|
 When people think of Hand painted Christmas ornaments, many variations may come to mind. But one of the greatest ideas to come around in recent years is the use of personalized ornaments for fund raisers. The concept is simple. Design your ornament for your particular fund, such as a church group, research foundation, or any human cause. Then personalize the ornament in some fashion to give it deeper meaning to the buyer. The personalizing can come in two forms: as a group, or as an individual. A personalizing example for a group would be something like Breast Cancer Research – San Antonio, Texas Team, 2010. These can be ordered directly from the manufacturer, and can often be purchased at bulk prices. An example of an individual personalized ornament could be something like St. Martha’s Confirmation – Mary McDonald, 2010. The individual personalization will cost more if done by the manufacturing company. In order to make fund raising more cost effective, and profitable, volunteers could learn the art of Calligraphy. The word, “Calligraphy” comes from the Greek work “Kallos” and “Graphos” and means beautiful writing. There are different styles of letters in Calligraphy, but primarily, all anyone needs to learn this technique is a good writing instrument, good paint (or ink) and plenty of practice. Many books on the techniques of Calligraphy are available, and free lessons are also available on the internet.
When personalizing hand painted Christmas ornaments with Calligraphy, it is essential to have a plan. First off, decide the quantity of ornaments to order, based on pre-orders and budgets. Order as many as feasible; this will allow you to get the best deal possible. Be sure to give the merchant your deadline in order to maximize your sales, (not too many hand painted Christmas ornaments are purchased after mid-December). Determine you color scheme between your paint and the ornament for perfect color matching. This way you are purchasing the same color of paint, and not wasting any. Determine what type of script will be offered: event, date, and name. It is imperative to keep the script simple and fairly short for space and aesthetic purposes. Hand painted Christmas ornaments come in a very attractive box with a custom insert card. The card can have a custom message to the purchaser such as “Thank You for Supporting Breast Cancer Research” or “Your purchase has helped build your new church Family Life Center”.
When deciding on the main theme of the ornament, there are many designs to choose from. Maximizing your fund raiser is a matter of knowing you demographics, and choosing a graphic design that is both appropriate, and stimulating. Humorous ornaments are risky, so it is best to avoid a jokey scheme. Instead, borrow an encouraging line from someone famous, such as Thomas Fuller, “Charity begins at home, but should not end there”. Choose a main theme that hits close to home with your group. It can, but may not necessarily be, spiritual in nature. Hand painted Christmas ornaments will most likely have a simple backdrop. Put a picture or logo on one side of the ornament. This will allow you more room for the script writing to wrap around the sphere. Make sure your picture is small in size, yet big enough to be recognized.
|
