Homemade Candies and Boxes for Valentine’s Day

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Homemade candy is a perfect gift for any occasion, but you can really seal the deal if you wrap that sweet treat up in DIY candy boxes.  People are really getting into homemade stuff these days.  I remember when everything was DIY in the 80s because no one had much money.  I still don’t think people have much money but credit cards have really been embraced so I wouldn’t be surprised if all those DIY supplies have been charged and the whole thing has become, yet another, popularity contest.

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Wow!  Way to be a Debbie Downer about homemade candy… I apologize.  Regardless of the socioeconomic implications of homemade candy boxes, they are super fun to make, super adorable, and super appreciated by anyone from any walk of life.  Here’s how to get ‘er done:

You can buy some plain, heart-shaped candy boxes at your local craft stores or you can even find some at department stores like Target.  If you really aren’t interested in the scavenger hunt for the perfect boxes, you can buy ones that already have chocolate in them (you can get them for like a dollar at most stores) and then just give the original box a makeover.

Materials you will Need-

  • Small candy boxes
  • Craft paper with cute designs on it
  • the normal stuff like scissors, pencil, glue, tape…
  • paint and paintbrushes
  • small candy papers or crepe/tissue paper

If you bought prepackaged candy boxes from the grocery store, remove the candies and the plastic liner.  This will be the starting point for the empty craft boxes.  Paint the sides of the top and bottom pieces.  You can paint the inside of the bottom box, too, if you any form of OCD (like myself).  When the paint has dried, place the lid upside down on the decorative paper and trace it.  Cut it out and glue it to the top.  Once again, if the OCD is singing to you, you can do this to the bottom of the box.

Once you’ve made your candy, use the candy papers or cut out circles of crepe/tissue paper to use as candy papers.

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I personally recommend that you try making White Chocolate Cereal Truffles.  These are just amazing, and that’s probably because you put crushed cereal inside of them.  Fruit loops tend to be my favorite because they are colorful.  These are so stinking easy to make!  You need five simple ingredients.  After you’ve prepared the truffle insides and it is setting in the fridge, you prepare the outer shell.  When the inside has hardened and you can form it into a ball you dip it into the melted chocolate, cover with sprinkles, and put back in the fridge.  Can I get a “voila!”?

Oh, and Happy Valentine’s Day!

Moving Tips You May Have Never Heard Before

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There are a lot of blogs and websites offering moving advice, mentioning everything from shipping boxes to unpacking, but there are probably some helpful hints that you may have never heard before.  I have searched high and low for those tips that don’t seem to make a regular appearance, and probably should!

  • Some movers will put your beds back together for you.
  • Unpack the kitchen first, so that you can feed your hungry helpers. Then unpack a bathroom, because you are going to need it sooner than you think you will.  Then unpack at least one bedroom so that you can collapse after you eat and have a shower.
  • Having moving supplies is obvious, but having the right quantity and everything you need is not. Have a range of shipping boxes with a lot of small (for heavy items), the most in medium, and some large.

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  • If you are moving more than a hundred and fifty miles away, and your moving truck can’t be delivered in less than twenty-four hours, there are going to be quite a few things that a moving company are not going to be allowed to transport. Federal, state, and local laws prohibit a moving company from moving guns, ammunition, and fireworks.  Those are obvious, right?  What is not so obvious is that they are also not allowed to move things like household batteries, nail polish and remover, and even liquid bleach.
  • Download a moving checklist that starts eight weeks out and tells you what to do each week.
  • Do not use newspaper to wrap fine china with! The ink will transfer to the china and stain it.  Use clean packing papers and pack them in small, sturdy shipping boxes to ensure the safest journey.
  • Wrap your furniture with plastic wrap to protect against dirt and damage.
  • When packing a moving container, start with appliances and distribute weight evenly from side to side and end to end.
  • If you have extremely valuable and antique items that are going to be moved, get them appraised beforehand. Properly photograph and video document these items in case something gets damaged and a claim needs to be opened.
  • Did you know that your shoes probably contain some moisture and should be aired out prior to a move so that they don’t develop mold in the process?
  • Do some research and prepare your children ahead of time for the move. So often we forget to really sit down and explain to our kids what is going to be happening, and after a long day of unloading the moving van they start asking when you are going to go back home.  Say what?  Preparing them can alleviate so much stress for both parties involved.

Faster, Easer, Better Shipping in Five Steps

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The hidden “suck” of any small business is going to be shipping, whether it’s spending the money on shipping supplies or spending the time on packaging and mailing.  Thankfully, the internet has made opening and running small business easier than ever, which means that we have so many more small businesses than we did even ten years ago, which means that we are learning steps and strategies for maximizing our resources and making things work!

