New, New Thirfty Gifty for Christmas and All Ocassions 2011..Santas Challenge...

rufusdog52

Your card is lovely Susan, I dont know how much to charge though, I am useless at that kind of thing as well. I have been umming and arring over the price of my things I make, think a lot of that is what has been putting me off doing it. My sister is the same, she makes beautiful cards for everybody, they are really nice, much better than what you buy in the shops, but if someone asks her to make one she panics as she doesnt know what to charge.

Why dont you have a look on that Folksy site and see if anyone is selling cards in a box on there and see how much they are charging to give you an idea. I reckon they would be charging a better price than on Ebay as its so hard to sell hand made things on there.

elysia2003

I agree, etsy and folksy is the way to go! Rufus, don't the listings run for 6 months? Better than paying ebay fees all the while, plus people who are looking on those sites want something a bit different.

How's things going today?

I hope you are OH are OK today Mary and Mum2one - I'm hoping today brings good news.

Have a lovely evening everyone.

mary-op

Hello all :j
OH had his appendix out but turns out it wasn't that at all..........it was a blockage in his bowel so he's had bits taken off small and large intestine and sent off for biopsy. Got him a cheap mobile phone from Tescos so he can phone me or I can phone him when I can't get in to see him. Going again Saturday. He's on morphine drip and still nil by mouth and right fed up...............was really grumpy last night but phoned this morning and apologised..............lol daft thing.......I'd be grumpy if I was him.
Anyway, plus side,,,,,,gardens coming on fine, his veg is getting planted and more being done tomorrow.
This is just a quickie as dinner is nearly ready:)

rufusdog52

Blimey Mary, what on earth is going to happen next? Lets hope OH is feeling a bit better this evening xx

Elysia - yes from what I can make out the listings stay on for 6 months and it costs 20p to list. If you have more than one of an item you can list you have up to five and it doesnt cost any more than the 20p. No good to me as all my stuff are one offs but if you could make 5 cards the same you could put them on for the 20p and when one has sold it will say 4 left and so on. Only allowed the 5 of each as it states its to keep things unique which I quite like. You have to pay a bit out of what you sell the item for, a percentage, cant remember how much but its not a lot. I am still learning as I go along so dont know all the ins and outs yet. Long way to go yet xx

NickyBo_2

mum2one wrote: »

wow that was a brilliant sale, and with everything under £1, you did brilliantly,
Can I rack yours and everyones brains, as you know I'm on the PTA, and were really trying to work our rear off to bring it back up, fell flat for the last year,
Got summer fayre - July, but any ideas for that, any events, and suggestions, way, shape or form, (esp any for design and technology - class has to have a table), any ideas for events would be brillaint.

Our downfalls
Low income area (single parents, low income family, eldery area)
Volunteers - few and far between (that bad dragged dad in to make numbers up!!, my mate dragged her hubby in!!)
Spending - people in the area don't like spending money
Liquor licence - thats a complete no no for the area were in.

I don't do things by half!! xx

Sorry I'm a bit late replying, hopefully the ideas will still be useful

My school sounds like it's in a similar area - high level of social deprivation and small number of volunteers.
At our most recent fair, every class was asked to have a stall each, this was the first time we've done this and it was a huge success. The children ran their own stalls, with some of the Year 6 children helping with the younger kids stalls too.
We found the parents and other children were far more willing to buy from the children and it also solved the lack of volunteers problem. We had the TAs on a few stalls and wandering around to keep an eye on things.

Stall ideas (all these were thought of by kids at school)-

* Chocolate fountain - this was our most popular! See if any of the kids have a chocolate fountain you can borrow, it will need to be PAT tested (the school should be able to see to that as they'll have to get all their electrical things tested every year). Then sell marshmallows and fruit kebabs dipped in the fountain.

* Jar tombola - this was also really popular and very cheap to run. Ask kids and staff to bring in old jars, any size. Then fill them with all sorts of things, some good things like sweets, chocolates, colouring pencils etc (I'd fill the smaller ones with the good stuff as it's cheaper then!) but fill most with funny cheapy things like cotton wool balls, sand etc. Then you just run it like a normal tombola.

