Posts by ArtFisher255:
Should You Source Baby Gifts Overseas
August 6th, 2011There are many reasons to want to produce your own merchandise. It helps to build your brand name, it offers alternative revenue streams, higher margins are expected and it increases the distribution channels for your business. So, why is it so difficult to properly get merchandise made. In this article we will look at the children’s clothing and baby gift market to see what the hurdles are isnrgtbgtb3434.
First off, most people in the US would prefer the items be made in the USA if at all possible. The problem there is unless you have deep pockets the costs to have merchandise made here is typically twice that of overseas. Now the government makes it difficult to ship merchandise in from over seas, but we’ll address that later.
In the US there are more limited places to get things made. California as a state seems to have the most producers. However, you will often have to get the materials from one place, the dye at another and the sewing at yet another facility. If you have a nice streamlined system in place than many of these hurdles can be less problematic. In this instance, made in the USA is recommended.
Typically, money is an issue and the cost saving to produce goods overseas is the answer. In China you may have dozens of factories bidding on your projects and you will never have to deal with the different stages of creation as they are more self-contained. Your best bet is to have the item you want produced in finished form here and sent there to copy or only have minor adjustments.
The minimums in China are usually a few thousand per style. So while overseas production sounds like a good idea, here are the caveats you will need to think about. First of all, who is your supplier overseas and what trust do you have in them. We heard of a company called Chu Fottrell that was unable to source the good they claimed and kept the deposit. In addition to untrustworthy suppliers, the US charges taxes on imported goods in addition to rising freight costs overseas so while the merchandise may be made properly and shipped properly the cost of delivery may be enough in smaller quantities to offset the benefits of simply getting the product made here.
The best scenario for producing products overseas if you are looking for quantities in excess of 10,000 pieces, have a trusted supplier and already have the finished goods before sending them over for production. In these quantities the shipping costs get minimized and the benefits can be realized when you sell these good to the marketplace at a true wholesale cost. In addition, many previously wholesale companies in the US are offering direct to retail sales thus increasing their margins and making even more money per sale. Their current retailer will not like this approach as it severs their business, but it is an option many are taking to make more money.
Places like Alibaba and other online resources are a good start to get your feet wet producing your own sources goods. You can learn there and get a sense of the costs, but remember to ask for recommendations and take your time because there is a lot that goes into to from labels to compliance to fronting money and trusting the shipments will arrive on time.
For smaller quantities than 2000 it may just not make sense to go along this route. Unless you have an inelastic market and can heavily mark up the selling price of your goods you will probably be better off waiting until you can increase your assortment and either by color, size or style before entering this world. Many companies will claim to be able to produce smaller runs, but you will get poor service and price changes at the last minute leading to frustration with the entire process.
Whether you are in business for yourself or are part of a trade group getting products sourced in the US and overseas is no easy process. If you are sure it is for you than make sure your quantities are enough to offset the costs of shipping and import taxes and definitely keep an eye on quality control Get a finished sample when at all possible and good luck.
Founded in 2002, Gotobaby offers baby gifts for those looking for a little extra. From baby gifts to designer diaper bags like Petunia Pickle Bottom and gorgeous baby gift baskets our shoppers love the selection.
Decorating With Miniature Ornaments
November 26th, 2008Small Christmas Trees.
There are many types of Small Christmas Trees. There are 2-4 foot tall Small Artificial Christmas Trees. You can find potted Live Christmas Trees from as small as 18 inches up to 42 inches tall. There are even Metal Ornament Trees or Stands. These range in size from ones about 10 inches tall that hold one ornament and Gold or Silver Metal Ornament Trees that are 32 inches tall and will hold 50 to 60 ornaments. These metal Christmas Ornament Trees can also be found in floor standing sizes up to 92 inches tall that will hold 100 or more ornaments. Metal Christmas Ornament Trees and stands are perfect for displaying collections of your most delicate ornaments. One popular and very elegant idea is to decorate one that is around 28 inches tall with Glass Finial Ornaments in your chosen color scheme and use it as a centerpiece with a few, elegant, sheer ribbon streamers on either side, down the center of the table. You can add a few miniature ornament balls, in co coordinating colors, with the ribbon to complete the look.
