lisasgiftwrappers.com Blog

For many people right now, the economy has left them without a job or thinking they better have a back up plan, just in case.

So in walks a young Automotive Designer, who was doing just that- hedging his bets.

He had put together his resume and his book of design work on a CD. Also, he had designed a very graphically strong “label” for his CD that truly represented his style and who he is as a designer.

But, imagine just putting that in a padded mailing envelope- with or without a cover letter. Does that strike you as being bland, boring and some what invisible, like every other piece of mail going through a corporate mailroom, hoping that standard kraft colored envelope finds its way to the proper destination?

And imagine what might be sitting in the “in box” of a Human Resources Manager right now- tons of mail. Letter size envelopes in grays, whites, light shades of blue, or something corporate like and dozens of manila colored flat mailing envelopes hoping to stand out.

Assuming the envelope gets opened, some intrepid individuals will try something gimmicky, like neon yellow or a Post-It note that says, “The Boss says this looks like a great fit!”

How do you increase the odds yours will get opened and considered? First of all, get the name of the person who should see your resume. That requires homework on your part. If you don’t know how to make the call to get that information, ask a sales person how they make cold calls. They have to do this every day of their lives.

If not, go to your local library (the insides I bet you haven’t seen in a very long time) and ask your local Reference Librarian for help. You will be amazed at what your local library can hook you up with in terms of very specific information.

Next, skip the gimmicks and come see us. Because we understand about packaging, and how the first impression is likely the only one you will get.

Take a look at what we did for our Automotive Designer. He was on the right track himself, but needed help executing the final steps to ensure that his CD showed off his best talents.

First, he knew he needed sketches of his work, to prove that he could draw and conceptualize ideas. It was clear a full size one was going to cost big bucks- not only in reproducing but also in mailing expenses. So we developed the proportional size book so his work demonstrated his abilities as a designer.

Why did we pick that size? It worked with the size of his CD and a box that we could fit both in together. The box itself was just white- so we followed through with his color scheme of red and black by using a paper fill to support the book and CD- then created a sleeve of black paper to cover the box. The best part- we took the cover from his existing, full size sketch book and created a “Label” that we sized to act as a “sleeve” or “band” that could slip off, intact, so it could show some design ingenuity as well as be re-assembled to pass on to another decision makers.

Shipping was merely a decision on where it had to go, how quickly it had to get there, and how much we wanted to spend to get it there.

Bottom Line- a very talented designer was able to put his work “out there” in a more compelling fashion. We certainly don’t take any credit for his design philosophy- but what we did for him was ramp his presentation up just a notch or two, so that his body of work would get noticed.

Stay tuned for an update on what his job search nets him. We have our fingers crossed- although I suspect he won’t need too much more of our help.

It seems that every year the Christmas merchandise creeps out earlier and earlier.

I was at Macy’s yesterday. Yikes- it was all out. Aisles of Christmas ornaments, decorative pieces for your mantle, stockings for the fireplace, boy, you name it.

Shoot, I haven’t even gotten to Halloween yet.

I know that many people are anxious about what the Holidays will be like. And what impact the Presidential election might have. And how the money invested for college tuition or retirement might fair. Worse of all, many people have lost their homes due to weather or foreclosure.

So I believe that we need to ignore Christmas right at the moment and focus on what we can do to help our fellow neighbors and people in our community.

Lisa’s Gift Wrappers has always been about supporting children and women. Our work schedules allow for flexibility in working your hours around your children’s school schedules. Not a novel thought, but it is ingrained in our culture to do that for our staff.

Harried mothers feel a bit of respite when they visit our store. We have crayons and paper to keep little ones busy for a few minutes while Mom has the time and breathing space to think and decide.

