Shipping Stuff I've Learned

Shipping! Most of the items I ship out are fragile.  That means using lots of bubble wrap, packing peanuts, newspaper, and whatever other "cushiony" things I can find!

Order your priority boxes now!

 I've been packin' and a-shippin' since 2008 so I've learned a few things!

One of my most expensive lessons was that if you're shipping to one of the zones farthest from you, and it's a large item and or heavy, us parcel post rather than priority mail.  The post office will charge a crazy extra amount for an oversized box. I can remember a few times that I was actually giving away them item I sold, since the shipping came out to far more than I had expected.  Parcel post will not charge an extra amount for an oversized box, and it's definitely less expensive for heavier items.

Cute but heavy vintage Pyrex bowls

 This super cute but super heavy set of primary color vintage Pyrex bowls are an example of something that you would definitely want to ship parcel post!

Not too heavy pretty bowl from my China Shop

 A pretty serving bowl like this one can ship priority mail.  In cases of items that weigh 3 lbs or less, I have found that the difference in the cost for parcel post and priority is very little, so I would definitely ship priority in these cases.

I take advantage of the free priority boxes that you can purchase at www.usps.com.  Remember though, they are a bit more flimsy than regular shipping boxes, so in the case of more fragile items, I would either use extra cushion, or use one of my purchased Uline boxes. I've actually just found a source for free boxes (don't want to give it away), but I will be stalking them on the day they get most deliveries!

Retro Shiny Brites

  Why oh why did my picture come out like this?! Anyways, for super fragile items, such as these cute retro Glass Christmas Tree Ornaments, I double box them.  This set happens to include the original Shiny Brite box, so that's easy!  I would add tissue to each of the spots around the ornaments, bubble wrap the heck out of this box, and then place it in another box.

So there's a few tips, I hope they help you!  If you have shipping or packing questions, I'm happy to help!

Happy Holidays---yep...they're here!

Jen 

EtsyPreneurship

My Etsy shops are featured in a great book called "Etsypreneurship"! by Jason Malinak.

Buy it at Amazon.com

 

 

 My feature is on page 168 and page 169.  I can't wait to read the entire book!

Chapters include "Creating a business plan", "Bookkeeping", "Taxes", "Marketing", "Finances" and more!

Jason is a CPA.  His wife Katie, has an Etsy shop, and he began taking care of her taxes, bookkeeping, etc.  

A big shout out to Jason for including me!!

Happy Friday all!

Jen   

Etsy Front Page!

Well, I missed all of the excitement since I went to bed early last night!  My friend Lori sent me a convo to tell me my melamine set was on the front page last night!

Pretty Flowers!

I love fresh flowers!  I also love pink and green together!

Just add a milk glass vase!

 I bought this pretty bouquet at Whole Foods (one of my favorite places to go)!

Hydrangea's and Tulips!

 I also love photographing flowers!

Flower love!

 Happy Wednesday!!

Jen

I Miss My Barbies!

I had this outfit!

Oh how I wish I still had all of my Barbie's, and the cute outfits!  Years ago, when my Mom and Dad were moving out of our family home into a smaller condo, my Mom sold all of my Barbie's at a garage sale!  I was living in Colorado at the time and had no clue!

I loved Skipper too!

 Skipper looks so cute in this pink outfit!  Yes, I had this one too!  

Don't get me wrong, I love my Mom, she was my best friend!  She passed away suddenly in 1994, but if she was here, we would actually be having a good laugh about what she did!

Gorgeous!

  I can't remember if I had this outfit or not, but I love it!

Love this shot of Barbie!

 My daughter Lindsey started collecting vintage Barbie's and all of the cute vintage outfits years ago!  I have them stored somewhere in our house, and since she's now married, and living in Columbus, I should bring them to her!

I really would love to start collecting the vintage Barbie's, and her cute outfits, so if anyone has theirs that they no longer want, let me know!

Happy Friday!

Jen

Mushroom Rice Soup

Jen's Mushroom Rice Soup

 

 

I love making soup, especially when the weather turns colder! The past 2 days were absolutely gorgeous, sunny and 70!  But, today is much different!

