Pretty Packages

It amazes me how the simplest packaging can add so much to the experience of receiving something.  I recently ordered some stamps and dies from CASual Fridays and they came packaged like this:

Just a strip of cute tissue paper around the middle, tied with a piece of twine, but it made me smile.  It made me feel like they cared enough about me as a customer to put in the extra effort to package my order in a cute way.

I had a similiar experience a few months ago when my mother-in-law got me a subscription to Somerset Studio for my birthday.  (Yes, I won the MIL lottery.  She's awesome!)  One day I found an envelope in my mailbox with this inside:

What a beautiful way to announce my gift subscription!  I felt like I was really going to get a high quality product from this company if the gift announcement was packaged so nicely.

Even an extra little message added to a card envelope can make someone's day.  This was on the card my sister sent me for my birthday this year:

That's one way to ensure the envelope will be saved!  :)

Sometimes as crafters we get so used to what we make that we don't realize the impact our creations can have.  This pillow box was so simple to make, but the response to it was great. 

I put some chocolates and a gift card in these to give to my son's teachers at the end of the year.  He has some learning difficulties, so his IEP team had been working with him for a few years, and he was now moving on to middle school.  I wanted to let them know how much we appreciated what they did for him and how far he had come with their help.  I put a little note inside that said "Thank you for helping him SOAR!"

When I dropped these off at his school, the office staff kept commenting on the packaging and how cute it was.  They couldn't believe I made it.  I was surprised by the reaction because it was so easy to make!  I'm so used to what I make, and to seeing the amazing creations of my fellow crafters, that I forgot how special what we do actually is.

So next time you're looking at a website, a magazine, or even a friend's work and think, "Oh, I wish I was that good!" remember:  YOU ARE!  To the people who receive your handmade cards or albums or even just pretty packaging on something, the effort you put into it makes them feel extra special.  And that's worth more than anything.

Happy Crafting!