Monday, January 28, 2013

My Postal Worker Doubles As A Snowy White Owl

I finished up some more Harry Potter Gryffindor quilts!

This one is 34" x 44"...


.... this one is 28" x 35"... 


... and this one is also 34" x 44".


A lovely customer already bought one that is not pictured;
now, how did I get that wrapped up and sent?

Well, when I was first joined Etsy, I bought this funky little pin
from the seller foundthings.



When the pin came in the mail, the lovely Emmy T. had wrapped it in cool tissue paper,
and used a handmade envelope from a recycled map.

It wasn't just like getting an impersonal item in the mail,
it was like getting a present!


So when I started selling through Etsy, I also decided to make getting an item
from BadBabyQuilts feel like a special gift.

The bulk of the items I sell from my shop are fabric tissue holders...


... which are small enough to send in an envelope with a first class stamp.

Scott over at BucketOBolts tipped me off that Hallmark
has scads of colorful leftover envelopes that they sell dirt cheap.
Every few months I swing by and refill my stash.

For the envelopes, I commissioned a special sticker
from the delightful Russ at WaddlinOnion...


 ... because I wanted the recipients to open their mailboxes and be all, 
"Cool! My Etsy goody is here!"

Over the years, I've also received little nifty gifties with my Etsy items.
So I decided to slip a few stickers in with the tissue holders;
I also got these from WaddlinOnion 's shop.


When I first was selling my tissue holders, I would either wrap them in tissue paper
or put them in a little Ziploc bag.
I soon realized that Target, Joann Fabrics, and Michaels
often had inexpensive cello treat bags
that are just the right size for the tissue holders.
I stock up on them; sometimes they're even cheaper post-holidays.


But what about larger items, like my quilts and banners?
Well, I found something handy at Home Depot: masking paper!
This stuff is dirt cheap; at Lowe's, it's only $4.00 for 60 yards!
I just tie it with some pretty sale yarn or some vintage bias tape I bought off of Etsy.

But back to my Harry Potter quilts.

I wanted to wrap them especially nice,
so when my customer bought a baby quilt, I downloaded an "owl post" image...


... and made a cool sticker to put on the package.

I used the masking paper, some brown bias tape, and...

Accio, mail carrier!



As an extra little gift, I included a Gryffindor tissue holder,
which I placed in a super-cute owl cello bag I found on sale at Cost Plus.

How perfect is this?

I think even Dudley would approve.






3 comments:

  1. Wonderful as usual. Nice tips on packaging your items. I don't do any of these things. :) But I do include some sweets with each purchase.

    P.S.
    I have no problem with your smiley person at the mail box!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I used to buy manga online from a seller who always included a little bit of candy. It really was a nice treat!

      I typed several different things in the Google Images search bar -- excited mail, happy mailbox, etc. -- and no one looked happy at the mailbox, except the woman who may not be wearing any underwear! Go figure. However, just as a warning? "Harry Potter present" turned up images from Harry Potter fanart. NAKED Harry Potter fanart. Yikes!

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  2. I don't think I want to see Harry's wand...
    Since I don't pay the bills, I always look forward to getting the mail. Not so much I don't wear underwear, but close.

    ReplyDelete