We are not only about this though. We help out many local charities with creating auction baskets that might bring in more dollars for that charity. We have done centerpieces that highlight decorative cookies for a Domestic Violence Awareness Month (October) fundraiser. We donate our scraps of ribbon and paper to kid-centered charities where art forms an important step towards healing for a child that has lost a parent due to illness. Or a child that lives with a single parent and goes to a safe place after school until they can get picked up. We’ve donated crayons and colored pencils and erasers and markers to local groups for their art rooms.

It’s the materials we work with every day and sometimes take for granted.

Little things have helped our friends and families - our neighborhoods and schools - our churches and synagogues - pull people through these hard times.

We believe in giving back to our community. It might take baby steps- like donating books to a women’s shelter- to get you rolling.

Christmas will always be there. But let’s focus on the here and now and spend some time helping others.

I love to go for walks in my neighborhood. There are so many wild things growing, like grapevines and thistles. Plus we are fortunate enough to have beautiful Pin Oak and Maple trees with their gorgeous leaves that turn colors every year.

Have you ever thought of collecting some of these things to add to your packages for that little extra zing? It says you have thought just a little bit more about the artistry of the top of your box- not just the bow or even the wrapping paper.

I invite you to take a walk through the fall colors in our store. You can even bring in your trimmings and we can create with you.

We have these new shades of green paper- moss, chartreuse and pale sage almost bordering on the mint side. All are perfect for making that fall statement.

And then there is my all time favorite- it’s got a burnt orange to dark red background with beautiful, abstracted mums and other fall flowers on it. It is such a great paper that any fall colors work- from the crimsons to golden yellows, the dark greens to the light greens, even a pop of orange in the pattern from time to time. Any ribbon combination will work here. So I usually suggest combining textures with different widths and playful, novelty ribbons to add some other interest.

You could also add dried items like bittersweet or other branch type materials. Maybe add a stalk of fresh mums to the top. Or consider tree leaves or dried pods or thistles.

Take advantage of what fall has to offer because as soon as the rains start here in Michigan, much of this dried bounty from Nature will be gone.

Maybe you’ve got a special item you like to use- we’d love to see your ideas on decorating packages in the Fall. Send them to us lisa@lisasgiftwrappers.com and we’ll be glad to post them for others to see.

I guess it’s kind of like having a new car- it’s that certain scent that stays in your memory forever as you recall what a new car is like. And it doesn’t exactly have to be your car- it can be anyone’s. That scent will trigger all kinds of memories.

So what does this have to do with September? For me, even though I am well past the days of going to school, some how September always seems to remind me of getting ready and then actually starting school.

Perhaps it’s the new pencils and the smell of getting them sharpened. (O.K., I know I’m showing my age here- but I don’t care for mechanical pencils. They just don’t seem to me to be the real deal).

Or maybe it’s getting the ruled, spiral bound notebooks for each class. Or the ruler, scissors and colored markers or pencils, maybe even glue or tape.

I think it’s the process. Thinking about the year to come and what I might learn and whether I will like my teachers and what will it be like in the grade or college level I’ll be in.

Maybe it was also about seeing my mother get ready to start her year as an art teacher. Making sure she had her supplies organized, ready to go.

I have always ascribed to the idea that you should never stop learning. So for an adult to take a class and squeeze it into our busy schedules, I say it has to be something that you have always wanted to learn.

So embrace the return of Fall and think about a class you might take. Go to your local library or community center. I would suggest a class that will stir your creativity like an art class, an exercise class, something where you will learn an entirely new skill or brush up in an area that you started learning years ago.

At Lisa’s, we love to offer classes in the fall and spring. We start with classes on how to wrap and make a wonderful bow. It’s simple. It’s fun. But best of all, there are other people there for the same reason, and meeting new people is half of the experience. This year classes are on Saturdays, October 25 and November 8. To sign up call us at 248-547-9094.

It’s not rocket science- but it’s the tips and tricks when the presentation is as important as your gift. You can check out our sister website, http://www.readysetwrap.com, for tips and pictures on wrapping if you can’t make it to one of our classes. And if you get stuck, just e-mail us at lisa@lisasgiftwrappers.com for help or ideas.