We are all individuals... I'm not!
03/10/21 04:29
So it's been an interesting few weeks here in Custom'd land. This site is slowly taking shape, the Facebook and Instagram accounts are all set up and the tricky process of setting up listings, discounts, shipping etc on the shopping cart software is taking shape and slowly making sense.
However, over the last couple of years I've shared my ideas for this venture with several colleagues, friends and family members while I sus out what they would want, are interested in and what they'd like.
The biggest thing is that almost everyone I've shown the painting by numbers too LOVES the idea of getting stuck in but one person asked if it can be painted for them (Carmel!) and several people made the point that they were never happy with the results of their photos, from a camera or on their phone. I took this on board and felt that I didn't want to exclude anyone and really wanted the experience to be for everyone so I took this away and decided that choosing an image collectively was still making a choice and creating something individual.
James, a long suffering friend and rock solid supporter just didn't get it. He asked why I'd fundamentally changed my principles of offering affordable, personalised goods at a great quality and initially I was stumped.
Why had I? Was the Splat Pack a truly terrible idea?
The way I see it, if enough people tell you that they would love to have a go at your product or service but they don't have the thing you require- you're letting them down by not adapting.
I made the decision that we could try a painting or two that weren't individual… then it hit me, why not make it a membership and allow people to show each other what they were doing, help each other with techniques and tips and allow those members to choose the coming months paintings.
As I enjoy the Beatles (best band in the world EVER) and there are lots of great images of them to choose from we could start there. Then each month we can choose a different icon of entertainment. I'm completely open to suggestion.
There are obvious choices (Bowie, Madonna, Prince, Michael Jackson etc) but there must be thousands when you start to factor in actors (Brando, Pacino, Marilyn Monroe etc) and each person will have their own ideas.
It'd be cool to be in a group all painting the same image at the same time, and that image will still be customised by me to make a more perfect image to paint as well.
So what do you think? Have I broken my own rules before I've even started? Is it right to choose the first image to make into the club?
Let me know!
However, over the last couple of years I've shared my ideas for this venture with several colleagues, friends and family members while I sus out what they would want, are interested in and what they'd like.
The biggest thing is that almost everyone I've shown the painting by numbers too LOVES the idea of getting stuck in but one person asked if it can be painted for them (Carmel!) and several people made the point that they were never happy with the results of their photos, from a camera or on their phone. I took this on board and felt that I didn't want to exclude anyone and really wanted the experience to be for everyone so I took this away and decided that choosing an image collectively was still making a choice and creating something individual.
James, a long suffering friend and rock solid supporter just didn't get it. He asked why I'd fundamentally changed my principles of offering affordable, personalised goods at a great quality and initially I was stumped.
Why had I? Was the Splat Pack a truly terrible idea?
The way I see it, if enough people tell you that they would love to have a go at your product or service but they don't have the thing you require- you're letting them down by not adapting.
I made the decision that we could try a painting or two that weren't individual… then it hit me, why not make it a membership and allow people to show each other what they were doing, help each other with techniques and tips and allow those members to choose the coming months paintings.
As I enjoy the Beatles (best band in the world EVER) and there are lots of great images of them to choose from we could start there. Then each month we can choose a different icon of entertainment. I'm completely open to suggestion.
There are obvious choices (Bowie, Madonna, Prince, Michael Jackson etc) but there must be thousands when you start to factor in actors (Brando, Pacino, Marilyn Monroe etc) and each person will have their own ideas.
It'd be cool to be in a group all painting the same image at the same time, and that image will still be customised by me to make a more perfect image to paint as well.
So what do you think? Have I broken my own rules before I've even started? Is it right to choose the first image to make into the club?
Let me know!
Christmas ISN'T Cancelled
03/10/21 01:48 Filed in: Christmas
There is a huge amount of doom and gloom in the headlines at the moment about Christmas being cancelled.
Yes Brexit, yes Suez Canal, yes pandemic, yes shipping container shortages, yes lorry driver shortages… but NO! Christmas isn't cancelled.
I know that we are effectively a retailer, so more is good, sell sell sell etc… but we just aren't into that. In fact one of the key reasons we established this website was because we fundamentally believe in buying a great, personalised gift which will be used, appreciated and remembered for long after the wrapping paper is in landfill. We only want to sell items which will be loved and used.
That's one of the reasons we were moved by stories of the pandemic about people separated by lockdowns from their nearest and dearest and the fact that sending something truly thoughtful and personal was far better than a big box filled with a scatter gun approach to hitting the gift giving target.
I can't imagine any adult opening a box of goodies on Christmas Day filled with socks, another wallet and a whole pile of stuff that's there to make up the quantity.
Personally we aren't into all that, we seek quality over quantity and we value experiences, (We also have a silent disco hire company if you're interested) which is why we're hoping to pass on to our daughters that it's better to give a few items that have meaning and are thoughtful than a huge pile of stuff that will barely be looked at.
