Another Art Show How To (or this is how I did it; packaging edition)

If you're just finding this post and haven't read my previous post where I focus on creating an eye catching display using mostly materials I already had on hand click here and catch up. I'll be adding a link there to this post so you'll be able to find your way back.

The drawers we used for display, the one in front is
filled with our ornaments, tissue
and our packaging

So while I was spending the last few years making mental notes about the best ways to do a craft/ art sale some pretty cool ideas were filed away in the back of my head. One of my favourite blogs from an artist who has some pretty fantastic ideas and tutorials for this type of stuff/ not to mention just in general is ArtMind. She's posted tutorials on making your own scratch cards, contemporary price tags, adding your brand to your packaging and of course recycled bags. Mitzi of Artmind is someone who I would love to emulate. She spends her days being super creative and artistic, she's major organized and she loves sharing her ideas.

Our folded envelopes and Tissues

While I was sitting down on the computer to find her tutorial on making the recycled bags (which is something that I will be using in future, when I have way more time and a lot more energy to plan for a show) I started to think about other options that would be less time consuming, use less materials to create and would be self contained. Add in the Peanut's recent obsession with origami and I decided to look up folded envelopes as an option for creating packaging. I came across a tutorial for a simple origami envelope that was self contained, required less than half a minute to do for each envelope and was self closing.

I played around with different paper sizes to get the best package size and decided to use the holiday themed scrapbooking paper I had got on sale last year and that full 12"x12" sheets that were the best bet. They were a little bigger than the ornaments but if I was factoring in tissue to cushion the glass and business cards the larger envelope was the way to go. Also using a full sheet meant I wasn't spending my time measuring and trimming paper before getting down to the business of folding.

Detail of the branding we attached to each envelope

The packages we wrapped our ornaments in looked elegant and charming which fit with our branding and were eye catching to boot. I wrapped each ornament in it's own envelope so that they could be given away as gifts without further need for wrapping. They will look beautiful placed on a tree branch filled with our ornaments or another charming little gift. I used the clear ink jet sticker sheets to print off our shop name and web address and attached them to each envelope as well so the person who bought the ornaments has another reminder to check out our online shop and the person receiving the ornaments can check us out too. One of my customers even asked if I was selling the envelopes which may not have been a bad idea...

To keep the ornaments safe once we sent them off with new owners (to be hung on trees, attached to floral arrangements or gifted to someone special) we used gift wrapping tissue paper from the dollar store. Also from the dollar store we picked up a booklet of receipts to give to customers as well as a decorative book to collect names and email addresses to use in future marketing.

 Next post will talk a little about money and payment options. 

5 Questions: ♥ unique, ♥ handmade

Mitsy of ArtMind is one of my most favourite Etsy artists. My wish list has more than one of her fabulous creations on it; some of them are pictured here.

I first came across her in the Etsy Virtual Labs where she was sharing her 99 Feelings project. I was so inspired by her feelings and so excited by them I was sharing them with anyone who came within ten meters of my computer. I started following her blog to see how her Feelings project was progressing, and soon I was dropping in, on a sometimes daily basis just to see what was new. Her collection of feelings has a strength to it that really speaks about emotions and how we relate to them.

In addition to her feelings, Mitsy is also adding new an exciting items to her shop all the time. From post cards and magnets to 3D felt greeting cards and even a new secret project. Mitsy is one of those people who seems to always be creating and someone who I would love to emulate just because of that creative lifestyle.

Mitsy can be found on Flickr, where you can see her works in progress, check out some of her tutorials and her favourites. You can see what she's tweeting on Twitter and get more of all of the above and then some on her blog. Read on to see what tidbits ArtMind tossed my way:

What has surprised you most about selling your creations online?

Definitely the feedback I get on my work. The response to my '99-feelings'-project has been amazing and I'm delighted to know that it touches the hearts of many.

When people purchase a feeling, they often tell me why they buy it, and many of those stories just give me goosebumps. It's also fun to know that sometimes people write me to tell how they feel about a certain texture or that they feel completely different than what I named the feeling and I love it when people do that.

It has been such a personal journey that every texture can feel different for other people, so when people actually do tell me how they feel about a certain feeling, I'm happy to know that they are trying to feel in their own way...


What is your ultimate creator’s block cure?

Without a doubt: nature!

As many artists I suppose... nature is just healing in many, many ways. It inspires and clears my head.


What got you started?

Anything can get me started!

I get very easily distracted and you will find me doing one thing and another thing the next minute. I blame it on my unquiet mind - it's always in search of new and exciting things to do.

My hands can't sit still, nor can my brain. It tires me sometimes but it also makes me happy to be able to do it all!


Do you have any influences that guide your work?

When you look at my shop at the moment, there is really only one answer to this question: babuschka's... It all started with an assignment at the academie of fine arts where we were asked to make a selfportrait. I thought that it was easiest done by using the shape of a babuschka and since then I just love it.

Rock, Paper or Scissors?

Paper! Because it's vulnerable & strong at the same time. It can tear but also cover. It is flexible and can be colorful. It's a lot of things I am I think...



As always, if you've seen something you like or simply have to have click on any of the images to find out more. As always, your thoughts and comments are more than welcome, they'll put a smile on my face. If you want to make me jump for joy, head over to ArtMind's shop and buy one of her fab creations, I swear I'll do a little dance with my very poor robot moves thrown in, extra special to make the Peanut laugh.

I just shared a fresh cherry from the tree in our backyard with my daughter.

While I'm sharing, here are some of the brilliant Blogs I've been following lately. These bloggers catch my attention for a number of reasons, they make me laugh, they make me cry, they share some of their finds, they tell a good story, they share their work and their process and I keep coming back to see what they're going to be doing next.

Artmind I've been following Artmind for quite sometime. Her Blog is a mix of excellent how-to tutorials ranging from making a plaster mold to making your own sidewalk chalk. Mitsy also shares her works in progress, her creative experiments and her workspace. I return again and again to her posts for inspiration and to get that itch to make on my own. Her most recent post, a tutorial about colouring liquid porcelain clay and adding colour to it made want to run out and take a pottery class just to get my hands into some clay again.

Autumn Olive is another that I pop into whenever their is something new posted. Her posts are chock full of vintage treasures, tasty recipes and new projects she's been working on. With a new vintage shop opened up, I'm looking forward to her posts about making a go of running an online vintage shop. As an online seller myself I like to glean bits and pieces about how others run their business.

This week marks the return of the 5 question Friday feature. I have some great artists and artisans lined up for the next few weeks and I'm excited about sharing their answers with you all again.