Making Your Own Tags & A WINNER!

Happy Monday Everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful, stress-free weekend and are ready for a fun week ahead! I'm sure you're all anxious to see who our OceanBelle Tree of Hope winner is, so let's not waste any time!

Thanks to random.org for choosing....

And our winner is...

#10, Kelli

Who said...

Congrats, Kelli! Shoot me an email in the next 48 hours to claim your prize!

Now on to the Monday fun!

I've seen lots of talk going on in blog land, on facebook, and in the etsy forums about product labels. I'm not talking about CIPSA regulation stuff, but something cute and easy to put on your products to really make them your own. I had been thinking about it quite some time when I came across this:

Sew-In, colorfast, printable fabric sheets! Perfect! I'm always a sucker for doing it yourself!! Only $8.99 per pack at Hobby Lobby, and with your trusty online 40% off coupon, like $5. Pretty good for all the labels you can get out of this package! I think I got like 70 labels from one sheet alone.

There are instructions on the package, but I'll go ahead and roll through them so you can see just how easy it was to do this little project...

First you're going to want to design your image on the computer. You can use whatever software you're comfortable in. I used pixlr {free online illustrator software} to design the logo and then imported it into a Word document so I could format the logo into an 8x12" printable format.

Each sheet is white, so keep that in mind when designing your logo to be printed onto the page. Also, probably not a bad idea to print a test page just to make sure everything is lined up properly and you have enough room to cut between the tags. PRINT.

Once your sheet is finished printing, let it dry and peel the paper backing from the fabric.

{Here comes the weird part...}

In order to make your design colorfast, you must rinse fabric gently in cold water. Lay flat to dry and dab excess moisture with a cry towel.

See? Easy. Now iron over your fabric using the highest setting possible. TA-DA! Done.

Now, just take your rotary cutter and go to town until you have a whooooole bunch of little taggies. Then, sew them on to your {whatever you make} and you have a fully branded piece of merchandise.

{forgive the terrible stiching here... I was having a little disagreement with my machine tension, haha!}

Now, of course you can always order yourself some fancy, pre-folded satin labels in an array of colors from any of about a million online shops. I know this. I also know that costs alot, and in most cases you don't get to see the actual finished product until it ships to you. This is just a quick and easy, low-commitment alternative that only costs around 2 cents per label.

Thanks again to Brandy at OceanBelle for sponsoring our latest giveaway! Those of you who didn't win today and would like to purchase from her shop can find a link to OceanBelle in my sidebar!

See ya tomorrow for another tutorial and linky party!!

XOXO

***want to sponsor a giveaway at The Little Birdie? Email me! I would love to feature your shop!***

***have a question you would like adressed on Merchandise Monday? Email me!***

Answering Your Marketing Questions + Free Stuff

~ your source for all things small-business related ~

~ want to feature YOUR shop on Merch Monday? email me! ~

Good morning!! My goodness this time change is kicking my butt. It probably doesn't help that it's all stormy and dark down here in southeast Texas, but I am finding it terribly difficult to get going this morning. Anyone else having trouble? ;)

In the last several days I have gotten a whole slew of emails from the business card swap post and from last week's Thankful Thursday all wanting to know the same thing:

Where did I get my 

business cards/return address labels/postcards?

Long story short, I generally purchase all of my print media from 2 sources:

www.moo.com

www.vistaprint.com

I use VistaPrint when I need a good deal on the cheap. {especially if I need really large quantities...} They always have awesome specials, and most of the time I don't need this kind of thing quickly so I can save even more by doing the slow, cheap shipping. They have thousands of pre-designed options to choose from, so I also go this route if I'm not planning on doing the designing myself.

The return address labels I ordered from VistaPrint... I got like 300 of them for under $3. Seriously.

I use Moo for my business cards, my mini cards, and anything else that I KNOW needs to make a great presentation every time. These are the areas where I don't mind spending a little extra, but honestly, as far as I'm concerned Moo's product quality can't be beat. Moo is also "designer friendly," which I totally appreciate because I really prefer designing my own print media so it's exactly the way I want it.

My business cards and mini cards. 

I've even used a version of my mini cards as tags for my merchandise at "in person" sales like craft shows and bazaars.

Please excuse the terrible quality of these photos... they are seriously not doing these products justice. It is seriously SO dark and yucky outside, there is no natural light whatsoever so I am stuck with my overhead light today. Sorry. :( This picture actually makes it look pretty out compared to what's actually going on outside. Yuck.

{Anyway, obviously I have to tell you that neither of these companies sponsors me in any way, 

this is just an honest-to-goodness product/company review from my own personal experiences.}

That being said, I got an email this morning from VistaPrint {another perk... email specials} with all kinds of great deals going on right now. Free postcards, free return address labels, free premium business cards... there's like 7 deals going on this week. So if you're in the market, you might want to check them out, there's lots of free stuff happening over there from now through March 18th.

VistPrint FREE Offers

All of you that emailed me, I hope this helps! You guys know I'm always happy to share whatever info/knowledge I can in order to make your lives easier. :)

Don't run off too far, 

I'll be making an announcement 

about our next giveaway later today!