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  • Ever heard of a thermal printer? This is the first thing that I would suggest you get for your small business.  How many of you realize that printer ink, toner, and ribbon all belong to your list of shipping supplies?  Seeing as they are what print out your shipping labels it should be obvious, and yet it’s not.  You probably spend a ton of money on these items, but if you buy a thermal printer, which essentially burns the surface of the paper, you avoid the need to constantly buy them.  They don’t cost more than any other kind of printer, but even if they did I would say that the savings are surely worth the expense.
  • While a thermal printer will save you money, printing your shipping labels in batches will save your time. Your shipping software should allow this function.  (Check out ShipStation if you don’t already have one.)
  • I would also suggest including a return label along with your shipment, which might sound like the opposite of saving on shipping supplies, but the point is to promote customer satisfaction, which should result in less returns, which should reduce the amount of time and resources you spend on dealing with returns.
  • You can save yourself a bunch of time (and gas money) if you set your small business up with pickup services from the USPS, UPS and FedEx. They all offer different options, so the fees will vary, with some of them even being free.
  • I’ve already pointed out that technology is on the side of the small business owner in this day and age. Shipping software makes product shipping just about as easy as possible, and there is nothing so tedious in the shipping process as determining how each product should be shipped. This depends on the weight and location, to name only a couple.  Thankfully, shipping software can automatically do the work of figuring all that out, resulting in less errors and saving you the time.

BONUS:  All of this is good to know, but it’s also equally as important to make sure that your shipping station is set up for maximum efficiency.  Having your shipping supplies constantly stocked and organized will make the whole process go that much smoother.

 

 

A Few Creative Ways to Decorate

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Most walls are a blank canvas just begging to be used, but that’s easier said than done.  For one thing, artwork can be incredibly expensive, especially the larger pieces.  For another, it takes a lot of creative vision.  The internet is just brimming with DIY tutorials for stunning artwork (you would be surprised how many of them use cardboard boxes!).  Here are just a few:

  • Whoever said that wall décor had to be pictures and paintings? Not I, says the person who can’t paint so save her life and has no photography skills whatsoever.  The alternative is buying a large canvas from your local craft store (Michael’s and Hobby Lobby have theirs on sale most of the time, or there are always coupons for both places).  Then, paint song lyrics on your favorite poem in your own handwriting!  Cursive looks the coolest, in my opinion.

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  • One of my favorite DIY art pieces is a hanging fringe tapestry. All you need are some dowel rods, some string to hang the tapestry, and some colorful string to make the fringe with.  Make a rope ladder type design with the dowel rods, and then hang the fringe in different lengths and spots along the dowels.  Cut triangles into the fringe when you are done to add extra dimensions.
  • Do you have a lot of cardboard boxes laying around? Cut out varying sizes of squares and lay them overtop of each other to make a geometric, 3D mosaic.  Spray paint whatever color you want and no one would ever be able to tell this magnificent piece’s humble beginnings.

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  • Making artwork can be as simple as grabbing paint swatches from your local hardware store and using them to make “modern art”. You can overlay it with some big block letters that say something, or just leave it plain.
  • Tissue paper pomp oms can be made in all shapes and styles, and they look seriously cool. The most amazing way I saw of these being used was an enormous overhanging of them in, no two the same, covering a large portion of the tallest wall in the house.
  • Mentioning cardboard boxes again, you can make anything from lamps to deer heads to bookshelves with these! Type in “cardboard art projects” and you will have enough options to last you a lifetime.

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  • Finally, you can do anything with photographs! And the awesome thing is that you can get large photos printed at stores like Target or Wal-Mart, and even get them done online and shipped to your house, too.  Print them black and white and then embellish using nail polish or paper flowers.

 

 

Simple Tips For Saving on Shipping

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  • Join an association to get discounts from major shipping carriers. For example, if your business is a member of Green America (a nonprofit devoted to ethical consumerism), you could get a discount from a major carrier like FedEx.  Call your preferred carrier to see what associations they partner with.
  • Be as accurate as possible when weighing and measuring. This way the customer isn’t being overcharged for shipping, or undercharged, resulting in you having to eat the difference.
  • Purchase your shipping labels, shipping boxes, packaging tape, etc. online, in bulk, and in advance. This saves a significant amount of money, compared to buying the supplies over the counter at the post office.
  • Using USPS Priority Mail shipping boxes is also a great way to save money. The shipping time is fast, and the weight limit is 15 pounds, which should accommodate quite a bit for an average online retailer.
  • Reuse the shipping boxes that your inventory comes in. Also, try asking your local newspaper for unusable paper that you can use as packaging.  Some cardboard manufacturers sell scraps that you can also use for packaging.
  • Speak to your carrier service about getting a discount, which will probably be more the more that you are using them. If you are shipping often, than you shouldn’t be paying standard shipping rates.  Don’t be afraid to negotiate!
  • On the other hand, it might be helpful to split carriers. Find which carrier offers the best prices for heavy packages (like FedEx), and which works best for the lighter packages (like the United States Postal Service).

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  • Using sites like Stamps.com can save you tons of money on postage.
  • Using an order management system can automatically determine which carrier will be the best option for what you are sending. There are even warehousing and shipping companies that will do the same thing and then package and ship your item for you directly from your warehouse.
  • Some online business websites, like Etsy, offer you the option of printing out your shipping labels directly from their site. This usually saves a lot on postage compared to the post office, and it even sends out a tracking number to customers so that you can mail your packages at any time, regardless of whether or not the post office is open.
  • For drop shippers, ask your manufacturer to ship your product from your account, otherwise they will probably inflate the shipping costs.

In the end, there is no magic rule for how to save money on shipping.  Some will recommend you use multiple carriers, some will recommend that you stick to one.  However, some of the recurring tips are these: weigh and measure each package to get accurate shipping costs, buy shipping supplies in bulk and ahead of time, and pay attention!