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Featured Subscription Box: Unboxing the Bizarre

We love the new wave in subscription boxes—people appreciate the convenience and fun of having a regular delivery to their doorstep. Physical stores are declining, and gone with them are the inconveniences of packed parking lots, standing in line, and spending time wandering and wondering if the store will carry what you need. Instead, people turn online where everything they need is just a click away, delivered to your doorstep when you need it. Our marketplace is primed and ready for the fun of subscription boxes!

We especially love subscription boxes that make incredible gifts—when you just aren’t sure what to buy for someone, instead of a gift card, a subscription box is a surprise and it will keep on giving (literally!).

Today we wanted to feature Digiwrap customer Unboxing the Bizarre. Instead of shopping for a gift for the millennial in your life, order from Unboxing the Bizarre. Each box pairs fun gifts with ideas for how to celebrate wacky holidays with friends, family, and coworkers. Learn more about their story and their wacky, fun idea that translates into wacky, fun subscription boxes.

Unboxing the Bizarre

Why did you decide to start a subscription box business?

They always say some of the best ideas come out of tragedies. I had three members of my family pass away unexpectedly on three different holidays and another whose funeral took place on another holiday. I needed a reason to celebrate holidays again and not run or hide from them. I have always been an entrepreneur at heart and had tried a few subscription boxes. With the help of family members, I decided to create my own and landed on the idea of offbeat holidays that don’t typically get celebrated in the mainstream. In my travels around the world, I saw whole towns come together to just have a time of fellowship and fun—sometimes for a reason (such as a government holiday) but other times just simply to be silly and have fun for no reason at all. The idea of celebrating basically just being alive every day was not only a way to make me want to celebrate holidays again, but since I am an April Fool’s baby, it was a perfect fit. Who better to run a subscription box company celebrating the weird, wacky, wild and crazy, offbeat holidays than a weird, wacky, wild and crazy, offbeat holiday baby. So Unboxing the Bizarre was born!

Unboxing the Bizarre

Why are you passionate about celebrating wacky and bizarre holidays?

I love that you can just have fun with them. We hope to bring family, friends, and coworkers together with our boxes, which offer ways to open up unique conversations and dialogue. Many families don’t sit around a dinner table anymore and talk, but hopefully our fun trivia can be a conversation starter, or it can lead to a fun game night or themed party where they can unplug and enjoy each other’s company. We are also hoping to offer bosses a way to change up any monotony in the daily routine of their staff members. I taught corporate culture at one of the organizations I worked at, and we would send out trivia on certain days so that teams could celebrate together. It was always fun seeing pictures of what they celebrated. The best one was “Something on a Stick Day”. Supervisors brought in popsicles, rock candy, and even fried Twinkies.

What inspires you when you are compiling a box? How do you decide which holidays to feature?

There are some really strange holidays out there. So while we procure our boxes, we consider both “suggested ways to celebrate” and the uniqueness of the holiday. The more bizarre and unknown, the more fun it is for us and the subscribers. We have a lot of fun learning about things we would have never even thought about, let alone even celebrated, such as Root Canal Day. Who the heck celebrates a day of pain? We do!

Why is presentation in your packaging important?

This is one thing that I am a stickler about. People will always judge something within a few seconds. So packaging and presentation is a make-or-break in the subscription box industry. From the beginning, we decided that it was important to start with branded boxes and professionally printed inserts for the trivia, as well as fun colored paper filler. I did not want to cut corners on anything that would present our company in a messy, disorganized, or “haven’t got it together” light. As a company, we want to be professional in everything we do.

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We use Digiwrap logo printed tissue paper to wrap items from vendors that are not boxed individually. It both gives a professional look and protects the items. I had used bubble wrap in the past and pretty but plain tissue paper, but I really wanted something to carry the branding through on the entire product. When we got the paper, I was very delighted and impressed with the quality and look of our logo on the paper when it arrived. We have used it in two rounds of boxes so far and will continue to use it going forward. I believe it gives us an added edge in first impressions.

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Do you have a success tip for other subscription box businesses?

Always have a plan B. The hardest part of our business is having vendors pull out or not deliver last minute. That has had us scrambling to try to fulfill all of the orders on time. So early on, I learned to be on top of the vendor to make sure the item is truly in stock and will be shipped by an expected date, and if it does not arrive by that date, I have another vendor ready to fill the request on an emergency basis.

Tell us about yourselves. What do you do for fun?

We are a travel-loving family! We have traveled the world—I feel that experiencing different cultures, flora, and fauna is an important part of life. We love adventure—we have zorbed, kayaked, waterskied, spelunked. We also like to give back to our community, from monetary or other donations to volunteering. In our community, we’ve helped to build playgrounds and we’ve helped to plant gardens.