Miniature Christmas Ornaments.
There are a wide variety of Miniature Ornaments in a myriad of themes for Small Christmas Trees. There are complete Tree Trimming Kits that include matching ornament balls in two sizes plus a small final topper. These come in solid colors like Gold Glass Balls and in Multi Colored Ornament Assortments. These compliment any larger tree you might have decorated with the regular size clear or colored Glass Christmas Ornaments Balls. There are sets of 10 matching glass ball ornaments in
colors like Small Red Ornaments, Miniature Gold Ornament Balls and Silver Miniature Ornament Sets. These two types of Miniature Ornaments can be combined with Multi Color Beads and Bells Garland to create a very elegantly decorated tiny Christmas Tree.
If you prefer a more traditional theme there are Mini Snowmen, Short Chubby Santas and Father Christmas Sets of small glass ornaments. Then there are Miniature Wooden Ornaments and Miniature Santa Ornaments. All of these Ornament sets can be combined with Gingerbread Candy Garland to add to the comfy traditional Christmas decor.
A great gift idea is to create a Brides Tree by decorating a tiny live Christmas Tree or Small Artificial one with Miniature Brides Tree Ornaments or Miniature Wedding Ornaments. Using the same idea you can create an adorable Baby First Christmas Ornament Tree by adding Miniature Ducks and Bears or Miniature Baby Ornaments to a small tree. You can even create the perfect gift for the chocolate lover by decorating a small tree with Miniature MandM Ornaments and a strand of MandM Garland. A small Southwest or Western theme can be enhanced by decorating small trees with Wooden Western Ornaments and Cowboy Boots and Bandana Garland.
Lights For Small Trees.
Most 2 to 4 foot Artificial trees come either Pre lit with Clear Miniature Christmas Lights. Sometimes you will have the option to choose multi or another solid color for the lights. If you choose to buy a 3 to 4 foot Live or Artificial Tree without lights you can put lights on by adding strands of 35, 50 or 100 light, Clear or Multi Colored Christmas Lights. You can add either standard electric Clear or Multi 20 Christmas Light Bulb strands or Battery Operated Lights strands to tiny Christmas Trees. There are Clear and Multi Colored LED Battery Lights or Multi Colored or Clear Globe LED Battery Operated Lights. There are also Clear, Multi, Blue, Green, Gold and Red Battery Operated Lights. They have about 10 bulbs per strand so one strand would cover a tiny one foot tall tree and 2 to 3 strands would go nicely on a 2 foot tree. The nice thing with the Battery Operated Lights is that they are very cool burning so they will not dry out a tiny Live Christmas Tree.
There are also strands of Novelty Lights to compliment specific themes. For a traditional theme there are Santa Claus Novelty Lights and Snowman Novelty Light Sets. I have also seen 10 Light Candle Tree Lights that give the old fashioned feel of real candles lighting your tree.
For a Babys First Christmas Theme there are adorable Teddy Bear Novelty Lights. Southwest and Western themes can be enhanced with Mixed color or Red Chili Pepper Light Sets.
Debby Brown has been a writer for Christmas Decorations and Gifts for several years. View our Miniature Ornaments.
Christmas Decorating With Nutcrackers
November 3rd, 2008Christmas Nutcracker Decorations.
Nutcrackers come in many sizes starting as small as a few inches tall all the way to Life Size Nutcrackers. There are Nutcracker Soldiers, nutcracker royalty and nutcrackers in the image of cartoon characters or just about any other popular person. There are Nutcracker Ornaments, Nutcracker Christmas Tree Skirts, Nutcracker Christmas Stocking Holders and Nutcracker Christmas Stockings. The Nutcracker Suite Characters, that are so popular, come as regular stand up nutcrackers and as Christmas Ornament Sets. This makes decorating with a Nutcracker theme very easy.
