July 24, 2009

Custom Order

A little time ago I received a friendly enquiry via Etsy conversation. Nicole from Colorado was planning her upcoming wedding this August. She asked if I could make a custom order for her, it would include 12 Boutonniere pin-ons with various patterns & colors. It all started with my little flower ring and a flower brooch she had seen in my shop earlier.

The Blossom flower ring in my Etsy shop was a starting point in the process

The flower brooch my customer had seen in my shop earlier

Our communication was smooth, it was only me who managed to misinterpret some color combinations along the way. She told me her ideas and wishes, I showed her my fabrics (by scanning the samples and sending via Etsy convo), got her approval, went on to making few samples and after her feedback made some adjustments and in the end the final pieces were easy to make. The final pieces are combinations of this flower brooch and ring of mine you can see in the 1st and 2nd picture above. After completing the work I asked her the names of the participants of her party, gift wrapped their "flowers" and added the names on the gift boxes giving them a final personal touch.

Some of my fabric samples being showed for the customer

Final work: bride & bridesmaids (3 pieces)

Final work: officiant, groom & groomsmen (3 pieces)

A picture for approval during the process: other participants flowers (3 pieces)

Everything gift wrapped and ready to ship!

What I find important in making a custom work is to take pictures along the way, show them to your customer and keep the connection active from the beginning till the end. I also tucked a greeting card in the package (handmade by me of course) wishing a lovely wedding party for her and her close ones. As I just tracked the shipping it looks like the flowers are soon arriving to their destination. I'm excited to receive the final feedback soon!

This was my first custom order via Etsy. Do you have experience on online custom orders? How did they go?

18 comments:

Meltem said...

They are just perfect! Beautiful brooches for bride and bridemaids! I made some custom orders on Etsy too. Everything went wonderful!

RitaJC said...

Thank you for sharing this lovely story! I have custom orders all the time, some of them online, some of them - on etsy. It has always been a delight for me.

outofthedark said...

Oh, I love what you did! What she requested!
I love your pictures and descriptions...well done!

Mitsy / ArtMind said...

Wow, you did a wonderful job, Minna! Beautiful work & wonderfully wrapped up too! She will be delighted to receive it!
I feel the same about custom orders: talk everything through, take lots of pics and make adjustments along the way. Custom work has often led me to new ideas & inspiration.
Happy weekend to you! :)

Heli said...

tosi kauniita kaikki! Wonderful work!

ingermaaike said...

However sressful they can be I still love them very much, I follow pretty much the same process you do :-D

These flowers are very gorgeous!

Unknown said...

Gorgeous and very delicate. Very nice work!

Amber said...

Beautiful- I bet they will be thrilled!

I'm a buyer as well as seller on Etsy, and at least 1/3 of my purchases have been custom orders (what can I say- I'm picky!). I'm constantly impressed by the level of communication and care devoted to these custom orders, and it sounds like you're no exception. Try to find that at a big box store!

Tanya said...

Those are really great, I love them!

roro said...

wow. amazing!

vadjutka said...

I love the outcome, and the process photos are just fantastic!

karuski said...

Oh, thanks everyone for your response!

Amber, yes it is often hard to find such dedication and personal service in a mall store. In fact I find it a bit funny as in online business there is more physical distance but otherwise the connection is very intimate (when talking about custom work).

-minna

StaroftheEast said...

Well done, it looks all very professional!

Beach Cottage Studio said...

The flowers look gorgeous!

ira said...

hehehe, I know who she is Minna, I made three beautiful bridemaid bags and one for herself. She is a lovely person who know what she want! And she gave me beautiful feddbacks also:) I bet your wonderful creations will make her so very happy Minna:)

AgapeLiz said...

Lovely brooches!

glasfaden said...

So, so beautiful!! I love esp. the flowers for the men (what can I say - I'm a tomboy *lol*).
I've taken and also given custom order. It always involved WIP photos and communications. I love it, although I must admit, I'm always very nervous of how my customer will like the result.

Minttu said...

They look absolutely lovely, great job!

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