* Guess the name of…… - You have a teddy or something similar. It needs to be quite a nice one to get people interested, but it doesn’t have to cost much. I’m sure you’d be able to find a bargain somewhere!
If a class were organising this themselves, then they each choose 3-4 names (depending on how many children in a class – you need 100 names). Then you print a 10x10 grid with one name in each square. Enlarge the grid on a photocopier, so that it is about 2 x A3 size. Mount on coloured paper and it looks quite fancy! Get the Head to secretly choose one of the names, write it on paper and seal in an envelope.
Charge people 30-50p a go, depending on how nice the prize is. They just choose which name they think and write their own name in that square on the grid. That way you can’t get 2 people choosing the same name.
If you sell all 100 squares at 50p each you would make £50. You could increase the number of squares and therefore names if you thought you could sell them.

* Lolly stick lucky dip (I can’t remember the proper name!) –
You have lots of wooden lolly sticks – these can be bought very cheaply in places like Wilkinsons. Paint the bottom of most a plain colour like black or red. On a few you paint them gold. All the sticks are put in a tray of sand, painted end down. Children pay 20p ish a go and just pull out one lolly stick. If they get a gold one they win a prize, usually a small pack of sweets.

That’s all I can think of for now, hope it’s of some help

mum2one

Thank you all, fab ideas for the fete.

The court case was a farce, he didn't turn up, had an excuse couldn't get there in time? but the court are still going ahead with some of cafcass suggestions, I managed to get a bit blocked, - theres an official complaint going in about the cafcass officer, - thats going to cause friction,
DD has to have another invterview with cafcass, as he has to produce a lifestory and pictures of the family, (she now knows she has a half brother) and she idn't get that information from the household!! Depending on how she reacts to the book is where the court go next, but we had to fight tooth and nail for me to get a copy of this book, as his solicitor didn't want me to have it. But the court said I had to, but on the evidence they have (completely wrong), I have to be given a copy after Miss Hoodie has had her appointment.
back to court mid July........ ladies shall we take bets as to whether he turns up, !!

rufusdog52

Blimey Mum2one, sounds like a right pain keep dragging it out. When I split with my exhusband we went to court about the kids, but I had custody of them and he was allowed to see them once a week, used to come and take my son out but more often than not he didnt take my daughter. I used to get upset about it, he said he was taking the boy to watch things like motor sport etc that girl wouldnt be interested in but he never seemed to make it up to her. All she ever wanted was to spend some time with her dad but he used to make it up in his eyes by buying her a toy or something that she didnt even want. They both see their dad now they are grown up and they know what he is like. Son can take him or leave him, not bothered one way or the other but daugter still gets upset as he has other kids now with other women and they seem to get more attention than she does. She is thirty this year and he is still treating her the same.

My youngest daugther, her dad cleared off when I was pregnant, found out few weeks later he was bad sort, had visit from police over it, wont go into it on here but was told not to let her have contact with him if he ever tried but he never has.

susan42

Rufus - thanks for the reply, I dont make things for people I know because I dont know what to charge. I love your things though and I love etsy and folksey as I can look at homemade things to my hearts content.

Mary - omg, hope OH is ok. Its one thing after another must be getting you down evern though you sound very positive, especially with your bad back as well. Hope he gets better soon and (((hugs))) to your both

mum2one - why cant they see through him, he`s not interested.....ooohhh things like this make my blood boil

mary-op

Hello all :j
Rang OH this morning and he slept better last night -still in a lot of pain and can't wear proper clothes yet, still nil by mouth apart from a drop of water now and then. He's well fed up just being there and no-one seems to tell him anything, plus the worry and waiting about biopsy results.
Foster daughter is taking me to see him tomorrow and Sunday another girl we fostered is taking me, Monday two of his mates plus me so at least he'll see some fresh faces.
I'm supposed to be seeing bone specialist Monday but cancelling that -would rather go and see OH and see if I can manage to find someone there who knows whats going on.
Lady from council came yesterday and measured up the bathroom for shower but she said it has to be a 'wet room'..........don't want that I just want a shower cubicle plus as the cost of stair lift and shower goes above grant amount they want to put a £10,000 charge on the house that they get back if we move.............not to happy about that and beginning to wish we'd had it done ourselves. I've got time to think about it anyway and see what OH says...........give him something else to think about.

Hope you're all ok:)

mum2one

Shouldn't laugh.... but...

Miss Hoodie does ballet and tap, and the last few weeks theres only been her in her group, 2ngt theres a new girl at the ballet group, turned out it was her cousin (our side), Karen didn't recognise her or her mum, she said while she didn't speak to me, anyhow I've got my family and thats all that matters. xx