The Thrifty Gifty Girls 2009 (Organised & Money Neutral for All Occasions) #3

RustyFlange

pinkladymel wrote: »

I just realised there was loads of posts on the other page and there was me refreshing over and over D'OH!

Hair dye is on and needs to be scrubbed off in a sec.. argh my arms and everywhere are black lol

I first got involved with a magazine when I submitted my work to a readers gallery for Scrapbook Inspirations. Out of the blue I suddenly received article comissions and was writing pages for them. I have done bits and pieces for companies by checking out their blogs and websites and submitting to their design teams.

I discovered the Scrapbook Apprentice competition and never thought they would choose me in a million years.. then I thought.. why not? There was thousands of applicants and I was lucky to be chosen and I appreciate that every single day. Part of the contract was that I could no longer work anywhere else and this was the hardest thing because I went from a regularly featured artist to disappearing into the shadows!!

Why did I agree to that? Because I wanted some stability in my life. The good thing about magazines is that you get to create items with products you want to but the downside is the pay is poor. Not only that but I also have to make trips to the post office regularly, find the boxes to package my work in and pay the postage! When my work is returned, it is ripped apart with pieces rattling in the box.. basically really heartbreaking.

With magazines, you can be a 'name' in the crafting world and get to say 'hey look at me!!' but the main focus is that you are trying to get noticed by the big companies who will employ and sponsor you. It is a very 'catty' business and shallow. You are basically paid in stash from the big companies but everything you make has to go to them to display at shows and then return to you broken up. So really.. you are working your hard long hours for free stash. I would rather buy my own stash and keep doing what I love for me.

So.. by accepting Scrapbook Apprentice I kinda told myself.. I am quitting the business now and if I win this competition.. it will be absolutely amazing.. a full time paid job designing products for people. If I don't.. I'll have made some amazing friends (you guys) along the way who shared a special journey with me.

I'm still getting paid in stash.. Stash I have to send back to them with my hours of hard work! Stash that is sometimes entirely disgusting.. BUT there is a dream at the end of it.. and I am hoping I can make it so that I can achieve something in my life for me instead of being scared and quitting.

Argh... sorry I didn't mean to type all that!!

I get all of my layouts back at the end of the competition (they're damaged in the photographs so god knows what they will look like in 12 months!) but I can't have my cards.

Rusty, I love your corset.. it's gorgeous.. how come your boss bought you that OH AYE!! My corsets are more like 20 pound cheap shop jobs LOL You are not fat and horrible. I AM !! Be proud of who you are and wear that corset.. i bet you will look stunning you know x

I have visions of you dripping black dye all over your keyboard! :rotfl:

Sounds like an amazing journey you are currently on! I really have everything crossed that you make it

Haha nothing sinister I promise! I met my boss when I was 15, I used to go racing with him and was his race mechanic ... many people I know find it amazing that I was working on race cars at 16 aswell as qualifying to be a mechanic. I used to love the car, even on our first trip out as a team when he smashed it all up :eek: but we repaired it enough to continue and come second! Through the years we had a fantastic friendship, to the point by 17 I was living with him, his wife and his daughter in London and working abroad in europe and only coming home at weekends, I also used to do massive firework displays with him I had so many amazing opportunities in life thanks to him. Then we lost touch after a big fall out, finally 3 years later we got in touch again and our friendship was still great, he bought me the corset as a thankyou for all of my hard work over the years
You are not Fat!!! only I am allowed to say that :rotfl: ... I one day might get the encouragement to wear it again ... I am really self concious though and never find anything nice to wear underneath it (i.e a skirt)

RustyFlange

rainmac wrote: »

Sorry to hear about OH job interview but another one round the corner and closer to home is fab news

I can't believe your little one drinks tea, never been able to get mine to take to it. OH drinks loads and I drink a fair amount but the boys seem to hate the stuff So sorry she's still poorly, hopefully will sleep well tonight and feel much brighter in the morning. Hope you feel much better tomorrow too.

