Finish line

March 30th

Today’s meeting went really well – I was told the product has much improved since last week, and people will probably be quite interested in purchasing the orchid I made, even though it wouldn’t officially be offered for sale. I said I would be more than happy to make more of those – they were a lot simpler to make than the actual product, even though I cut the petals out by hand. Having the laser cutter would make that even simpler.

I do have a bit of paperwork left to do, but the bulk of the project is finished, and I am so happy and feel so accomplished.

I will be going in on Monday instead of Thursday, to set up the shelves, and handle the business side of things. It’s recommended to go sooner so that we can start selling sooner.

My product is a little different in that I don’t particularly want to keep churning them out. So I think I will put the price about midway between 50 and 120 – I have to calculate VAT, and I decided I will do £77,50 without VAT, and 93 with VAT. Just because I like the numbers 3, 7 and 9, and they seem like the correct price.

I will have to think about how I will go about selling it – limited stock, commission-based, or auction it away. For the auction, I should be able to set up an online store, either on this website or an outside source, but I should definitely mention the amount that will go to WWF from the proceeds. I was thinking about £7.50 out of each.

I do think I would like to get paid at least a little – this thing takes ages to make and a lot of headaches.

Things to do for next week:

Fill out the barcode document (decide on final price) and send it back
Research safety messages on lamps, USB products
Make/buy boxes
Design logo
Finish, print out/laser engrave bio, frame for bio
Design, print/laser engrave business cards
Print out safety labels, logo stickers for box?
Send email to Lynzi about how the USB could be plugged in on the shelf

April fools!

I was working on the logo today, and I think I managed to make something quite special. I added the text underneath, but I’m not sure about the font.

I only noticed a day after that I mistyped the brand name… Silly me!

I had this crazy idea for business cards a while back, and I wanted to test it now. I don’t plan on making many of them, but it might be something fun to create to show off my skills.

The idea is the use the same 2mm plywood I use for the product, but make a tiny version of it, on a sheet the size of an 85x55mm business card, and let the users put it together.

I made a CAD version first, then organized the pieces on Lightburn and added some of my personal/professional information, like the name of the business and my e-mail address, as well as this website’s link, using .SHX fonts, and a simplified version of the logo.

After many (SO many) test cuts, I finally found the perfect settings:

750/15 for engraving (this got progressively weaker, I will either need to clean the lens, or there is probably another reason I need to figure out)

575/93 for cutting (I think because the pieces are so small it cuts easier, but I can’t go up any further because the tiny tabs will break small pieces off the layers of the plywood, which isn’t exactly attractive – and when it happens to the long bits which keep the whole sculpture together, it just falls out, because it’s too thin.

The last one I was cutting made the laser cutter start screaming (while it was engraving – zero fire, I forgot to check what Lightburn said as error, but it was probably a limit switch – whatever that means), so I gave it a rest until tomorrow.

I’m using all the offcuts left over from cutting the product, which means less waste, but I am still conscious of the fact that a printed piece of cardstock would cost a lot less both financially and for the planet. I would only be handing these out sparingly – maybe place one in the box with the product, and give it to important people that I really want to work with or would like to notice me.

April 2nd

When I noticed that I missed the letter “l” from the logo, I decided to fix the way it looks – I didn’t like the distortion, and I wanted to see what other fonts I had.

I think my favorite is a Freeware font (I realized it is probably smart to consider licensing if I plan to sell things using this logo) called KAGE-Freebies. I tried the Italic version, and I decided on the (faux) Italic version.

I also really like the fonts called Playlist, and Vladimir Script.

After some deliberation I think I will go with “Playlist“, the third image below. It is free to use for commercial projects, and it is a little chaotic like myself, but still relatively easy to read.

I spent many hours looking for a file to laser cut a stand out of plywood, to use for the bio which I still haven’t designed, but will laser engrave.

Eventually I decided to use some images I found, and design my own stand on Fusion360. I tried using Adobe Illustrator, but it just didn’t work for me as well. I am still to cut it out, but it looks quite good on the renders. I added a little bit of a natural flair to it with leaf shapes, and curves, and it seems pretty sturdy to hold the A5 (148.5 x 210 mm) sheet I’m planning on using. I still have a single 200x300mm 2mm plywood sheet, which I can use for the bio and the stand, and I will cut out the business cards from the leftovers.

After I made the first version I changed some features to make it even more organic.