So no, you can't cancel Christmas but you can make it personal. Make it thoughtful. Make it COUNT.
We will be announcing a range of personalised gifts to accompany our signature Painting By Numbers in the coming weeks and we hope you and yours will love them! We have a something that will suit most people and we've personally checked and triple checked the quality of every single item we carry (or will be carrying).
The painting by numbers sets are also an amazing gift.
A great final result, a lovely experience and a whole load of mental wellbeing benefits - not to mention that you're stretching the creativity muscle which we all really need, but without having to draw or plan anything. Just open the paint and get stuck in!
AND TREES.
The gift that keeps on growing. Every item is a tree, you buy it we plant it somewhere in the world. Check the counter below to see the status of our efforts whenever you like!
Yes Brexit, yes Suez Canal, yes pandemic, yes shipping container shortages, yes lorry driver shortages… but NO! Christmas isn't cancelled.
I know that we are effectively a retailer, so more is good, sell sell sell etc… but we just aren't into that. In fact one of the key reasons we established this website was because we fundamentally believe in buying a great, personalised gift which will be used, appreciated and remembered for long after the wrapping paper is in landfill. We only want to sell items which will be loved and used.
That's one of the reasons we were moved by stories of the pandemic about people separated by lockdowns from their nearest and dearest and the fact that sending something truly thoughtful and personal was far better than a big box filled with a scatter gun approach to hitting the gift giving target.
I can't imagine any adult opening a box of goodies on Christmas Day filled with socks, another wallet and a whole pile of stuff that's there to make up the quantity.
Personally we aren't into all that, we seek quality over quantity and we value experiences, (We also have a silent disco hire company if you're interested) which is why we're hoping to pass on to our daughters that it's better to give a few items that have meaning and are thoughtful than a huge pile of stuff that will barely be looked at.
So no, you can't cancel Christmas but you can make it personal. Make it thoughtful. Make it COUNT.
We will be announcing a range of personalised gifts to accompany our signature Painting By Numbers in the coming weeks and we hope you and yours will love them! We have a something that will suit most people and we've personally checked and triple checked the quality of every single item we carry (or will be carrying).
The painting by numbers sets are also an amazing gift.
A great final result, a lovely experience and a whole load of mental wellbeing benefits - not to mention that you're stretching the creativity muscle which we all really need, but without having to draw or plan anything. Just open the paint and get stuck in!
AND TREES.
The gift that keeps on growing. Every item is a tree, you buy it we plant it somewhere in the world. Check the counter below to see the status of our efforts whenever you like!
Free Postage
12/05/21 18:46
No one likes to pay extra
At Custom'd we don't like it when we put something in our basket and then we get to the check out and then tax and shipping is added, doubling the price of the order.
Trust us when we say that we've abandoned many, many carts when we get to that final screen and it's suddenly a lot more than we thought.
And you know what? You can send us as many emails with offers as you like, but you've lost us.
That's why here we don't do that. The price you see is the price you pay, no surprises and no postage on top.
At Custom'd we don't like it when we put something in our basket and then we get to the check out and then tax and shipping is added, doubling the price of the order.
Trust us when we say that we've abandoned many, many carts when we get to that final screen and it's suddenly a lot more than we thought.
And you know what? You can send us as many emails with offers as you like, but you've lost us.
That's why here we don't do that. The price you see is the price you pay, no surprises and no postage on top.
Planting Trees, for every item sold
07/05/21 17:13
Welcome to the blog section of the website.In this first post I want to tell you about a part of the business that is very close to our hearts.
We've all seen the change in the weather, seen the articles about the climate challenge and the problems we may face in the future. The fact that as it gets hotter, more forest fires start. More trees are lost and despite every effort that the cleverest minds have come up with, the best thing we can do to rewind the planets problems is planting trees.
Yes, and using a hell of a lot less plastic.
We're committed here to making sure our products only use the minimum of packaging, which reduces the weight that is carried to your door, reducing fuel use and emissions, but also reduces the amount of wast that ends up in the bin and therefore landfill.
Not only that, we actively promote the planting of trees, which costs money to grow and to employ people to make sure the tree is maintained and sustained. So for ever single item, not transaction, we will donate a tree somewhere in the world.
Buy 1 item, we'll plant a tree. Buy 10 items in 1 go and that's 10 trees, not 1.
We're serious about doing this so we're adding a progress chart to the about us page so you can come back at any time and see how we're doing, it's also at the bottom of this post.
Please bare in mind that we're only just launching so figures will start low and build as we get going. We've added this so that you can see we are actually doing it, not just saying it. This is a third party service that we can't manipulate, it increases only by us donating these trees.
So while we are giving oxygen to this cause, we are also making something that makes our entire system work, commerce, have a positive impact on the planet. As a culture we want to celebrate people on birthdays and Christmas, but we also want to minimise the impact that has on the planet we all share too.
Thanks for reading this, you can also donate trees if you wish to by clicking the Plant Trees button.