The snail in the mail wore a birthday hat

I've crept through the past ten days while they've been flying past me. My art/craft show application was accepted not too long ago! Can I get a woot woot? Since then, I've entered the spiraling cycle of procrastination, panic, suddenly working on projects until 4am, gluing myself to the computer screen and pretending I have time to spare, and finally repeating steps 1 through 4 in sporadic order.

One particular package in my mailbox took my mind off things a bit, though! As my first time winning anything blog-related, I was pretty stoked when Beth of Deer Little Fawn announced the names of a few lovely ladies who won her birthday treasure hunt and I was one of them! She posted clues every few days and we had to find the hidden answers throughout her blog - what a cute idea, right? 

The fact that Beth lives all the way across the pond in the UK made this bag of goodies even more interesting. I love how different their wording is on product packaging. For instance, on candy products, they refer to candy as "sweets." I wish the American vocabulary was this charming, but perhaps I've just been jaded by it. Here's the loot!

Thanks for brightening up my day, Beth (:

Package makes perfect

An artist standing out in a crowd of artists? This seems like a contradiction of terms and a challenge for most of us.

Lately, I've been working on the "branding" of my shop, as I've learned from the Etsy forums and other advice blogs that this is one of the most important aspects of establishing an identity for any small business. As I've been experimenting with my packaging and logo, trying to figure what works best with my style, it suddenly occurred to me that uniform doesn't have to be bad or boring. Honestly, I think consistency and repetition (outside the product, of course) keeps things looking organized and well put together.

I'm also excited about the custom rubber stamp I'm having made! This will be a perfect tool for the backs of greeting cards, other paper goods, business cards, and even envelopes and shipping boxes. How many hands does a package pass through before it reaches a customer? Perhaps each one is a chance to notice an interesting website stamped in bright ink.

What an Oodalollies purchase looked like before I shipped it earlier this week:

 (I'm a little bit of a paper freak and hoard it like a squirrel).

I've been nudged to tidy up the loose ends of Oodalollies because just yesterday I slipped the application for my FIRST art & craft show in the mail! Come mid-June, there's a very good chance that I'll be peddling my fancies at my own small booth.

I'll know in a week or so if I should panic, pee my pants, and get to work!