My Mother-in-law, Grace, gave us several cans of mushrooms, so I thought....why not use them and make a soup!

I started by sauteing onions with butter and olive oil.  Once they were pretty tender, I added 3 cans of the mushrooms (drained); they're smaller cans.  I season each layer with a bit of salt & pepper.

I then added 2 cans of chicken broth and about 3/4 cup of white rice.  I wanted to add some wild rice I had (I think that would have been even better), but that would have taken 45 minutes to cook, and I was hungry!  I also added about a 1/4 cup of black beans (throw in some protein wherever you can!).

I seasoned mine with a dash of garlic salt, a tiny dash of sage, italian seasoning, dash of dried parsley flakes, tarragon, and thyme. You can add whatever seasonings you love!

I cooked that at a low heat, with the lid on, for about 15 minutes, to cook the rice.  I then added some cream, probably about 1/2 cup.

I make a lot of soups, and I think this is definitely my favorite, so far!

Bon Appetit!

Jen       

A Few of My Favorite Things

You know I love Etsy!  Here are just a few of my favorite things (in case you want to buy me something!).

LOVE this vintage dress! Check it out here!

Add something to your little black dress

Change up your white t-shirt!

 

 

I love aprons!  "Sew Cute"

Beautiful artwork! Find it here

 There you have it! A few of my favorite things~! Now if anyone can help me make my blog prettier, I'd love the help!

Happy Hump Day!

Jen

Some Pretty Things

Vintage Greeting Cards and Pink Lace

I thought it would be nice to post some pretties on this cloudy Monday!

Lovelies!

 I love these vintage 1940s/1950s wedding anniversary greeting cards!

How sweet is this one welcoming a new baby!

A collection of pretty wedding anniversary cards

 Vintage greeting cards are great for craft projects!!

Happy crafting!

Jen

Gorgeous and Lacy! Made by my friend Sharon!

My picture does not do this justice!

My friend Sharon is so talented!  She's been working on this lacy dress for awhile, and it's finished! I could picture this on either of my daughter's!

"Give the giver"

 I met Sharon a year or two ago.  She had purchased something from my shop, and she lives in my town, so I hand delivered it.  Since then we've become friends, and I love going to her house!

Pretty vintage hats

 I'm not sure if I'm saying this right, but I think Sharon calls it "give the giver"!  She always gives me the prettiest things, like these beautiful vintage hats!

Sharon's house is decorated so cute!  I'll have to take some pictures next time I'm over there!  Sort of a cottage chic look! And I love her sewing room!!

Sharon's angel collection

 This is just a fraction of the adorable vintage angels Sharon has!  Right now they're at my house, and I will be gradually getting them listed.  I always end up buying boxes of pretty vintage things from her, as she is now downsizing.

I can't wait for our next visit!! We now call Sharon's house "the store"!

Feel free to ask me for more information about the angels!

Jen

Start Preparing for Christmas

I'm getting my Etsy shop stocked up!

Yes, it's that time of year again (came way too fast, as usual)!  If you have an Etsy shop, or any shop for that matter, you want to get prepared now!

Sweet Christmas Angel

 That doesn't mean just stocking your shop with Christmas items!  I just ordered a ton of priority mail boxes from the post office!  My mailman, Rich, told me last year they ran out of them at Christmas time, so he suggested I order more!

Cutest vintage reindeer!

 I also order boxes from Uline, so I need to check my inventory for my most used boxes, and get those ordered!  Uline is awesome, they ship right away, and I've literally had my order the next day!

Huggers~! Mr and Mrs Claus!

 I will also be ordering some more red and green tissue paper from Paper Mart.  I always like to have my packages look pretty!  I will make sure I have enough holiday gift wrap, too.  I offer gift wrapping for a small fee, and make a personalized tag to go with it.  I can then ship directly to the gift recipient.

Well, that's just a start to get you thinking!!  I am going to make my list and check it twice!

Have fun!

Jen