From the very beginning, I had a vision for Sage & June. I designed my Sage & June High Desert Designs official logo on my iPad the week I filed for my EIN number. Looking back at the first draft I think I could make this into a successful blanket...
After some editing I designed the perfect logo to launch my business with. My first bulk order of blankets was on the horizon and I knew I needed to begin ordering a lot of accessories to look official. Business cards were first on the list. I didn't like the idea of spending money on a piece of paper people would likely toss soon after they received it. It felt wasteful, but I knew business cards were a necessary evil. After scrolling on Etsy to find an idea I found a person who printed on wildflower cardstock. Perfect, multi-use. With my new logo design ready I ordered my first batch of business cards. They arrived and were such a hit with customers that I haven't stopped ordering them since. With my new printer I'll make the next batch in house, however.
Next on the list were tags for the blankets. I wanted a non removable branded tag and a removable hang tag with product details. Since I was loving the wildflower business cards I found wildflower hang tags. I headed back to Etsy and found wildflower hang tags then headed back to the iPad to design them.
Once again on Etsy, I found a small business who made custom vegan leather tags. I stayed with this vendor for a while but had issues with the hardware not holding long term. You live, you learn, you move on.
After various quality issues I headed back to... Etsy. I was a new business who had few in house abilities and in 2023 Etsy was just better. I found new vegan leather tags with more customization capabilities as well as easier to use hardware. I love my new tags as they make my look more seamless. The vision I had from the beginning.
With another order of Blockbuster VHS blankets on the loom I realized my wildflower hang tags were running low and I did not have enough to fulfill the next order. This time instead of heading to Etsy, I looked directly at my fancy printer and knew it was time to make them in house. While I did not have wildflower seed paper I did have the perfect stock paper I purchased for pennies at JoAnn's closing sale.
This week I delivered another twenty five Blockbuster VHS blankets to Blockbuster Video. When I was in my studio putting the finishing touches on the blankets before delivering the order to Blockbuster I looked at all the small things that lead to that moment. Over three years of trials, errors, growing pains, and successes I was thrilled with how everything came together.