Learn more about Unboxing the Bizarre!

Would you like logo tissue paper for your subscription box company? Order yours today!

Digiwrap’s Brad and Charlie Featured on Makin’ It with Tommy and Todd

On Saturday, Brad Boskovic and Charlie Williams, co-founders of Digiwrap, will be featured on Making’ It with Tommy and Todd, a national radio show that features powerful success stories and inspiring business advice and information. The show focuses on entrepreneurs with big dreams. We are happy to be featured!

On the 15-minute discussion, they talk about the “Aha!” moment that led to the creation of Digiwrap, how it felt to walk into the Shark Tank, and everything that’s happened since! Brad and Charlie offer advice to those who have big business ideas, tell great stories about Digiwrap and themselves, and have a lot of laughs with Tommy and Todd.

You can listen below:

We hope you enjoy!

Interested in purchasing custom-printed tissue paper? Order yours today!

Inspiring Art (and Packaging!) from Featured Maker: Tramake

Our custom tissue paper is perfect for makers, artisans, and small business shops. Their products are special, and they want to hand them over in a special way. Custom tissue paper is a simple way to add a professional feel and remind customers where they made their purchase.

Since we love talented makers, we occasionally feature those who have put our custom tissue paper to good use. Today we’d like to feature is Chris and Faith, the creative minds behind Tramake, whose art prints and home accessories are swoon-worthy. They make art printed on wood and canvas, desk organizers and giant and regular sized coasters, all with modern design. And we aren’t the only ones who love what they do—their work is featured in some West Elm stores, art shops around Chicago, and more. We sat down with Chris and Faith to discover what inspires them, success tips for other makers, and more.

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Why are you passionate about your shop?

We love the marriage of thoughtful and intentional decoration and the function of an object. When we can make form meet function in a way that feels completely our brand, it’s a great feeling. An even greater feeling is the way this endeavor connects us to people. We love meeting other creatives, business owners, and collectors. It’s always super energizing and inspiring.

What inspires you when you are designing something new?

Art History is always informing what we do. Chris and I both studied art history and have a passion for early and mid 20th century art and design. We’re always trying to find that sweet spot that both nods to the past and reinterprets the ideas to be truly modern and new.

Why is presentation in your packaging important?

When we have excellent professional presentation in our packaging it establishes credibility and defines an aesthetic for the experiences our customer will have with our brand.

Do you have a success tip for other makers?

Know your audience. It can seem like the key to success is to appeal to everybody. But that only makes for watered down design. We only make things we truly love. It keeps us happy even while we might be sanding the same thing for the hundredth time.

What do you do for fun?

Some of our favorite ways to spend free time include try new restaurants in Chicago, attend comedy and improv shows, and learning new creative skills. We nerd out about almost anything that’s creative. From food science to stained glass techniques, we’re game to try it.

Check out more from Tramake!

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Are you a maker? Improve your packaging by ordering your custom tissue paper today!

Awesome Illustration of Our Shark Tank Appearance: Interview with the Artist

We were so excited to appear on Shark Tank in December, where we made a successful deal with Kevin O’Leary. A few weeks after the appearance, we were surprised and delighted to see illustrator Gerri Findley’s drawing of our appearance. What an excellent way for us to remember our time in the tank!

DigiWrap Caricature Pic

We tracked down Gerri Findley to send her some tissue paper with a repeat pattern of her illustration and to learn more about what inspired her to take the time to create this incredible illustration.

We noticed during the search that she has drawn several of the people who have appeared on the show. So we asked, why Shark Tank?

“A few shows into Season 7 (2015-2016), a credit card protection named Signal Vault was in the tank and the sharks were circling. Lori Greiner confidently grabbed her pen and quickly scribbled $1,000,000,” remembered Gerri. “At that memorable moment I reached for my markers to quickly capture and post. I had been sketching pop culture, award shows, music people, and posting on Instagram.”

“A ❤️ appeared from @ODangHummus founder, Jesse, who would enter the tank the following week. After Jesse’s fantastic food pitch with outstretched arms he asked, ‘Who wants to snack!?!’ I was hooked again to capture that moment, and so began my season of Shark Tank sketching.”

Since then she has been drawing people who appear in the tank, and we are so happy to have been featured.

We asked what inspires her to draw. “People fascinate me and I love to sketch them,” said Findley. “And I add a smile. And a headline. I sketch what I see. A moment that tells a story. They’re quick sketches, and they capture a memorable moment or event.”

You can follow Gerri’s work on Instagram @gerrifindley, where she posts her incredible work. “I aim to delight,” said Findley. “The world needs more delight.”

