Packaging Tips - lots for craft fairs

[Guest guest]

I found this tonight will browsing and working on my

site. I just had to share, it is just so great!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Packaging Tips

 

Bath Teas

Here's the idea I had for the garage sale, etc. Get a bunch of quart jars and

decorate the lids (with fabric, bows, etc) and make cards that say relaxing

herbal bath and list the ingredients (but don't tell the proportions - tell

them it's an old family secret. That way you keep it unique). You will also

need to attach a small drawstring muslin bag to each jar because they will

have to fill the bag with the herbs, etc.

 

Relaxing Herbal Bath - To make a mixture, use equal parts of Rosemary, Basil,

Thyme, and Sage. Use a double measure of Lavender.

 

You will use approximately 1/4 lb. per bath. To use: place 1/4 c. herbs into

muslin bag. Boil in 1 quart water, simmer 15 minutes. Take infusion (herbs

and water) and add to the bath. When finished, muslin bag can be reused after

washed and rinsed. Very easy and when you make the decorative jar,

instruction card, and attach the muslin bag, you have an attractive package

to sell. It is a strong smelling mix and I thought at first it would give me

a headache, but when I got in the bath I really did relax.

Peggy J. Dorton 5/18/98

 

Bundling Is Not Just for Babies

As many of you know many retail businesses earn 80% of their profit from

September through December, the rest of the year they lose money or break

even, so for people who make & sell items such as toiletries that many

people think of as splurge purchases for themselves, it makes it difficult to

compete with all the promotions, etc stores have this time of year to draw in

customers.

 

Bundling is putting a group of items together to sell. For example gift

baskets. However, just a couple bars of soap, etc can make for an expensive

gift basket. Instead start thinking ahead to next year, and what you can do.

Shop the super bargain sales for items that go along with the products you

sell.

Examples:

Last spring Kmart had a clearance on beautiful appliqued towels. I bought a

bunch of sets, last week I made leaf soap to match the leaves on one of the

towels, put the soap on a simple plastic soap dish and gave it to my Mother.

Big Hit. Just wrap a big ribbon around the whole thing and price it.

 

Friday I was at Wal-mart, found some adorable bear bathgloves for kids $1,

bought 3, I am going to make bear soap, put the two together as gifts for my

nieces.

 

I also found a soap dish that looks like a half shell (beautiful plastic that

looks like marble) I am going to make seashell soaps to put on it.

 

I make dinosuar soaps, put them in Barney snack containers I bought last year

for 50 cents, and give them to kids. They love them!

 

A word of caution, make sure you buy good quality at a discount. Don't buy at

full price or you will lose money in the long run. I do not have a business

hence no license, but most of the time I can get better deals than people who

buy wholesale.

 

Also get to know your store and the employees. When I find an item I really

like I ask if I can have a discount if I buy in quantity or if it will be

going on sale soon. Since I check back often many times they will set things

aside for me when they are marked down and let me know when I come in that

they have something I might be interested in. For example, remember the

" thing " molds I mentioned in the lemon drop soap recipe? I checked

back at the store today, they put a big box in the back with my name on it to

save anything they can find that might look like I can use for a soap mold (I

also give alot of soap away, it helps!), plus they told me about some Winnie

the Pooh blankets that they just got in and that if I came back on Monday I

could have first dibs on them! I am amazed at how many times people will

special order things for me. The key to all of this is to be very very polite.

No one likes pushy bargain hunter, and I make an effort to get to know each

employee. I always pick one favorite though and give them a little extra

attention. I also have learned to carry little soaps in my pocket to hand

out.

 

Recently I went to pick up some medicine at the pharmacy and realized I

didn't have enough money, since they had gotten to know me well, the

pharmacist paid for the medicine for me! I immediatelty went home, got the

money and returned with the $ and a bag of soap as a thank you.

AnnaLiese

 

Designing Baskets by AnnaLiese

How about adding a wash cloth to give it some filler? I build my gift baskets

either from the front to back or the center out. Use the tallest things in

the back or middle and degress (sp) from there. Bring cellophane up and tie

with a bow (why not a little bowtie or a soap on a rope) the cellophane will

hold things in place. Another idea is to throw in a bunch of little candies

to fill in the empty spaces. I melt and pour green apple soap (for some weird

reason kids love it) into dinosuar lollipop molds. Makes nice little soaps.

