“I’m grumpy and I don’t know why,” said Clara…
For Cupcakes for Clara I create products featuring the grumpiest little miss bossy pants called Clara. I make paper dolls, stationery, art prints, sewing kits, and toys. And because all of my products are based around Clara, I almost feel like I’m cheating with my branding. As soon as I put an image of her onto anything it becomes instantly recognizable. It’s simple! And because Clara’s hair is orange, it makes sense to use orange as a base for everything. Orange tissue paper, orange tape, and orange striped twine are all perfect to package products in. And I try to use orange props in my product photos. Clara is my facebook & twitter avatar, at the top of my blog, on my shop banner, and even pinned up above my desk. I really do like everything to match!
I had some oversized postcards printed to use as packaging cards for any smaller items such as post-it notes and finger puppets. I try to keep costs down by going for straightforward printing such as postcards or business cards that I can use for several different products, and then transforming them myself into swing tags, header cards or packaging cards. I find that with a couple of different tools – a round corner punch, a euro slot punch, and a standard hole punch, I can transform even the most basic of papers into something really special.
Recently I made my own scratch cards. I wanted to add an extra special goodie in with my orders to encourage repeat sales, but rather than a standard discount code I thought it would be more fun to make scratch cards. There are various “prizes” including discount codes, free shipping, and vouchers. And you know what – they were super easy to make! I had some mini moo cards printed (because of their printfinity you can print a different code on every card), and with a bit of dish washing liquid, acrylic paint, and sticky backed plastic, they were transformed into awesome scratch cards! I’ve posted a tutorial on my blog if you would like to make your own.
Along with a scratch card, I like to include a couple of extras within orders – two business cards (one with “please share this with your grumpy friends” stamped on the back), a handwritten thank you card, and a sample of another product – maybe a few post-it notes or a single outfit card for a paper doll. Everything is then wrapped in orange tissue paper and sealed with a Clara sticker. Even the shipping envelope has a Clara return address label on, so the customer will instantly recognize their parcel.
I do try to be as eco-friendly with my packaging as possible. Using local suppliers and recycled or biodegradable products if I can.
- Paper dolls, and stationery items are packaged with 100% recycled envelopes, and popped inside a biodegradable cornstarch bag.
- Make-your-own kits come in 100% recycled boxes.
- Original toys come packaged in their own re-usable 100% cotton bags, which I have handmade.
I love my Clara branding, and hope that with one glance at my products or packaging you could easily tell that it is a Cupcakes for Clara goodie.
My suppliers list…
http://moo.co.uk – I use moo minicards for my scratch cards. Beautiful quality and the printfinity option is fantastic.
http://vistaprint.co.uk – Great for cost-effective matt postcards to use as thank you cards within orders and header cards. I also use them for my return address labels and business cards. I usually upgrade to the premium papers.
http://overnightprints.co.uk – Absolutely my favourite printers. Great quality and extra options such as rounded corners or spot gloss are reasonably priced.
http://printed.com – A great UK printers for stickers, art prints, postcards, and leaflets.
http://eco-craft.co.uk – Fabulous eco-friendly packaging supplies including biodegradable cornstarch bags, 100% recycled envelopes, and fair trade cotton bags.
http://mrmailroom.co.uk – Well priced shipping supplies including board backed envelopes and boxes.
Editor’s note: I hope you loved this first post from our lovely new contributor Laura Clempson & the chance to see a behind the scenes look at her fabulous packaging! Check out her links in the bio below & be sure to say hello in the comments:) Also please do share your own packaging adventures & suppliers!