Then I made a cut file in Lightburn with the stand and the bio.

For the bio I used the “HAND.shx” font, in size 3, with 2 HSpace (horizontal), and 15 Vspace (vertical).

For the logo I used Photoshop – I used the magic wand tool to select only the black colour in the logo, then created a work path, saved this as a custom shape, and then exported that as an SVG file.

It would have been easier to just use the actual font – unfortunately, this method still cuts around the font, instead of making it a single line.

The quoted time is about 13 minutes, which is a long time, but I’m hoping because the engraving power is so small, there won’t be too much danger.

I must not forget to clean the lens on the laser cutter, to try and avoid another alarm incident.

April 3rd

Today I realized that while I did order flat-packed cardboard boxes (which should arrive today), I did not think about a way to stick them together. So, because I only have horrible plastic tape at home, I researched some paper tapes. The ones I found on Amazon seemed to not be fully recycled material, and people complained about the lack of adhesiveness, so when I found Sellotape’s Zero Plastic packaging tape alternative, at a good price, I was happy. However, I knew that would already add an extra day to my going into SDX, and it turned out that tape I found at the good price would have arrived in a week. Because I don’t plan on waiting so long, I had to find another way. Luckily Amazon has options for other sellers of the same product to be shown, so I purchased the same tape with a higher price. It is fully biodegradable, which I thought might be better for the planet, and Sellotape has a good reputation for adhesiveness. This should arrive tomorrow, which means by Wednesday I will have everything ready to go on the shelf.

So after some more indecisiveness and research, I canceled that order, because the reviews on Tesco were awful for that tape, so I bought this paper tape instead which will definitely arrive tomorrow, there is 50mmx50m of it, and will look a lot nicer on the box. It’s also fully recyclable instead of being biodegradable which people would be confused by and would either try to recycle or throw it in their bin anyway. Plus, I was silly and the Sellotape would have arrived in two days, not tomorrow.

I sent an email to SDX with the barcode information, and a question regarding plugging in the USB at the store, so that the potential buyers can see what it looks like. This is all becoming very real, and I am starting to doubt myself a little – I’m not very confident with my soldering skills, and I am quite fond of the latest product I made, but that is something I will have to get used to. And if it doesn’t sell, I still did really well and learned an incredible amount.

Left to do:

Cut out some more business cards
Cut and engrave bio and frame
- redesign back piece for frame?
- test engraving logo first on small piece
Receive cardboard boxes and test with product and honeycomb paper packaging
Research LED safety and write/design labels
Design “sticker” for box/or engrave logo?
Design sale sign (commissions? WWF donation?)
Print out:
- safety labels
- “stickers”
- sale sign
- photo of waterfalls
Tomorrow:
- receive paper tape, test putting together a box with product, safety info etc.

I edited the back part of the bio stand, and reorganized them on the sheet to fit better.

I received an answer to my e-mail, and it seems I will also need to think about bringing a battery pack… I wonder if they will remember to recharge it.

But at least it looks like the barcode is already ready for me to sell.

To test the engraving of the logo, I cut out the back piece of the frame.
For engraving, I used 800/15, and for the cutting, it was 575/93.

I think changing the focus of the laser really helped with the speed, and I’m quite happy with the engraving quality, but I’m not sure if it is easy to read.

I will up the power a little bit to 18, and try a different font.

I next tried the Fill option for the entire logo.

I used 800/15 again (I had to watch a few videos to see if this would be okay – most people seem to use a lot slower speed, but I wanted to try to save time), but changed the settings a little – Line interval (mm) to 0.15, Flood-fill and Bi-directional fill.

The result is definitely better – but even with these settings this small logo took about 3 minutes. In order to save time, I’m going to up the speed a little, but also the power (I would like it to be a little more black).

I discovered the Offset fill option – this creates lines on the inside of the letter, takes a lot less time to do, because it’s not horizontal miniature lines. I kept the 800/15, but changed the line interval back to 0.1. I’m not sure if I like this better – it’s definitely darker, but the details are lost, and I don’t know if I like the effect of the inner offset lines, instead of the horizontal ones.

Next, I tried Fill again, but this time Cross-hatched – 900/10.

Or rather I wanted to try this, but then I noticed it would take 7 minutes.

Back to non-cross-hatched it is: 900/20, 0.12 intervals.

It looks to me like the speed is too high, and some of the details which were previously filled are not left out.