Use them as fillers too.

 

oh oh great idea, my brain is really working now! Cut a long piece of string,

lay both ends down in your melt & pour shapes (two separate shapes small

ones like lollipop molds would be perfect) when it is firm you can use the

string to tie the cellophane up & you have a double soap on a rope ( mini

shapes, perfect for a kid)

 

PS bagging groceries is an art! I used to work in a supermarket and now when

I pack my own groceries the baggers always are impressed! Seems they don't

teach them how any more! AnnaLiese

 

Designing Baskets by Melanie

1. Ribbons - lots, in different effects.

For example you could

have inexpensive curling ribbon in various colours sitting on top of your

packing material, and then put the soap on that. The colours of the ribbons

should contrast with the soap, drawing in the eye to the soap rather than the

ribbons.

A thick ribbon bow in

the centre, or slanted over one corner. Bright rich colours to contrast with

the natural appearance of the soap. Ribbon bow hot glued to outside of the

basket in the same colour. Different colours for different scents of soap.

Velvet ribbon rosette.

When at craft fairs wear one in your hair. EMBOSS the ribbon (watch the back

- some may melt) by misting it with water and then putting it velvet side

down on top of a rubber stamp, then press a hot iron to the back. Good move

if the rubber stamp happens to be custom made, bearing your logo. Time consuming,

but maybe worthwhile for upmarket display.

2. The natural look.

Gather long grasses

(good time of year to do it in Nth Hemisphere!) and wind them round in a

'nest' shape to fit your basket. Leave to dry for sufficient time to avoid

mildew problems after shrink wrapping. (cool dry well ventilated room out of

sunlight but not dark - around 3 weeks in summertime) Place soap on nest and

tie a raffia bow/knot. Decorate outside of the basket with some sisal or hemp

rope, for a 'country' appearance.

Petals. Rose petals are

nice, but be sure to include some of the darker roses for contrast and

interest, as the light colours often dry to a uniform, sepia tone. Dry some

tiny rosebuds, and then place one or two on a dried leaf (silica gel is

expensive, but a good dessicant) decoratively in the corner of the soap.

Wood shavings. Contact

your local woodturning group. May make a nice backing for a man's soap...

Fine shavings will need to be sifted to get rid of the very fine (almost

dust) particles. Could be intermixed with wood chips, bits of bark etc. One

natural soapmaker here in ozzie ties the soap to a piece of bark (some trees

lose their bark here) with raffia, and then adds a printed tag to the raffia,

attached through a hole in the tag. Very simple, but not your usual basket,

and the price of the 'basket' is right!

A 'bed' of packing

covered with gingham fabric and a raffia knot or bow on the soap.

Soap resting in the

arms of a straw angel. You want to make the arms disproportionately long to

go round the soap and hold it in place. Won't post any instructions here as I

already chat too much.

3. Glitz

Crystal shreds,

cellophane shreds (various colours) paper shreds with 2-3 " lengths of

sparkly yarn cut up and mixed in, shredded white plastic bags (I kid you not

- used these as a backing for a single rose I made in Cold Porcelain, and it

gives an almost glacial appearance - youd have to use a coloured soap

though!!) lightly scrunched aluminium foil, heavy circular aluminium foil

tray cut into sunburst 'petals' with the soap resting in the centre of the

'flower', some petals curled inwards to keep the soap in place, others curled

as you please. Space age soap LOL!! Holographic wrapping paper, lightly

scrunched.

Holiday

season? Line the baskets with a tinsel 'nest', add a fake holly leaf and a

couple of fake red berries to the corner of the soap.

Basic cellophane - soap

on a bed of packing, basket on a large square of cellophane, draw up the

edges, tie with a glitzy bow, and arrange the top of the cellophane atractively.

