Guinea Pig

This is the second order I have received for Wedding Favors........(in reality, it is the first, as it took quite a while to work out the details). It was a big order, and took quite a bit of planning on my part to get it done.

I like to think of it as my "guinea pig" Favor order. I made some mistakes, and learned quite a bit along the way. I have had large orders in the past (for different work, and mostly wholesale orders), and that knowledge certainly helped me devise a plan for executing this one.

I thought I would shared some organizational tips to for success, so if (and when!) you get a big order, you can execute it smoothly (pricing is a whole different subject!).

Feel free to add your tips in the comments!

1. Use an online calendar to mark important information (I used it to mark the dates I needed to order the cards, order supplies, etc...). And stick to it.

2. I created 2 files, one in my inbox, and one on my desktop to file all the information that was part of this order (correspondence, jpegs, etc...). It made it much easier to find what I was looking for.

3. I designated a storage bin for all of the supplies, and labeled it......and put it aside, so that I would not "accidentally" use them for other projects.

4. I always work on multiple projects at one time. But in this case, due to the amount of space I would need to glue and package, I was diligent about blocking time to work ONLY on this order. Having a clear, clean space dedicated to this order helped tremendously.

5. Take "in progress" pictures, and communicate with the customer. Had I not committed to doing so, I might have fallen behind. This kept me accountable.....and she loved seeing the whole process unfold!

Of course, some of these tips might not apply to you, but I'm certain you could tweak them as necessary.

Hope this helps. Enjoy!