Next: Fill 850/15/0.127, Scan angle -45 degrees, 2 minutes. Not sure why the chrysalis is not filling up at the top, and the letter “o” isn’t great… but at least now you can see the details better.

Next: Fill 850/15/0.08, -45 degrees.

This only adds 50 seconds to it.

It (the one on the bottom – I’m trying to save material) looks great – I will fix the chrysalis on Illustrator, because it is frustrating me, and while it is clear like a diamond, I think 0.1 will be enough for line fill.

I don’t remember what settings I used here. I wanted to fix it because I didn’t like them.

I changed the entire svg, point by point, which took a little while, but I think it will look cleaner.

900/18, 0.1, 45 degrees.
It does look amazing – I will lower the power a little because it is quite deep, and lower the speed for extra clarity.

875/15, 0.1, 45

I will edit the “o” a little more, it is much thinner than the rest of the letters. But very happy with this. Oh, and I sideways shrunk it a little, I think it’s more visually pleasing.

875/15, 0.1, 45

875/18, 0.1, 45 – what a difference 3% of power can make! I believe this is rather too deep now. However, the “o” is perfect now! I think I will try once more.

900/17 – this one seems pretty good! Although the logo (the letter “K”) is a little more shallow than the rest of it.

Before engraving the entire bio, I did a quick test with the SHX font “HAND”, which worked really nicely with 750/15 Line.

Next, I reworked the entire business card – I didn’t like the shape of it, so I made it a lot more similar to what the large product looks like, and reorganized the sheets on Lightburn. I had to change the size of the CAD model to 0.98% because the pieces didn’t all fit, but now there is a nice frame around each, and the one with the writing is in the middle. I also added the engraved logo.

Earlier today I received and tested the boxes, and the product fits in perfectly with the honeycomb void fill. Can’t wait to see what it looks like with the paper tape. I should probably try to print or engrave my logo on it.

When I wanted to cut/engrave the entire bio, I checked how long it would take, and the time quoted was about half an hour. I thought I could try and reduce that, so I tested a little bit of the text engraving with some higher times.

800/17

900/17

1000/20

I may need to try a bit bigger jump – 750 to 1000 only changes the full time from 22.45 to 21.18.

1200/20

1750/25

New logo test: 1200/20 ? (fraction)

Line 2500/30, Fill 2000/27

The fill seems perfect, but the line is much too thin

I just noticed that the Fill was a different layer type, so many of the settings were not the same, like the angle.

Line 2500/40, Fill 2000/27, No overscanning, Scan angle 45 degrees, Flood fill

This seems great. With these settings the entire page will take 18.46.

Cut: 650/95

Cut: 750/95

This is definitely too fast, it didn’t cut fully.

Cut: 700/95

This is the one!

This way the full thing is 18 minutes.

I engraved and cut the bio and stand in sections – engraving first, then cutting. The text looked amazing, easy to read, but when the cut finished, I noticed it didn’t cut through fully. I can probably just finish it off with an exact knife, but it won’t look as nice…

I noticed I missed the underline for the website and e-mail, so I lined up the frame around the bio sheet and added those, but when I started re-cutting with 50% power, it started sparking – I forgot to switch on the fan, so I chickened out and switched it off. I think that was a good call, because the tiny section that did cut in between the pieces was misaligned. I did use the exact knife and you can barely even notice.

My problem is that the stand is quite loose – it seem the laser cuts a bigger edge than I imagined, and I didn’t quite think of that, but it works because this way the pieces can stand somewhat at an outward angle. It does seem quite sturdy, but I might try to cut them again anyway. I’m sure I can find some leftover bits that they can fit onto…

I cut out five more business cards, finally without putting it together – I did have to change the settings as I went, because it became quite faint, but the settings that worked were:

Fill engrave: 1200/21

Line engrave: 750/18

Line cut: 575/93

April 4th

I have to admit, this morning I feel like a bit of a genius. I’ve been thinking a lot about the soot marks that are left on the back of the plywood sheets after laser cutting, that the hot, dirty honeycomb plate leaves behind, and how I could eliminate that. I have seen some posts mentioning metal studs, but when I searched for these, I found very few and they were all magnetic. My honeycomb plat is aluminium – metal will be no good for that. So next I tried my drawer where I keep all the extra hardware – nails, screws, studs, Allen keys, etc. – and what do you know, I found the replacement parts I ordered from IKEA a while back, because I needed some extra for my shelves. I only have 10 of the ones that are good – 101532, the 5mm version with a ring around it, which is what can keep it from falling through the honeycomb cracks – so I ordered some more from their website. Did you know you can get free replacement parts? I got 50 and they should arrive within a week. I will try this as soon as I can – it seems very promising, but that’s no guarantee it will actually work.