The soap may be small, but the end result is huge! Do not attempt to

transport these in the car (ask me how I know lol!) due to the room they take

up. Pack flat instead and take a table and chair, and set up in a prominent

area at your point of delivery and make them on the spot, provided you are in

the public eye. (your very own craft fair LOL!!) the movement will attract

the interest of passers by. Of course get the store owner's permission to do

so in advance, but s/he will probably be grateful for the extra public

attention, particularly if you do it on a day that is usually slow...

4. Found objects - moving into art

Wire mesh, scrunched

into a basket shape. 'Tie' with a piece of thin wire. Chicken wire might do

for this, but I was thinking of something with a smaller mesh.

Painted patty pan.

Sponge, daub, whatever, rather than 'real painting' The effect needs to be raggy,

careless, with splotches of the original patty pan showing through. Raffia

bow with a bit of dried grass, wheat head, wild oat seed whatever, on the

top.

Get the local

kindergarten kids to fingerpaint some butchers (blank newsprint) paper in

bright colours and scrunch that up inside your baskets. Then sell the soap

baskets back to the kinder as a fundraiser. (The parents will love it because

the painting inside was possibly by their child....) Then sell the unpackaged

soap to the kinder as a fundraiser and let THEM do the work - you move on to

the next kindergarten!!

Weathered fencing. Make

sure you know what's been put on this wood in the past... old paint used to

have lead, so I understand, and bare wood can sometimes have a coating that

includes some kind of arsenic. Makes sense to be a bit careful - but the

effect of a bit of weathered timber against your pristine soap makes a lovely

contrast.

Great for the

creamy-whites in your range. Tie with thin wire and twist ends to look like a

baling knot, or the kind of finish that wire fencing in your area has. In

various parts of Oz we have " not-junk " shops. there one can find

the most amazing things priced at almost nothing, as the inventory is donated

by companies who would otherwise trash it, and the beneficiaries are often

charitable organisations. End-of-run bathroom tiles. Centres of

picture-framing mats that are too small to be useful (good size for soap,

though!!) Perspex offcuts - now these WOULD make a great base for soap!

Plastic corrugated sheet (like corrugated cardboard found in cartons - used

for making signs). Small squares of carpet and linoleum. Paper confetti of

various sizes and shapes (1 " diameter bright yellow circles for example.

I got a large grocery bag full of these plus another one of white rectangles

and another of white keyhole shapes, for $1 the lot!) are great to line

baskets with. and so on and on.

Maybe you could choose

in advance the type of effect you want and go search for companies likely to

have such things as a result of their manufacturing process. I can vividly

remember going to the Ford car factory in UK when I was about

age 8, and pocketing a handful of steel shavings (like wood shavings, only

metal LOL!) the oil they used to preserve the steel against rust stank, but

the shavings were SO pretty! These days many larger companies will attempt to

recycle what would otherwise be 'junk' - but smaller companies may not have

the reSupplies to do so and may be glad to get rid of it to a good home.

Where there are printers, there will always be paper shreds, for example. If

the shreds are too wide, curl them against scissors. You will use less, and

the effect can be very nice in your basket. Add a few paper curls to the

outside and vwallah!

Check out your local

junk shop. China painted plates, teapot lids, wooden paddles -

think laterally. The end result of all this work may not be to *your* taste -

but it definitely WON't be " blah " - LOL!!

 

Melanie Dunstan

 

Not TOO Pretty

Be careful of making your packaging too pretty! Our best advantage in sales

is that our product is a repeat purchase item IF people us it! When I first

started out I wrapped my soap in fabric and it looked lovely - then I'd run

into customers at future shows and ask them how they liked it - the

inevitable reply was " it's too pretty to use " argh! So, now I

package it very simply and people do use it and come back for more!

DiBrooks

 

Single Use Bath

Toiletries

I read an alternative packaging method for single-use bath items that I

really like - I think I got this from a Kelly Reno book. You take a coffee

filter, and pour 1/4 cup of your milk bath / bath salts / whatever into it.

Gather the edges. I tie it with some dental floss since it holds well. Then

take some lace, tulle, organza, or similar material, that's bigger than the

coffee filter. Put the filter in the middle, and gather the material edges

and tie with a ribbon. If you want, you can use a long ribbon - tie it around

the neck of your item, then make a big loop and tie again at the top. This

way you can hang the item under the faucet while the tub is filling.

