I
am so sorry I didn't get any more done on the crib project. My week
was interrupted by real life when we had somewhat of a household
emergency. That took up two complete days of my week to get cleaned
up and partly fixed. Hopefully the remaining fix will not be too
disruptive.
Since
I didn't have a project to share with you I decided to answer a
question I get asked a lot. That is how to safely mail you minis once
you have made them.
I
used to do lots of swaps and if you have the time it takes to do them
and want to grow as a miniaturist I do recommend trying them. You
will get to practice making items and in return get some wonderful
minis (and a few duds) that you can use In your projects. Swaps are a
great place to get new ideas, learn new ways to make things and just
to have fun. Also if you think you might want to try your hand at
selling minis I do recommend trying swaps first because this is a
great place to learn to make multiples of the same item. You may find
you love making 10 or more of the same thing or you may discover that
after the second or third one you never want to see the project
again. It is better to learn this on a swap than after you have set
up a business. Also most swap groups are very helpful when it comes
to helping each other out on ideas and how to make things.
So
now you have your swaps all made, you know where to send them but how
do you make sure they are going to arrive intact? I know I have
received many swaps that were broken in transit some I could fix some
there was no way to salvage (so sad when you think about the person
that spent time and money making the item)
Today
I am giving you some tips on how to package those minis so they are
more apt to arrive looking just like they did when you mailed them.
One
thing I forgot to mention in the video -and it is really important-
is make sure any glue or paint is completely dry before you
package!!!!
I know that seems on the surface to be obvious but apparently it
isn't from the number of items I have received over the years with
the wrapping stuck to them.
If
your item is flat and not particularly fragile a plastic zipper bag
should be fine.
On
those not flat and more fragile items I like to use the plastic eggs
that are available around Easter. If you have kids you may have some
in the back of the closet already. They come in at least 3 sizes I
use mostly the regular size ones but I like to have the smaller ones
and the jumbo ones on hand too. You might look at garage sales and
such over the summer for them too. These eggs are cheap even before
they come on sale and after the holiday they are really cheap. I
usually buy a couple hundred of them every few years.
First
step (after you have picked a plastic egg that is a good size) is to
carefully wrap your mini item to give it some padding. I use either
tissue paper or bubble wrap depending on what I am wrapping and what
I have on hand. Make sure to minimize the amount that your mini can
move around inside the egg. After putting the item in the egg I use
either tape or a small address label to help seal the egg shut. This
way it can't pop open inside the shipping box. The labels are nice
because you can fill in needed information on them before attaching
them to the eggs.
If
you are in a swap group be sure you understand the rules for mailing.
Most swap groups want each swap (for each member) individually
wrapped and then grouped in some way by swap. So say you are in a
kitchen swap with 10 other people you would put your individual swap
items into 10 plastic eggs (being sure to pad them well) and label
with your name and the name of the swap – and any other info
required. Then all 10 of these eggs could go into a large plastic
zipper bag that is also labeled with your name and the name of the
swap. This bag (and any other bags for other swaps that are running
at the same time) goes into a box usually with the money for the
return postage and gets mailed to the swap hostess. Here is where
you need to check the rules for the group you are in to make sure you
have everything in the box that is required.
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