Hello darlings!
Everyone loves getting a pretty package in the mail! That's almost half the charm of buying from Etsy after all.
I still have to a lot to learn in the art or packaging...
I don't know hoe many of you remember the amazing blog of Francesca Zmetra, The Snail and the Cyclops; it hasn't been very active in a while, but I remember when I started my first vintage fashion blog back in 2009 it was probably my favorite read.
Her Etsy shop was filled with treasures that always seemed out of my price range and,of course, were selling out VERY quickly.
Besides loving her style and the clothes, I think part of the reason why I REALLY wanted to buy something from her was...the packaging!
When you see such lovely photos you just get excited thinking what antique trinket or pretty old piece of lace you might get!
'30s feed sack dresses sold in old sugar sacks - what could be more fun and pretty?
The sad is I had my eyes on this yellow dress and had been saving pennies for a while to buy myself the traditional new dress for Easter and...it got lost in the mail! I hate to admit this, but I was quite disappointed that she didn't offer any kind of compensation for this...at least a future in store discount!
Now being an Etsy seller myself I can see why this could happen and running a very small operation I couldn't afford reimbursing people for lost mail (nothing got lost so far, knock on wood!) and I understand things a little more, but I was SO heartbroken! I think it's a debatable matter, as it's always a risk ordering from abroad (especially from across the ocean) for a broke buyer like myself and probably many other young ladies who can't afford tracking/insurance, but I feel like people who manage to more or less make a living selling vintage should maybe take a little more responsibility towards their customers. In the end losses are part of business expenses, right?
I think it's an important debate, but enough about that for now.
I've been lucky enough to have a few sales and I thought I might share my attempt at packaging...If nothing else, at least you can see how pretty they look before getting into their bubble envelopes and flying across the globe!
I try to recycle most of the mailers, but I love having those big plain white new envelopes as well as I can get creative and doodle on them! I remember being at Revoir around holiday season, getting a little less orders and having a lot of these envelopes. I got creative one afternoon and broke out the color marker stash and started drawing wreaths and ribbons around the addresses.
Now i feel so bad for not photographing those!(I need to buy more color pens)
I use plain wrapping paper, tie it all with a ribbon or piece of lace and add one of those metal vintage pins you see a lot in France.
The final touch is adding a branch of lavender; I don't assume everyone loves lavender as much as I do, but I also think it's almost like a French symbol - just think of all those iconic lavender fields in Provence!
This might not be from Provence, but it's still local and hand picked! No, I don't know any lavender field around here, but in September the student cafeteria by my school (Crous Mazet) had those AMAZING lavender bushes in the little garden (yes there are tables and you can eat outside if it's warm enough, that's why I love that place) that were growing big, wild and untrimmed.
The flowers were all dry and ready to be picked; as nobody seemed to be paying attention the them but me, I started picking little bouquets after lunch- it would have been such a shame to let them go to waste!
So that's where all the lavender comes from!
Again, all the orders were from the opposite side of the globe : Australia and for the first time New Zealand!
Speaking of New Zealand, I just discovered a lovely kiwi blogger that some of you probably know already. If you like cats, flower crowns and beautiful photography check out Jo from Lost in the Haze!
So a big thanks to everyone again, hope these will get to you safely!
Maybe I should try using Paris metro maps as wrapping paper for now on... What do you think?
bisoux,
Sandra
Sandra
I hate it when packages are lost in the mail - I had two from US & one from South Africa that I've never seen. They were all reshipped to me and that was awesome - but I can see how a small shop would not be able to afford that. Especially with the high taxes involved! Anyway, love these packaging ideas, and the one with the map, too.
ReplyDeleteOh I had other stuff lost as well ; this was the first one though. In the end I think it's a risk that comes with online shopping that we don't really think about most of the time.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoyed these! I still feel like a super clumsy wrapper...
Pretty!!!!
ReplyDelete