Karen W.

 

Single Portion Bath Salts

Pour one bath's worth of salts into a square of clear plastic (polythene),

twist together with a twist tie. Do this for 8 bags. Using twine, or fishing

line or colours of glittery cord (your preference) tie the bags together one

after the other to make a string of bags (like a string of garlic) tie the

other end of the string to a long cane. (garden shops, canes are used as

stakes for tomatoes and stuff like that). Get an offcut (about a foot high)

of stormwater pvc piping. Any decent plumbing supplies place should have some

out back, and my local one just gives me the offcuts. Put the canes into the

pipe on the table, so you have lots of them and it only takes up a tiny bit

of table space and is an unusual and eyecatching display. Then play with one

over your shoulder during the show. Movement attracts the eye don't forget...

 

Now you can decorate your pvc pipe with whatever you like - paint, fabric

etc., and a sign on it indicating these things on the fishing line are bath

salts. If you want to be clever about it, put a cute saying on it like

'bathing is next best thing to fishing' or something like that.

Melanie Dunstan

 

Bath Salt Envelopes

Make envelopes for Bath Salts by cutting squares out of freezer paper and

ironing the shiny sides together 1/4 " all the way around 3 sides - fill

it and seal last side with iron. It makes quite a bond. Freezer paper is

great b/c it's waterproof and supposedly vapor-proof (we'll see), and easy to

find. Paste your label on the outside.

 

I thought for the really beaut. stuff - like roses & dried milk bath - a

window would be nice. I did one the same as above, but I cut out a window out

of one sheet and sandwiched a sheet of clear cellophane, same size as

squares, between the two freezerpaper squares. It worked nicely, but the iron

must be really HOT to seal the cello between the freezer papers. (Without the

cello you can seal the freezer paper with a warm iron). Then seal up the last

side after you add the milkbath or whatever, and paste on your label on the

back.

Kim 11/5/98 Updated 12/10/98

 

Ornament Bath Salts

Pour one bath's worth of salts into a square of clear plastic (polythene),

twist together with a twist tie. Do this for 8 bags. Use a pretty paper d'oyley

and wrap around the outside of the bundle, gathered at the top with a bit of coloured/glittery

cord whatever to make a loop and a big floppy bow. The loop is to hang on the

christmas tree. Make a paper tag (different colours for different days)

saying 'Monday' etc to 'Friday' and attach one to each bag. You could have

another paper tag saying 'Bathday', and another one in smaller print saying

'For my once-a-year bath, whether I need it or not', and another one saying

'From Santa, bathtime bliss' or something like that. You could display the

seven days of the week in a basket, and have sets of them ready in brown

paper bags under the counter to sell - since these are designed to be

Christmas tree ornaments, it won't matter that they're not

" Properly " packaged.

Melanie Dunstan

 

Sand Pictures with Bath Salts

How about those sand bottles, where you use different colored sand to make a

landscape in a bottle. Wouldn't that look neat as a gift made out of

different colored bath salts?

Sandra Good

 

Lotion Bars and Deodorant

Containers

Push-up deodorant containers would be great for packaging lotion bars... then

you could easily carry them around with you without messy melting or anything..

Gemma Perano

 

Lotion Bars and Lined Drawstring

Bags

I have been making cloth draw string bags lined with the ziplock bag type

plastic. I take a large ziplock bag and cut it open so it is one layer and

lay it on the wrong side of the fabric - then sew the bags treating both

layers as one - that way there is no greasy residue that soaks through to the

fabric.

Jane in TX

 

Lotion Bars and Butcher Paper

How do you wrap lotion bars in a way that would stop the oil-stained paper mess.

Why not butcher wrap/freezer paper? The plastic coating should keep things

neat -- just look how it works on meat juices.

Erika

 

Lotion Bars and Clear Vinyl

I found a *cheap* method to package lotion bars that I really like so far. I

bought a yard of the clear vinyl that Wal-mart sells in the sewing

department. It's on a long roll with the tablecloth type stuff. This stuff is

great! I cut it a little shorter in width than the lotion bar (regular

rectangular lotion bar shape) and long enough to wrap around the bar and

overlap. It sticks to itself so I didn't glue it or anything. As we use the

bar up I just scoot the vinyl down and eventually cut it in half or so

widthwise. It gives you something nice and " clean " to hold on to

when you use the bar.