I did try it pretty soon – because I only have ten of these, they were not enough to hold up the sheet which was already missing some bits to cut out a business card, and I also noticed I like putting the edge or the corner of the piece of plywood to the frame of the honeycomb, but using these pins this would not be possible – it’s very easy to accidentally nudge the ply out of its position.

Today’s agenda is to finalize all safety and other notices, receive the paper tape, make a box to test the full packaging experience, make paper “stickers” of the logo for the box…

Most of this requires research, and for me to set up my printer again. For some reason it always misbehaves.

Oh my goodness! I have not used my Canon Pixma MG3650 printer for months, because I could not figure out how to connect it to my WiFi, and now I put in some spare paper, tested printing a crossed-out wheelie bin symbol (found during my research for safety information on lights), and the computer wizard helped me set up the printer, and it works like a dream! It even has a lot of black ink left.

Also, I realized I could ask ChatGPT to help me write a safety label.

I will copy in my correspondence with this brilliant little robot.

I have a USB powered hand-made and soldered LED light sculpture, what safety notices do I need to attach with it in the UK to sell it?

If you are planning to sell your USB powered LED light sculpture in the UK, you should include the following safety notices:

Warning Label: A warning label should be included on the product, stating that it should not be disassembled, modified or repaired by the end user.

Power Rating Label: You should also include a label that specifies the power rating of the LED light sculpture, including the voltage and amperage required to operate the device.

CE Marking: The product should have a CE marking on it, which indicates that it complies with the relevant European Union (EU) regulations.

RoHS Compliance: Your product should comply with the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) regulations, which limit the amount of hazardous substances in electronic devices.

Instructions: Clear instructions should be included with the product, explaining how to use it safely and correctly.

Manufacturer Information: You should include the name and contact details of the manufacturer or distributor on the product, so that customers can contact you if they have any questions or concerns.

By including these safety notices, you can help ensure that your USB powered LED light sculpture is safe for customers to use and complies with UK regulations.

What is the exact warning label I should write on my USB powered hand-made and soldered LED light sculpture, if I intend to sell it in the UK?

(1/2) The exact wording of the warning label for your USB powered LED light sculpture will depend on the specific hazards associated with your product, but here is an example of a general warning label that you could use: WARNING: Do not disassemble, modify or repair this product. Doing so may result in electric shock or other hazards. This product should be used only as intended and in accordance with the instructions provided. Keep out of reach of children. Please note that this is just an example, and you should tailor the warning label to the specific hazards associated with your product. If you are unsure what specific warning label to use, you may wish to consult a product safety expert or legal professional to ensure that your product complies with UK safety regulations.

(2/2) The exact warning label for your USB powered LED light sculpture may vary depending on the specific risks associated with your product. However, a common warning label for electronic devices sold in the UK may include the following information:

WARNING: Do not disassemble or modify this device. There are no user-serviceable parts inside.

DO NOT expose to water, moisture, or extreme temperatures.

This device should only be used with a USB power source that has a maximum output of [insert the maximum output value in watts, volts, and amperes of the USB power source that is appropriate for your product].

KEEP AWAY from small children and pets.

This device may emit bright light. Do not stare directly at the light source.

If the device becomes hot during use, turn it off and allow it to cool before using it again.

If you experience any unusual symptoms such as nausea, headache, or dizziness while using this device, stop using it immediately and seek medical attention.

Again, the specific warning label may depend on the unique risks associated with your product. You may want to consult with a regulatory specialist or an attorney to ensure that your product complies with all relevant regulations and safety standards.

Surely this ought to help me craft my own safety notices.

I cannot find A4 cartridge paper, but I do have a lot of A3 size – so I will change the blade in my scalpel, which I should have done a long time ago, and use a steel rule to cut them in half myself.

I’m thinking, the warning could be either a small label, or a wee booklet. The booklet could have information on the product itself, what inspired it, how it was made, what parts are inside it, and it could include the warning at the back.

