The other day, I got all our pins & magnets required to fill the supporter packages still waiting to be shipped out, so over the last few days I've been packing the next batch of supporter prizes. I figured it would be fun to share the process, drama and conflama of preparing the packages for mailing  

When I decided to make this blog post, I unfortunately already packed all the currently pending packages - you can see them in the pic above, waiting patiently in their box corner for the day they get to see the world - so I was a bit miffed I couldn't include the whole process, but fortunately, someone ended up filling in their information just a few days ago, so I had another one to prepare!

Package Tracker

The first step is always going to the package tracker. Every now and then, I check all the packages marked with "Awaiting Response", to see if they've been filled in with the required information. Once the info's been updated, the package is ready to pack!

Today, we'll be packing a Heroic Supporter box, so it does contain the magic OC mug

Preparations

Alrighty, so we've got what we want to pack - we need 1 mug, 5 bibi pins, and 1 Tyria Pride pin! Time to bring out the many boxes of pins & magnets!

These boxes contain all the pins we've accrued through the ages. I'm currently looking at ordering a nice sorting box so I can store them all a little bit more neatly, but until then, I just have to do a little bit of browsing until I get to the right ones  Right now I basically have 3 boxes - one for the bibi pins & magnets, one for the other currently sending pins, and one for everything else  There's also one box where I keep the brand new thank you cards and stamps.

If this was just a small package containing pins or magnets, I'd just use one of the envelopes you see on the left side of the picture above, and a stamp, but because this contains a mug, we'll need to use a box! Normally, I'd use a small box, but I just ran out!  Luckily, I have some backup boxes from the post office - I originally bought those for the packages, but they're too big, and made from heavy cardboard (probably on purpose, so they can charge more for mailing them ).

Pen to scale.

Lastly, we're going to need some safety wrap. There's now a general rule in our house that all bubble wrap gets brought to me for inspection before it gets thrown away  However, I did also buy an actual ball of bubble wrap, and some other safety wrapping that I use for the mugs, but for just filling empty air in boxes, I generally use recycled packaging, so we don't create too much waste ^^

Let's Get Down To Business

Now, let's get to packing! First, I like to write a little thank you note. Thanks again to @llandshark for making the artwork for our Thank You cards! I'm really happy with how they turned out! The reason I write the message first is because the pens I use are very wet, and the ink takes ages to dry, so to avoid any smudges I write the note first, and put it away to dry . And yes, this has resulted in me having to open an already sealed and packed box to put the card in after forgetting to do so beforehand.

Now, on to the pins! I like to secure the pins to a piece of paper, so they don't rattle around and get bruised, or leave marks on anything else in the box. I bought this nice shiny paper in both green and pink, originally to write on it, but the shiny finish it has actually makes it really difficult to write on, so now I use it to secure the pins on it   It just keeps them nice and safe. In a completely unnecessary act of overkill, I use this weird professional-looking cutting tool to cut the paper into strips instead of using scissors

Once the pins are nice and secure, I put them safely inside of the mug, in a little pocket of spare bubble wrap I had lying around, just so they don't damage the mug on the inside.

That's the entire content of this supporter package, but the packing doesn't end here! Now it's time to protect this mug like it's my own child. Recently, I ordered a new chair, and its legs were protected in this foam mesh ting, like they're some kind of sensitive fruit, so I stored the mesh to use it for the mugs

Behold, my ceramic fruit child!

Now, all that's needed is to fill the package with tons and tons of protective bubble wrap, put everything inside, seal it, and write the address. Then, the package is ready to send!

It joins its friends in the box corner, waiting for the day they all get to be released into the world!