunity to visit some churches in the northern part of England.

It's also exciting because that part of the country is so chock full of things to do

and history to relive; just about every town has a wall to walk around, an old

church to visit, and a tower to climb. Like in the U.S., you can do just

about anything for a few £'s. There will be plenty to do for him on the weekends!

If you should have the inclination, Dr. Peter Masters has most of his

sermons available on sermonaudio.com and

it's a great companion for the evenings!

So, in the meantime, I'll be working on a video project for this blog and will

be posting the details-hopefully-later this week!

If You Lived in Mi Casa

You'd be drinking a "It's Good For You" green

smoothie from a diner coffee cup

(And you'd love it because it tastes like a

banana milkshake with a slight hint of cilantro!).

...listening to your sister play

this wonderful violin piece by Massenet...

...watching the Bluebonnets cheer up the flower bed...

...enjoying the last bloom of the ranunculuse...

...and you'd be most grateful sister's who do

morning dishes cheerfully!

And that's what it be like if you lived in my home today.