Great Packaging = Repeat Business

I recently ordered soaps to give as gifts. Maria, owner of Kokolele Soaps on Etsy, has been my go-to person for handmade soaps for the past 10 years. Not only are her soaps impressive, they trump my packaging expectations.

Packaging is the first thing your customers see once your product is actually in their hands.

KEY POINTS:

Use of protective wrap around product to prevent damage by dents, scratches and breakage during shipping speaks volumes about the customer service ethics of your company.













Personal touches supplement your customer service declarations. Consider showcasing your product in unique gift boxes, that include ribbons, baubles and decorative labels.

Include an appreciation gift or discount coupon when an order totals a specified value.

Invest in quality craft punches & card stock paper to create labels that promote & identify your branded product.

 Coordinate product packaging to compliment  product colors.




 

Impress customers by including a handwritten note with your product.

Ensure your product, customer service, packaging, and shipping all live up to the hype promised.

Be sure to follow up with customers a day or two after they should have received their order to make sure they are happy with everything.






 Stay up-to-date on your competitor’s prices,
services, discounts, and marketing promotions. If you can’t lower your prices as much as your competitors, then make sure customers understand how your product is worth the extra money. 

Remember, first impressions are everything. The way you package your product is a way of putting your best “face” forward to a potential customer when they encounter your product for the first time.

I'm Back...

It's been over a year since I've posted on the GoPlanetEarth blog and there is good reason for that!



My life has been topsy-turvy. I sold my home of 28 (memorable) years and moved both GoPlanetEarth / Mold Market companies to our fulfillment center in Spokane Washington. In the process, my husband and I are building our lakefront golden years retirement home.

It's been both exciting and exhausting.

What does this mean for you?

The relocation of product to our Spokane-based manufacturing facility will expand our presence in the crafting industry to include Mold Crafter’s new patent-pending picture frames molds, stencils, decals, wall art and paints making it a win-win situation for everyone.

Currently, GoPlanetEarth.com is being redirected to our MoldMarket web site. During this transition, you may find some of our project links are not working. Please be patient as we work to redirect these pages to the Mold Market web site.

With 200 plus mold masters in stock, you are sure to find just what you need for your crafting project. If not, contact us about creating a custom design mold just for you!



Look for us at the 2017 Craft & Hobby Association international  trade show in Phoenix.

Let's Talk Soap Colors!

It's just my opinion, but I believe Go Planet Earth (GPE) and Mold Market (MM) have some of the best soap colors on the market. Just take a look at some of the color intensity intensity that you can achieve with our liquid gel colorants.

I think many of my long-term customers will agree it's hard to beat the color results you get with our Neon Brights.

Look for an upcoming tutorial that showcases the technique used to make these colorful layered soaps. All were made with Mold Market molds.

NEW PRODUCT: Mold Market Chalk Paint

                                                                             

There are plenty of changes and new in the works at our parent company, Nouveau Designs LLC. Recently, we set up a fulfillment center in Spokane, Washington which is where Mold Market brand molds are manufactured. This means most orders ship the same day as received. That's a big plus in our minds.

Now that the hectic move is over, we are concentrating on our new line of chalk paints. We are in the process of testing, testing and then more testing. The results are exceptional and we plan to launch this new product within the next two weeks.

If you are not familiar with chalk paints, let me share with you what this amazing product can do.

• This non-carcinogenic paint covers everything, no kidding! It can be use on glass, metal, wood, leather, Formica, concrete and even fabric.
• With this paint, you can literally start and finish a piece of furniture within a day.
• No prep work (like sanding) is required.
• Paint colors can be layered to achieve a distressed look (shabby chic) to your project.
• 28 colors available
• Colors can be blended to create a custom color
• One pint of paint will easily cover up to 50 square feet. If you think in the terms of furniture, that's two dressers.
• Water-based, so it cleans up easily with water.

The possibilities of this chalk paint are endless. In January 2015 we will introduce a new product line to use with our Mold Market chalk paint. However, 'HUSH' is the word for now.

A one-pint container of Mold Market Chalk Paint retails for $22.95 and a 4-ounce jar retails at $9.95.

We will also offer a line of Metallic Dusting Powders to enhance the finished look of your chalk painted projects.


Take a look at some of the furniture and projects we have done with these awesome paints. 

Vintage Doily Window Ornaments: Part 2

A few days ago I posted on how to snowflake window ornaments from crocheted doilies. Here are a few of the finished results. My granddaughter, Olivia, and two of her friends had a great time sprinkling the glitter on the doilies. Of course, the island counter in the kitchen was one sticky mess.

A spray adhesive was used to apply the glitter. The technique was more like spray, sprinkle and shake. The excess glitter was collected off the craft trays for a future project.

My personal taste leaned more toward white sparkle and iridescent shred glitters, but the girls were all about pink and purple. No matter the color of glitter used, they were all beautiful. Each of the girls took home two snowflake doilies to hang in the bedroom window.

Picture Frame Christmas Decor

This easy holiday decor was made from a thrift store picture frame, minus the cracked glass, and and miscellaneous ornaments. Ribbon remnants were used to string the ornaments to the back of the frame. For ease, I used a general purpose staple gun to hold the ribbon-strung ornaments to the back-side of the frame.

The original color of the frame was silver, but I painted it red and then sanded areas of the frame to allow the under-layer of silver to show through.

This holiday frame has so many possibilities. You can hang on the wall or place on a shelf unit. A over the door hanger is another option (the kind you use to hang a door wreath).

The glass could have left in the frame and a window rub-off applique applied beneath the Christmas bulbs, i.e., Happy Holidays or Merry Christmas.

An affordable handmade gift for the holidays.

Christmas Elves: Wild Night on the Trapeze

Those darn elves found empty cardboard rolls and constructed a trapeze and net while the grandkids were sleeping.

My little buddy, loves waking up to see what the elves have done. I am going to miss all this mayhem when the grandkids outgrow their elves. I already have one elf who is retiring this year.

Vintage Doily Snowflakes

I am always in search of new craft ideas to do with the grandkids. Last night we mixed glue and water to make a DIY fabric stiffener for these doilies that will be used to hang in windows for the holidays.

My five-year old grandson got a bit carried away with the dipping process and we may have to let his doilies dry for another night.

Tonight, we will be using glitter spray on the snowflake doilies and then hanging them from the sliding glass doors using suction cup holders. The kids are excited and I will post the final glittered snowflakes tomorrow.

Hobby Lobby sells doilies in 12-packs at a reasonable price, or check out Ebay. Here is what you will need for this project.

• 50:50 ration of white glue to water. Mix well in an large mixing bowl until the consistency of milk.
• Cloth doilies
• Plastic garbage bag for laying out the doilies after they are immersed in the stiffener
• Spray glitter product (or you can spray the dried doilies with adhesive glue spray and sprinkle with glitter
• Suction cup window hangers
• Invisible thread for hanging the snowflakes

Submerge each doily into the glue mixture until fully saturated. Gently squeeze away any excess liquid and lay the doily flat on the plastic garbage bag.









Allow the doilies to air dry overnight. If they still appear to be damp, let them set out until completely stiff and there is no sign of moisture.

Gently lift the doilies from the plastic bag and flip them over to allow air to completely circulate to both the front and back sides of the fabric. You can either hang the doily snowflakes as is, or add sparkle by applying iridescent glitter to each side. (see my Part 2 post for using glitter).

The stiffened doilies also look nice inside a picture frame. Remove the frame's glass and cut and cover a piece of cardboard to fit the frame opening. Burlap material works well, or use brown Kraft paper or scrapbook paper. Hot glue the doilies in place.