Denise

 

Lotion Bars and Takeout Containers

One of the best ideas that I have found is to make them in the small take out

containers (like they put ketchup or tartar sauce in) This is not my original

idea. I was in a soap swap with someone who sent us samples of these that she

had made. Her company name is Chestnut Farms but cannot remember her name.

Anyway, they are great. You can buy these containers at Sam's or probably any

club of that type. They are very inexpensive - work as a mold and container

and no problem with the greasiness soaking through. They also work great for

keeping in your purse because of the lid.

Jane in TX

 

Lotion Bars and Florist's Foil

I can get plastic coated florist foil at the Floral wholesalers, this is

great for wrapping lotion bars, and they do not permeate through the plastic.

It is plasticized on the inside; pretty colored foil on the outside, and sold

in rolls.

Louise Storkey

 

Lotion Bars and Candy Bags

How about the small bags for candy that you can find at the craft store under

the homemade chocolate/candy section? Just tie a bow on top- plus it can be a

place to keep the lotion bar once unwrapped. To keep *them* from getting

grease spots all over!

Rabeca

 

Labeling Deoderant Containers

Labels for the deoderant containers. Designed the labels, print them on

regular paper. Use a little dab (very little) of rubber cement to hold it in

place. Take some cable shrink tubing and put it over the container. Shrink

the stuff. Trim it and it looks like a professional job!

Bea Hall

 

Pretty Labels

Try taking your own picture of flowers or whatever - have it scanned at a Kinko

type place and go from there.

Sims147 10/5/98

 

Various Labeling Techniques from Shucky

The ink in my wonderful HP printer is not waterproof, so I approach my labels

in two ways.

 

1) For anything in a regular jar or bottle, I use black ink on

8 " x11 " adhesive label paper, cut the labels by hand with an exacto

knife and steel ruler, and make the labels up from Word.

 

2) For anything in a fancy jar or bottle, I make tags from print/paint shop

programs or art I have downloaded from the Web. These I print in colour with

design work that accents the container. Each design is different for each

product. During the year I tie them on with a ribbon, or metallic thread at

Christmastime; or I just poke them in beside the product before I shrink-wrap

it.

 

I love my shrink-wrap machine, and I'm so glad I have it. I haven't had

anyone complain they couldn't smell the soaps, because they say they can; and

the labels stay very nice because they are protected. Folks tend to be

impressed.

 

This year I made a really nice soap for giving to friends. It was in layers,

tot look like a fruit cake; the bottom layer was brown with red and green

marbled blobs, and the top layer was the colour of cream icing. Handcut, I

made labels with a jolly black border, used an Old English font, illustrated

them with holly and nutcrackers with olive and red, and was able to start

handing them out last week. So far, people have been knocked out by them.

 

No more labels ruined by humidity, and I can be as creative as I wish.

Shucky

 

Water Proofing Labels

Use chunks of solid wax-with a square edge. Just apply some pressure and run

the wax (at a 45 degree angle, using the corner where the length and

thickness of the *brick* meet as the contact point on the paper) down the

page of labels holding the page secure to the table at the top. I found that

with the bricks of parowax, four overlapping *stripes* covers the whole 8 1/2

x 11 sheet. This is much better and far less time consuming than doing the

labels individually when they're already on the bottle. You'll get a few

*flakes* of wax loose on the page, just lightly brush them off with your

hand.

 

I experimented with industrial floor wax, Future floor wax and a few other

things. None of them worked as well as the Parowax, and they all tended to

make the label darken or yellow and/or cause it to be stiff. I can't remember

if I tried car wax or not. By all means experiment! If you find something

that works better, go for it! (and let me know! ;-)

Sherri-Lee Gagnon

 

Water Proofing Labels Revisited

I just tried using clear, transparent " Contact " paper ~ the shelf

liner type that comes in rolls~. I cut squares larger than my labels and

placed over the label area (used on plastic squeeze bottles). So far it is

sticking nicely and it really is clear. Real test will come when the bottles

go into the showers. Next try will be on glass. Hey, if it doesn't work out,

I still have something to line my shelves and drawers with!

