As January is the month I generally tinker with my Etsy, redesign any tags or stationery and have a big tidy up after the mayhem of the festive season, I got a head start this year as I had huge plans. It's always important to have a good look at everything every now and again, refresh and
develop, so annually in January when there's not much going on in the garden I work out what is looking shabby or dated and set about bettering my brand.
Gift wrapping available on Etsy has always been popular and I love making a parcel extra special. I had previously used pom poms or pom pom sunflowers and whilst it's totally unique, it always looked a little amateurish. Therefore I set about making little lavender bundles bound with thin jute twine with my signature wide, organza ribbon bow. Each gift wrapped parcel is sent through the post in a second box so the lavender is suspended and protected ensuring it arrives as pristine as when it was packed. Several times I have been asked to gift wrap cards which has always been really confusing. Is the card to have a message written in it and then wrapped, or is the blank card the gift, with an additional message card? With the new lavender sprigs cards and wreaths cannot be gift wrapped as it increases the postage costs. I look forward to gift wrapping with these fabulous lavender posies.
Lavender wands are quite fragile so for the post I have made some printed labels to fit underneath wide Sellotape, warning the postal service that there is dried lavender in the box. Having worked in the courier industry for 25 years I know that it is only a matter of time before one of these wands gets severely damaged, so I'm hoping these labels will offer a bit of extra protection.
Lavender harvest notelets have been something I have wanted to make for ages. As my business increases I need more and more lavender. I have made these cute cards to put through the doors of gardens with lavender I would like and I just happened to have some posh, dark green envelopes that fit perfectly. With little 'handmade with love' stickers on the envelope point these notelets will definitely invoke curiosity and not go straight in the bin as junk mail. I have a new range coming out that also uses lavender and so I may need double for next year.
Below is the prototype for a lavender filled knitted Moon Gazing Hare! There are many things that need developing before they are shop ready, such as his ears need to be longer and slimmer
and I've decided he will need a little eye, but the point of these lavender filled hares is to keep them simple. They will be available in eight colours and eventually two sizes. Their bodies will be full of lavender, nearly a cup full in each. They will have very fancy pom pom tails and their base is a little, oval slither of recycled wood printed with my logo. I have wanted to make these for ages but I do not have the time to knit. Therefore I ran a post on social media asking for someone to knit the hares and I would make them up. It's very exciting as Abbie is really lovely and understands the ethos of Cat's Punky Stuff. These hares will be available by the end of January which is perfect to collect some love in time for Easter and Ostara.
These heart pom poms are another idea I am thinking about making. They are such fun to make and seem to be really rare to buy online but I can't work out why. I had made these six months ago and have been seeing how durable they are. They do seem really tough and so would be fabulous to add a bit of magic to a craft such as knitted woolly hats. With the special way I colour my pom poms these hearts could be a real success due to their rarity, versatility and cuteness.
The list of things I redesigned or revamped this January is enormous:
Cut and printed brown paper for wrapping parcels
With a new rubber stamp of my logo I can now make my own custom tissue paper
Colouring sheets now have a band printed on brown card with helpful hints
Retook photos and made videos for all my hand painted door knobs and stones
Made a new 'About Me' video for Etsy (featured at the end of this blog)
Cards now come with the option to 'design your own card'
Birdies now come with the option of the linen gifty bag for that extra special gift
Here is the video I made for Etsy. I feel it gives an insight into what I am about!
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