Sarah both of mine are tea bags! ... Thomas had his first cup of tea at 1 year old and never looked back, and Maddison was 6 or 7 weeks old and she sat drinkin mine! she has to have a cup of tea on a morning, infact all of us do. OH sometimes wonders where all the teabags go as we get through loads

sylphraven

I loooooooooooooooooove corsets! In my thinner days I used to wear the cheap off the hanger ones, the ones that "look" like corsets. Now I'm a bit larger I darent until my MIL made me one, made from an original victorian design, but with roses & skull material. I love wearing it, pulling it in REALLY tight, but obviously it has to be kept for special occasions Think its a bit ott for going shopping in. As for selling them, ebay is quite good but you HAVE to put the starting price at an acceptable level for yourself. If its listed at £20 it might start a bidding war, it might only get 1 bid. If you list at £200 it might not start a bidding war but at least you'll get a better price for it. If it doesnt sell your unfortunately stuck with the fees. Worth seeing whats on there.

My lot hate Tea as well, but so do I, they both drink coffee though (decaff of course, I's not that nuts!)

As always PLM FAB WORK!!!! Saw your stuff in creativity Life this morning, I couldnt see anything wrong with the pics they'd done, but obviously you know your work. Cant believe they dont protect your work more to send back, thank god for digital photos! Least you can reprint those. I also didnt like how they put a X through the person who'd been knocked out the comp, must be so upsetting for her, couldnt they just have removed her totally from the line up of pics, or put a large circle where the photo should have been.

Choccy, those papers real were a steal last night, well worth the price & the p&p.

rainmac

Wow PLM, your story is amazing, can't wait to meet you at the NEC (if I can sort childcare out :rolleyes:). I've had work published in cross stitch magazines but that's just following patterns and not creative like your work

[Deleted User]

I'm off home now, have a lovely weekend ladies. :beer:

mhagster

I sent a letter to the Bunty once (all you young uns won't have a clue what that is lol) with a photo of my dog.

I remember the excitement one Saturday morning when the postie delivered a Bunty envelope..........what would I spend my 50p postal order on???
It was a rejection letter:( and the advice to use a SAE next time!

Mel you will still remember us when you are rich and famous won't you?

sylphraven

Ok, 2 days late but heres my lists:

Organised, Pressies to get/got:
Big bro - b'day bought, christmas started
SIL - b'day & xmas bought
Mothers day, both bought, just waiting to see if they get baskets back in poundland to put my moms stuff in, if not then I'll get a tub.
Niece 01 - B'day & christmas bought
DS1 - almost finished b'day & started xmas
Niece 02 - xmas started
Nephew 05 - Birth pressie bought, xmas started
Easter - All eggs got, just got to geta game each for my 2
Lil Sis - b'day & xmas done.
FIL - To get both b'day & xmas
MIL - B'day started.
Fathers day - To get
Nephew 02 - b'day & xmas done
OH - b'day to get, xmas started
Friend 01 - b'day to get, xmas done
Nephew 04 - b'day done, xmas to get
Friend 02 - B'day & xmas done
SIL 02 - b'day to get, xmas done
Nephew 01 - b'day done, xmas to get
Mom - b'day & xmas to get
Nephew 03 - b'day done, xmas to get
Lil bro - b'day to get, xmas started
SIL 03 - xmas started
DS1 - xmas started
total spend so far = £383.50

Neutral:
Valued opinions - £5.45p (need £10 to cash)
Quidco - £77.42p
Boots - £33.xx
Pigsback - 402points (need 1150points for £10 boots voucher)
Empire stores - £230
ipoints - 2344 (need 1200 points for £5 odeon voucher or 2470 points for £10 Argos/asda voucher)
Toluna - 100375points (need 60000 for £10 sainsburys/amazon voucher)
Nectar points - 2103 (need 500points for £2.50 off argos/sainsburys)
Homefriends - 84p (need £20 to claim)
One poll - £8.05p (need £40 to claim)
Home of research - 1000 points (need 2000 points to claim £20)
Mums opinion - £3.50 (need £10 to claim £10 boots voucher)
These work out to roughly £430 so far (in theory)

This month I want to be signed up to some more survey sites & find an hour each day for clicks etc to maximise my potential of earning.

sylphraven

Oh Mhagster, how mean of them!!!

At school we had to write letters to MPs & stuff about our school closing to get support, I sent mine to blue peter & got a badge, was quite chuffed with it, lol.

RustyFlange

A big thankyou to the lady who posted the link to the chocky boxes, I decided to make an effort to do something today (i'm still in PJ's!) anyway here is my first attempt I plan to do more and put them with the journals for the mothers. My plan is to try and make it look like a substantial gift but without the substantial amount of pennys.

mhagster

that's lovely Rusty!
The Bunty wouldn't send you a rejection letter!!