Etsy and BUST!

Ad

Originally uploaded by Outlined.

Voila! The ad!

Be sure to visit KnottyByNature -lots of cool paper goods and other treats! Knottybynature, aka Outlined. (on flickr) is totally awesome and scanned this baby in…

Can you spot my piece? Hint: It’s red and cordiform (word o’the day)

Congrats to everyone who got a space and fingers and everything else crossed that even with this economy this ad gives all of the fine Etsy folks a little nudge in the sales department!

And for the time being…Tell me how you found my Etsy shop in the “notes to seller” area during checkout and I’ll refund your shipping via Paypal. (Even if you have shopped with me before…Just tell me how you originally found me.)…

Hugs all around!
B

Branding and small business…

Custom packing tape…

Originally uploaded by CleverGirlBek

Custom packing tape… Almost a year ago I was trying to find a way to use up my inked gocco screen in a practical way…

Eureka!

Custom packing tape… Ok, it’s not tape- it’s that fiberglass thread reinforced brown papery stuff, but it works like a charm and makes all of the outgoing packages look fabulous…

I am a packaging and branding geek (for those that had not noticed yet!)

I believe the giant roll from our local staples was around $10… I don’t use a whole foot- only about 3 or 4 inches… I did the math- that’s around $0.01 per package (I only use one strip per padded envelope) at most (actually it came out to $0.006/strip, not including the ink and time..but as the ink would otherwise go to waste and it only takes me a few minutes to do a pile of these I don’t think the labor adds up to much in this case)…

Pretty easy, quick, and economical…
And a pretty touch when shipping an order…

I find that running one of these over a dampened sponge (I have one dedicated to this) does not take any more time than getting out the tape gun, unsticking the tape from itself, and changing the roll out… Instead I have a pile of these by my shipping area and before I put my envelopes by the door I slap these on the backs (to prevent pilferage during shipping as well)….

You Rascal You…

Rascal

Originally uploaded by CleverGirlBek

Rascal, the ring…
Very, very old Bakelite (older than vintage, younger than antique, by definition)…
Had some scotties and some ring blanks and went to town….

Available in my little shop on the internet superhighway… or zip me a message for more information…

Always Be Clever…

xo

B

ps. I have that song stuck in my head (You Rascal You)…Boyo is forever on a Louis kick (lots of Armstrong and Prima)…Glad he is more into the tune than the lyrics…Yikes! I have to give this another listen! Not the nicest song in the world…But oh so catchy…Perhaps I’ll swap it out on his song mixes with The Music Goes Round and Round!

Lime Loops! Front Page! Woohoo!

Yippee!

Green Apples

Green ApplesOriginally uploaded by CleverGirlBekEvery time I see these my mouth starts to water… I bought a pound of green apples yesterday (washed and sliced and ready to go) because of these earrings… Even though the color is a bit deeper, more of a lime, the contrast reminds me of freshly sliced apples…Yum. Fresh and springy and you can find them in my shop

Be clever.

Be clever.Originally uploaded by CleverGirlBekNew boxes…. Gocco’d them last night… The faux bois came out pretty spotty on the words “be clever”… I wound up writing over the words with a pen to match the imprint on the side of the box with my web addy and eureka…. worked….A little different from my last ones, but if you know me then you know that my obsession with the representation of natural things using manmade materials runs deep…. So I have faux bois. fake paper grass, and my packages come lovingly sealed with a plastic grass sticker…. Good stuff.

Love, Norman Love.

Love, Norman Love.

Originally uploaded by CleverGirlBek

Oh Norman Love…Why do you and your mad confection laboratory have to be on the way home from hubby’s office?

and the strawberries taste like strawberries!

You think of the most lovely combinations that fill me with childlike joy and giddiness and grown-up decadence all at the same time… You are a mad genius. Your confection creating crew is beyond fabulous.

Willy Wonka can truly retire now….

Oh and for those of you that aren’t familiar with Mr. Love and his crew and their genius creations and think “eh- I’ll just give Godiva because everyone knows the name” think again… Norman Love is the genius behind the “g” collection….

and

(from Godiva’s press section):
Always an innovator in the industry, Love is the former Executive Pastry Chef for Ritz Carlton Hotels. His passion for sweets has landed him on Chocolatier Magazine’s Top 10 Pastry Chef’s list and USA Today’s Top 10 Artisan Chocolatier’s list.

These are the best.

Yummy.
Exquisite.
Perfect.

Here is the link to the Norman Love site:
http://www.normanloveconfections.com

Artisan made from fresh ingredients….

(and of course if you can’t send chocolate treats and confections for whatever reason- customs, dietary restrictions, etc… You can always check out the candylike treats at

CleverGirl

(mention you saw this post in the notes to seller area this weekend (code: beclever) and I’ll send along an extra special rockin’ treat with your order….Sorry, not chocolate but you will like it and it is fairly bon bon-esque in appearance!)