Although I intended to go on Monday, and I wasn’t ready to go yet, I may have to go on Thursday after all. This all seems like a lot of work.

Thinking about the booklet, the only stapler I have is tiny, which would mean I will need to limit the width of the booklet to 4 cms.

Never mind, the stapler just fell to pieces.

Or I could sew it together…

Okay, I cut 10 A3 sheets, so I have 20 empty pages to print on now.

I used a small piece of leftover Amazon box corrugated cardboard, and created a quick engraving test file on Lightburn. I tried speeds from 1000 to 3500, and powers from 10 to 30. I used the 45 degree angle, Flood fill, and changed the line distance to 0.2.

The nature of the cardboard means that higher power will eat through the first layer, while a lower power will only leave a soot mark, and very gentle indentation, so it can be smeared away by your finger, or an eraser.

From the test I think I will use 3000/35, with a line distance of 0.18, because the lines are quite visible with 0.2.

Next, I will try engraving my logo in the size that I would like it to show up on the box – 90 x 22mm.

Well, that didn’t quite work out.

I turned the cardboard around, and I’m not sure if that’s the reason, or the power was too high, but it completely burnt off the thin first layer, and triggered the hard limit alarm midway through etching.

The cardboard of the boxes that I will use for the product does seem a bit more sturdy, but the structure is the same.

I’ll do 2500/25, with a line distance of 0.12.

Same effect.

2000/20, and 1500/15 – this one seems really nice, but I wonder if I can up the speed a little.

3000/15, and 4000/20

These two hardly made a mark at all.

3000/25, 3500/35 – the first one is almost okay – a tiny bit too much. The second is too much power and ate through it.

3000/20, 3000/22 – I actually tried both of these on the box, with the logo, and 3000/22 worked really nicely, I got excited. I measured the side of the box, and made a frame on Lightburn of the same size, then put the logo in the middle. I framed the box on the laser so that it was definitely in the right place, and because I previously marked the box with a pencil, I could see that it was indeed correct.

However, when I touched it I noticed that the soot was easy to smear away. I used an electric eraser, to help clean the pencil marks and the soot off. Then it instantly became much brighter, difficult to see, and the colour didn’t even fit nicely anymore.

The second time (3000/22) seemed a lot better, even after rubbing it out. I did stop after this, because I realized spending all this time engraving these not soo great quality cardboard boxes was a bit of a waste. It was in the assumption that I will sell the first product and will have to make at least two more – which, let’s be honest, is not that realistic.

I will now need to turn my attention toward the things that are left to do.

Design safety label/booklet
Print safety label/booklet
Design pricing sheet
Print pricing sheet
- Glass 10x15cm photo frame?
- Design and laser cut frame?
Look for battery pack and charge to bring it on Thursday?

I spent a little time sanding down the 7 business cards I cut out – it’s a shame about all the soot marks, because sanding it down brightened the letters, making them harder to read, but I used a brush to try and get rid of some of the wood powder and this helped clear it up a bit.

April 5th

I am becoming acutely aware of the passage of time, and what little of it I have left to finish this project.

One of the things I will need to hand in for grading is a project book of the design and creation process, and to help myself get started, even though I am still working on the physical parts, I thought I would try to write down a few things that I will need to mention in the book.

The things I have learned throughout this project:

Assembly and testing of an XTool D1 Pro 20W diode laser
Asking for help from a knowledgable community (Facebook group)
Cutting and engraving with, and cleaning a diode laser cutter
3D printing with TPU filament on a Creality Ender 3 V2 Neo 3D printer
Soldering a working 2-LED, USB and button switch circuit
Usage of optical fibres for enhanced and diffused illumination
Natural wood staining
Moss harvesting and preservation
Designing and assembling a wire cage and a plywood cage
Designing a topographic sculpture with electronic elements and an invisible closing mechanism
Structural assembly of a layered plywood sculpture with electronic elements
Designing a plywood box and a cardboard box
Creating a brand name and logo
Designing and laser cutting an interactive plywood business card
Writing, designing and laser cutting a brand bio with a custom easel
Designing and assembling a product packaging for sale
Pricing a handmade item for sale
Assembling a store shelf for maximum visibility
Creating paper and wire flowers, leaves and rock for store shelf display
Going through a design process by staying true to the original idea but letting go of the unnecessary and adding elevating features
Designing and printing booklet
- Welcome message
- About myself and the brand
- About the product (materials, parts, assembly)
- Safety notices
Designing and printing pricing sheet
Programs:
- Fusion360 to SVG for laser cutting (Shaper Origin plugin)
- Fusion360 for 3D printing
- Cura slicer for 3D printing
- Lightburn for laser cutting
- PhotoShop for animated Gif creation
- Miro for brand name ideas
- ChatGPT for Brand name ideas and Safety notices

