This Is How It Ships

I want to take up a little space in the blog to talk about my packaging habits. I'd like you to know exactly what to expect in the mail when you order from my shop.

Here's a peek behind the curtain:

All plastic canvas and yarn pieces get a little bath before they ship out, and when they're dry they get mummified in plastic. This freshens up the item, and clears away any odors that the yarn may have picked up from my home while being crafted, and prevents it from picking up any new odors during the shipping process.

"What kind of odors might one encounter during the shipping process?", you ask? I've heard stories about boxed items being contaminated by a heavily smoking mailman, or food odors from the community post office break room, vehicle exhaust fumes, or even a damp musty warehouse. I have not experienced any of this, but let's not take any chances, eh? We both want your item to be clean and fresh when it arrives.

All of my vases, bottles, and jars also get a little bath before they're packed, to wipe away any dust they might have gathered, while waiting for YOU, on my inventory shelf. Then they are wrapped in a piece of tissue paper, to prevent the bubble wrap from marking the paint. I didn't even know that could happen, but according to the makers of the bubble wrap, it can.

I only use two forms of packaging, so that's pretty simple.

• Refrigerator magnets and flat wall hangings ship in a padded envelope.
• Everything else ships in a cardboard box. More often than not, it's going to be a brand new box, but once in a while I'll re-use a box that I, myself, received in the mail. Only if it's good reusable condition. 

If you're item requires some form of padding to keep it from jostling around in the box while traveling, there is a 99.9% chance that I'm going to use wadded up plastic grocery bags.

There are four reasons why this is my padding of choice:

1. They are actually a very reliable padding material! They fit into small spaces when balled up or twisted. They're soft enough to comfort the item, and squishy enough to absorb an impact. I like to really load up on the grocery bag padding.  
2. I can amass a mountain of plastic grocery bags in a very short amount of time. You get them everywhere. Hec... at Walmart, if you buy two items, you get a third bag free! And that keeps my shipping costs low.
3. It cuts the weight of the package down. A box full of shredded newspaper weighs so much more than a box full of plastic grocery bags, and that saves you money on postage!
4. I'm a hippie at heart, and I don't like damaging the environment. I don't use Styrofoam, and much of the newspaper I collect is utilized as table cover when painting and gluing. I reuse plastic bags in many capacities around my home, and I'm kind of hoping that you might too!   

Every order gets a little homemade note card to thank you for ordering from my humble little shop and to show you where you can find me on social media.

After that, it's sealed and ready to hand off to my very nice mail lady, or man if she's on vacation. Small envelopes can fit right in my mailbox. Boxes require a special pickup request, but that's just an easy online form. Etsy has even begun a new service where they will set up the package pickup right from my shop page!

And that's that.
Once the package is in the mail lady's hands, it's literally out of mine. But don't worry, you'll receive an email when your item is on it's way, with a tracking number so you can watch it go from here to there and know exactly when you'll be enjoying your purchase!