Large Nutcrackers.
There are very large nutcrackers made from fiberglass to with stand being used outdoors. These are usually 6 feet tall and come as Life Size Nutcrackers, Life Size Toy Soldiers or Life Size Toy Soldier Drummers. They are perfect for including in yard displays or standing guard at your front door.
There are other Large Nutcrackers that range in size from 24 inches tall to 36 inches tall. They include styles like Elegant Royal Guardsmen, Majestic Kings, Santa Claus Nutcrackers and Tall, Slim Nutcrackers. These are perfect for creating a nutcracker guard post in your foyer. You can stand them on toy drums or brightly wrapped boxes, to vary their sizes. Adding Small Artificial Christmas Trees will just add to the ambience. You don’t even need to light or decorate the trees, just leave them like a German Forest.
Christmas Nutcracker Village People.
Nutcracker Villagers come in many sizes and the types of characters are endless. To name just a few, there are, Brave Firefighters, Fishermen Nutcrackers, Nutcracker Coach, Steer Roping Cowboy Nutcrackers and Golfing Nutcrackers. These are perfect for decorating side tables or even using as Centerpieces whether or not your theme is Nutcrackers, they still make the perfect Decoration. Use a Fishing Nutcracker as your Centerpiece and add Fishing Bear Ornaments, Old Fishermen Ornaments and many other whimsical Fishing ornaments to your tree or even use them as party favors. There are also Novelty Wooden Fish Garlands that can be hung around your tree or strung onto green garlands that will hang on your Fireplace Mantle or run down the center of a table.
Nutcracker Stockings.
There are Nutcracker Stockings, Nutcracker Soldier Stocking Hangers and Nutcracker Tree Skirts. If Nutcrackers are your theme then you are set with beautiful velvet tree skirts and Christmas Stockings decorated with Nutcracker Soldiers and a wide assortment of Nutcracker Stocking Holder styles to choose from. Stocking Holders also make very attractive Fireplace Mantle displays with styles from Nutcracker Soldier Stocking Hangers, Elegant Prince Stocking Holders and even Antique Gold Leaf Stocking Holders.
Nutcracker Suite Characters.
If The Nutcracker Suite is your chosen theme there are an array of ornaments in sizes varying from The Nutcracker Suite Ornaments which are 7-8 inches tall, Nutcracker Ballet Ornaments that are 4?-5 inches tall and the Nutcracker Suite Miniature Ornament Sets which are 2? inches tall. These ornaments make perfect decorations for all sizes of Christmas Trees. Wooden Nutcrackers can be used to create beautiful Table Decorations and Centerpieces. Combine a Musical Clara Nutcracker with Dignified Nutcracker Prince. You can even use the Nutcracker Suite Ornaments or Miniature Nutcracker Soldiers as party favors.
Debby Brown has been a writer for Christmas Decorations and Gifts for several years. View our Wooden Nutcracker Soldiers.
Decorating Your Christmas Tree
November 3rd, 2008Choose A Theme.
This is a matter of taste. Some people have beautifully decorated trees that are a Hodgepodge of ornaments, themes, colors and mementos collected over years.
If this is your first Christmas Tree and you do not have any ornaments or mementos to add to it yet then start simple. Pick a theme like Snowman Christmas Ornaments and choose a few and add one or two colors of Glass Christmas Ornaments Balls to compliment the selection. You can change the look each year by adding something extra or even taking something away, as your tastes and home change.
Adding Large Decorations.
After the lights are turned on, stand a few feet away from the tree and squint. You will see where all the large holes are. You can adjust the C7 lights to fill in where you can and then add larger ornament balls, floral picks or other large ornaments to the other spots. Some types of ornaments you could add here are 3-4 inch diameter ornament balls, any style ornaments that are 4-5 inches long or floral picks or bouquets.