What else to include in the book:

Product design process
- Inspiration
- Ideation
- Development
- Finished product
Branding process
- Brand identity
- Logo design
- Business card design
- Bio
Process of assembly of the product:
- Staining plywood
- Laser cutting all layers
- Glueing layers together according to the numbers
- Soldering LED-switch-USB circuit
- Glueing on moss, coarse sand and fibre optics
- Laser engraving corrugated cardboard box
- Assembling box with paper tape, product, honeycomb void fill, booklet, business card
  - Booklet:
    - Front page:
      - Welcome message
      - About the brand
      - Image of the product
      - Inspiration for the product
Chosen materials
Discarded materials
Estimated price of a product by the amount of used materials

A little chat with the university placement team via e-mail reminded me that I have not yet taken full final photos of the finished product. I also remembered that engraving my logo on the base would be a great idea. Luckily, with the new removable base this will be a lot easier, as this will be a flat surface on the honeycomb plate.

After a quick test on a scrap piece, I placed the base upside down on the honeycomb plate, used Lightburn to line up the logo into the middle, and used 2000/27, 45 degree, Flood fill, 0.15 line distance. I’m quite happy with the result, although it could have been a little darker.

While taking photos of the product, the packaging, the business cards and the bio, I realized that the bio stand is very flimsy, and it would be nice if it could be picked up instead of falling apart when nudged.

So I quickly redesigned the groove on the back part, and added a logo, then engraved and cut out a new piece. On this, instead of the actual 2mm width of the plywood, I used 1.6mm width for the groove, and when put together, the easel, although a tiny bit wobbly (probably because the groove on the side pieces is still 2mm, but I don’t think it warrants using even more material), stays in one piece, and now sports my logo on the back.

I have a 10000mAh power bank I use all the time, so I was not keen on leaving this at the shop to plug the product in, so the buyers can see what it looks like when lit up.

Thankfully I found an old 4000mAh one in my electronics box, and it still had 3 of the 4 lights on, which means it should work fine. I also found a nice black micro USB cable and am now charging it.

Hello!
Thank you for choosing to purchase this product from Krisalys Creations!
My name is Krissy, I was born and lived my first 23 years in Hungary but moved to Scotland in 2016.
I started my product design studies in 2019 at the City of Glasgow College and continued at Edinburgh Napier University, where I created this product as a placement project at the Scottish Design Exchange.
I am passionate about designing products that cause the least harm to the environment. Our planet is in a fragile state, and as a designer I have a responsibility to help it heal.
The brand name Krisalys (‘chrysalis’ being what covers and protects a developing butterfly) encapsulates the idea of emerging as a new, better version of ourselves.
The area depicted is from the Ecuadorian Amazon rainforest, one of the most biologically diverse parts of the world. When I first got the idea to use moss in my product, I found the awe-inspiring photograph of the San Rafael Falls and decided to try and create a diorama of it.
Made out of laser-cut plywood, hand-picked and preserved moss and natural coarse sand, with a gentle LED glow, it acts as a reminder that we can do more for ourselves and the planet, and learn to be in harmony with Nature.
Moss positively affects cognitive function, stress levels, and emotional well-being, and it helps to draw moisture and airborne particles out of the air. Take a deep breath while admiring its beauty, and continue your day with renewed energy!
A portion of the proceeds will go to the WWF Amazon appeal because I believe every little bit helps to conserve our Earth. (https://support.wwf.org.uk/donate-amazon)

WARNING:
This item is not a toy! Please keep out of reach of children and pets.
This device should only be used with a typical USB power source (such as: USB wall plug, computer USB plug, portable charger with a USB plug, etc.).
Please do not disassemble, modify or repair this product. In case of electrical faults, please refer to Page (X) and get in touch! I will do my best to repair the product or provide a suitable solution.
Please DO NOT expose to water, moisture, or extreme temperatures. The moss has been preserved and does not need to be watered. It should keep its current texture for 5+ years if handled correctly.
This item was made by hand, using organic materials and is intended for decorative purposes only. Small pieces of moss or sand may become loose over time. Please take care to only handle when necessary.

