Explosion of packing and posting! part 1

Two familes of Tapirs have gone to loving homes! 

I had busy 10 days just packing and posting. No studio time. Just wrapping, putting them in suitable boxes, wrapping them with craft paper, taping, writing addresses and taking them to post office on foot every day except for Sunday. About 4 hours every day. I call it an explosion of packing! I have posted 24 packets in 10 days. About one third had more than 2 pieces. And packing multiple items is difficult and risky!

Now back to normal. I am posting the-previous day's ordes daily. And I would start making again. I have a few orders for the next firing. Then I will start making larger pieces for exhibition and shows in 2016.

Now I  know how Santa Claus feels!

Here are my out trays, on the 25th, 26th and 29th.

A family of tapirs!

Another fanily of tapirs

Six baby tapirs were packed like little chocolates and they have gone to a lovely lady in the West.  

This white wren is commissioned by another lovely lady in the North.

White wren - sold

And the wren and the Rabbit Girl went to live with a super lady. 

Rabbit Girl - sold

About 25 tapirs have gone to loving homes! : ) There were more, but they will be in next post.

 

Packing is intense!

Since the last Friday, Mike and I have been busy making a box and packing. Packing ceramic sculptures is challenging, but making a box for them to post is intense! So intense that we could only carry on about 2 hours at a time. It's two people's job. It is more like sculpting! Mike does all shaving and cutting materials. We discuss a lot as we continue, and alter a lot. It is a bit like an operation! Even after we planned beforehand, unless we start, we don't know how things go!

Here is one example. He flew to a lovely lady in the US.

This time we have to ship two figures. Both with sticking arms and travertime mount! This box was started several weeks ago. We added a divider inside. Then we find polystyrene pieces to fit in the spaces.

Mike scrapes the bits. Then we do fitting. 

Fine tuning and fitting about 30 times! Yes, 30 times. 

I use Mike's tiny grooming scissors to clip tiny bits, so that no part gets stress. By then we look two crazy people!

Then the second one goes through same process. After about 4 hours clipping and scraping. Finally they look ok.  

Then bracing to be made. Again after much discussion and several fittings, they finally fit into places.

After shaking the box upside down and on sides, if they don't move at all, it's done. 

Now I make little parcels for little accessories and secure them (the black part) 

Then double box it. Again I shake it to see if anything moves. If not, weigh it, and get a price for shipping! This takes about 7 hours over several days. Thankfully Mike helps me. It requires an engineering mind and 3D planning! I'm hoping that one day 3D printing will make special boxes for me. Until then we carry on!  

A boxfull of smiley boxes!

As I post ceramics, my first concern is safe delivery. All my work are in different shapes and sizes, I would need various shapes of boxes. If I buy a few of this and a few of another, it wouldn't be cost effective. As the boxes would be discarded after they were open, I decided to use clean recycled boxes as much as possible, when I opened my Etsy shop. Mike and his colleagues in the University collect all sorts of boxes for me, as they all are keen on recycling. But as my shop has become successful, I need more boxes. I'm always on hunt.

We are always on hunt for cookies! 

 
Yesterday morning, Mike and I went to town for Christmas shopping. We both had been under the weather last week. Nonetheless, Christmas is coming, and very soon!

First we went to Hotel chocolat to get some chocolates for family, friends and ourselves. There I found a shop keeper is stocking shelves. I saw the boxes she was holding. They looked perfect for my ceramics. So I politely asked if I could have empty boxes. She said, 'Of course!'. A male shopkeeper was also stocking in back office, and she told him about my request. She told me the boxes would be ready to be collected after I finish my shopping.

A boxfull of boxes! 

Mike saw me coming back, and he said 'We are supposed to be choosing chocolates.' I knew, but I can't let such good boxes to go to waste. I don't want to charge my lovely customers for packing if I don't have to.

Our chocolates! 

We continued shopping and Mike paid and I went back to the door of back room. There he brought me a boxful of small boxes! Wow! I thanked him and wished him lovely Christmas. He said 'Always. Have a good one!' He didn't know how happy I felt. I was carrying a box full of folded boxes on the High street. They were not heavy, but just cumbersome to carry around. We wanted to get a box of Ricciarelli from M&S. I told Mike that he should go to get it while I would wait with my boxes on a bench. He wondered if it would be too cold for me to wait. I told him 'I'm glowing with happiness. Don't worry!' Then I started removing sticky tapes from the folded boxes. While I was doing I felt a smile on each box! They are my happy customers!

When Mike came back with the sweet, we walked back to parking. These boxes were Christmas presents for me, although it might sound strange to you.

Thank you all staff of Hotel Chocolat! I wish you all lovely Christmas!

I also thank Ellen @EllenKopstad on Twitter for sending us reflective tags for dogs and humans. Topaz looks very cute with a frog, as her coat is green. Pink butterfly for Pearl. Reindeer for Mike and I got an angel. :)  They work so well for our afternoon walks in dusk.

Frog is my guardian angel! 

23 minutes ago