You can get in touch with Gerri at GoDesign.com.

We’re Presenting! See You at DScoop in Phoenix March 1-4

We are honored to have been asked to present at DScoop, an experiential and fast-paced conference for those in the digital printing and graphics industry. The theme, Imagine, will be played out by marketers sharing their biggest breakthroughs and most successful campaigns. Attendees can see inside the creative process of today’s most innovative and disruptive brands—and we’re so excited to be one of them!

  • What: Charlie Williams, DigiWrap President, and Brad Boskovic, Lingraph Services Co., President (our sister company), will present “Managing Risk, Juggling Multiple Businesses and Swimming with Sharks”
  • When: During DScoop Phoenix, which takes place March 1-4, 2017. The Digiwrap sessions will take place on Friday, March 3.
  • Session Details: Two 30-minute sessions. 8:30 am and 1:35 pm
  • Where: Phoenix Convention Center, Phoenix, AZ. North Ballroom 120 AB & Exhibit Hall A
  • Topic: Every company has to take some level of risk — some work out and others don’t. How you manage through and what you learn from it is what matters. Brad Boskovic and Charlie Williams know a lot about managing risk and juggling multiple businesses. They also know how to acquire investors. Hear more in this energizing session as they inspire you to take your own risks.

Imagine

We can’t wait to see you there!

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After Shark Tank: Twitter Love from Some Fans

We have been so excited by the buzz for our products after our appearance on Shark Tank in December. We wanted to share some fun reviews we’ve received via Twitter for products from new customers and fans:

@gibbons74 wrote:

@DigiWrapIt this is the coolest thing going. Kids will be impressed with #Santa this year #SharkTank

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We love the crisp photos Santa’s helper @gibbons74 chose to print on the custom photo gift bags for his kids! What a great idea—those kids will believe forever.

@ValerieThompson wrote:

Valerie’s T-shirt, stickers, cell phone wallet – $20.00 includes shipping! Loving my new shopping bags @DigiWrapIt

Valerie

Now that is a custom package by America’s Queen of Speed!!

@Flametrooper420 wrote:

@DigiWrapIt turned out amazing, arrived FAST, and wasn’t expensive at all. One of the most impressive @ABCSharkTank products ever! #sharktank

Flametrooper

We love this personalized gift bag, and hope the recipient was as happy as the smiley folks in the photo!

We were so in love with this custom illustration after our appearance, illustrated by @gerry_findley.

Stay tuned for more about the drawing and Gerri!

Gerri

Thank you, everyone, for your business and reviews! We are so proud of our consistent extremely high ratings on Zazzle and are always happy to hear when customers love our product. Thank you so much for your support!

Interested in ordering custom tissue paper or gift bags? Order yours today.

Featured Customer: Unique Wedding Invitation Wows with Map Tissue Wrap

Occasionally orders for custom tissue paper come through that are so interesting and eye-catching that we have to know the intended use. This was the case with some map-printed tissue paper a few months ago. The design was interesting, and they made a special request to ship the tissue paper totally flat without rolling. After printing and shipping, we followed up with the customer because we were dying to know what they were planning to do with it. The answer did not disappoint!

The order came from Melisa Rodio and her mother Noreen Rochford. The two women own Live Love Party Designs. They put together a unique, totally beautiful wedding invitation for a couple who were planning a destination wedding in Puerto Rico. The tissue paper was used in place of a pocket fold to wrap the invitation prior to slipping it in the envelope.

The bride wanted something lightweight, as she would be sending quite a few invitations via international mail—so tissue paper was just the thing! Live Love Party Designs created a vintage style map. They wrapped the invitation in a trifold, tied a cord around it, and from the cord hung a little wooden airplane cutout with the bride and groom’s names engraved on it.

Totally gorgeous results!

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Live Love

Are you interested in ordering a custom-designed tissue paper? Order today!

Digiwrap to Appear on ABC’s Shark Tank on December 9!

We are excited to announce that we had the chance to swim with the sharks, and you can witness it on December 9 on ABC! Digiwrap will be making our prime time debut!

On December 9, tune in to ABC at 9/8C to see our appearance. We cannot disclose what happened during our experience, so you will have to tune in to find out. We can, however, give you a peek into how it came about! Charlie Williams, co-owner of Digiwrap, answered the most frequently asked questions about our chaotic journey into the Tank!

How did you decide to audition for Shark Tank?