I designed the booklet so that it is an A6 size, and the 4 pages (front, back, and the two in the middle) fits onto a single sheet of A4 cartridge paper.

To save myself time I used the text from the bio and re-wrote it, then added a photo of the final product to the front, as well as the brand logo, and the photo of the waterfalls in the second middle page. I edited the photos in PhotoShop to be the most attractive and visible in Black and White, and when printing I chose the Greyscale option.

The page printed beautifully, so I used a steel rule and exacto knife to cut it in half, then folded the two sides.

I didn’t want the pages to be warped by the dampness of Pritt paper glue or wood glue, so I decided to use double-sided tape. I used two bulldog clips to hold one of the sides together and put 4 strips down the entire length of the other side of the wider double-sided tape I have at home to cover the whole A6 page. When this seemed fine, I did the same with the other side.

With the product, the booklet, the business card and the box finished, I placed everything in the box and took photos of the unboxing experience.

Looking back at the photos I took at SDX of other shelves, something caught my eye.

One seller had a modern white frame, and at the end of their bio they said “Please turn over for options and pricing”. This inspired me to add a similar text to the front of my bio, and design the back to mention the commission and any other information I might want to mention.

I put “Please turn over to see more!” on a new layer on Lightburn, and used the shape of the bio to frame it. I used the same engraving settings as before – 2500/40. It is only slightly too low, but that doesn’t matter, everything is still clearly readable.

This will save space on the shelf, and the pricing won’t be so glaring.

Now, for the back:

This product is created by hand by myself alone, and takes a great deal of work.
Here is my process:
Collecting moss
Cleaning the moss at least 3 times
Preserving moss in glycerin solution
Letting moss dry for at least a few days
Laser cutting the layers out of plywood
Gluing the layers together
Soldering the LED circuit
Gluing on the moss, the sand and the fibre optics
Because of this, I will be taking commisions for any new purchase. This may take about a week or two to be finished, depending on my school work and other commitments. Please be assured that this also means a product of good quality, one that is not rushed but made with great care and respect.
The materials I chose and the design decisions I have made allow me to cause the least amount of environmental impact, which is not only expected but is a personal goal of mine.
Taking commissions also means I am able to make small changes to the product – if the buyer wishes a personalized engraving on the front plaque, that is doable. However, a complete re-design of the diorama will not be accepted.
I will be continuing to design more products for sale, but if you have any requests or ideas, please drop me a line, it will be much appreciated!
Contact me:
e-mail
instagram

I thought it would be cool to create a QR code for my website – I had no idea there were so many shape options, but when I found the website QR.io (and then QRCode Monkey, because QR.io only has a 7-day trial, and less shape options), I got very excited.

Unfortunately, it took me quite a while to figure out how to save the file in an SVG that Lightburn recognizes – I used the Free SVG converter by Adobe on the png image I downloaded, and when inserted into Lightburn, all the layers were doubled, so I had to delete each one by one, but the result seems to be recognized by my phone, so that’s great. My concern is the size, and the engraving quality which might not be good enough to be read by phone cameras.

Purchasing information
This product is created by myself alone, and takes a great amount of work and precision.
Because of this, I will be taking commissions for new purchases. One piece may take about a week or two to be finished, which assures a quality item made with care and respect.
The materials I choose and the design decisions I make allow me to cause the least amount of environmental impact.
Give the gift of nature and calm with this hand-made item, and request a personalized plaque on the front!
I will be continuing to design more products, but if you have any recommendations, please let me know!
Check out my website and get in touch:
[QR code]

I first tested engraving the QR code in 5×5 cm size, which was a bit too big, but my phone could easily read, and then 3×3, which was perfect. Then I lined up the back of the bio, and engraved the text and QR code.

I was reminded by my boyfriend that it may not be such a great idea to allow electrical wires under current to touch wood surfaces, so I quickly took it apart and used a hot glue gun to insulate all the naked wires.

When finished, I used some black electrical tape to cover up the areas on the bottom which might emit light when turned on, as that would seep through the cracks of the base.

Then I spent some time going through the whole product and patching up all the brown areas where the moss has fallen off or got squashed with some more moss. I’m not sure if I made it better or worse, but I did try to cut off any out hanging bits with scissors.

I think I now feel ready to set up the shelf!

Week 10