Stamps and Strings: Belle + Boo

   I recently placed an order with Belle and Boo on Etsy for a gift for my friend's birthday. It's such a sweet shop, the illustrations are just darling! I highly advise having a look around. The products are great quality, and they arrived really fast - but then again, I found out the seller was from my neck of the woods! I could have saved a few bob by just popping round and seeing my gran on the way in!

   But if I had done that, I'd never have seen the wonderful packaging that the items arrived in.

   There are two types of successful Etsy sellers. There are the sellers who have already got where they  hoped they would be and put no work into the presentation of their products - and on one hand, I can understand. If they're that successful then decorating every single package would likely take a lot of time and perhaps, if they were already that successful, not worth it, since they already got what they wanted from the seller - and that's fine, I suppose. I mean, we don't buy things for the packaging, we buy things for the, well, thing. But it can have a negative effect on a shop, especially an Etsy shop. Etsy sellers have put a lot of work and time into making their products, and it's a shame when that creativity doesn't spill over into presentation. But, that also means that when someone does take the time - especially someone with almost 13,000 sales - to make sure their items arrive in style, it's even better.

   Then there are the sellers who, like Belle and Boo do put the work in. It can make collecting the post from the floor at the foot of the door more interesting. Two packages arrived for me this morning, and I knew right away what was in each of them. One was a blank plastic envelope bag with no decoration, and by the weight and size of it I knew it was just some bubble wrap envelopes. If not for the recognisable shape and weight, it could have been anything I've ordered recently - both fun (gifts or t-shirts) and completely boring (clothing poppers or a screen-cleaning cloth). But the other package I identified right away.

   It can also make opening packages more exciting. I couldn't tear this open immediately because I wanted to grab a picture, which made me all the more giddy with excitement (yes, my life really is like that. I had chicken for dinner last night and I did a little happy dance). She used her own tape - tape available in her store - to seal the envelope. She then printed my address onto an image she designed specially for her envelopes, and even made her own "fragile" stickers. People who do this are amazing. It's so simple but customised "please do not bend", "fragile" and "par avion" stickers make me happy. On a package I received a little while ago from isavirtue, she had embossed "please do not bend" in gorgeous lettering on the front, along with a humming bird. I wish I'd been doing those features then! In truth, though, I'm a hoarder, and I've kept that envelope in very good condition. Even now, I know exactly where it is!

   Only one sticker on the front of that envelope isn't hers and that's the postage. I especially love how she continued the line of string from the duck on the return address label at the top to the string on the delivery picture with a pen. It's just a nice detail.

   I suppose I kind of expected these items to arrive nicely. I always think that people who make stationery - even specialise in it - and design their own images, especially like these, have everything they need to make their packages stand out. They clearly have the means to design, and probably to print, so it's wonderful to see people make use of things like that when they can. My stationery is more stamp and clay-based, and is also quite minimal for the moment, so I know I'd have a harder time to do this than others. But it still makes my day to receive a package that looks like this.

And, since I'm here, I'll show you an envelope I made for someone recently that I'm quite

proud of! It's going in the post today and I have no idea how long it will take to reach

her but this could be quite fun ^^