Add more here!!!!!
Adding Garlands.
Next you add any Garlands you might like. These can be the traditional Popcorn Garland, Cranberry Garland, Candy Garland, Gingerbread Garland, Foil Garland or Tinsel Garland. You can even add a green garland such as an Apple Garland with Pine Cones. The rule of thumb is 2 yards of garland for every foot of tree height.
Add the Green Garland first. Start at the top of the tree and work you way down draping it in small curves that increase gradually as you move down the tree. If you will also be adding Popcorn, Cranberry or Crystal Mirrored Garland, then you will want the Green Garland a little further back on the branch to let the Bead Garland hang on the edge of the tips.
You can also use Unique Christmas Ribbon as garland. The rule of thumb is the same and you add it to the tree in the same general manner.
Adding Ornaments.
Once the Garland is in place hang your smaller ornaments as you like. This is where you hang the smaller ornaments in your chosen theme, such as Fish Ornaments, Military Nutcracker Ornaments or Nutcracker Ballet Ornaments or Glass Christmas Ornaments.
Finishing Touches.
There are many things you can add to the very ends of the tips for special effects. If crystal will go with your theme you can add crystal or crystal like icicles or even old fashioned tinsel icicles.
Christmas Tree Toppers.
There are lots of styles of Christmas Tree Toppers. They come is all the different stars such as, Lighted Tinsel Star Toppers, Moravian Star Tree Toppers, Five Pointed Star Toppers and Star of Bethlehem Tree Toppers. There are Angel Tree Toppers in lots of colors and styles like, Elegant Gold Angels, Midnight Blue Fiber Optic Angels, Burgundy and Gold Angel Toppers, Green Angel Gifts and Animated Angel Toppers. There are also several style of Santa Toppers such as, Father Christmas Tree Toppers and Santa Christmas Tree Toppers.
Debby Brown has been a writer for Christmas Decorations and Gifts for several years. View our Christmas Decorations Ideas. We have a great selection of Artificial Christmas Trees.
Purchasing a Christmas Tree
November 3rd, 2008Where To Put It.
This is one of the most important questions. Most people find the tree first. The problem is they go tree shopping and fall in love with a tree they simply have to have, only to get home and find it does not fit.
So take a look around your home and decide where the best place to display your tree is. Then how much work will it take to put it there? Do you simply move a small table to another room or do you have to completely rearrange the room.
Next measure the space you have created. How much room do you have between pieces of furniture on either side and how much room do you have from the wall out into the room. You must also know your ceiling height. Some building codes are 7feet 6inches but most are 8feet. Unless you have cathedral ceilings, then you can have slopes from 10 to 14 feet tall and more.
Choosing a Tree.
The first thing to consider is which kind of tree you want, Live or Artificial. The Pros to a Live Tree are; they smell nice and are considered by some to be traditional and they come in many shapes and sizes. The Cons are; they drop there needles and make a mess, they dry out fast, they turn brown you have to remember to add water.
The Pros to an Artificial Tree are; They do not lose their needles, they stay green, they need no water, you don’t have to add lights every year and they come in all shapes and sizes. The Cons are; they have no pine scent.
Once you decide what size tree you need, where you want to put it and which type of tree you want then go shopping!
Some things to watch for when selecting a Live Christmas Tree are; Is it brown or dark green? Are the needles dry and brittle or plump and soft? Are there needles all over the floor under the tree? Then check the shape of the tree and spacing between the rows of branches.
Some things to look for when buying an Artificial Tree are; touch the tips, make sure the feel of the tree agrees with you. You have to get your hands into a tree to decorate and light it, if the needles and branches are scratchy and rough you might not like it. Then gently grab a tip and run it thru you hand. Then open your hand and look at it; is your hand green? Do you have a hand full of needles? Did the tree stay in place or almost fall on you? If the tree tries to come with down when you do this, either you pulled way to hard or the stand is not stable for the size of the tree. This could be a problem if you have a small, curious child or animals.
