Labels

The thing most soapers hate to do most. Make and put on labels. Not sure which they hate more. Cleaning out the soap pot after they have made soap or labels.

I actually do not mind making labels. After working so many years for all intensive purposes an advertising agency (bossy lady called it a marketing consulting and wanted it to be a strategic marketing firm but lets face facts here, with the type of work we really were doing and with boss lady's real experience we pretty much were doing marketing communications work. No shame in that just call an apple and apple KWIM?) I like to figure out what my soap or lotion labels are going to look like. I can get creative with their layout, what font, what picture, etc. Last year I redesigned the whole look and feel and I like them a lot better now. Sometimes I come up with a new product just so I can create a new label. Or even a new swap item. It is actually easier to come up with a new swap item than a new product for my line because then I don't really have to worry about adding it to my line and if there are any leftovers, I can give them away. (unless you are a customer reading this and would like to try my onesy twosy new inventions, let me know *wink*)

The part I don't like is cutting them and putting them on the product. Like my web site and my labels say, it is handmade and the labels are no exception. I cut them by hand. Yes, I can get a gizmo to do it for me but what would be the fun in that? Yes, I could have my labels professionally done but, I could also have my soaps professionally made. Hey wait, they are! Personally, I like the kitchiness that each label is slightly different in shape and size, just like the soaps and that each one isn't a perfect shape. If my customer wanted that, I guess they wouldn't want handmade. There are handmade soapers out there that strive for that and more power to them. That does bring me back to having to do it by hand and the fact that I can't cut a straight line. I am getting better at it.

I guess you have to have one thing that isn't your favorite and being that I have to label a lot of soap in the coming days it was top of mind today. I just have to jump in with both feet and go to it.