Memorygirls - Make Do and Mend

Kittikins

Kavics and Maryb, you need to educate your families to give you a stocking from this year onwards!! They rock DD is ultra lucky, when we go to my parents for Christmas, she gets 2, one from me and one from them as my dad gets very competitive.....oh, and Father Christmas gives her a beautiful dress to wear as well (thank goodness for ebay!!)

troglodyte

Crickett you are so right about the lists, my life was just one never-ending and continually growing to-do list, I was hours behind before I even got up in the mornings, that was what made me realise something had to change! Hopefully I am on the way now...

Claire those Xmas and Halloween earrings are so cute! They will be snapped up - also you should definitely offer a gift-wrapping service and offer to include a hand-written note if required as well, at a pound or two extra of course, for those busy people looking for gifts. And if anyone out there makes cards, perhaps you could collaborate on adding little hand-made gift-cards to your service? (Or make some yourself of course).
Also agree you need to find a corner somewhere to put your work so you can leave it mid-project undisturbed when you have to stop for meals etc.
And you know I'm going to agree with everyone else about the housework don't you? My daughter is 4 and she knows to tidy up and put stuff away, to clear plates away after meals etc, OH helps with the cooking and washing up, for your sons getting them to do their share will help you and them, as has been said, not only now, to make you happier and less stressed and therefore make everyone happier, but also because when they leave home they will know how to do things around the house (even if they don't do it in their own place, they will know how it ought to be done when the mess gets too much for them :rotfl:) and if they can cook something half decent it will really impress their friends and prospective girlfriends too! So tell them you are going on strike and you are not going to do your next job (making a meal or whatever) until someone has finished the last one - and by the way any job is not finished until all the clearing up is done as well. It is a real bugbear of mine, I cannot bear to start the day by clearing up from the one before, instead of facing a fresh new day you are left with a nasty mess before you have even begun, and guess who is normally the first up in the mornings and has to deal with it? Believe me, it only takes a couple of days to get them going on the new way and it will be so worth it :j
Sorry for the long rant there!


MG that was a great idea, what I'd love to know is what exactly did you say to get such a good response? I'd be happy to join in (will PM you) but wouldn't be too sure about how to approach people, I'd be afraid it would come out rather feebly in a 'my friend makes jewellery...' sort of way - advice on a confident approach please

taka

Ohhhh count me in too! Thanks for sending me your book MG! :T I'll have a read this weekend.

Sadly, my attempt at the play part of this challenge went rather wrong this weekend as I broke my left wrist ice skating and bashed the other one! I'm now even further behind in the challenges than I was last weekend and can't write or type for long! :rotfl:

It just means I had the think laterally and I discovered this morning my MP3 player has a microphone... so I'm dictating my brainstorming instead of attempting mind maps or lists for the moment. :rotfl:

I'm also going to spend some time over the next few weeks researching jewellery designs (as I can't do much actual making! ) and what I want from a website so that when my cast comes off I'll be far closer to setting up a small jewellery business. (Don't worry claire my stuff is different to yours. ) I've been kinda wanting to do something with it for years but I've been too scared - but what do I have to loose? I have almost enough materials already to get me started... it is just fear preventing me from taking the next step. Worst case is that everyone I know will get birthday and Xmas presents of jewellery for the forseable future if it doesn't work out! :rotfl: No more avoidance... :j

Claire - do you have business cards at all? (preferably with a picture of one of your designs on it along with your website details etc) Make sure you have some with you when you are out and about (wearing your own designs of course ) - anyone who admires them... give them a card!

Also you can pop a card or 2 in with any orders... Moo cards or something similar (as moo cards aren't cheap) may be good and wouldn't add much to the postage costs.

clairewop

Nathan ds2 makes cards

So ok, i'm getting a headache now I need to put a gift wrapping service on the website plus a handcrafted card, would I have to photograqph them? and how much should i charge for a gift wrapping service?

I got ribbons and tissue paper today in poundland.

clairewop

taka wrote: »

Ohhhh count me in too! Thanks for sending me your book MG! :T I'll have a read this weekend.

