It's the Little Things that Add Up

Handwritten thank you note...check,  I appreciate you free greeting card gift....check, lots of protective bubble wrap and tissue paper...check.  I guess I have everything ready to pack up this little sweet honeybee and ship him off to his new home in Pampas, Texas.

I think the little details are important and you want to create an excitement when that cowbell box arrives.  This week I designed a 2 x 4 inch sticker that I can use to decorate my cowbell shipping boxes with.  It says "Spreading Joy Around the World One Cowbell at a Time".  That is perfect and you can see by this image it really stands out on that box.

When I shipped off my first set of 4 cowbells early last week, I scrounged around the house and found some boxes that I had stuck back.  One of the bells was a bit wider and so I actually emptied a case of K-Cups to find a box that it would fit in nicely. That is when I immediately logged onto Amazon and ordered a set of 25 shipping boxes that were large enough to handle shipping of 2 bells but yet small enough that the costs were kept reasonable.


My tips for you on shipping artwork- 1. invest in a postage scale.  I paid $20 for that one on Amazon  and it work GREAT!  2.  Create and account with Pirateship.com.  They allow you to purchase postage and print out the labels at a commercial rate that is lower than if you went into the post office yourself.  They a have been great so far. 

On Sunday, I was shocked when shopping at Sam's Club to see this set of 10 small white shipping boxes that measured 6 x 6 x 6 and cost only $4.98 each.    If I put the 7" cowbell in the box diagonally it fits very nicely.  I bought 2 sets of these boxes so now I'm flush for boxes.

Yesterday was the first bell order I filled using the new box and while the bell fit great, I realized that my usual free gift to show my appreciation didn't.  I usually pick out a greeting card that is similar to the artwork that they purchasing.  In this case they purchased a bee cowbell and so I wanted to send her my new honey bee greeting card.  The only hitch is that they are larger than 6 inches.  I put the card in the box but I'm afraid that when it arrives it will be bent.

Today, I decided the thing to do was to give a way a smaller note card.  Still a nice gesture and I know it will arrive unscathed.  Here is the 4 designs I came up with and I think they are very cute.

So as you can tell, my focus this week has been on painting, marketing, selling cowbells and shipping out cowbells. It has been so exciting.  I've made some great connections and added a few new friends to my little art group.  I'm blessed and humbled by how well these bells have been received.

So you might ask, "How do I purchase a cowbell?"  Well first, I would suggest that you like my Facebook Art Page @JulieTownsendStudio.  It is there that I post all my new work first.  Second, you might want to join my studio email list.  I periodically host drawings and giveaways and I'm pretty sure as we enter into fall, I will be giving a way a cowbell or two.  Just send me a message with your name and email address.  Third, and this is for those ready to give a cowbell a good home.  Message me with your zip code and I will give you an estimate of the shipping costs and with an email address I can send you an invoice that included the $60 cowbell purchase price and the cost of shipping and handling.  That isn't so hard.  The hard part comes in deciding which bell to buy.  I have one collector in Montana that has purchased 12 bells.

Let me leave you with the 2 newest bell designs.  I actually sold the Rooster bell today but I still wanted you to see it because I will be painting some more.  Each picture is showing the front and back off the bell.