Paper Greetings
I have been selling my own greeting cards since 2013 - a year after I established my first shop on Etsy. I no longer sell on that platform, but it was definitely a period of learning by mistake, and also learning which items sold better than others. Honest customer feedback is valuable. Over the years I’ve gained an understanding about greeting cards and the psychology behind designs which ‘speak’ to the customer. Attending shows such as Art Source was also a huge benefit to discerning what customers were shopping for, and most importantly, how they physically interacted with my products - much can be said for the handling of a product, and facial expressions. Of course in this industry it is a never-ending journey of gaining new insights, making bad decisions, and evolving as both an artist and a business person.
As a greeting card designer it is important to offer cards for many different occasions. I’m still in the process of building up an array of designs that suit many celebrations. This takes time and consideration - if like me, you want to take the time to really develop solid ideas. My greeting cards are more detailed than many others on the market - each card tells its own story. I like to think of each card as a miniature print. I’ve always kept beautiful cards I received over the years, with the intention of framing them as little sentimental prints - with a secret endearing message handwritten inside.
Not only are my cards sweet in sentiment, but they also have a big green heart. The paper I use is sustainably sourced, and the envelopes are 100% recycled. Since the beginning of this year, I’m now only using my biodegradable sleeves for wholesale orders, and instead packing my cards in cute nostalgic sweet bags. The green striped paper bags perfectly suit my brand colours of emerald green and faded peach! Even though the sleeves are brown bin compostable, I am aware of limiting my use of packing materials. If a customer orders a bundle of six cards, I used to use six sleeves to pack them in. Now I only use one recyclable paper bag to pack all six cards. The sleeves are necessary for wholesale orders however, in order to keep them clean and safe. Every year I like to review how I do things, and see if there are better ways to improve aspects of my business. As I mentioned earlier, it’s a job where I’m always learning.
One aspect of my business which gives me such a sense of accomplishment is offering beautiful shops the opportunity to stock my products in their stores. As well as illustrating children’s books, designing greeting cards has been a dream of mine for a very long time. Even though an order can take a while to pack-up, I love the whole routine of it. Organising the prints/cards, packing the cards with their little envelopes, and personally signing all the prints. It also gives me the time to listen to a podcast, or two. I am so delighted to have my products stocked in over 15 stores across Ireland. It opens my products up to a much wider audience also.
Packing orders - both online and wholesale orders is such a delight. It feels like I’m wrapping festive presents! I always like to think, how would I like to receive a letter or package in the post? Therefore I stamp my boxes/envelopes with rubber stamps I’ve collected over the years, and gift-wrap all orders free of charge - just because I love to make things look pretty! I hope you think so too. ~ Rachel x