Iris Emily

 

Water Resistant labels

I print my labels on my bubble jet printer, and the ink tends to run quite

readily UNLESS I put the printed paper in the oven at 250F for about 10

minutes or so. The paper won't brown or burn (Paper burns at 450F- remember Farenheit

451?) and the heat 'sets' the ink so it won't run. This does not waterproof

it, but it helps, and if a little moisture gets under the label, this will

help keep the ink from running.

Peggy Dodd 9/28/98

 

Coloring Labels with Artists Paint

I wanted to make labels for bottles using the 2x4 avery printer labels but

really wanted at least some background color. I took some gloss artist paint

(Deco?) and thinned it out with water, then used a sea sponge to sponge paint

the labels very lightly. When dry it did not curl up, nor did it affect the

printer! Looks nice! I did use a bold lettering so it would show up well

against the colors.

Deborah Scott

 

Spray Painting Labels

Mix some paint and water in a pump bottle and mist the paper with it before

printing labels.

latheringpot

 

" Laminated " Labels

I got my soap labels made with two blank spaces.One for the soap type name

and one to rubberstamp in a leaf or flower,etc.I can use different color

papers and ink to get varied attractive results and even though most soaps

just have that paper wrapper,I get many comments on how nicely they are wrapped,so

it must work.I had wrapped each bar in lined tissue,etc but it took so long

and the papers got yukked so easily at shows I needed something simpler. So

the few seconds to rubber stamp saves me a minute or two to fully wrap each

bar.

 

As far as labels for lip balms,small jars of eo blends,etc. I now use paper

with tape over it. There are two widths of regular magic tape in our Walmart.They

work for almost all the small labels I use that are straight strips. But I

love having a cute,herby label on the top of lip balms. Now follow this if

you can, I don't know if I'll explain it clearly enough: Take a round white

label the right size for your lip balm lid.Cut it off the big sheet,leaving

it on backing. Rubber stamp image on it.I use a rectangular large herb stamp

and it captures a nice portion covering the whole label. Leave on backing.Take

a piece of the large clear packing tape that is long enough to cover label.

Put sticky side of tape over right side of stamped label. Press together.

Trim tape and backing from label. Now you have a " laminated label "

for the top of the lip balm.

Leava

 

Labels for Lip Balm Tubes

I use the 1x2-5/8 " address labels & then run it the length of the

tube. That way you can see if the tube has been opened or not (torn label).

CoraLynn

 

More Labels for Lip Balm Tubes

I use Avery 08167 (5667 or 5267). I make 2 labels, one with the name and a

separate one with the ingredients. They both fit the length of the tube.

Connie Henrie

 

Packaging Milk Baths

I put a cupful (about 170gms)in a 4X9 plastic bag, then into a 4X8 brown

lunch bag which I ran through one of those paper-rippler gadgets. Folded the

top over 3 times, stapled, name label on front, how-to and ingredients on the

back. Silly little raffia bow around the folded over part just for fun. I

think it looks cute. I'll tell buyers to transfer the contents into their own

pretty little jar. Didn't have any scoops, but what the heck.

Anita Watts 6/20/98

 

Containers for Bath Salts

I put my bath salts in plastic containers (like the type you put left overs

in). I like the plastic ones incase they break in the bathroom.

Jalaine

 

Bath Fizzies that Fizzle

I had made a large batch of these wonderful things, placed them in corked

bottles, placed them in tightly closed lidded jars, and ... no matter what I

did, no matter what natural preservatives I used .... the same thing

happened: and more (eeeeek!!!) I had a *lovely* mess as bottles and jars oooozed

and gooed and made messes all over the place. Thank God I didn't sell them

*first*!@!! & () & )(* & )( &

 

Now I sell them as salt scrub/glo/bathsalt " kits " . The person can

use the dry mix of salts etc. alone ... or add the oil a little at a time, as

they use the product in varied ways.

