Cute custom wrapping paper on a budget

 I have started watching a number of artist/Etsy sellers that have regular studio vlogs on YouTube.  They seem of have several characteristics in common- They are all from the UK and they LOVE PINK!  This is just an observation and I'm not saying that you have to paint your creative space pink but I do notice that they are very dedicated to making this part of their branding.  That branding is obvious even down to the packaging of their orders.  Cute PINK stickers and wrapping paper are a must.

I did check into the whole custom wrapping paper option and found that it is rather of an investment.  I mean to get 250 sheets of wrapping paper printed you are talking hundreds of dollars.  I decided for myself this was going to have to be put on the backburner, as I don't feel that my shop is at that level yet in consistent sales.

Does that mean that I'm stuck using dollar store tissue paper on my orders.  NO- I came up with my own branding solution and I'm having a blast with it.  The beauty of having a farmhouse/country niche is that I can easily use ordinary supplies and give them a farm look.  I have a whole box of huge sheets of white packing paper that were given to me several years ago and rolls of brown Kraft shipping paper in the studio and so I decided I was just going to invest in a few rubber stamps.  Down the road I plan on designing my stamps but in the mean time these are working beautifully.  I ordered some on Etsy (I love supporting my fellow creators if I can) and then a few other's I purchased on Amazon or at my local Hobby Lobby store.  

I have to admit that I've kind of gone a bit overboard on the rubber stamps at this point but they were all so cute and now I have plenty of options.  If the order is primarily goat, then I can pick from several of my goat stamps to create the perfect wrapping paper.  The same goes for cows, sheep, horses and chickens.  Yeah, I have the whole barnyard of rubber stamps now.  It's sort of therapy for me to just stamp up the pages, dreaming of my future art sales.  I can even enlist the help of my grandchildren.  (Got to train them now to be my studio assistance for the future)

My final touch before I seal up the envelope is a sprinkle of pig and cow confetti that I punch out of paper using paper punches.  I've not been able to locate a goat paper punch so if you have one lying around that you never use, let me know.  By the way, my grandchildren also LOVE to use paper punches.  It keeps them well entertained.

Thanks a HOLE PUNCH

I have shared before that one of the little "BRANDING" touches that I use when packaging up my art sales is what I call my "FARM CONFETTI".  I have invested in a couple of paper punches and my favorites are of a cow, a pig and a small heart.  Farm animal paper punches are hard to find and I would LOVE to add a Goat and a Chicken paper punches to my little collection.  You would think these companies would realize how popular farm animals are and get on the "HAY WAGON" and make more designs.

The pig punch is my favorite but, while the PUNCH BUNCH paper punch plunks out pink pigs proficiently (I dare you to say that fast 10 times) it is rather stiff and puts a real strain on the old carpal tunnel.   

On the Punch Bunch website,  they actually sell a lever device that they call their POWER PUNCH for a whopping $60 bucks.  I love my pink pig paper confetti but not that much!

After showing my husband the picture of the "Power Punch", he decides that the thing for him to do is to make me one from all his scrapes of things he has lying around in his garage.  So while it might not be as "PRETTY" as the one selling on the Punch Bunch website, this device works just as well.  

I can now PUNCH PINK PIGS to my hearts content.  I just have to say that my husband is so supportive of my artwork that I just had to do some BRAD BRAGGING today.  THANKS A HOLE PUNCH HONEY!