Which ever tree you choose the final test is called a squint test. Stand back a few feet and squint your eyes at the tree. This will show you all the holes, which would need to be filled with large ornaments or floral picks.
Debby Brown has been a writer for Christmas Decorations and Gifts for several years. View our Christmas Decorations Ideas. We have a great selection of Artificial Christmas Trees.
Toppers For Christmas Trees
November 3rd, 2008The addition of the Topper on the Christmas Tree is like putting icing on a cake. They add just the right finishing touch and enable you to step back, view your work, take a deep breath, sigh and know your job is done for this season. Christmas Tree Toppers come in all sizes, types and shapes from stars of all kinds to angels to gorgeous ribbon creations. In this article I want to focus on Angel Tree Toppers and Santa Tree Toppers.
Fiber Optic Angel Tree Toppers.
Fiber Optic Angels are very beautiful. Their wings come in several shapes and styles. Some Angel wings are a solid material that looks like bamboo and has the fiber optic filaments running through. There are others where the wings are an iridescent Mylar material nestled among fiber optic filaments. Then there are what I believe to be the most beautiful. These have clusters of many, many fiber optic filaments that are used to create a shape or design for the wings and then more loose fiber optic filaments are sprayed across the front of the wings. This creates the most beautiful affects from the fiber optics. These Angels have an adapter that powers the fiber optics. Sometimes the adapter can be a little heavy but can usually be taped to the center pole or trunk of the tree.
Lighted Angel Toppers.
This type of Angel Topper usually carries a mini light candle in one or both of her hands and has more mini lights around the bottom of the base under her gown. These mini lights are the same type of light used to light your Christmas tree. Usually the manufacturer will put a cover, like an acrylic star, over the top of the mini light in each of the Angels hands. This type of Angel Topper has no adapter and will easily plug into the top section of any Christmas tree. There are also Small Lighted Angel Toppers that have a pigtail light cord that allows you to remove a mini tree light bulb from the socket in your Christmas tree and replace it with the pigtail connection. Then every time you turn your Christmas tree lights on the Angel will light up as well. These types of Angels usually only have one mini light that they hold in their hands in front of them.
Animated Angel Toppers.
Animated Angels are very beautiful and can be Fiber Optic with animation, lighted and animated or animated with no lights at all. The animation includes very soft, gentle movements. Basically the wings move forward and back. The arms open and close and the head and torso move in a gentle circle to either the left or right. Sometimes the head will bow down a bit as the Angel moves forward. I have noticed a noise with these Angels. The Animated Angels with Fiber Optic wings will hum and bit and the Angels with feather wings may click as the wings go forward or back. One thing I have learned is never to pick one up by the head, arms or wings and especially not when the Angel is plugged in.
Angel Toppers.
Most Angel Toppers are exquisitely dressed. The fabrics are very gorgeous. They are made from polyester fabrics but have the look and feel of silk or damask and brocade. They will usually have porcelain heads and hands. The difference will come in the hair. Up to now Angel Toppers heads have been completely porcelain, including the hair. Now there are very exquisitely beautiful Angel Toppers with curly doll hair. I have also noticed that the color of the Angels hair is getting a little darker every year. They are not always blonde anymore.
Santa Toppers.
There is nothing like a Santa Christmas Tree Topper. These can range in size from 12 to 20 inches and taller. There are Traditional Santa style Toppers and there are Father Christmas style Toppers. Some have fiber optic filaments in their beards or in the greenery they may be holding. Others can have lights around the base illuminating their robes or they can come completely unlit. All of them will have a long white beard and mustache and will usually carry a pack of toys or gifts. As with the Angels the fabrics used for Santa and Father Christmas Toppers are absolutely gorgeous. I especially like the poly damask coats and the poly dupioni robes.
Debby Brown has been a writer for Christmas Decorations and Gifts for several years. View our Christmas Tree Toppers.