My mother-in-law saw a commercial about an open casting call in Chicago. (She actually, quite hilariously, told me she was sending me a video about it—and it was actually video she took using her phone of her TV with the commercial playing.) This was one week and a half before the open casting call. Brad and I had joked about trying Shark Tank some day in the future, and since this was in Chicago, we briefly considered it. We were busy for that week and a half, though, and didn’t think of it again until the night before. That night, I spoke with my dad, who, unexpectedly, said we should go for it. I called Brad and we came up with a last minute plan. Read about the exciting successful Open Casting Call story.

How did you prepare to step into the Tank?

This all happened within 3 months. Open casting was in June, and filming was in September. We wrote and rewrote and rewrote several scripts for our pitch. We made sure we knew all of our numbers, concepts, our weaknesses and how we overcome them, analysis, breakdown—then we redid it all and rewrote it again and again. We prepped all this prep, but nothing can actually prepare you to swim with sharks…

Were you interested in any Shark in particular when you prepared your pitch? Or were you open to any?

We are asked this question often, and I have a hard time answering. My main thought going in was always that if the deal was right, we would make it. We would, of course, be thrilled with any good deal from any Shark.

What do you remember about stepping into the Tank and giving your pitch?

The whole thing is a giant blur. I remember very vividly a lot of the trip because it was a unique experience, but so many parts of it are fuzzy. I compare it the feeling to being an athlete in a game. Up until the second we walked on stage, we were nervous, excited, and amped up. And when we walked in, we just had to go with whatever happened. It felt like survival and reaction, because the sharks are sharks.

In the month since, certain things and moments have started to come back. I will remember, Oh yeah, I said this, or I did that. It’s been wild.

What was your first thought when you heard your experience would air?

We didn’t find out until a week and a half ago that we were scheduled to air—we were expecting more time! Since it was a surprise, I felt excitement, elation—and then panic. What have we done! This is just like going into the Shark Tank for us—we have no idea what to expect.

——–

On Shark Tank, entrepreneurs have the chance to stand in front of The Sharks, tough, self-made, multi-millionaire and billionaire tycoons, to give the Sharks a chance to invest in America’s best products and the entrepreneurs the chance to secure deals and funding to help maximize their business.

Tune in December 9 to see Digiwrap step into the Tank!

Our Exciting, Successful Open Casting Call for Shark Tank

This year we had the exciting experience of auditioning to be on Shark Tank. So many people who know are very curious about how we got on the show. Here’s our story of our successful open casting call!

For various reasons which you can read here, we didn’t make the final decision to go to the Open Casting Call until the night prior. We hatched a plan over the phone and our crazy journey began. We wanted to showcase our unique custom printed tissue paper as much as possible, so we actually printed our application on our tissue paper. When we handed it in on the tissue paper, the woman accepting the applications was baffled. It was fun to tell her that this was our product.

We were so excited to show the features we love most about Digiwrap—our tissue paper is custom printed in high quality, with bright and accurate colors, and the process is incredibly fast. Also, you can print just one sheet if you want.

So here is what we did to highlight those features:

Once we received our wristband, we took a picture in front of the building wearing the wristband.

Then we rushed to the office and designed a tissue paper using that photo.

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We then printed the tissue paper and brought it with to deliver our one-minute pitch just a few hours later. Regular paper version and tissue paper version, handed it to them and they asked why it was on tissue paper. Give the one-minute pitch.

In the end, they must have been impressed because that’s where our chaotic journey into the Shark Tank began! Tune in to ABC on Friday, December 9 at 8pm Central Time to see the results!

This Christmas, Wow with Custom Gift Bags

Let’s face it—when it comes to giving gifts at the holidays, you are not a fan of hours and hours of wrapping. And while you love the crisp wrapping paper edges that a perfect-sized box can deliver, you often end up with way more wonky-shaped items that refuse to be beautifully wrapped with normal wrapping paper. But gift bags? Too impersonal? Not anymore! You can order custom gift bags for a special way to wrap presents for a special someone.

Consider a custom gift bag to show off your family photo or to celebrate a baby who was born this year. Or imagine the squeals of joy from your kids if each one has a personalized bag under the tree from Santa on Christmas morning!

Check out a few Christmas and holiday gift bag options printed by Digiwrap. The design options are endless, with options to customize and personalize galore. And the quality is extremely highly rated. Order yours on Zazzle today!

Here are a few of our favorite custom gift bag designs.

1. Merry Christmas Photo Gift Bag

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2. North Pole Express Delivery

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3. Personalized Christmas Candy Stripe Gift Bag

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4. Rustic Red Fox Photo Pattern

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5. Joyful and Bright Photo Gift Bag

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6. Custom Name Menorah Hanukkah Gift Bag

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See these and thousands of other custom gift bag options printed by Digiwrap at Zazzle!