Sadly, my attempt at the play part of this challenge went rather wrong this weekend as I broke my left wrist ice skating and bashed the other one! I'm now even further behind in the challenges than I was last weekend and can't write or type for long! :rotfl:

It just means I had the think laterally and I discovered this morning my MP3 player has a microphone... so I'm dictating my brainstorming instead of attempting mind maps or lists for the moment. :rotfl:

I'm also going to spend some time over the next few weeks researching jewellery designs (as I can't do much actual making! ) and what I want from a website so that when my cast comes off I'll be far closer to setting up a small jewellery business. (Don't worry claire my stuff is different to yours. ) I've been kinda wanting to do something with it for years but I've been too scared - but what do I have to loose? I have almost enough materials already to get me started... it is just fear preventing me from taking the next step. Worst case is that everyone I know will get birthday and Xmas presents of jewellery for the forseable future if it doesn't work out! :rotfl: No more avoidance... :j

Claire - do you have business cards at all? (preferably with a picture of one of your designs on it along with your website details etc) Make sure you have some with you when you are out and about (wearing your own designs of course ) - anyone who admires them... give them a card!

Also you can pop a card or 2 in with any orders... Moo cards or something similar (as moo cards aren't cheap) may be good and wouldn't add much to the postage costs.

got any pictures of your jewellery you can share? I'm not afraid of competition lol, If I can do it so can you, are you a bead weaver? if so theres a gruop on facebook that share free patterns.

Hope you arm mends quick

clairewop

ok i'm off to take pictures now i've got batteries.

will be some time

troglodyte

Well, bit of a guesstimate here but for just wrapping in paper with a bit of ribbon I think £1 would be acceptable, then another £1 for a card. I would suggest designing 3 or 4 cards that are easy to reproduce and they only need to be small, no bigger than the smallest of your gift boxes. You could do a Xmas one and a Halloween one then a couple of other generic ones for birthdays, anniversaries, 'just because' gifts etc. Make several of each, take a photo of each design and put it on the website for people to choose.

That's just my suggestion anyway, anyone would think I knew what I was talking about LOL

Firewalker

Memory_Girl wrote: »

WE WOULD TOTALLY ROCK!!!!!!:j:j

So if its not too much hassle to ask - can i extend yesterdays "hands up" request to create an email list of everyone who would be interested in playing the grown up game of "join the dots"

I figure if we have 100 peeps playing - who each can place 100 flyers - then that is 10,000 people that can hear about claires business overnight - if that is what she wants? but that is some amazing christmas campaign.

if everyone of the 100 can find 1 key-introducer for our potential PA to talk to- then thats 100 people on her call list to get her off and rolling.

So have a think guys - and have a think how we can all help one another get everything we truly deserve.

if you want to play - pop me a pm with your name and email - and if you know any women who are running small businesses get them to join in too.

i love it here

memorygirl

MG and everyone, count me in - I believe I have reached a place where I am both ready to give and receive support. The latter was particularly difficult - giving is much easier.

Someone mentioned sometime ago that this can become an enterprise - it has been for sometime now. It is shaping to be an enterprise based on the more 'feminine' principles of: networking, cooperation, mutual support of all kinds, flexibility, good will rather than power.

Mmmmm, how very interesting.

Firewalker

crickett1234

clairewop wrote: »

got any pictures of your jewellery you can share? I'm not afraid of competition lol, If I can do it so can you, are you a bead weaver? if so theres a gruop on facebook that share free patterns.

Hope you arm mends quick

Oh my goodness... I tried bead weaving and nearly lost my mind attempting it! I have since given all my beads and bead looms to a young lady of my acquaintance who is very good at it, and doesn't go cross eyed when she is doing it!

My creative hobbies of choice are crochet, cross stitch and embroidery, making cushions, card making, making my own clothes, and patchwork. Oh and cooking. And singing. :eek: This is why I need to retire, so I have enough time to actually do all of this stuff!! :rotfl:

butafli

Okay ... delurking again to say WOW!!! and have my hands up - MG I have pm'd you with my email addy
Claire you are an inspiration to me as I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis last year and since then have been faced with physical difficulties, tiredness and an emotional roller coaster. So another one for whom the challenges came at the right time as am having to make a new path forward for myself rather than the one I had been dawdling along prior to my diagnosis.

Hope everyone is having a brilliant Friday afternoon!