(Hand-stamped coffee filters I use to wrap my soaps in an eco-friendly way.)
Before anyone places an order many steps need to be taken to ensure my products will get shipped on time. Every label needs to be made, printed the correct size, and tested out. Boxes need to be stamped, embossed, and put together. Tissue paper is cut to the size of each box and branded by hand with a stamp. Cards are designed and printed, thank you cards. Items need to be made and cured properly. Soaps are made, cured, wrapped, and labeled. Water-activated shipping tape is branded by hand, along with coffee filters for wrapping soaps., Inventory is done, containers are all whipped with rubbing alcohol before applying the labels. Brown craft paper is cut to wrap my Turkish towels and other special items helping them to keep their shape and protect them in the git boxes during shipping. Receipts need to be stamped with our brand. Each item has a brief description of use and benefits that need to be made and printed off.
(Hand-stamped water-activated tape for shipping my boxes, and providing a branded look.)
(Some of the first set of labels I printed with my new Rollo thermal printer.)
(Keeping inspiring things around my stations helps to keep me motivated. Here is a pile of new blue labels, and a stack of coffee filters I am using to wrap and label my new soaps with. )
Each one of these steps above is done by hand, some of these tasks take days and even months to finish, waiting for jars, and stickers to show up so they can be printed and tested to make sure they will fit, while also being legible. Some days are filled with adjusting stickers, over and over. Some are packed with printing hundreds of stickers and organizing them methodically with their corresponding descriptions on hanging wracks. Many of my labels are to be sprayed with a waterproofing coat to help them last longer in damp conditions, this process takes at least two days to dry completely before they can be applied to their containers. Stamping hundreds of tissue papers, cards, coffee filters, boxes, tape and more can be exhausting, doing these tasks all at once helps keep them looking a bit uniform and hand-made at the same time. Grabbing my self-inking stamp, coffee filters, or what needs to be stamped at the time, turning on a good show, or listing to some mystery podcasts help the time go by and keep me interested in the stamping task in front of me.
(Tamper proof seal already in place, these chapstick are ready to be labeled and stored for their designated gift boxes.)
(300yards of waterproof tape hand stamped.)
(One of my first mitalic embossed logos on my new boxes. )
Making lists and staying organized is not always easy for me, inventory, testing stickers, and working on social media are some of my least favorite tasks, and need to be done with full attention. Messups and mistakes are bound to happen along the way. Once on a few hundred cards, I had printed up I made the mistake of misspelling coconut oil and leaving the n out (cocout oil). I have my husband look at many of my designs before I print them, also use a few different editing tools. No one noticed this mistake until I had given out at least 150 of them, and it was one of the most embarrassing things, as I gave one to the woman who taught me to make soap. Pointing out my mistake to her and being willing to make mistakes along the way is part of the deal, this is how we learn and learn how to not do this again. She was kind to me and offered some helpful suggestions, and encouraged me to keep going. My first beautiful gold embossed boxes were branded inside out and upside down, it was a learning point to fold one of each kind of box before branding them. Life is about learning along the way and mistakes are helpful teachers if we are willing to learn.
(Once again I made a mistake of not folding my boxes before, the embossing turned our inside the box lid and up-side-down.)
(With the help of my Rollo printer and my self-inking stamp, my soaps are all packaged, labeled, branded in and eco-friendly and affordable way.)
Assembling all of the items in each designated gift box, including a discount code, thank you card, business card, adding the correct descriptions, stickers, branded tapes, tying with ribbons or twine. Cards are made by hand and ready for each order, as some are for gifts, including a branded handmade card can be a special treat. When it comes time to pack boxes it is important for me to pause and take notice of all the tasks that have been completed, and give myself some credit.
(Photos of items in a bift box before labeling and wrapping. Step by step photos help me create my social media posts and are used in my blogs. )
(Strawflower & activated bamboo charcoal Christal Clear Soaps.)
(Items from friends often work their way into my gift baskets.)
(Montana pine sap salve I made for these golden topped cobalt jars.)