XOXO

Thankful Thursday - 3/10/11

What a week this has been!! It really seems like it's been two weeks rolled into one. Hubby has been working like crazy going into his busy season. With all this early warm weather, he's got plenty to keep up with so we didn't get much of a weekend together. Every day since Saturday has felt like Friday... like my internal clock is telling me it's time for some family time! But we are anxiously awaiting the arrival of this weekend, as we'll finally get some much needed time together. :)

OK, here we go! There are always "big things" in my life that I'm thankful for every single day. {Hubby, Baby A, our home, jobs, and food on the table, etc.} So, from day to day I try to focus on "the little things" to help me appreciate even the small blessings in life, and so that I won't be so quick to take things for granted. I think it helps me see the big picture, and keep a positive attitude! :)


Without further adieu, these are the "little things" I'm thankful for this week!

1. Print Media! Despite shipping issues, my new return address labels are finally in. No more writing by hand, yay!

2. Mail Scale! I can't believe I've waited this long to get one of these. It is seriously shaving hours of time off my week when it comes to shipping, etc. I highly recommend getting one if you have any decent amount of outgoing shipping happening in your house. Well worth the $30 for sure!

3. The Dollar Bins at Target. I never look. I dunno what it is, but I just never do. I'm not good at the bin digging, I really think that's what it is. I like things nice and neat and orderly when shopping, haha! However, something pulled me over yesterday while doing a little pre-wedding shopping for Baby A, and I totally scored!! I bought her 4 Sesame Street books, 4 bathtub books, and 2 animal books for only a DOLLAR! Seriously, who can beat that? Oooh, oooh! I also got these super cute magnetic list pads and a big ol' pile of notecards {and the box!} for only a dollar too. {sigh} I love cheap stuff. :)

4. Plans this weekend! Since having the baby, Hubby and I have become even more hermit-y than we are already predisposed to be. That coupled with the fact that we are both working so darn much just doesn't make for alot of free time. So, needless to say, we don't go out much at night... sleep prevails! ;) This weekend a good friend of ours is getting married to his long-time girlfriend, and guess what? The hermits are getting out of the house Saturday night! We are so excited for them to begin their new journey, and who doesn't love a wedding? Plus, as an added bonus, I get to play dress up with my sweet Baby A. <3

5. Linky Parties! I love, love, LOVE linky parties because they are such a great way to show of all the fun projects you've been working on, and get new ideas and inspiration from other people's projects. You guys have been inviting me all over the web this week, I have loved coming to see your blogs and linking up at your parties!

Since things are growing so fast, I have been working on a new tab {see it up top?} to house all of the wonderful linky parties I visit every week. Now you can all go have some fun! As far as the page goes, it's a work that will constantly be in progress. So, if you've got a linky party you want me to go check out, let me know! I'd love to come for a visit and add your button to my party list!


I hope that everyone is having a fantastic week and that you all are thankful for all the blessings in your life, both big and small. :)


XOXO

Guest Blogging! ReVamp Your Etsy Shop!

Hey friends! I hope everyone is having a great week so far! 

I just wanted to let you all know I will be guest blogging over at BabySwank Monday, Feb. 14th for a really cool new blog series for your etsy shop called:

ReVamping Your Etsy Shop

I'm pretty excited to collaborate with such a great group of women who I have the pleasure of knowing through the EtsyMoms group. 

{If you're a mom on etsy, go check out this group... AWESOME!}

I will be writing about the importance of your shop bio, and how to get it "just right" for you and your shop. I hope you'll come visit me over at BabySwank! 

I've included the "Intro Post" for the series, so you can get a little taste of what's in store for you!

Enjoy!!

XOXO

..............................................................................................

So you want to make your Etsy shop AWESOME this year? Is it time to step it up a notch or two in some areas of your shop?

If you’re anything like me, I’m always looking for ways to improve my shop & get out there more. People are asking for shop advice all the time on the Etsy forums. Especially newbies, but it’s not just limited to them. Everyone’s shop could use a good going over, & what a better time to do it then at the beginning of the year when the holiday rush has passed. Start fresh, start clean. Revamp your shop & your business, & become more successful than last year!

Now don’t get me wrong. Anyone can start a shop on Etsy & get everything set up for selling. A premade banner, an avatar with your picture, a “Welcome to this shop!” announcement, & maybe some policies, but it takes some real work to make your shop stand out in the crowd. We all want successful shops. 

What makes them successful? Sales? Well if that’s the case your shop has to be eye catching, your wording has to be easy to understand, & your policies clear & simple. If people aren’t attracted to your shop front, they probably aren't going to bother looking at what you’re trying to sell them.

     The Storque blog is full of articles by Etsy administrators, shop owners & experts in certain areas of small business, but sometimes it can be overwhelming as a new Etsian to go find all the help you need for your shop. Where to even begin? Well, here, for one. This blog series is going to make your life & shop setup even easier!

     So starting next week we’re gonna get going on our shops beginning with the most simple & easy to do things first. Each week a new topic will be added. Some will be by me, & many will be by guest bloggers, most of which have Etsy shops of their own. We will include topics on shop appearance, policies, pictures, pricing, SEO, marketing, social media, seasons & holidays, & much more. You definitely don’t want to miss out on THIS blog series!

     Join me & 16 other small business owners as we embark on this journey to a better, more successful shop in 2011!

http://www.blogger.com/babyswank.etsy.com