Is it Christmas already?
Well, no, not exactly. It is very early in the season, so early in fact that I just had a post-Halloween candy bar as a snack before writing this!
If you've been reading or listening to the news at all, then you're probably aware of all the potential delays this Christmas with shortages of critical parts and employees. In my little corner of the world, that's meant some of my supplies (I'm looking at you, sterling silver!) have shot up astronomically in price while others are not available at all. (It took more than three months for some of my aluminum pieces to arrive!) So even though it's early November, I'm already sold out of a few items that I might not be able to restock quickly.
If you're not ready to think about Christmas yet, I don't blame you at all! (I'm hardly ready myself.) But if you are, here's an inside look at what I've been working on:
Gift Boxes and Packaging
Every year I make small improvements to my shop. One year figured out how to buy shipping packaging in bulk, while another year I bought a label printer for shipping labels. Sometimes it's more of a process change. In 2014, for example, I combed through my sales statistics to figure out what to sell that year, while in 2017 I finally figured out that I should make multiples of more items. This year I tackled packaging.
First, I designed a logo that would encompass my diverse interests (reading, Colorado/travel, knitting, science). That proved to be quite challenging, but I finally did design something that fits my shop.
I used a Colorado company, Sticker Giant to make labels with my logo for my gift boxes. What I like best about this black-and-white logo design is that it is possible for other people to color it in! I don't know if anyone will actually do that, but it does make me smile that I've added a DIY element to my packaging.
Second, I researched more recyclable or earth-friendly options and found shipping boxes from the Colorado company EcoEnclose. They are offering a special discount to Etsy sellers on a few of their items (not all sizes or types). I've already used a few of the new boxes and I'm impressed that the sides and corners all line up so nicely. That has not always been the case with some of the other boxes I've used! I also appreciate that these boxes just came in a box and not with tons of plastic wrap and ties. The paper tape used to ship the boxes to me was super strong, so I'll definitely need to look at that once I run out of my current packing tape.
Custom Engraved Ornaments
I have a couple new acrylic ornaments that can be customized:
This ornament can be personalized with a place name (city, state, whatever fits!) and year. You can order it in different colors, too.
This is a clear acrylic version of the wood ornament I offered last year. There's still a little room for some personalization such as a name or a year, although if you're the verbose type, the wood ornament has more room for text.
See all ornaments and holiday jewelry on Etsy.
Holiday Wrapping Paper
This is the first time I've had holiday wrapping paper for sale, so I experimented with several elements:
- All-occasion paper like the green malachite and brushed gold. You can make this more holidayish by adding red ribbons or snowflake gift tags.
- Non-traditional colors like the lime green and pink polka dots and ocean waves Christmas ornaments.
- Varied pattern sizes both small and large. My holly and Merry Christmas wrapping papers (not pictured) both have very large patterns, while the red and green ornament paper pattern is relatively small. I personally tend towards smaller patterns because the gifts I wrap are usually small, so it will be interesting to see what other people think.
Society 6 packages the gift wrap with 5 sheets to a package. Each sheet measures 20x29 inches and is made from 100-lb smooth matte paper.
Holiday Cards
It's been a few years since I've sold any holiday cards. Society 6 sells sets of 3-10 cards with envelopes. I like that they measure 5x7 inches as that is large enough for most photos to be tucked in the card.
Living in Colorado, I of course made two different snowflake cards, one with the larger painted teal snowflakes and the other with a steel gray/blue background. The snowflakes on that latter one are a subtle white/gray pattern which is difficult to see on the smaller image.
If you want to order a larger quantity (25+), a different size, postcards, or flat (not folded) cards, I may be able to have them printed for you if you ask before December 1, 2021. (I can still do it if you're reading this later, I'm just not sure if they would arrive before Christmas.)
Thanks for letting me share all these new designs with you. I wish you a wonderful holiday season, no matter when you start celebrating!