Photos are taken along the way edited and uploaded to be used in ads and for visual descriptions for each item in my Etsy shop. Adds are made for all items and soaps alike and need to be distributed on my webpage, Etsy, and social media outlets. Managing all of the social media and digital marketing myself is my least favorite time of my day and the job that I do. Learning a lot along the way and being willing to make mistakes and grow has helped me get a bit faster and I hope a bit better. Items are uploaded to my Etsy shop, with photos descriptions, name, size, ingredients, web page information, hashtags, description keywords, and phrases, all of this drives me crazy… but it needs to be done and no one else is going to do it.
(Motivating sticker I made for my computer.)
(Thank-you card for my webpage shop.)
(Some of my designs used on social media and flyers for art shows.)
Orders are checked in the morning and the process begins of packing an order. Receipts are written with desired items, customers' names, and the date. The tickets are then used to collect the items in a tub, to be packaged together correctly. Boxes are packed and sealed with a piece of cand inside, custom water-activated tape, and a thermal sticker with the shipping address and weight of the package. These are collected and taken down to the post office and shipped out within a few days. Being patient with small businesses and allowing for mistakes along the way is a great way to help them grow. Understanding that there are many steps before during and after your purchase is ordered is always greatly appreciated. We are all doing the best that we can in these uncertain times, please give a bit of grace to those working! Be kind to your mail delivery people, and remember to shop local small businesses.
(It takes a long time and a lot of effort for my items to turn into something like this display at a local flower shop.)
Choosing to buy from small businesses from your local community helps to keep your own money in town, each dollar you spend is a vote. When you purchase an item from myself you are paying for more than a finished product, you are helping me invest back into myself, tools, supplies, research, my time, heart, soul, mistakes along the way, and a piece of me. I greatly appreciate every order and take the same care on each purchase that goes out. I make these items because it brings me joy, and it brings me great happiness to know you enjoy what I make. Thank you for supporting small businesses and handmade items! It means the world to us artists to be able to do what we love!
“Creativity is intelligence having fun” Albert Einstein
#packanorderwithme #stepbystep #smallbusiness #handmadeitems #localcrafts #madeinSpokane #Spokaneart #Spokane #Washington #PNW #pnwart #onewomanshow #mytowhands #imadethis #mypassion #soap #shoplocal #everydollarcounts #2022art #hardworking #orders #packing #art
*Leaving reviews and liking my posts and items helps to grow my business, gives more people the ability to see my products. Each like, share, and review is greatly appreciated!
Posting photos of your soaps and tagging them with my hashtags below is a great way to help every small business grow naturally.
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About
Christal Clear Soaps LIFE IS TOO SHORT TO USE BAD SOAP!
Here is a list of my completed blogs! Learn a bit about Cold Process Soap, Christal Clear Soaps, and how I got started making all-natural fragrance-free soap.
1) *Welcome everyone https://christalsglass.wixsite.com/christalclearsoaps/post/welcome-everyone-to-my-soap-page
2) *True cold process soap https://christalsglass.wixsite.com/christalclearsoaps/post/what-is-true-cold-prcoess-soap
3) *10 random facts about me https://christalsglass.wixsite.com/christalclearsoaps/post/10randomfactsaboutmyself
4) Activated bamboo charcoal https://christalsglass.wixsite.com/christalclearsoaps/post/activated-bamboo-charcoal-christal-clear-soaps
5) Sand
6) Indigo
7 Rose & wildflower
8) holiday gifts
9) In the garden
10) What’s in my bag
11) Fall is here
12) Essential oils
13) Clays
14) Favorite self-care tips
15) Spices are not just for cooking
16) What I am thankful for
17) New in the shop/stocking up with Christal Clear Soaps
18) An accomplishment I am proud of
19) Houseguests
20) Selfcare during the holidays
21) Face masks
22) Matcha green tea
23) Goals for the year
24) My favorite planners
25) https://www.christalclearsoaps.com/post/my-favorite-planners-and-journals-by-christal-clear-soaps
26) Special occasions
27) Get to know me facts
28) Lovers at home spa day
29) Where to find my soaps
30) Throwback to my old soaps
31) The language of love
32) Top 5 productivity tips
33) Express gratitude for people
34) Books I love
35) St. Patricks Day
36) Green soaps
37) Some of my favorite songs
38) Honey
39) Salts
40) Lilacs and spring flowers
41) Nightime routine
42) Pack an order with me
43) Graduation, Mothers Day
44) Some of my role models
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