Susan

 

Packaging Facial Mixes

Suggest 2 parts for the consumer to blend together. Depending on how upmarket

you are targetting your audience you could have:

 

Part 1 Dry ingredients

Part 2 Wet ingredients (and don't tell it could

just be spring water)

Part 3 The Bowl for mixing

Part 4 The Spoon for mixing

Part 5 The Brush for applying

 

and so on and on. And you could have refils of part

1 and 2. Or just keep it simple as part 1 and 2 alone.

 

It came to mind when I read your posts about the plastic packs with the

internal seal that has to be broken to allow two liquids to mix to create a

cooling pack, for example. I suspect, though that this would be a complex

thing to fill and seal, so maybe just two phials to mix together, or one to

tip into another, re-cap and shake, might do the trick.

Melanie Dunstan

 

Bath Salts Bottles

Save bottles, 'beer bottles' (brown), red bottles, wine bottles, (green/etc.)

save as many coloured bottles you can, then put the bottle in a very thick

cloth material, (we use very thick muslin cloth, but a drop cloth is just as

good as long as it is thick)... wrap it very well, sides and everything, it's

advisable to wear safety goggles, put on any gloves you can find and then

hammer the well covered glass and then when you are done, sort out what you

want and use some shards for petals, stem, sun, trees, you name it, any

design you want. If you are not sure what you want, draw a rough draft on

paper and have the shards closely match your drawing.... now, use carpenters

glue, (very carefully) put the glass on the pot that is already glued... keep

doing this till you have your design completed but BE CAREFUL the ENTIRE

time! When the glue has dried completly, use oh I forgot what that is called,

but you know what is used between grouts, ... white/offwhite caulking?....

get a bucket of that stuff and be extremely careful when you apply it, do not

'slide' your fingers up and down the broken glass, but in a way you cannot

cut yourself... apply it as thick as you can , don't worry about covering the

glass... when you have completed this, get a cloth or just use your hands and

run water over the pot just to wash off enough so you can see the designs...

you want to leave the caulking in the grouts. You can also do this with

marbles, mosaic tiles, many things... it is very pretty!

 

This is not a very involved project at all. I'd say from start to finish, at

least an hour, depending on the size of the clay pot and also depending on

the design you want... It can be as little as 30 minutes!

 

Sometimes I get tired of giving just bath/body/household products... so every

year a little of 'something' different is nice to add in!

Heidi

 

Bottle Stoppers

Glue a round colored marble to a cork. Sounds simple, but looks very elegant,

and is be easy to do.

Karen W.

 

Bottle Stopper Cover

Just thought I would mention a neat idea I saw with corks. I was in WalMart

(naturally), and they were selling our seashell soap dishes, with a small bar

of glycerin soap and a small bottle of bath get. THe bottle has a cork, and

they sealed it with wax around the lip. Interesting idea I thought. Then when

I poppped the cork, I realized that the cork itself was covered with a

stretched plastic film, and the wax was really to hold the film in place over

the cork! Would solve any problems with " sanitary " concerns...

Anna

 

Wedding Cake SoapWedding Cake Soap

Why NOT make a cake out of soap? Who eats wedding cake anyways (And for those

that do, they could have a choice...) Primary mould is a square soap

container with overly-rounded corners, to look like a true wedding cake.

Inside can be swirled, marbled, or dark brown vanilla with chopped up bits of

red and brown M & P to look just like the real thing....

 

And the icing on it? Remember Melinda Coss' new book? About to come out? She

tells you (shows you?) exactly how to ICE your soap. Pretty flowers and

stuff.

 

Vwallah. The new wedding sensation. A keepsake forever - or at least until

the next bath. A top tier for the wedding couple to use for the first year of

their marriage (or at least the first few months). Something that everyone

can take home and enjoy, instead of an expensive confectionery that tradition

dictates we eat (and get heartburn from) whether we enjoy it or not.....

BJ O'Dwyer via Melanie Dunstan

 

 

Scenting Packages

When I ship my orders out, I put some droppers of eo's in the box filled with

peanuts... sometimes I just put some droppers of eo blends on tissue paper.

You can also put a paper towel or napkin on top of the business cards and use

droppers right on top of the paper towel/napkin to prevent oil stains.

Linda Coffin

 

Bath Oil Tip

Bath oils are a great place to display all types of things. (as long as

those things don't self destruct!) My favorite is sea shells and beach

stones. This summer i collected so many wonderful shells, but very tiny ones.

They get lost with the larger ones. But when i drop a few in the bath oil

bottles, they show up like gems! I have to admit, the best ones are in MY

bath oil bottle, but the ones i give away are still pretty ;-)

Ginger Stathelson

 

Another Bath

Oil Tip

There is something to be said for simplicity in design. I got some pale green

Italian bottles for a sensuous massage oil. I designed a tag for it that

matched both the bottle's colour and the name of the scent, did a shrink-wrap

on the cork, tied the tag on with metallic thread, and shrink-wrapped it. My

massage therapist was impressed with the overall design, and the oil itself

was blended from sweet almond, hazelnut, walnut, and macademia nut oils with

my secret dusky scent. Though mine was simpler-looking than those in the stores,

it was far more elegant and professional looking.

Shucky

 

Packaging Tips from Tammy

We decided to keep it basic and inexpensive so our packaging didn't end up

costing more than our product! I scanned in a background of scrunched up

brown paper bag, a piece of ripped corrugated cardboard and some twine. I

then added text and this became the basis of our business cards and labels.

We wrap our soap in saran and then put them into the small snack-sized brown

paper lunch bags. On the front is our brown printed label. We fold down the

top of the bag - punch two holes and string through twine tied into a bow!

 

The milk bath and bath salts are in clear glass apothocary jars with our

brown labels on the front and the necks are tied with twine. We then had a

few businesses inquire - so we had to make up packets to send out! I made up

a brochure using Microsoft Publisher - which tells who we are and how we got

started, information about our products, new things we will have coming out,

and we've included an article on " Why You Should Use Handcrafted

Soap! " We also have copied that article off and given it to shop owners

to give out to customers! In the packets we've included samples of our soap.

 

We cut little 1 " x 2 " sized bars and put them into a clear plastic

organizer I made - on the order of a jewelry or shoe organizer! We then labelled

the front of each one. I then made a large mailing envelope out of brown

grocery bags and punched holes in about 1 1/2 " all around and threaded

twine through and tied. I printed the address labels from our same brown

background! So far. . .everyone who has seen our packaging has been

impressed. Our local community apple orchard has a gift shop and she bought

wholesale from us. She also runs a store for the months of Nov. & Dec. in

our mall and will have our things there as well! We have also sent a packet

to a local beauty salon which is in the process of buying another building

and opening a rejuvenation spa! We have an appointment with a local

candle/gift shop on Friday - as she wants to buy wholesale as well!

Tammy Gargano

 

Packaging for Bath

Bombs

I put my bath bombs in candy boxes. I can fit 6 bath bombs in each box. The

bombs are small, bonbon size.

Becky

 

" Sealing " Wax

For homemade solutions, try:

Sent to me by Debra, tbettis (In reply to message

left on http://www.craft.com/msgbrd/)

 

Melt paraffin wax on a low heat, allow it to cool a little so the wax

thickens, then " paint " one or more coats on the top of the bottle

with a paintbrush. OnceYou have a couple of coats on, let them cool and

harden, then turn the bottle upside down and dip it in the wax, until you

have the thickness you want. For color, melt wax crayons in with the wax,

which will give whatever color you want. It es very pretty when finished.

Then tie some raffia or ribbon to match the color of the wax.

 

I've also seen the suggestion of melting old candles or candles stubs instead

of buying wax. Using a double-boiler or a can submerged in water would work

great, decreasing the chances of igniting the melting wax.

Kelly Lamontagne

 

 

 

 

 

-http://www.luxurylane.com/thelibrary/reference/package.htm

 

Thank You,

Soseneda

Twining Vines

 

 

A Working Witch Warehouse

http://www.twiningvines.com

[Guest guest]

Thanks for all those packaging tips you forwarded. I'm not doing much at present, but am going to store all the tips away for when I do! - some great ideas

 

Regards

Ann - Scotland

 

 

 

I found this tonight will browsing and working on my site. I just had to share, it is just so great!!